Scripps College

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Founding era

In November 1908, Ellen Browning Scripps, a philanthropist and prominent figure in the worlds of education, publishing, and women's rights based in La Jolla, Calif., first visited Pomona College in Claremont for its Dedication Day. She met many notable members of the young college, including James A. Blaisdell, its new president. Scripps continued to stay involved with Pomona College's community and kept in touch with Blaisdell in the years following the event, funding some of the college's lecture series.

Following an increase in enrollment of female students at Pomona College in 1919, Blaisdell turned to Scripps for the possibility of funding a "Woman's Campus." Scripps was willing to invest money into creating a college campus that would preserve her values of education. Over the next several years, she bought surrounding lots of land in Claremont and funded the construction of a new set of dormitories in what became "Scripps College for Women." According to Scripps, "The paramount obligation of a college is to develop in its students the ability to think clearly and independently, and the ability to live confidently, courageously, and hopefully." To provide a liberal arts experience with both an all-women's education and co-education, she wanted the college "to stress the essentials, reduce the size of the curriculum instead of increasing it."

Scripps initially did not want the college to be named after her, but Blaisdell convinced her that her name would help grow and publicize the college.

The development of Scripps College marked the start of Claremont's "group-college" system, similar to that of the Oxford Colleges, for which Scripps received much publicity. Scripps was featured on the cover of Time magazine for establishing this new consortium of colleges, which became known as the Claremont Colleges.Scripps College was founded in 1926, following the coeducational Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University. Soon after, the first dormitory, created in 1927, was dedicated in memory of trustee Eleanor Joy Toll. Ernest J. Jaqua was inaugurated as the first president of Scripps College in the same dedication ceremony of Toll Hall. The second dormitory, established as a "sister building" to Toll Hall, was dedicated to Grace Scripps Clark, the niece of Ellen Browning Scripps and daughter of James E. Scripps, in November 1928. Balch Academic Hall and Browning Residence Hall, named for trustee Janet Jacks Balch and founder Ellen Browning Scripps, respectively, were dedicated in a joint ceremony in September 1929. Despite being designed by different architects, both halls adopted a "'Mediterranean' motif" unique to the campus.

Campus

Scripps College is frequently described as one of America's most beautiful college campuses and has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. In its 2017 edition of The Best 379 Colleges, the Princeton Review cited the campus as the 12th-most beautiful in the United States, as has been corroborated by Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, The Huffington Post, and others.

Scripps College was the first recipient of the Getty Campus Heritage Initiative Program, which documented aspects of the college that were deemed historically significant and at risk of change. The original historic precinct was recorded and the history of each site (such as residence hall or garden) was given, an original appearance was described, and a recording of changes over time was taken. Different courtyards on site, such as the Sicilian Court, Iris Court, and Margaret Fowler Garden were surveyed and adjusted to resemble their initial designs wherever possible.

Scripps is in the center of the Claremont Colleges, with Harvey Mudd College to the north, Pitzer College to the east, Claremont McKenna College and Pomona College to the south, and Claremont Graduate University to the west. The original campus was designed by Gordon Kaufmann in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, featuring extensive use of domestic spaces that catered to a 1920s conception of femininity. In general, his 1926 campus plan has been carefully preserved, with major vistas linking the central areas. The overall planting schemes and landscaping devised by Edward Huntsman-Trout are still followed.

The campus offers a number of interactive landscaping elements, including a rose garden to the north designated for community cutting and fruit trees available for picking. Oranges, grapefruits, pomegranates, kumquats, and loquats are available to students. Scripps also harvests olives from its olive trees and presses it into award-winning olive oil.

Several facilities are shared by the members of the Claremont Consortium. Scripps shares the Keck Science Center with Pitzer College. The Claremont Colleges Library (also known as Honnold/Mudd Library) holds more than 3.4 million items as of 2023, of which 1 million are physical and 2.3 million are digital. The consortium also owns the Robert J. Bernard Field Station north of Foothill Boulevard.

Academics

Scripps is a member of the Claremont Colleges, and much of student life revolves around the five colleges, or "5Cs." Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Pitzer College, and Harvey Mudd College not only interact socially, but also share dining halls, libraries, and other facilities spread throughout their campuses. All five colleges, along with Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences, are part of the Claremont University Consortium.

Scripps students can cross-register for classes at or enroll in the majors of any of the undergraduate schools at The Claremont Colleges. Classes average 16 students, with an overall student-to-teacher ratio of 10:1. More than 21% choose to double or dual major by the time they graduate. All courses are taught by faculty.

Academics are focused on interdisciplinary humanities, combined with rigorous training in the disciplines. General requirements include classes in mathematics, fine arts, letters, natural sciences, social sciences, foreign language, women's/gender studies, and race/ethnic studies. Scripps also requires first-year students to take a writing course in their first semester. Each graduating student must complete a senior thesis or project. Its most popular majors, by number out of 227 graduates in 2022, were:

Political Science and Government (23)

Research and Experimental Psychology (18)

Biology/Biological Sciences (17)

English Language and Literature (15)

Environmental Science (15)

Neuroscience (13)

Mass Communication/Media Studies (13)

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics (12)

A key part of the Scripps experience is the Core Curriculum in Interdisciplinary Studies, a sequence of three classes that encourage students to think critically and challenge ideas. Every first-year student takes Core I in the fall, which introduces students to major ideas. Core II seminars focus on specific ideas introduced in Core I. The seminars are usually team-taught by two professors from different fields, such as physics and art. The concluding Core III classes culminate in individual projects that often lead to students' senior thesis or project.

Student organizations

There are a number of registered clubs and organizations (abbreviated CLORGs) at Scripps. Scripps students also frequently participate in 5C clubs alongside students from the other Claremont Colleges. In total, there are nearly 300 clubs and organizations across the 5Cs.

A student-run feminist coffeehouse known as The Motley is a popular hangout spot and focal point for social life at the college. The college also has a center for leadership, called the LASPA center, that runs leadership programming, events, networks, and workshops for students accepted into the program

There are several media organizations at the Claremont Colleges, the largest of which is The Student Life, the oldest college newspaper in Southern California. It publishes a weekly print edition as well as online content. Additionally, Scripps has a college-specific newspaper, The Scripps Voice. Pomona also has a student-run radio station, KSPC. The Claremont Independent, a conservative magazine, has produced articles about the 5Cs' political culture that have been picked up by national conservative media outlets and drawn criticism from many students. The Golden Antlers publishes satirical content.

On the Loose (OTL), the outing club of the 5Cs, sponsors trips to outdoors destinations. Its flagship event, an annual hike up Mount Baldy in swimwear or goofy costumes, can draw more than 100 participants. It is affiliated with the Outdoor Education Center of Pomona College (OEC), which lends equipment to students for free and provides outdoor leadership training.

There are several dance groups on campus, including the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company (CCBDC), which has more than 130 dancers, making it the third-largest collegiate program in the U.S. It has won multiple national championships. The Pomona College Theater Department produces four mainstage productions and a dance concert each year, and there are several smaller student-run productions as well. The 5Cs have two improv groups, Without a Box and Underground Theatrical Institution (UTI).

There are eight a cappella groups on campus. One, the Claremont Shades, hosts the annual SCAMFest concert, which draws singers from other Southern California colleges. Another, Midnight Echo, hosts the less extensive annual Human Symphony. The other six groups are the Ninth Street Hooligans, Blue & White, After School Specials, Earth Tones, Mood Swing, and One Night Stanza.

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