Scripps College

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. [ 11 ] 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." [ 12 ] 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." [ 13 ] 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." [ 14 ] Scripps initially did not want the college to be named after her, [ 15 ] 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, [ 16 ] which became known as the Claremont Colleges . Construction of Toll Hall c.

1927 Scripps College was founded in 1926, following the coeducational Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University . [ 17 ] Soon after, the first dormitory, created in 1927, was dedicated in memory of trustee Eleanor Joy Toll . [ 18 ] Ernest J. Jaqua was inaugurated as the first president of Scripps College in the same dedication ceremony of Toll Hall. [ 19 ] 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. [ 20 ] 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. [ 21 ] At age 89, Scripps founded the college as one of the first institutions in the West dedicated to educating women for both professional careers and personal growth. Scripps's "experiment in education" called for a setting with an artistic connection between buildings and garden landscape on an intimate scale. [ citation needed ]

Olive tree grove in the Humanities Building This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . ( August 2022 ) Over time, the college has moved away from its finishing school –esque origins. [ 22 ] In 1968, students occupied a grove of olive trees to save them from being cut down to make space for construction of the humanities building. [ 23 ] [ 24 ] [ 25 ]

This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . ( August 2022 ) In 2000, the college opened a centralized dining facility, Malott Commons, [ 26 ] ending the practice of serving meals in the residence halls. [ citation needed ] In 2014, the college began admitting transgender women. [ 27 ] [ 28 ]