New Occidental College president is Stanford University administration veteran

    Friday, February 14, 2020



    Occidental College, one of the U.S. top liberal arts schools, has just chosen Harry J. Elam Jr. as their new university president. Elam has years of administrative experience at Stanford University.

    Harry J. Elam Jr. is currently the vice provost for undergraduate education at Stanford University, one of the U.S.’ top research universities. He has now been named the president of Occidental College, one of the U.S.’ top liberal arts colleges. Liberal arts educations can be highly valuable for students who want to pursue bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, or even doctoral degrees (PhDs). 

    Elam has been vice provost for undergraduate education at Stanford University for the last decade. He will now become the 16th president of Occidental College on July 1. 

    The Occidental College board unanimously selected Elam after a year-long national search to find someone to succeed Jonathan Veitch, who announced in January 2019 that he will step down on June 30 after an 11-year tenure.

    Occidental Board Chair Steve Rountree shared, “Harry has the proven leadership skills, profound understanding of undergraduate education and enthusiastic embrace of our commitment to access and excellence that we were looking for.”

    In addition to top academic credentials, Harry has a genuine ability to connect with people. From an impressive field of candidates, he emerged as the clear frontrunner and was the Occidental College board’s unanimous choice.

    Elam said he was honored to have been chosen to lead Occidental College, one of the country’s best liberal arts colleges.

    Elam said “The college’s mission, founded on a commitment to excellence, equity, community and service resonates deeply with me, as do its academic strengths across disciplines, its vibrant ties to Los Angeles, a faculty equally committed to teaching and research, and talented students from all backgrounds determined to have an impact on our world.

    “Over the past years I have, in effect, operated a liberal arts college within the structure of a research university. Occidental represents a particularly dynamic vision of the liberal arts, and the work of collaborating with faculty, students and staff to lead the college into the next phase of its evolution is a truly exciting opportunity.”

    A member of the Stanford faculty since 1990, when he joined what is now the Department of Theater and Performance Studies, Elam has served in several senior administrative positions. For the past 10 years, he has been responsible for nearly all policies and programs relating to Stanford’s 7,200 undergraduate students.

    “While this is bittersweet news for all of us who work closely with Harry at Stanford, I am delighted for him and for the students, faculty and staff at Occidental College,” said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. “They will get the benefit of Harry’s wise leadership and his unwavering focus on improving education and the student experience.”

    Elam grew up in a rocky era of court-ordered school desegregation in Boston and is a leader on issues of diversity and inclusion, according to Occidental officials. 

    Some of his accomplishments at Stanford University include:
    • The creation of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts
    • The initiation of a summer bridge program for first-year students from under-resourced high schools
    • The design of a program to increase the number of students of color pursuing graduate degrees in STEM fields
    A Harvard College graduate who earned his doctorate in the dramatic arts at UC Berkeley, Elam is also the author and co-editor of seven books, including “The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson,” and dozens of journal articles and book chapters.

    In addition to his scholarly work, Elam has directed professionally for more than 25 years. He has directed “Blues for an Alabama Sky” for Theaterworks in Palo Alto and several of August Wilson’s plays. 

    He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. He is the recipient of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s highest award and a career achievement award from the American society for Theatre Research.

    His wife, Michele Elam, is a humanities professor at Stanford as well as an associate director of the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

    Thinking about earning a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree (PhD) with a focus on the liberal arts? There are several reasons to consider earning a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree (PhD) at any of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States. The best liberal arts colleges in the U.S. offer top bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree (PhD) programs with a focus on well-rounded education that prepares students for professional work in any field, from the social sciences to the natural sciences and beyond.

    With a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree (PhD) from any of the top liberal arts colleges in the U.S., you can be certain that you will come out as a well-rounded graduate with several valuable skills.