Harry J. Elam Jr. was appointed the sixteenth president of Occidental College in Los Angeles. He will take office on July 1.
Occidental College is a liberal arts educational institution with enrollments of just under 2,000 students, according to the latest data supplied to the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 5 percent of the student body.
Currently, Dr. Elam is vice provost for undergraduate education, vice president for the arts, and senior vice provost for education at Stanford University. He joined the university’s faculty in 1990 as an associate professor in what is now the department of theater and performance studies.
“I am honored to have been chosen to lead Occidental, one of the country’s top liberal arts colleges,” Dr. 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.”
A graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Elam earned his doctorate in the dramatic arts at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author and co-editor of seven books, including the award-winning The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson (University of Michigan Press, 2006).
