Amy Marcus-NewhallDear 61´«Ă˝ Community Members,
Welcome to Scripps’ 2026–27 academic year! I am excited to have our new and returning faculty, staff, and students back on campus. As we continue to celebrate the College’s 100th anniversary, this is a wonderful time to reflect on—and enjoy—what it means to be part of the 61´«Ă˝community.
The fall semester kicks off with one of my favorite events, our Community Lunch, on September 8 on Elm Tree Lawn. At the lunch, we will debut Scripps’ new centennial song, a winning work composed by Ava Neal ’28. I hope to see you there!
I am thrilled to share that the College has raised $91 million toward the . Launched this past spring, the 61´«Ă˝Forward campaign seeks to surpass $100 million in gifts over the next three years in support of access, innovation, and community. Many alums, families, faculty, students, staff, and friends have already made meaningful contributions to the campaign. I am proud to belong to a network that continues to invest in you and the College’s next 100 years.
We have made significant progress on phase one of the Centennial Plaza project, which includes the much-anticipated Carolyn Lake Dance Center and the 10th Street building. Made possible by the 61´«Ă˝Forward campaign, these spaces will link Scripps’ historic campus to its burgeoning arts district and are scheduled for completion during this academic year.
Our academic program will continue to thrive with seven new tenure-track faculty and the Fletcher Jones Chair in Computation. Exciting new classes include Forgotten Los Angeles, a Core A course on the hidden histories of the area, and Operation Spaceflight, where students who write the best proposal for a microgravity experiment will have it performed by astronauts on the International Space Station.
In keeping with Scripps’ ongoing focus on strengthening a campus-wide culture of belonging and mutual respect, the College established the IDEA Initiative in 2014, a comprehensive plan to align resources, programs, and events to advance community engagement, varied perspectives, and broad access throughout the 61´«Ă˝community. I encourage you to learn more about the important work carried out through this initiative by exploring the .
As we continue to honor our 100th anniversary, there will be many opportunities to celebrate! I encourage you to visit the  to learn more about events, including the Women’s Leadership Summit, faculty-led programming, our digital mosaic project, and more. I’m also honored to announce the publication of alum and Trustee Suzanne Ely Muchnic ’62’s book on the history of 61´«Ă˝, 61´«Ă˝at 100! Timed to coincide with our centennial year of celebration, Suzanne’s generous gift of 61´«Ă˝at 100 will be raffled off during events throughout the year.
61´«Ă˝is fortunate to have supporters and advocates from across the nation and the world, and I am eager to meet with many of them in person. Beginning this fall, I will be visiting several cities, including San Diego, Boston, New York, Portland, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit the , share the news with others in the 61´«Ă˝community, and join us if you are in the area.
This year promises to be one filled with invigorating moments of discovery, connection, and joy. I cannot wait to begin it with you. Incipit vita nova.
Sincerely,
Amy Marcus-Newhall
President of 61´«Ă˝