The Community as Classroom: Academic Experience
Off-campus, community-based learning options abound
Huerta del Valle, a community garden in nearby Ontario, is a popular community learning location for Pitzer students and faculty.
“Through my Media Arts for Social Justice course, I did a digital marketing internship for Huerta Del Valle, a local community garden. ... From putting on community events for the local neighborhoods to having meetings with the staff about their vision for Huerta del Valle, I truly felt connected to the garden.”
Alex Valdesuso-Pinney '20
he/him
Psychology and Media Studies major
Pitzer students complete 40 hours of work with one of our community partners -- just one way we take learning out of the classroom and into the community.
Community Engagement Center (CEC)
The Community Engagement Center is our on-campus hub for community-based work. We work with more than 30 community organizations from across the Inland Empire to facilitate connections among students and groups making real change in Pitzer’s backyard.
Learn More About the CEC
CASA Pitzer
Located in downtown Ontario, California, Critical Action & Social Advocacy (CASA) Pitzer is a space for local residents, activists, and organizations to connect with our faculty and students to build community and enact change. CASA plays host to community events, as well as a unique academic program for Pitzer students that emphasizes community-based research and learning.
See What’s Going on at CASA
More Than a Class
Water Justice In the Desert
In 2022, our Community Engagement Center partnered with the City of Adelanto, in the heart of San Bernardino County's high desert, to address long-standing water quality issues. The effort brought Pitzer faculty and students together with community organizers and helped shed new light on water problems in the high desert through water testing and resident interviews.
Read the Story
Social Responsibility Praxis Courses
Pitzer is one of the only colleges in the country that requires students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom toward making positive social change. Every student completes at least 40 hours of service, research, or community-based education before they graduate.
Learn About Graduation Requirements
The Robert Redford Conservancy (RRC)
The Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability is a 12-acre nature reserve located across the street from our campus. Take classes and conduct research at the Conservancy and the neighboring Bernard Biological Field Station. Roam and study almost 100 acres of preserved coastal sage scrub -- one of the rarest biomes in the world -- just steps from your dorm.
Explore the RRCStudent Voices
“We are doing hands-on work and learning from something that isn’t necessarily incorporated into the classroom. We are using our senses and learning more outside than inside.”
Tommy Shenoi ‘24
he/him
Environmental Analysis major
Community Learning Around the Globe
Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology
Pitzer students have been at the heart of the Firestone Center’s research, education, and restoration efforts near Dominical, Costa Rica, since it opened in 1993. In this time, students have helped restore 120 acres of the site’s original rainforest, a vital step toward protecting this endangered ecosystem.
Explore the Firestone Center
Costa Rica Summer Health
From intensive Spanish language instruction to internship work in the hospitals of San José, this unique program lets you dive deep into the biggest healthcare issues facing Latin America by taking you out of the classroom and into the real world.
Explore the Summer Health Program
Fulbright Grants
With full funding for research or English teaching work in your selected country, a Fulbright grant gives you the chance to take your learning to all corners of the globe. Pitzer has been a top Fulbright producer for 15 consecutive years, making us well-equipped to help you on your Fulbright journey.
Explore Fulbrights at Pitzer