Donor Spotlight: Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Africana Studies Hal Fairchild and Heather Fairchild

During his 23 years at Pitzer College, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Africana Studies Hal Fairchild was a known entity on campus: an admired colleague and mentor, a vocal crusader for change, a passionate teacher and advocate for Pitzer's values. What many do not know is that Professor Fairchild is a dedicated philanthropist whose contributions are helping students afford a Pitzer education.

In addition to many other gifts over the years, Professor Fairchild and his wife, Heather Fairchild, established the Yuri Hosoi Fairchild Memorial Endowed Scholarship (2005; in honor of his mother) and the Halford H. Fairchild Endowed Scholarship in Africana Studies (2016). Recently, they made a bequest that will significantly add to each scholarship fund at the end of their lives.

"Pitzer is committed to changing the status quo for the better, committed to social responsibility and social justice, so we think it's a good place to park our money," Professor Fairchild said.

In time, they plan to park more money in these scholarships, with a goal of $1 million each: "I never had a retirement party at Pitzer, but if either scholarship gets to a million dollars, we'll have a party," Professor Fairchild said.

As a proud emeritus faculty member, Professor Fairchild focuses on marketing his three books written in close collaboration with students during his final year at Pitzer: (Re) Solving Violence in America; Black Lives Matter: Lifespan Perspectives; and Social Psychology and World Peace: A Primer. In addition, Professor Fairchild and his wife love playing poker:

"The hope is to get on a world poker tour, travel the world, play in tournaments, and win. We hope to win millions of dollars and give at least half to charity, and the two Pitzer scholarships are the first two things on the list."

Professor and Mrs. Fairchild would love to see more members of the Pitzer community, including former students, consider joining them as members of the Provida Futuri Society.

"I urge other faculty and staff who spent their lives, their careers, at Pitzer, or anyone for that matter, to think about endowing a scholarship in their own name. We loved the idea of setting up scholarships because they help students in perpetuity. We envision a world where higher education is free for all."