Donor Spotlight: Tom Brock ’83

Tom Brock '83 attended Pitzer College through financial aid support. Now, more than 30 years later, he wants to make sure that aspiring students who need assistance can receive the Pitzer education they seek, regardless of means.

"There is a widening divide in our country, and in the world, between the haves and the have-nots. A gift to Pitzer's financial aid program will help ensure that an outstanding Pitzer education will remain available to all, and that the Pitzer community will reflect students from all economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds," Tom said.

He continued, "Now, even more than when I was a student, a Pitzer education feels out of reach for most people, for most families. So, what can we do, what can fellow Pitzer alumni do, to make this a viable option? How do we as a community keep that option alive?"

Tom's personal response to this question was to make a generous bequest to Pitzer College in support of need-based scholarships. His personal development, his approach to life and his career path were—and still are—profoundly influenced by Pitzer, and he wants to help provide similar opportunities for future students.

"A dedication of funds to financial aid for low-income students is something I feel strongly about," said Tom, a past member of the Alumni Board, loyal event volunteer and annual donor to the Pitzer Fund.

At Pitzer, Tom majored in anthropology and first became focused on issues connected to poverty in the US. After Pitzer, a graduate degree in social policy and social welfare was followed by a career conducting research in those fields.

"My Pitzer professors and classes are what first exposed me to issues related to poverty and low-income people, and communities, generally. In true Pitzer fashion, this came in a variety of courses, including English literature, political science, anthropology, sociology—it was truly an interdisciplinary experience, and that integrated approach informed my future."

Pitzer not only helped shape Tom's professional endeavors, but also his general outlook on life: "Pitzer emphasized engagement, participation, working to solve problems, and I've tried to make those the guiding principles in my life—to be concerned with the needs and experiences of others, to look outside my own experience and opportunities and think about what kinds of support others might need or use to further their personal goals."

The College is grateful to Tom Brock '83 for becoming part of the Provida Futuri Society through making a planned gift that will provide financial aid support for future Pitzer students.

"I think for everyone this is a personal decision, but for me, it felt very natural because I can connect so much of my current thinking and value system to the experience I had at Pitzer."

To learn how you, too, can make a difference in a student's life, contact Lily Shin at 909.621.8432 or plannedgiving@pitzer.edu.