[3] Veitch attended Loyola High School in southern California before he received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University in English and American Literature.

[8][9] On his first anniversary at the college in August 2010, Veitch hosted a public forum for Los Angeles activists and local officials to discuss the city's environmental future.

[10] After a two-year consultative process initiated by Veitch, Occidental approved a five-year strategic plan in 2012 that laid out goals such as curricular innovation and fostering a cosmopolitan campus culture.

[11] On the school's 125th anniversary in April 2012, President Veitch announced that Occidental would be the recipient of a $5 million donation to renovate Johnson Hall, one of three original buildings on the campus.

[12] During Veitch’s tenure, Occidental implemented new programs in computer science,[13] media arts and culture,[14] music production,[15] and Black studies.