Dear Pomona College Community,
The Pomona College Board of Trustees convened on campus for its fall meeting Thursday, October 8 through Saturday, October 10. Under the leadership of Board Chair Janet Inskeep Benton ’79, trustees gathered to discuss strategic priorities, from the potential partnership with Claremont Graduate University to the College’s approach to artificial intelligence. Ahead of the in-person sessions, several committees met virtually.
Meetings began on Thursday, October 8, with New Trustee Orientation welcoming the newest members of the Board: Halim Dhanidina ’94, Bill Riley P’26, Cosi Thawley ’11, and Robi Ganguly ’00, president of the Alumni Association Board. The Educational Quality and Student Affairs Committees met Thursday afternoon, hearing from faculty, staff, and students about the impacts of AI on the liberal arts and critical thinking, and the evening concluded with the Trustee-Student Dinner. More than seventy students and trustees attended the dinner, which centered on the theme of shared governance and the role of student representatives.
On Friday morning, trustees reconvened for committee meetings. The Executive Committee of the Board met with the Faculty Executive Committee to discuss matters impacting the faculty, while members of the Facilities and Environment Committee took a field trip to the site of the potential consortial housing project. As a reminder, most Board committees include student and faculty representatives who serve as full voting members, bringing valuable perspectives to the Board’s work.
At lunch, faculty members Virginie Duzer and Andrew Wilson presented a lightning talk titled “Teaching with AI by Building It: A French Literature Course as a Model for Critical AI Literacy.” Over the course of the weekend, trustees also connected with the campus community on their own schedules, auditing classes, taking admissions tours, and meeting with students.
The full Board meeting opened Friday afternoon. Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jonathan Williams shared a report on the incoming Class of 2030. The College’s government relations consultant David Cleary briefed the Board on the changing federal landscape surrounding higher education. Chair of Faculty Ben Keim, Director of Institutional Research Liz Graham, and Jonathan Williams presented early findings from the 2026 Climate Survey.
During the business portion of the meeting, the Board approved several routine but important items, including minutes of its May 17, 2026 meeting and candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree for Summer 2026. On the recommendation of the Trusteeship Committee, the Board approved revisions to the Pomona College Bylaws aligning the recent restructuring of the Academic Affairs division and the creation of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and the Vice Provost and Dean of the Faculty positions.
Saturday’s session was devoted to strategic discussion. Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer Jeff Roth and Assistant Vice President, Strategic Innovation KJ Fagan led an extended conversation on the potential partnership opportunity with Claremont Graduate University. Both the CGU Board and the Pomona College Board will vote on the partnership in late October. More information on the outcome of those votes will be shared next week. President Starr and Dean of the College Brent Carbajal then led a discussion of the College’s approach to AI in the classroom, and shared details about the recently formed ad hoc faculty Committee on AI. That committee has been charged to explore questions on how artificial intelligence impacts teaching and learning, as well as faculty research, and will consider how the College can best prepare students for a world in which AI is increasingly pervasive.
The Board adjourned Saturday afternoon into several events celebrating the launch of Originals: The Campaign for Pomona College. Events included the groundbreaking of the new Center for Global Engagement and the community-wide Originals Festival on Marston Quad.
The Board will hold its next meeting remotely in December, and we look forward to sharing another update with the community following that session. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Thank you,
Geoff
Geoff Pearson
Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Director of Board Engagement