Dear Sagehens:
With the semester underway, I’m delighted to share several developments that will strengthen our community, expand opportunities for our students and position Pomona for the future.
That future will be very much on our minds on October 10, when we gather on Marston Quad to celebrate an important milestone in Pomona’s history with the launch of the public phase of our comprehensive fundraising campaign. I hope to see you all there for an afternoon of joy, connection and fun, as we reflect on what we have built together and look ahead to our next chapter. The official invitation went out last week—you can learn more and RSVP here.
100% Green Power Beginning in January
Last spring, I shared that Pomona and The Claremont Colleges were working toward an agreement with the Clean Power Alliance that would represent a major step toward our carbon neutrality goals. I’m delighted to share further details with you now that the agreement has been fully executed.
Beginning in January 2027, The Claremont Colleges will transition to 100% Green Power with the Clean Power Alliance, which means the energy we procure will meet California’s 100% renewable standards. With this agreement—established after months of careful analysis and negotiation across the consortium—we make meaningful progress toward our long-term carbon reduction goals as a College and as a consortium.
It is especially gratifying that students played an important role in this exciting development. In particular, the thoughtful advocacy and ongoing involvement of the 5C Environmental Justice (5CEJ) student organization—which includes several highly engaged Pomona students—helped elevate the conversation around renewable energy and contributed to a comprehensive consortium-wide evaluation. I am grateful for their leadership and for the many faculty, staff and colleagues across The Claremont Colleges whose work made this milestone possible. Please take a moment to learn more about Pomona's sustainability commitments.
Engaging Across Difference
I am also pleased to share that Pomona has become a founding member of the Reconciliation League, a new collaborative that provides a residential, academic, fully-funded fellowship designed to help students here and across the world develop the skills to engage meaningfully with people whose experiences, institutions and perspectives may be very different from their own.
Pomona’s mission is grounded in the principle that we learn by listening, questioning our assumptions and encountering people on their own terms. The League prioritizes these same ideals. At a moment of deep polarization in our country, the goals that it will serve are essential to the work of education and the leadership our graduates will undertake in communities around the world.
Pomona College and the League will fund five students to participate in the inaugural Reconciliation League Fellowship program for summer 2027. Students will be able to apply for one of two sessions—the first held May 26 to July 1 at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and the second from July 24 to August 20 at Wroxton College in Oxfordshire, England.
Fellows will then return to Claremont ready to share what they have learned, apply those practices here, and model what it means to value difference without always seeking to convert others to our own point of view. Students: application details will be shared with our community soon!
Welcoming New Faculty and a New Incoming Class
Pomona’s greatest strength has always been the people who make the College’s extraordinary educational experience possible. This fall, we welcomed 12 new faculty members to our community, bringing new areas of scholarship, experience and perspective to our classrooms and intellectual life.
We also welcomed an exceptional incoming class of 414 first-year and 27 transfer students that reflects Pomona’s longstanding commitment to expanding access to a worldclass education. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of incoming first-year students received financial aid, largely from endowment-funded grants, totaling $19.6M.
I extend my gratitude to all our faculty for the rigor and commitment they model for our students every day. I can’t wait to see what our newest Sagehens accomplish under their guidance.
Getting Around Just Got Easier
One more piece of good news: Pomona students, faculty and staff can ride Foothill Transit free-of-charge throughout the school year through the Class Pass program. Thanks to the excellent work of 5C students, the pass provides unlimited rides on Foothill Transit local and Silver Streak buses, making it easier and more affordable to get around our region without a car, while supporting our sustainability efforts.
This practical benefit for our community also helps expand access to all that Southern California has to offer. Learn how to get your Class Pass.
These developments offer a glimpse of the work underway across Pomona: investing in the people at the heart of our academic mission, giving our students new opportunities to learn and lead, and building toward the College’s future.
I look forward to the continued progress that this academic year promises—and to celebrating our shared future with you on October 10.
Warmly,
Gabi