Dear Sagehens,
A new school year is upon us, and how wonderful it is to be back together! I hope your summer was restful and productive, interesting and fun, and that you return to campus for the new school year with a sense of excitement and possibility.
As I have spoken with students, faculty, staff, families and alumni in recent weeks, I have been reminded that a sense of freshness and an ever-present momentum are intrinsic to Pomona. New ideas, new opportunities and new challenges are always emerging in this community of curious, creative and ambitious Sagehens. The coming year will bring significant milestones for the College, and I know we will meet them as we always do: together, drawing on the strength of this remarkable community.
I had the great pleasure of speaking with new families as they dropped off their students last weekend. As the mother of a college sophomore, I recognize the optimism and longing of Pomona parents as they see their children step into college life anew. Because I know faculty and staff are ready, I was able to assure parents we would do our very best to live up to what they expect of Pomona for their student.
As we look ahead to the 2026-2027 academic year, it has been a special joy to talk to students returning to campus and reconnecting with the energy and ideas of our faculty and staff.
I hope to see, in particular, all of our first-year students at our Opening Convocation ceremony, which this year will feature a very special welcome address from Fernando Lozano, our Morris B. and Gladys S. Pendleton Professor of Economics.
Faculty Awards
Our faculty’s collective excellence defines the Pomona learning experience, and I want all Sagehens to be aware of the faculty whose teaching awards we celebrated during May’s Commencement exercises. The Wig Distinguished Professor Award is the highest honor the College bestows on faculty, with recipients elected by juniors and seniors and confirmed by a committee of trustees, faculty and students. In the spring, we recognized seven professors with this honor, including three first-time recipients. I encourage you to read the article celebrating these awardees and see the touching comments from students. We are proud of our honorees for their exemplary work:
- David Divita, professor of Romance languages and literatures
- Erica Dobbs, associate professor of politics
- Michael Kuehlwein, George E. and Nancy O. Moss Professor of Economics
- Alexandra Papoutsaki, associate professor of computer science
- Sara Sadhwani, assistant professor of politics
- Nicole Weekes, Harry S. and L. Madge Rice Thatcher Professor of Psychological Science and professor of neuroscience
- Feng Xiao, associate professor of Asian languages and literatures
Faculty Promotions
I also want to celebrate the 14 members of our faculty whom the Board of Trustees promoted to associate or full professor in May. Please take a moment to read a little bit about them and join me in congratulating them for their exceptional work.
New Faculty
We are also pleased to welcome 11 new full-time faculty this year. Joining departments across the College, these new colleagues bring a wide range of scholarly expertise, creative perspectives and research interests that will enrich our classrooms and strengthen our academic community. I look forward to introducing them to you in the weeks ahead.
Center for Global Engagement (CGE)
As you have by now no doubt seen, the work to begin building the CGE is underway.
We completed the demolition of Oldenborg last week, and the scale of the site reflects the promise of this project, which will create an interdisciplinary center for global, hands-on learning unlike any such facility in the country. The CGE is a fitting exemplar of Pomona’s engagement with the world.
In a moment when AI is continually changing the landscape of our society, our CGE will invite Sagehens to explore what it means to be human, and what it means to learn and know.
The building itself is 100,000 square feet—and with a design that will incorporate innovative student residential areas, collaborative workspaces, a large community dining and event forum, classrooms, offices and more. But the structure is secondary to what we hope to achieve: new avenues for students and faculty to engage in a rapidly changing world, one where what we know is increasingly less valuable than how we put it to work, ethically and creatively. Knowledge matters, but human engagement makes knowledge live. Liberal arts colleges have always known this. But Pomona will soon have unique avenues to explore, invent and collaborate. Together, we will launch new models for education, and I can’t wait.
Our new liberal arts laboratory will rise gradually as we move toward its grand opening in August 2028. We look forward to celebrating the official groundbreaking later this semester and will share more about that event as the date draws near.
Meanwhile, global learning and scholarship at Pomona continue as intensively as ever. The activities and services that Oldenborg had hosted are still occurring—just in different campus locations. Additionally, our faculty have new pilot programs underway around global and local initiatives, language, dialogue and partnerships. I encourage you to review the extensive material available about the CGE, those related programs, plans for the new building and more at this dedicated CGE website. Check back regularly for updates as programming design and construction evolve.
Over the coming months, there will be increased vehicle traffic near the project area, particularly around Seaver Theatre and the Studio Art Hall. Unavoidably, there will also be periods of elevated noise and occasional vibrations associated with heavy construction activities. Our team is doing its best to minimize disruption to teaching, learning, research and campus life, and will greatly appreciate your patience as this exciting endeavor unfolds.
Campaign for Pomona College
This fall will mark an important milestone as we transition to the public phase of a comprehensive fundraising campaign. Rooted in the aspirations of our Strategic Vision, this campaign is about ensuring Pomona remains a place where exceptional students—whatever their discipline or background—can find a home and thrive. It’s about ensuring our faculty continue to work at the cutting edge of everything that a liberal arts education can be. And it’s about investing in this unique community, where fresh ideas take flight and become meaningful change.
I look forward to sharing more details in the weeks ahead, and to welcoming the campus community to a special celebration on October 10.
We have made significant progress toward our goals, with tangible benefits for our community, including the successful launch of Access to Course Essentials, the introduction of laptops for new students on financial aid through our Technology Access Program, and strong momentum in the fundraising, construction and programming of the Center for Global Engagement. I’m also very proud of our dental insurance program, which serves our lowest-income students, and the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness, which is not only a home for Pomona-Pitzer Athletics, but for a whole host of wellness opportunities that serve our entire campus.
These and many other developments, guided by our Strategic Vision and Initiatives, have me looking forward again with great anticipation to the year ahead. As that Vision says, we will keep our focus on delivering a creative, holistic and rigorous education that equips our students to lead the way in an ever-changing world. The Vision, and the Initiatives it birthed, not only inform our Campaign but continues to challenge us to be our best and to serve one another to the best of our ability. We have more to do together, but I’m so proud of how far we have come.
Academic Affairs Restructure
As the College has expanded in recent decades—and as the national higher education, regulatory and political landscapes have evolved—the policy and operational responsibilities shouldered by the Dean of the College (as the College’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer) have grown significantly.
Working over the past six months, and following conversations with faculty members, we have developed a proposal that reimagines Academic Affairs to create a more sustainable and effective leadership structure. We believe this proposal will also enable time for Academic Affairs leaders to engage in institutional strategic planning, while increasing individual faculty access to Academic Affairs leadership. I look forward to sharing additional details with our community following a special meeting of the faculty on September 15, where this proposal will be discussed in much greater detail.
Potential Partnership with Claremont Graduate University (CGU)
Following an extensive review process last year, the CGU Board of Trustees in December invited the College to consider entering a formal partnership between the institutions.
Comprehensive due diligence has been underway ever since, exploring questions about academic programs, administrative operations, facilities and finances, among other critical areas of review. This fall, the boards of the College and CGU will make their independent decisions on whether to establish a formal working partnership between the College and the University.
We appreciate the thoughtful participation of so many Sagehens in the discussions about this potential arrangement, including in campus town halls and virtual forums as well as through emails and other feedback.
We also continue to update the FAQs about this exploratory process, and I encourage you to review them and the other extensive information available online about this potential partnership.
Student Highlights
This academic year we welcome the highest percentage of first-generation college students in our history: The Class of 2030 includes 29% first-gen students—students from families in which neither parent has a four-year college degree. Additionally, 13% of the class is international, along with domestic representation from 42 states and the District of Columbia. We warmly welcome these students and honor their determination and excellence in earning admission to the College, as they begin what we hope and trust will be a magnificent undergraduate experience.
The excellence of our students, and the dedicated support they receive from our faculty, has again earned Pomona recognition by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program as a leader among institutions whose students and recent alumni earn Fulbright awards. Last year, 14 of our students and recent alumni earned these awards, highlighting Pomona second place ranking in the country, alongside three other schools, for most awardees. Meanwhile, Pomona students earned myriad other impressive honors, and I want to take this opportunity to highlight the following:
- Khalab Blagburn ’27, a cognitive science and mathematics double major, won a Beinecke Scholarship for graduate school, making him the first Pomona student since 2013 to receive this prize.
- Charles Brainin ’27 and Ryan Mooney ’27 were awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for this coming academic year.
- Stephanie Granobles ’27 was named a 2026 Truman Scholar, one of 55 college juniors across the country selected for this premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders.
- Chau Vu ’26 became the first student from Pomona College to receive a Computing Research Association Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award, which is the nation’s highest honor for an undergraduate involved in computer science research.
In celebrating these and all our students who earned honors as the 2025-26 academic year concluded, we also celebrate the faculty, staff, family members and friends who played such an instrumental role in their learning and growth.
I am profoundly grateful to be part of this community with you and wish you a wonderful new beginning as this exciting new academic year gets underway.
With best wishes,
Gabi