Dear Pomona College Community,
We are off to a strong start for the 2022-2023 academic year. New students are settling in after a busy week of preparation, move-in and Orientation Adventure.
Opening Convocation brought thoughtful speeches by Yuqing Melanie Wu, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, and Vera Berger ’23, president of the Associated Students of Pomona College. They left me inspired and offered powerful reminders of our essential mission here at Pomona.
In support of that academic mission, I want to share good news about a new institution we are launching today.
The Institute for Inclusive Excellence will “serve as the hub for existing campus programs that foster inclusive environments, develop new, complementary programming supporting these efforts, and provide program assessment and outcomes reporting.”
The new institute will help us implement key parts of our Strategic Vision, as we aim to make Pomona a place where all students have the opportunity to flourish—academically, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Travis Brown, longtime director of Pomona’s Quantitative Skills Center, will direct the new institute.
The project emerged through the work of a group of faculty members, led by Associate Professor of Chemistry Jane Liu, seeking to promote inclusion in the classroom. The work was supported in part by a learning grant of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence initiative.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this initiative.
An important year lies ahead for Pomona. Construction fences will soon come down for the new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness, as we prepare for an October opening, with more details coming in the weeks ahead.
More aspects of our Strategic Vision will come to life in the months ahead as we work to fulfill Pomona’s unique role in promoting opportunity in American higher education. I’m excited to be part of such an engaged and caring community as we launch into a new year.
With best wishes,
Gabi