Dear Pomona College Community,
As we press ahead into this new semester, I’m writing with an update on steps we are taking to fulfill our community’s Strategic Vision.
The ambitious effort will require many years and a united community effort to bring it to life. Already, though, we’ve achieved tangible steps in carrying out the vision.
Covering More Costs of Attendance
With Pomona’s unique role in promoting opportunity in American higher education, one of our key aims is to cover more of the fundamental costs of attending college with grant aid.
To that end, starting in Fall 2021, we began covering the full cost of student health insurance (SHIP) for low-income and international students. Eventually, as money is raised, we seek to fully cover SHIP for all students who receive financial aid.
We have started covering more costs for all students on financial aid by providing a $50 per semester bookstore credit, and we hope to increase this assistance in the future as fundraising allows.
Promoting Flourishing and Inclusion for All
Last week, we opened our new Institute for Inclusive Excellence, which 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.”
For college staff members, we have launched a new performance management system with a closer connection between performance and compensation, and a revamped rating system that focuses more closely on work to fulfill the mission of the College.
As we just marked Labor Day, our nation is in an important conversation on the role of work, rewards and wellness. Across society, the pandemic brought to light new and existing strains in work lives and workloads.
For our own community, we have been addressing issues of compensation, work/life balance and how we can all flourish in our mission at Pomona. We will continue to press forward in seeking fresh approaches for these areas in 2022-2023. Across our campus community, we want every employee to be rewarded and recognized for their contributions.
In the weeks ahead, I also will offer more details on next steps in implementing the transformative knowledge component of the vision, with new updates on the Global Pomona Project.
Center for Athletic Recreation and Wellness Center Update
I want to close with some additional good news regarding a very visible project that will serve our entire community. Our new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness is set to open Friday, October 14, with open house preview days planned for Oct. 10-14 for the Pomona and Pitzer communities to tour the building and pre-register to use the facilities. More details will be shared as the dates draw closer.
One highlight of the new facility is the upstairs recreation and practice gym with its nearly floor-to-ceiling view of the San Gabriel Mountains. Another is the nearly 6,000 square-foot fitness area for students, faculty and staff, with large windows that look out on trees and busy campus walkways.
Supporting Sustainability
Our aim is to achieve LEED Gold certification for the facility’s sustainable design, with a rooftop solar array, extensive use of daylighting and efficient mechanical systems. As a nod to tradition, the building even reuses wood from one of our old mid-century basketball courts in its interior design.
Our Sagehen athletes, whose combined success ranked 14th in the nation among NCAA Division III programs last academic year, will enjoy new locker rooms and be able to hone their skills in the Athletic Performance Center, a strength and conditioning center facing the football field.
The honor of hosting the first public sporting event in thoroughly refurbished Voelkel Gym goes to our Pomona-Pitzer women’s volleyball team, which will play Occidental College at 7 p.m. on Oct. 14. Be there to help launch a new era for Sagehen Athletics.
So many have contributed to this project, both on campus and within our extended Sagehen community, and I know it will serve a key role in supporting wellness for all.
Until next week,
Gabi