Dear Pomona College Community,
As we return from fall break, I want to pause to acknowledge the ongoing violence in the Middle East and the pain it brings for so many around the globe and here in Claremont. My fervent hope is for peace, soon; and I continue to ask that we in our community treat each other with compassion and offer care for all as we mourn this overwhelming loss of life.
At this somber time, building community and connection is essential. This past weekend, on our College’s Founders Day, we had the opportunity to open our new community center in Pomona, our birthplace city. The Pomona College Community Engagement Center will offer after-school programs, host Pomona College classes and, in time, will provide opportunities to enrich our world close to home, through enabling our campus to engage in research alongside nonprofit community organizations and offer support for causes that matter.
Many thanks to Sefa Aina, Rita Shaw and the entire team at the Draper Center for Community Partnerships for their work in making this center a reality. Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval and Ed Tessier ’91, who played a crucial role in launching the Pomona Arts Colony where the center is located, were among those present to help dedicate the new space.Last week, I had the opportunity, as part of a group of higher education leaders, to meet with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. We discussed issues such as homelessness and housing with an emphasis on ways our institutions could contribute to solutions. I was heartened by the eagerness to move past old obstacles and find ways to help people now.Our campus community is part of that effort. Only days later, in partnership with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, our community joined in on a service project on Marston Quad, putting together children’s toys, snack bags, hygiene kits for people in the region who are experiencing homelessness.I’m truly proud of Sagehens taking the initiative to foster community and care. Rohun Krishnan ’24 and Matthew Feng ’24 have launched a tennis program for children with autism, and Katrina Dank ’20 has written a book to help pediatric cancer patients in Uganda understand the disease. Those are just a few examples of ways Sagehens are reaching out.
Looking to the future, the year ahead will bring important steps for our planned Global Education Center, which will be designed to facilitate collaboration across disciplines and between individuals and organizations around the world. I envision this type of collaboration – and the skills to sustain it – as a defining aspect of a Pomona education in the years ahead. Working thoughtfully with others and across differences is essential to taking on the grand challenges our world faces, an aim that lies at the heart of our Strategic Vision.
In a world facing vast challenges, let’s commit to care for one another and together, pursue a more hopeful future.
With best wishes,
Gabi