Pomona College publicly launched “Originals: The Campaign for Pomona College,” a $530-million comprehensive campaign and the most ambitious fundraising effort in the College’s history, Saturday, October 10.
“Originals: The Campaign for Pomona College,” which takes its name from the legacy of independent thinkers who have shaped Pomona, invests in five priorities:
Expand financial aid, including support for middle-income families, and address additional costs that can create barriers for students.
Accelerate faculty-student research, expand global learning and invest in emerging areas of scholarship.
Strengthen wellness resources, mentorship and opportunities for students to build community and belonging.
Create new pathways for alumni to mentor students, share expertise and connect learning at Pomona with lives and careers beyond it.
Support immediate needs and long-term priorities through annual giving, planned giving and investments that strengthen the College’s endowment and independence.
For the past three years, Pomona has been quietly securing leadership gifts to support the campaign’s priorities, which have fueled extraordinary philanthropic momentum for the College. Nearly 10,000 alumni, families and friends have contributed—in true Pomona fashion—$247 million, or about 47 percent toward the campaign goal. And more than 40 percent of Sagehen alumni have already engaged in some aspect of the campaign through philanthropic support, volunteerism or participation in events.
“The Originals Campaign is about ensuring that Pomona remains a place where remarkable students, whatever their discipline, can thrive regardless of financial circumstances, where faculty continue to redefine what a liberal arts education can be and where fresh ideas become meaningful change,” Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr says. “With the community’s partnership, we will strengthen everything that makes Pomona extraordinary while creating new opportunities for generations to come.”
Pomona’s leadership is leading the way, with every Trustee participating and Trustees Emeriti contributing nearly $84 million, nearly double their support of the last campaign. Additionally, in a number sure to catch the attention of Sagehens, 147 donors made a first-time major gift of $100,000 or more, totaling $112 million.
“The commitment and remarkable generosity of Pomona’s trustees and donors—together with the dedication of Sagehens and friends across our community—is what makes this landmark campaign possible,” Starr says.
Led by campaign chairs Sam G. ’04 and Emily S. G. ’04 Glick, Originals will expand financial aid and student support; advance teaching and scholarship; create new opportunities for immersive learning and global engagement; strengthen the Pomona community; and secure the College’s excellence and independence for generations to come.
“Every moment at Pomona is part of the Pomona education,” says Sam Glick ’04, member of the Pomona College Board of Trustees and campaign co-chair. “Originals is about investing in all of those moments and ensuring that Pomona remains a place where every qualified student can see themselves and realize their full potential.”
The College is also committed to doubling alumni engagement, creating more ways for 27,000 alumni to deepen their connection to Pomona through volunteering, mentoring and attending events.
“When more alumni share their time, expertise and perspectives, they strengthen the Pomona experience for today’s students and for generations to come,” Alumni Association Board President Robi Ganguly ’00 says.
Throughout a full day of events that brought together students, faculty, staff, alumni, family and friends, Originals was publicly launched.
A powerful expression of that future took shape when Pomona broke ground on the Center for Global Engagement, one of the campaign’s defining initiatives, to kick off the celebrations. The 100,000-square-foot center will unite residential life, academic inquiry and global programming in a new living-and-learning model at Pomona. It is scheduled to welcome its first residents in fall 2028.
Later that same day, the College introduced Originals to the broader community and Marston Quad was transformed into a festival celebrating Pomona past, present and future. Attendees cast votes for their favorite Pomona traditions, contributed to a community art project reflecting what the College means to them and gathered to celebrate the people and experiences that define the Sagehen community.
“What stood out to me was seeing so many generations of Sagehens in one place,” says Seth Horn ’27. “You realize that we’re benefiting from what others made possible, and someday future students will benefit from what this community is building right now.”
The campaign is organized around five priorities spanning the Pomona experience, rooted in the College’s Strategic Vision, adopted in 2020. Here’s a look at each priority:
Pomona will commit $105 million to financial aid and to removing costs that can create barriers after students arrive on campus.
A signature priority is the new middle-income initiative, designed to make a Pomona education more accessible and affordable for families who often earn too much to qualify for significant financial aid but still face substantial barriers to the cost of attendance.
The campaign expands support for programs such as the Technology Access Program (TAP) and Access to Course Essentials (ACE), which provide students with laptops, course materials and other academic necessities, helping ensure that every student has the resources needed to thrive from the moment they arrive on campus.
“Access has to mean more than opening the door,” Vice President and Dean of Admissions Jonathan B. Williams says. “It means making sure that once a student arrives at Pomona, they have what they need to participate fully.”
With $175 million dedicated to academic excellence, Pomona will establish new faculty positions, advance faculty research and development, expand faculty-student research and support emerging areas of scholarship. This overall investment will also deepen global learning through the Center for Global Engagement and Global Gateways, while expanding access to transformative experiences through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) and the Pomona College Internship Program (PCIP).
“A liberal arts education has never been about preparing students for a world that stands still,” Assistant Vice President and Chief Global Officer Kara Godwin says. “Pomona’s task is to equip students to act and lead in a dynamic world with agility and cultural humility by providing immersive experiences where they put classroom learning into practice.”
A $52 million commitment to nurturing the whole Pomona community will help create the conditions for students to flourish beyond the classroom by expanding access to wellness resources, mentorship, athletics, recreation and opportunities to build community.
Priorities include the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness and ensuring student health insurance subsidies are available to those who need it.
“Our goal is to ensure every student feels seen, valued and supported as a member of this community,” Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Avis Hinkson says. “When students have a strong sense of belonging, there is no limit to what they can learn, contribute and become.”
To strengthen the connections that extend far beyond graduation, Pomona will direct $8.1 million toward new pathways for alumni to mentor students, provide internships, share expertise and connect classroom learning with lives and careers beyond Pomona.
The Return to Pomona Scholar Program is designed to bring alumni expertise directly into the intellectual life of the College.
“Every Sagehen gains access to a community that continues to invest in their growth long after they leave campus,” Ganguly says. “And every graduate will have new opportunities to shape the lives of those who come next—because when we come together, everyone benefits.”
Ensuring Pomona’s enduring excellence and independence is the focus of a $190 million campaign priority designed to strengthen the College’s ability to respond to emerging needs. Priorities include the Pomona Annual Fund, the Pomona Plan and Pomona legacy support. Together, they underscore the importance of both annual support and long-term investment, offering meaningful ways for donors of every level to participate. Gifts of every size provide immediate impact for students while strengthening the endowment and securing Pomona’s future as an independent institution.
“Every generation of the Pomona community has inherited something extraordinary from the one before it—and then asked what it could make possible for those who would follow,” Vice President for Advancement Maria Watson says. “Originals is truly about investing in students we may never meet, ideas that have not yet been imagined and opportunities whose impact may not be known for decades.”
Janet Inskeep Benton ’79, chair of the Board of Trustees, adds: “The world our students will inherit is complex, interconnected and constantly evolving. Originals is the College’s commitment to preparing them for that future through the kind of broad, creative, holistic and rigorous education that has long distinguished Pomona.”
Learn more and get involved by visiting Originals: The Campaign for Pomona College.
