Pomona College has received a $15 million commitment from Trustee Emeritus Ranney E. Draper ’60, including a $10 million leadership gift for the Center for Global Engagement (CGE), the College’s most ambitious capital project to date.
The CGE is a signature priority of Originals: The Campaign for Pomona College, which aims to raise $530 million and double alumni engagement, while expanding access, advancing teaching and discovery, strengthening community and securing Pomona’s future.
The 100,000-square-foot Center will build on the legacy of the Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations, bringing together living learning communities, interdisciplinary classrooms and spaces where students, faculty and scholars engage with challenges, both local and global.
“What excites me about the Center for Global Engagement is that it’s about connection,” Draper says. “It’s about learning from one another—across backgrounds, disciplines and borders—and carrying that spirit of understanding into the world.”
The Center’s flagship Global Collaborative will put that vision into practice, uniting faculty and students with local and international partners to tackle real-world issues.
“Through the Center for Global Engagement, Pomona is transforming what community means—not only strengthening the bonds on our campus but deepening our connection to the world,” says Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr. “I am profoundly grateful for Ranney’s vision and generosity, which will help us realize that promise.”
That vision has long shaped Draper’s philanthropy. In 2009, he and his late wife, Priscilla, established the Draper Center for Community Partnerships, now a cornerstone of Pomona’s civic engagement efforts.
“Global engagement begins with shared humanity,” says Kara Godwin, assistant vice president and chief global officer. “The Center for Global Engagement carries forward the Draper Center’s example—learning to connect across difference, to build reciprocal partnerships and to see the world through the eyes of others.”
Draper’s gift to the CGE also honors Priscilla, who passed away in 2023. The outdoor plaza at the Center’s west entrance—between Sumner Hall and the CGE—will feature a garden and bear her name.
Beyond the gift to the CGE, the remaining $5 million will support scholarships, including Pomona’s middle-income initiative to expand financial support for students whose families may not qualify for traditional financial aid, as well as the Draper Center and Sagehen Athletics.
The gift continues a family connection to Pomona spanning more than a century. Draper’s parents, Trustee Emeritus Ranney C. ’25 and Virginia ’26 Draper P’60, were longtime champions of the College. Draper has continued that tradition through more than 25 years of service on the Board of Trustees and through philanthropy supporting Pomona’s campus and programs, including the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness (CARW) and Merritt Field.
He also commissioned Professor Emeritus Norman P. Hines ’61 to create the sculpture “In the Spirit of Excellence,” which he gifted to the College in honor of his father and which now stands near the west entrance of the CARW.
“My hope is to help ensure future generations of Sagehens have the opportunities to discover what matters to them, serve others and make a difference,” says Draper.