THE COLLEGE

New York Times Names Pomona One of the Top 10 Colleges “Doing the Most for the American Dream”

Pomona ranked No. 8 in this year’s College Access Index, a New York Times measure of economic diversity at top colleges across the nation. The index was based on how many low- and middle-income students colleges graduate and how much those students must pay. The goal of the index is to measure which top institutions are doing the most to promote the American dream. The list included 171 colleges from across the country with five-year graduation rates of at least 75 percent. 

Pomona Named No. 3 Liberal Arts College by Times Higher Education

Times Higher Education listed the research and work opportunities and geographical diversity in the surrounding area among the reasons Pomona ranks No. 3 among the best liberal arts colleges in the U.S. 

The Princeton Review Ranks Pomona No. 1 in Best Financial Aid

The College is ranked No. 1 on The Princeton Review’s “Best Financial Aid” list featured in their new book, “Colleges That Pay You Back: 2017 Edition.”

Pomona Among Top Colleges in the West for Student-to-Faculty Ratio

In Wall Street Journal rankings, Pomona College was named one of three California schools with the second-lowest ratio of students to faculty in the West, at 7 to 1.

Pomona College Receives Record-Breaking Number of Applications for the Class of 2021

Pomona received a record 9,046 first-year applications, the largest number in the College’s history. In its most selective year yet, the College admitted 8.2 percent of those applicants. 

Pomona Donates 463 Acres of Wilderness to Claremont

The College gifted a total of 463 acres of wilderness to the City of Claremont as announced at the City Council meeting on July 11, including Evey Canyon and three Padua Hills parcels. The wilderness land was to be incorporated to Claremont Hills Wilderness Park (CHWP), expanding the park to nearly 2,500 acres. According to the memorandum of understanding (MOU), the land was be preserved in its undeveloped state and remain available to the members of the public for hiking, biking, horseback riding and other passive recreational uses.

LEADERSHIP

G. Gabrielle Starr Inaugurated as the 10th President of Pomona College

In July, G. Gabrielle Starr, a highly regarded scholar of English literature whose work reaches across neuroscience and the arts, became the 10th president of Pomona College and was official inaugurated in October. As dean of New York University’s College of Arts and Science, she oversaw the undergraduate experience for more than 7,000 students across 55 departments and programs. She led the development of new cohort and first-year programs, helping to create scholarly communities for undergraduates in the arts and sciences. She also served as chair of the English Department and director of undergraduate studies during her more than 15 years at NYU.

President Oxtoby Steps Down after 14 Years

President David W. Oxtoby stepped down at the end of June after 14 years at the helm of Pomona College. Under his leadership, the College launched initiatives in sustainability—including integrated academic and campus planning and an office of sustainability-completed three new academic buildings, carried out renovations of several historic campus buildings and completed a number of new buildings, including Lincoln Hall, Edmunds Hall, the Studio Art Hall, the new Millikan Hall. It also cleared the way for construction of a new Pomona College Museum of Art. Oxtoby’s tenure was noted, among other things, for his work to increase the resources, visibility and capacity of the arts disciplines at Pomona; a significant increase in the diversity of the student body; and national leadership in organizing support for the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) program.

CAMPUS

Oldenborg Turns 50

The Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations celebrated its 50th birthday.

FACULTY

Art Professor Sandeep Mukherjee Awarded a 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship

For more than a decade, Mukherjee’s art has explored the notion of abstracting as a means to slice or carve a particular aspect of flowing matter. This week he was awarded a prestigious 2017 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship granted on the basis of demonstrated exceptional creative ability in the arts.

EVENTS

Commencement 2017

Commencement speakers and honorary degree recipients were U.S. Senator Brian Schatz ’94 of Hawaii; science educator Sarah Elgin ’67; civil rights activist Gay McDougall; and philanthropists Rick Sontag and Susan Sontag ’64.

“Free Speech in a Dangerous World” Series

In January, Professor Geoffrey R. Stone from the University of Chicago kicked off the yearlong “Free Speech in a Dangerous World” Speaker Series with a talk on “Free Speech on Campus: A Challenge for Our Time,” discussing the meaning and limits of academic freedom and the right of free expression.

Actor Jason Alexander P'18 Offers Advice and Laughs at Campus Talk

In an eloquent talk full of humor, actor Jason Alexander P’18 shared his wisdom with a crowd of 1,800 gathered at Bridges Auditorium Saturday night for a special event with Assistant Professor of Theatre Carolyn Ratteray as part of Pomona College’s Family Weekend.

ELSEWHERE

Millions join the Women’s March in response to the inauguration of Donald Trump.

The U.S. announces that it will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords.

Great American Eclipse is visible across the entire North American continent.