diversity

University’s Title IX Coordinator Lauded for Leadership

Gary Fong / April 25, 2017

Linda Hoos, Cal Poly Pomona’s chief diversity officer and assistant vice president in the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance, has been selected by Leadership California to its California Issues & Trends Class of 2017.

Hoos has served as the university’s Title IX coordinator since 2015 and is responsible for implementing provisions aimed at preventing sexual violence and investigating accusations, and reviews discrimination and harassment claims.

She joins 59 other female leaders from a wide spectrum of fields and industries across the state to receive the distinction. Class members were selected because of their impact on business, social issues and public policy.

For decades, colleges and universities have treated …

The Rev. Jamie Washington speaks at the 2017 Unity Luncheon.

Organizers Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Unity Luncheon

Melanie Johnson / March 9, 2017

The Rev. Jamie Washington strolled to center stage, turned toward the audience and bellowed a surprise.

The attendees at the 25th annual Unity Luncheon may have expected to hear the opening lines of a speech, but what they got was a serenade from Washington of “If I Can Help Somebody,” his booming baritone reverberating across the room with the gospel song the late Mahalia Jackson sang at the funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

“If I can help somebody, as I travel along. If I can help somebody with a word or song. If I can help somebody from doing wrong. No, my living shall not be in …

Daryl G. Smith, senior research felow and professor emerita of education and psychology at the Claremont Graduate University speaks to Cal Poly Pomona faculty about diversity in hiring.

Urgency of Diversity in Faculty Hiring Stressed to University Leaders

Gary Fong / October 13, 2016

Emphasizing the urgency to achieve faculty diversity, a prominent national researcher on minority hiring practices addressed methods to help ensure a more diverse teaching pool for future students at Cal Poly Pomona.

“When we’re talking about faculty hiring and diversifying the faculty and faculty retention, this is about excellence,” said Daryl G. Smith, senior research fellow and professor emerita of education and psychology at the Claremont Graduate University. “It is very important that we understand that the strategies and the ways of thinking about diversifying the faculty fundamentally are about excellence.”

Smith spoke about “Diversity’s Promise for Excellence in Higher Education: Effective Strategies for Diversifying the Faculty” on Oct. 5 …

From left to right: Lucas De Buren, a civil engineering student; Eliza Hernandez, a biology student; Antonio Aguayo, a biology student, engineering student; and David Velasquez, a chemistry student.

Publication Recognizes Four Cal Poly Pomona Students

Juliet Hidalgo / November 2, 2015

Four Cal Poly Pomona students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds have been recognized in a special publication that is presented to the United States Congress.

PROUD 2015, a publication of The California State University Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU LSAMP), features Eliza Hernandez, a biology student; Antonio Aguayo, a biology student, Lucas De Buren, a civil engineering student, and David Velasquez, a chemistry student.

To read the student profiles, visit http://www.csus.edu/csu-lsamp/PROUD_2015(Final_Oct20)_small.pdf. The Cal Poly Pomona students can be found on pages 40 and 41.…

Maryann Jackmon from the CSU Chancellor's Office speaks at the Asian American Pacific Islander Initiative Steering Committee Strategic Planning Meeting at Cal Poly Pomona September 9, 2015.

Initiative to Raise Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander Enrollment Makes Strides

Melanie Johnson / September 28, 2015

The effort started in 2010 at a meeting of community members seeking to boost the number of Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian students attending California State University campuses.

Five years later, Cal State campuses, including Cal Poly Pomona, have trained university students to do outreach as initiative ambassadors and hosted four “Journey to Success” college fairs.

Members of a steering committee representing 17 CSU campuses convened at Kellogg West on Sept. 9 to discuss recent successes with the campaign and brainstorm about how to continue to serve students.

The committee highlighted the four student ambassador trainings for the initiative; the four “Journey to Success” college expos hosted, including one at …

A California State University-sponsored fair aimed at increasing the number of Asian American and Pacific Islander students on campuses is coming to Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday, May 16.

College Fair Targets Asian American and Pacific Islander Students

Melanie Johnson / May 14, 2015

A California State University-sponsored college fair aimed at increasing the number of Asian American and Pacific Islander students on campuses is coming to Cal Poly Pomona.

The university will host the fair, which is open to students in grades six through 12 and those attending community college, on Saturday, May 16.

The “Journey to Success” expo will include workshops on how to prepare and pay for college, information on CSU requirements for admission and application processes, and information booths promoting CSU campuses and Cal Poly Pomona programs and student organizations.

The “Journey to Success” events is part of the CSU’s Asian American Pacific Islander Initiative (CSU AAPI), which …

Cal Poly Pomona Cultural Centers will celebrate their 20th Anniversary May 7.

Cal Poly Pomona Cultural Centers to Celebrate 20th Anniversary

Gary Fong / May 4, 2015

Spurred by campus issues and the impact of Proposition 187, a coalition of diverse groups led by Chicano and Latino students demonstrated and marched on the vice president’s office seeking a greater voice two decades ago.

That protest opened the door to regular meetings with university administrators to address the needs of underrepresented students. This became a turning point in relations with underrepresented students, and the six Cultural Centers were established.

Since then, the Cultural Centers have negotiated the economic uncertainty of recessions and changing demographics, and will celebrate their 20th anniversary on May 7.

“Our university celebrates diversity as one of its strengths,” says La’Keisha Beard, acting director …

Dr. Joely Proudfit speaks at the 2015 Unity Luncheon at Cal Poly Pomona.

Diversity Champions Receive Praise at Annual Unity Luncheon

Melanie Johnson / February 26, 2015

Cal Poly Pomona staff and students committed to promoting diversity and supporting underrepresented communities were honored at the 23rd annual Unity Luncheon

The Feb. 24 event featured keynote speaker Dr. Joely Proudfit, a member of the Luiseño tribe and director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at Cal State San Marcos.

Proudfit, who also serves as that university’s director of Native Studies, discussed strategies to bolster lagging college enrollment rates for Native American and Alaskan native students, including drafting agreements with local tribes to work together, tailoring coursework, and creating recruitment and retention programs. She also urged unity among underrepresented minority groups.

“Find the experiences and the commonalities,” …

President’s Video Update for Dec. 8

Dan Lee / December 8, 2014

In his final video message, President Ortiz thanked the campus community for the honor and privilege of serving at Cal Poly Pomona, highlighted rankings that the university recently earned, praised a student with a milestone accomplishment, and shared an initiative to help students with the cost of textbooks.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine ranked several Cal Poly Pomona departments highly for their diversity and graduation rates. The architecture department was first in the nation in awarding undergraduate degrees to minorities, and the university also ranked high in four other categories. Hospitality management ranked fourth, while agriculture and engineering finished fifth in their respective categories, and business administration took ninth.…

Study Ranks Cal Poly Pomona High in Diversity Among Graduates

Gary Fong / November 21, 2014

In further affirmation of Cal Poly Pomona’s mission of diversity, the university ranked first in awarding architecture undergraduate degrees to minorities and also finished high in four other categories, according to research compiled by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine.

Aside from the architecture distinction, the university ranked No. 4 in hospitality management, No. 5 in both agriculture and engineering, and No. 9 in business administration among minorities receiving bachelor’s degrees. Cal Poly Pomona ranked No. 27 when all academic disciplines are taken into account.

The study assesses U.S. colleges and universities that confer bachelor’s and master’s degrees to Hispanic, African American, Asian American and Native American students. The rankings …