Over the past year Cal Poly Pomona has seen a lot of changes. Along with a new batch of students have come new programs, new grants, and new faculty. Buildings have gone up, record-breaking donations have been made, and alumni have returned as staff members. Throughout all this, the university’s 75th anniversary has given the campus an occasion to look back at how far it has come.
In the spirit of celebrating past successes and looking forward to new ones, here is a compilation of PolyCentric’s top 17 articles of the year.
Students to Offer Tax Prep Help to Community
Students from the College of Business Administration provided free tax assistance to low-income households and the elderly. Programs like this are why Cal Poly Pomona was on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the fourth time this year.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/02/vita-tax-day-2013.html
A One of a Kind Partnership
A partnership between the College of Agriculture and JustFoodForDogs created groundbreaking new clinical research techniques. The new method makes sure dogs are being treated humanely, and could help address dog health issues.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/01/a-one-of-a-kind-partnership.html
CPP Gets Record Grant for Science Education
The National Science Foundation awarded $7.7 million to Cal Poly Pomona’s Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The grant will fund a new program of education partnership with the Pomona Unified School District. This is the largest grant Cal Poly Pomona has ever received.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/10/cpp-gets-record-grant.html
Students Hack Way to Top at MIT Competition
A team of Cal Poly Pomona students beat out competitors from schools such as Yale, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon to win the Best Use of Algorithms award at the annual MIT hackathon.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/10/team-hacks-mit-competition.html
Alum’s Gift to Help Landscape Architecture Students
Michael Chu, landscape architecture alum and the designer of many buildings in Hawaii, created the Michael S. and Yetta L.C. Chu Endowed Scholarship to help give future students the same opportunity he found at Cal Poly Pomona.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/01/gift-helps-arch-students.html
$10 Million Collins College Expansion Breaks Ground
An expansion for the Collins College of Hospitality Management had its ceremonial groundbreaking in November. The new building will allow the college’s student body and faculty to grow over time, and was made possible longtime supporters of the college.
Professor Finds Veteran Identity Through Poetry
A profile on veteran Professor Liam Corley shares how poetry has helped him find his footing again in the academic community, after spending 11 months in Afghanistan. With more than 400 veterans on-campus, Cal Poly Pomona is committed to providing the resources and support that students, faculty and staff who have served in the military need.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/01/liam-corley-poetry-2013.html
College of Science, JPL Team Up
A partnership between the College of Science and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory created a mentor program for grad students. These students can take their courses at Cal Poly Pomona while being mentored and conducting their thesis research at JPL, the NASA facility responsible for Mars rover missions.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/04/college-of-science-jpl-team-up.html
Convocation: Honor the Past, Shape the Future
At his annual Convocation, President Michael Ortiz talked about the future of the university, and encouraged faculty and staff to honor the achievements others have made in building Cal Poly Pomona in the past 75 years.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/09/2013-convocation-recap.html
Former Labor Secretary to Serve as Scholar-in-Residence
Hilda Solis, alumna and former U.S. Secretary of Labor, has returned to Cal Poly Pomona to serve as a scholar-in-residence. Solis was the first Latina to hold a cabinet-level position in federal government and to be elected to the California State Senate.
Professors, Students Make Disease Discovery
A professor and two students from the biology department have conducted new research shedding light on Huntington’s disease and opening up new possibilities for treatments.
Online Campaign Proves to be a Major Success
The Annual Fund’s innovative 36-hour online fundraising campaign exceeded expectations, generating more than $80,000 in donations to a wide variety of programs.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/10/online-campaign-a-success.html
Cal Poly Pomona to Host Visiting Fulbright Scholar
Cal Poly Pomona is hosting Fatima Sadiqi, a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence from Morocco during the 2013-14 academic year as part of the university’s 75th anniversary celebration. Fadiqi, an expert in gender studies, will teach courses, participate in events in the College of Education & Integrative Studies and International Center, and finish writing a book about Moroccan feminist discourse.
Broncos Win CCAA Championships
The Broncos defeated San Francisco State, 60-54, in the semifinals, and then vanquished Chico State, 78-64, to win the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/03/broncos-win-ccaa-championships.html
Rankings: Cal Poly Pomona Among the Best in West
Cal Poly Pomona is again ranked among the best public universities in the West, according to the 2014 rankings from U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the College of Engineering has one of the top-ranked undergraduate programs.
‘Tuxedo Air’ Wins Bob Hope Humor Trophy
For the 51st time in 65 years, the only student-built float in the Rose Parade earned an award, this time the Bob Hope Humor Trophy, which recognizes the most comical and amusing entry.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/01/tuxedo-air-wins-bob-hope-humor-trophy.html
Cal Poly Pomona Among Top Values in Higher Ed
Cal Poly Pomona is listed in Affordable Colleges Online’s rankings of the top 50 institutions offering affordability and a high return on investment. Cal Poly Pomona placed 23rd out of the 875 colleges and universities that were analyzed.
https://polycentric.cpp.edu/news_stories/2013/05/affordable-colleges-online2013.html
(Photo: Jim Collins, Interim Dean Ed Merritt, Eugene Park, Hae Park, President Michael Ortiz, Mary Niven and Bridgit Bilinski with shovels during the groundbreaking ceremony for the $10 million facilities expansion at the Collins College of Hospitality Management.)