The Originals Campaign represents a continued investment in educational and research opportunities for students and faculty.
President G. Gabrielle Starr Launches Originals Campaign
Center for Global Engagement Groundbreaking
Claremont, California, Oct. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pomona College has publicly launched a $530 million comprehensive campaign to expand access to a Pomona education for exceptional students, with a ceremony that included a groundbreaking for its new Center for Global Engagement (CGE). The Originals Campaign, which has already raised 47% of its goal and will continue over the next five years, is the most ambitious fundraising effort in the College’s history. The campaign will strengthen and expand financial aid—including for students from middle-income families—and further invest in faculty and emerging areas of scholarship; strengthen health and wellness programs; and deepen connections across generations of Pomona College Sagehens.
“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.”
The campaign builds on Pomona’s longstanding commitment to college access: a record 29% of the year’s first-year class are first generation students, while 63% receive financial aid. 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 also 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.
“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. “We are grateful for the 10,000 donors who have already supported the Originals Campaign, and we invite the entire Sagehen community to join in, whether through philanthropic support or through volunteering or participating in events.”
The campaign also includes a major investment in global education through Pomona’s new Center for Global Engagement, which broke ground as the campaign entered its public phase. Estimated for completion in Fall 2028, the 100,000-square-foot CGE will build students’ global competency, host programs for in-depth exploration of major issues facing today’s world, and house the living-and-learning communities for language and cultural understanding that have been a hallmark of Pomona for more than 60 years. The CGE’s academic work has already begun through pilot programs, including student-led programs, faculty-led study abroad and away opportunities and international collaborations.
Pomona will also accelerate faculty-student research, expand global learning and invest in emerging areas of scholarship. In addition to the CGE, the campaign will advance Global Gateways, expand access to transformative experiences through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) and the Pomona College Internship Program (PCIP), and support faculty research and development.
“A liberal arts education has never been about preparing students for a world that stands still,” 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.”
About Pomona College
Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading liberal arts colleges, offering an ideal environment for intellectually curious students to pursue their academic and life goals. Pomona holds a unique role in creating opportunity in American higher education and is committed to enrolling the best students regardless of financial circumstances. To that end, Pomona College is one of a small group of colleges committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all students who enroll. Established in 1887, the College is located in Claremont, Calif., about 35 miles east of Los Angeles.
Attachments
- President G. Gabrielle Starr Launches Originals Campaign
- Center for Global Engagement Groundbreaking
CONTACT: Rachael Warecki Pomona College 9096218503 rachael.warecki@pomona.edu
