Program areas at Pomona College
Instruction and research: consistently ranked as one of the top national liberal arts colleges according to u.s. news and world report, Pomona College offers an academic program that encompasses the major fields of the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Learning is encouraged through theory-building and empirical research, historical and linguistic analysis, inquiry and ethical debate. Pomona's liberal arts curriculum, small classes, residential campus and sophisticated laboratories and studios prepare students for lives of personal fulfillment and social responsibility in a global context. Pomona graduates not only receive excellent lifelong preparation for a wide range of careers, but also are encouraged to develop the rational discrimination, aesthetic appreciation, compassion and understanding that only knowledge can foster. In 2022-23, nine recipients from Pomona College were awarded fulbright awards, placing Pomona as a top producer of fulbright students among bachelor's institutions, as reported by the chronicle of higher education. Pomona offers 48 majors in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences fine arts and interdisciplinary fields. Also common are double majors and individual special majors, crafted by the student with guidance from faculty. First-year students delve into a critical inquiry seminar to develop skills in critical thinking, analysis and writing. Pomona's summer undergraduate research program enables students to conduct extended, focused research in close cooperation with a Pomona faculty member, with projects taking place both on campus and in the field. The College offers about 650 courses each year, and students also have access to nearly 2,700 courses at the claremont colleges.
Student services: Pomona College offers students a wide variety of programs to extend their education beyond the classroom, including clubs, sports, the student life newspaper and student government. Other resources offered to students include the office of black student affairs, the asian american resource center, the chicano/latino student affairs center, the women's union and the queer resource center. The College also assists students with orientation, registration and academic counseling. From their first year at Pomona, students can turn to the career development office (cdo), which provides resources, services and career advising. Students also can apply for the cdo's program of summer internships in the u.s. and abroad. The claremont colleges' student health services stresses preventative medicine and health awareness, while monsour counseling and psychological services provide mental health and wellness services. The interfaith office of the chaplains directs the programs of the claremont colleges' mcalister center for religious activities, assisting students in making contact with members of their community of belief. Working closely with students, faculty and staff, the division of student affairs aims to provide services, activities, and resources that support the College's educational enterprise and enable each student to learn, grow, and develop while at Pomona.
Auxiliary enterprises: a majority of Pomona College students reside in campus housing throughout their College career, a testament to the quality of life on campus. The scale and arrangement of Pomona's 14 residence halls encourage students to get to know each other. Ranging in size from 60 to 250 students, with an average of about 120 each, these coeducational residences are large enough to bring together students with a variety of interests and experiences, but small enough to allow residents to work in cohesive groups. Pomona provides self-operated dining and catering services at three dining halls. Pomona's goal is to serve food that is healthy, fresh and delicious and that is produced in a just and sustainable manner. The instructional and extra-curricular programs are further supported by bridges auditorium, a performing arts center that seats 2,500, and seaver theatre, a comprehensive theatre complex featuring a 350-seat auditorium and 100-seat experimental theatre space. Athletic facilities include a center for athletics, recreation and wellness, the haldeman aquatics center, and fields for softball, baseball, track, soccer, football, lacrosse and more. Pomona College has made significant investments to make the campus more sustainable, including building the first leed-platinum large-scale residence halls in the west, to installing solar energy and removing impermeable surfaces and replacing them with drought resistant landscaping and permeable ground cover. The College has pledged to be carbon-neutral by 2030 as part of the american colleges and universities presidents' climate commitment (acupcc).
Other program servicesother-public service, institutional support, academic support: in order to facilitate our program of instruction and research, Pomona College provides institutional support through our business office, alumni relations, information technologies, communications, major gifts/giving and staff educational support to keep our staff informed of new and developing ways to advance our primary mission. The draper center for community partnerships is the College's main avenue for fostering mutually beneficial exchanges among community members, students, faculty and staff in order to support educational outreach initiatives, community-based research and learning, and other community engagement activities. The draper center's signature program, the Pomona College academy for youth success (pays), is a College access program for high school students that aims to increase the pool of students prepared to enter highly selective colleges and universities. Through the draper center, Pomona students can explore an assortment of community and volunteer opportunities through the draper center, including collaborative theatre with local middle-school students, food rescue for local shelters, educational outreach, volunteering during spring break and taking classes with community collaboration. Teaching from original works of art is central to the mission at the benton museum of art at Pomona College. Throughout the academic year the museum offers a variety of educational programs highlighting the exhibitions and collections of the museum and connecting Pomona students with the arts and concerns of our time. Pomona College faculty utilizes the museum, its exhibitions, and its collections as a resource for teaching, and as a subject for research and writing.