Cal Poly Pomona Appoints Terri Gomez Provost & VP for Academic Affairs
Terri Gomez has been appointed provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Cal Poly Pomona following a national search.
Gomez, who served as interim provost and vice president since October 2023, has been at CPP for over 24 years. She began as a lecturer and rose to the rank of full professor in the Department of Ethnic and Women’s Studies.
In addition, Gomez has served in a range of administrative roles including department chair and interim associate dean in the College of Education and Integrative Studies, as well as interim associate vice president before being appointed in 2018 as the inaugural associate vice president for Student Success.
“I look forward to continuing to work alongside Dr. Gomez for years to come,” Cal Poly Pomona President Soraya Coley said. “Her deep understanding of our campus’ strengths and opportunities, her dedication to faculty and staff excellence, and her unwavering commitment to the success of our diverse students make her the ideal candidate to lead our university into the future.”
In 2020, Gomez was named associate provost for Student Success, Equity and Innovation with an expanded portfolio that includes Academic Advising, the Bronco Advising Center, Undeclared Advising, Early Start, Learning Resource Center, First-Year Experience, Common Read, PolyTransfer, STEM Success, Academic Innovation, Student Innovation Ideas lab, Kellogg Honors College, Center for Community Service Learning, Office of Undergraduate Research and the TRiO-funded Reading and Mentoring Program (RAMP).
“My team has accomplished excellent work over the past academic year,” Gomez said. “I am looking forward to fostering stronger collaborations within Academic Affairs to address the challenges higher education is experiencing and to continue to serve the amazing students we have the privilege to teach.”
Gomez is a nationally recognized leader for her work on student success and developing innovative programs to address the needs of diverse student populations. In 2016, she launched the Office of Student Success to focus campus efforts for the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025. By developing a range of campus partnerships, support programs and academic interventions, she has led advances in student retention, persistence and graduation with the ultimate goal of eliminating equity gaps for our most vulnerable students.
Gomez earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from UCLA. In 2021,she Gomez received the UCLA Academic Advancement Program Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2024, she was honored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis (’79, political science) for her leadership in empowering vulnerable communities.