CPP Kicks Off Academic Year with Fun Activities, Giveaways, New Course Offerings
Students had an opportunity to leave their mark – literally – in the form of a handprint on an oversized sign on a pathway into campus emblazoned with the words CPP Broncos.
They also prepared to make their mark academically, pouring into classrooms, lecture halls and labs, as Cal Poly Pomona kicked off the start of the 2024-25 academic year on Thursday.
More than 7,400 of this year's students were new first-year and incoming transfer students. Enrollment is up this year, at around 26,800 for the first day of classes, with Cal Poly Pomona among eight CSU campuses to meet or exceed set targets for growth last year. The university is on track this academic year to meet the enrollment goal needed to secure permanent funding from the state, said Jessica Wagoner, senior associate vice president for Enrollment Management and Services.
Among them was Ontario resident Ava Vo, a freshman who has not yet declared a major. Vo, who visited the pop-up information booth in the Quad to ask for directions, said she was somewhat familiar with Cal Poly Pomona before deciding to attend. She had an elementary school teacher who was a CPP alumna and had visited the campus on a sixth-grade field trip. When picking a college, Vo said she wanted a school that was affordable, supportive and close to home.
“Cal Poly Pomona made such a big point that there is so much help and some many resources available to students,” she said. “I feel like Cal Poly Pomona will be an easier transition from high school into college.”
Besides new faces, the university has new leadership, programs and courses on deck.
Terri Gomez has been appointed Provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Frances Teves was appointed vice president for University Advancement.
Programs that launched this fall include a master’s degree in statistics and applied mathematics and added minors in sustainability education, global humanities and cyber security. Cal Poly Pomona also has 67 new courses this fall, ranging from sports communication to environmental and social Justice to positive psychology: the science of the good life.
There also are many familiar offerings, including HRT 1010, a first year-experience course that offers students an overview of the hospitality industry.
Professor Ben Dewald, a Holland native often called “Mr. World” because he speaks four languages, doesn’t just lecture about history and business practices, but also encourages students to get to know their fellow classmates.
“I truly enjoy teaching our Collins first-year students,” said Dewald, a CPP alumnus. “They are so excited to be here at CPP Collins. It brings me back to my first fall 1978 when I took this course as a new ‘foreign student’ at CPP.”
There are also returning students, more at ease and sure of the path they want to take.
Civil engineering sophomore Anthony Melendez, who grew up in Northridge but lives near campus, said he is looking forward to the year ahead.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I know what I want to do, and I don’t have the nerves I had last year.”
