2024 Top Stories: New Innovation Hub, Record Applications and National Recognition
The year 2024 brought many achievements for the Bronco family to celebrate.
From a record number of freshmen applicants to fostering a sense of belonging during the inaugural New Student Convocation, the Bronco family and pride are ever-growing. Check out the top 10 stories of 2024 below.
- Rose Float Wins the Crown
The Cal Poly Universities' Rose Float won the Crown City Innovator Award for the most outstanding use of imagination, innovation and technology at the 135th Rose Parade in Pasadena. The 2024 entry, “Shock n’ Roll: Powering the Musical Current, marked the 75th Rose Float that Cal Poly Pomona and Cal San Poly San Luis Obispo students have designed and built since the campuses began collaborating in 1949.
- Students Get Saucy
Cal Poly Pomona now has its own restaurant-style salsa, created by food science and technology students from the Huntley College of Agriculture. The salsa is made from high-quality local produce grown on the campus farm and follows a unique “farm to jar” process. The product is helping solve the Department of Nutrition and Food Science's challenge of bringing new ideas to market. To taste this exceptional product, visit the Farm Store.
- New Broncos Get Welcome Celebration
With custom swag, paintings, and keynote speakers, Cal Poly Pomona welcomed new students during its inaugural New Student Convocation on Aug. 20. The event was the first of its kind, and more than 3,000 incoming first-year and transfer students filled the University Quad.
- CPP Among the Nation’s Best
Cal Poly Pomona continues to earn high marks, securing the on the U.S. News list. Money Magazine also recognized CPP, giving the university a 5-star rating, the maximum possible, on its “Best Colleges 2024” list. The Cal Poly Pomona Master of Arts in Education was one of only seven programs rated a full five stars in Money’s “Best Education Master’s Programs for Your Money 2024.”
- Grant Aims to Cultivate Ag Leaders
The California State University Agricultural Research Institute (CSU ARI) secured a five-year, $9.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) NextGen competitive grant program. The grant will foster an extensive network of students contributing to cutting-edge agricultural research. Interested students can apply through the ARI Ag Commons website.
- W.K. Kellogg Horse Center Turns 50
The W.K Kellogg Arabian Horse Center celebrated the 50th anniversary of its new stables facility on April 14. Horse operations were shifted to the new stables on campus in 1974. Cal Poly Pomona also celebrated the birth of three Arabian foals - Declan, Julio, and Sierra - continuing the 99-year legacy of promoting and breeding Arabian horses. The center currently houses over 70 horses, most descendants of those owned by Kellogg as long ago as 1925. The center is open to the public and welcomes visitors for self-guided tours on weekdays.
- Giving Day Brings Broncos Together
This year’s Giving Day showed what can happen when Broncos support one another. The 36-hour online fundraiser, on April 17-18, raised over $550,000 through more than 1,050 gifts, making it one of the most significant Giving Day events in Cal Poly Pomona history. The event benefitted more than 150 different funding opportunities on campus. The funds raised will be used to build resources and expand student services. Broncos gave worldwide, including 24 states in the United States and the countries of Mexico, Australia, Great Britain, and Iceland. Donations can be made all year round at www.cpp.edu/giving.
- Fullbright Recognizes CPP Scholars
Cal Poly Pomona has been recognized as a 2023-24 U.S. Fulbright Scholar Top Producing Institution for STEM Fields and a Top Producing Institution of U.S. Fulbright Scholars among masters-granting universities. The university was also selected as a Fulbright Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS) Leader for 2024.
- Record Applications Received
The Bronco family is ever-growing. In the fall of 2024, CPP received a record 51,022 applications from students wanting to enroll as first-time freshmen, a more than 10 percent increase over 2023. Additionally, 13,301 transfer applications were received, an increase of over 7 percent. Of the first-year applicants, 75 percent were admitted and received the most financial aid packages, despite the problems besetting the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
- Innovation Hub for Budding Entrepreneurs Opens
Looking to empower local entrepreneurs, CPP celebrated the opening of the new Community Innovation Hub in downtown Pomona. The hub seeks to address the economic challenges left behind by the COVID-19 pandemic by fostering innovation and promoting entrepreneurial success. It provides access to co-working spaces, essential services, and equipment necessary for business innovation and growth. To learn more about the Community Innovation Hub and the upcoming workshops, visit the website or contact the hub directly at thehub@cpp.edu.