My Decision to Retire This Summer

Dear Campus Community and Supporters,

I write to you today to share my decision to step down as President of Cal Poly Pomona at the end of July 2025 and retire from the CSU. Reflecting on the last 40 years of my professional life dedicated to the CSU system – at Fullerton, Bakersfield and Cal Poly Pomona – I am filled with deep gratitude for having this opportunity to serve.

I have been blessed to work alongside talented faculty and dedicated staff, transformational leaders, visionary thought partners, passionate professionals, who have been committed to our students’ success and the betterment of our colleagues. I dedicated my efforts to improving the lives and futures of our students. Watching them grow and flourish filled my heart and focused my work on contributing to building a university that would help them achieve their dreams, no matter their circumstances or backgrounds.

However, I knew that “one day” my work would conclude. The time would come for me to step aside and enjoy precious time with my husband Ron, who retired several years ago. And that time is now.

It was 11 years ago last month that I began my tenure here at CPP. I still remember the joy, excitement and confusion of being told, soon after my arrival, that we needed a new llama to protect our flock of sheep. I have witnessed 11 Rose Parades, 10 years of graduation ceremonies and countless cultural celebrations. I have watched as thousands of our students crossed our graduation stage, smiles beaming across their faces as their families cheered in jubilation. I have applauded the success of our extraordinary faculty and the achievements and problem-solving of our incredible management and staff. And I have celebrated numerous birthdays, new-born babies, promotions, retirements, holiday celebrations and Hot Dog Capers with you. I am thankful to have had these wonderful opportunities.

I am also extremely proud of the work we accomplished during my tenure at CPP. Together, we built and implemented a culture of excellence and a community that celebrates diversity and inclusiveness. We enhanced student success through critical investments in academic advising, programs to increase belonging and promote thriving, and through the development of the CARE Center, essential basic needs services and other critical resources. We also made significant investments in campus facilities, including the construction of the Student Services Building and new student housing.

We have advanced organizational excellence with our investments in personal and professional learning and development through our Principles of Community and EODA and CAFÉ employee programs. And we celebrated countless faculty accomplishments both in and outside the classroom and through their scholarly achievements. We enhanced and expanded our focus on “engaged learning” and “become by doing” through our work in laboratories, classrooms, varied campus spaces, nature and other external settings.

We established our Philanthropic Board, with highly experienced alumni and other leaders who have worked diligently to ensure CPP’s enhanced vitality. We have also worked with our community partners to streamline the future of Human & Civic Engagement. Partnering with Mt. SAC, we created the “Bridge to Success Partnership” to help transfer students. We are preparing the campus for the integration of AI as we launch the “AI Hub” that will provide student, faculty and staff development programs. We instituted “Future Paths” to ensure Bronco student success after graduation. And our programming and initiatives in Student Affairs reflect broad awareness of the challenges, struggles and successes of our students. And we helped each other heal after the devastating and debilitating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reflecting on these achievements, I am most proud that we are recognized as a leader in social mobility and a high-demand campus, where we have continued to exceed our enrollment targets. At the same time, we also recognize and have worked to mitigate the strain that over-enrollment continues to place on the campus community, given the yearly decreases in CSU funding provided in the State of California’s annual higher education budget.

I could not have imagined how meaningful this role would be, nor how rewarding the work, and the relationships and friendships I forged along the way would mean 11 years ago, and I am truly thankful and blessed. And I sincerely appreciate the emails and notes of encouragement and thanks from faculty, staff, students and community supporters across the years.

I came to CPP to make a difference in people’s lives. I came not only to support, but also to challenge those that yearned to be great. I came to be a force for good, while also recognizing that making hard and sometimes unpopular decisions would be required. And that my decisions needed to be made with integrity, informed by data, actions and behavior, while delivered with courage and compassion for those impacted.

Finally, I want to thank all of you, irrespective of your position at the university, for your passion, contributions, and diligence in improving and advancing CPP. You are the reason that CPP is a world-class institution. You are the reason our students achieve greatness, and you are the reason this university will continue to experience and deliver success. I look forward to connecting with many of you before my departure later this summer, and especially during the 2025 commencement ceremonies that will be a wonderful reminder of your collective commitment and contributions to helping our students achieve their dreams of success. GO BRONCOS!

Yours,

Soraya M. Coley, Ph.D. 
President