Notice Board

Sagehen Student Summer 2020 Opportunity Fund

Many students are facing a loss of critically needed income due to the loss of summer jobs, internships, and research prospects. The College has established the Remote Alternative Independent Summer Experience (RAISE) program to facilitate a broad range of remote activities that will continue to provide academic and professional growth opportunities throughout the summer. A gift to this Fund ensures that, even during these challenging times, students can continue to explore their interests this summer in experiential and immersive environments. Visit pomona.edu/give-today to give to the Sagehen Student Summer 2020 Opportunity Fund.

A Record Show of Philanthropic Support

We’re excited to share the successful outcome of the Sagehen Emergency Impact Challenge crowdfunding campaign that ran May 1-2 to increase support for the new Remote Alternative Independent Summer Experience (RAISE) Program and the Draper Center’s Pomona College Academy for Youth Success (PAYS) students and families.Partnering with the One Pomona: A Virtual Sagehen Gathering event, the challenge far surpassed its goal of 470 donations to reach a total of more than 800 donations that raised over $70,000 and unlocked $147,000 in challenge bonus funding.

Thank you to everyone for coming together in this time of difficulty to help meet critical needs for Pomona students and our PAYS students and families. The kind generosity shown was not only impactful but also contributed to our most successful 47-hour participatory campaign to date!

One Pomona:
Sagehen Gathering Brings Alumni Together for a Virtual Trip Home

Nearly 1,200 alumni from 27 countries registered to take a virtual trip home to campus for One Pomona: A Virtual Sagehen Gathering. May 1-2, Sagehens from the Classes of 1949 through 2019—and one from the Class of 1946!—came together for Pomona’s first-ever, online alumni gathering to attend specially curated livestreamed events with President Gabrielle Starr, Dean of the College Robert Gains, Dean of Students Avis Hinkson and others. Attendees also got a sneak peek tour of the new Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College and perused the Best of Pomona video catalog of distinguished guest speakers and Blaisdell Award winners. Alumni celebrating class reunions this year were treated to their own unique class chat rooms and Zoom meet-ups.

While on Pomona’s virtual campus, attendees could also engage in direct chats with groups or individuals and download special content to save. Many alumni took the 47-question Pomoniana Challenge trivia quiz and also played Cecil’s Participation Challenge, earning points for exploring the site. Congratulations to our 71 prize winners! Chirp!

Thanks, Bobby Lee

Our deepest appreciation goes to Bobby Lee ’02 for his three years of service as Pomona College’s National Chair for Annual Giving: 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. During his tenure, the Pomona College Annual Fund raised more than $15M, and in 2018, marked its first increase in alumni participation in 14 years. Under Bobby’s leadership, the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement adopted its first crowdfunding platform, which enabled a new style of targeted fundraising campaigns used for the Draper Center, Empower Center, Pomona College Internship Fund, Alumni Scholarship Fund, and many more areas of need. Bobby steps down from his role on June 30, and we are pleased to welcome our new National Chair for Annual Giving, Nathan Dean ’10.

2020 Alumni Awards

The Alumni Distinguished Service Awards

The Alumni Distinguished Service Award pays tribute to an alumnus or alumna in recognition of that person’s selfless commitment and ongoing volunteer service to Pomona College. Many thanks and congratulations to our 2020 Distinguished Service award winners (photos above, left to right): Frank Albinder ’80, Jim McCallum ’70 and Harry E. Pukay-Martin ’70. Read about these exceptionally dedicated alumni at 2020 Alumni Distinguished Service Award Winners.

The Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Blaisdell Award recognizes alumni whose contributions and achievements in their profession or community mark them as distinguished persons even among the distinguished body of Pomona alumni. Congratulations to this year’s Blaisdell Award recipients (photos below, left to right): Steven G. Clarke ’70, Jennifer Doudna ’85, Ann Hardy ’55 and Anjali Kamat ’00. Learn more about these extraordinary alumni at 2020 Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award Winners.