A Hello from Acting President Bob Gaines
Robert Gaines
Having been a faculty member here for more than 20 years, I’m deeply humbled by the opportunity to lead the College during President Starr’s sabbatical. I know the value of Pomona and the kinds of breakthroughs that are possible here, particularly as it applies to creativity—the theme of this issue of Pomona College Magazine.
The way I see it, Pomona has a unique combination of magical elements that make its educational experience pop—a delicate fusion of factors that include motivated students, intimate classes, broad resources and an emphasis on curiosity, interdisciplinarity and, yes, creativity.
I feel this dynamic deeply in my connections with peers. Our environment encourages engagement with others in how they see the world, sharing perspectives across disciplines with colleagues in art, music, history and beyond. I’ve had many thoughtful conversations with my colleagues about the vastness of time, understanding stories etched across giant landscapes, how we as humans sense and understand the world around us, and what it means to be alive on Earth. These kinds of dialogues have helped me shape, refine and better understand my own perspectives, as well as encouraging more out-of-the-box thinking about many of my own projects in geology.
This kind of cultivation of creativity allows faculty and students alike to adapt and approach challenges from new angles—where some of the most exciting and unexpected outcomes lie. Whether in science, engineering, humanities or the arts, thinking creatively is crucial for new innovation and making a meaningful impact on larger societal forces.
Indeed, creativity and its capacity for “transformative knowledge” is one of the three central pillars of our strategic vision, and a major point of emphasis for several of our future projects, like the new Center for Global Engagement that we hope to break ground on in the coming years.
My experience at Pomona is that creativity is not a finite resource, but something that begets more of itself when cultivated. In my mind it is the most important and essential of human traits—without it, we would be forever repeating the same patterns, rather than finding new paths of inquiry and exploration.
—Robert Gaines
Acting President
Edwin F. and Martha Hahn Professor of Geology
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