The San Gabriel Valley (SGV) Economic Partnership has announced that it will honor Dr. Soraya Coley with a Legacy Leadership Award in October.
Ahead of the SGV Awards Gala, Cal Poly Pomona has invited members of its community to attend an open forum on September 25 to learn more about the nationwide search for the next president.
In June, Cal Poly Pomona announced that President Soraya Coley will retire at the end of July 2025.
During her 10-year tenure, she championed student success through expanded academic advising and led significant investments in campus facilities and student housing.
Under her leadership, more than 60,900 students have graduated, and the university has solidified its reputation as a leader in social mobility.
On June 24, 2025, Coley was honored for her decade of transformative leadership during a meeting at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. During the ceremony, Coley also recognized Supervisor Hilda Solis for her connection to Cal Poly Pomona as a first-generation student and a history-making alumna.
Solis remarked that throughout, she and Coley demonstrated the possibilities that arise when education, community service, and government leadership work together.
At the recognition ceremony, Coley, who is the first woman and the first African American to lead the university, was joined by her husband, retired Lt. Col. Ron Coley.
The outgoing president praised Cal Poly Pomona's role as a launchpad for first-generation students, particularly in STEM fields.
Coley was appointed president of Cal Poly Pomona in September 2014. She is the first female president of the university.
She came to Cal Poly Pomona from CSU Bakersfield, where she was the provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2005 to 2014. She served as interim vice president for university advancement in 2011-12.
Her experience also included serving as CSU Fullerton’s dean of the College of Human Development and Community Service, and professor and department chair for the human services department.
She was the system-wide provost and vice president for academic affairs at Alliant International University from 2001 to 2003.
At the beginning of this school year, Cal Poly Pomona announced that the 2025-26 Common Read is "I Never Thought of it That Way," a guide to staying curious, navigating tough conversations, and connecting across differences.
For nearly 20 years, the campus community has come together for a shared reading experience through the Common Read.
An even older tradition at Cal Poly Pomona is centered on the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary at the October 2025 SGV Awards Gala.
A little-known fact is that California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, was founded with the stipulation that the Kellogg family of Arabian horses would remain a feature of the university.