By: Alexis Alvarez, March 18, 2024
Cal Poly Pomona’s newest dean Ethan Orr will join the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture April 1 after the college went seven years without a full-time dean.
Orr is the assistant vice president for governmental partnerships and community relations at the University of Arizona, where he has been a faculty member since 2003. He also serves as the executive director of the Natural Resource Users Law and Policy Center for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, according to the email sent to faculty and staff Feb. 13 announcing his appointment.
Provost S. Terri Gomez said part of the reason the college went multiple years without a full-time dean is because of some candidates decided not to accept the position due to other offers, while others weren’t the right fit.
“I believe everything happens for a reason, and maybe during that time, it wasn’t the right time,” said Jenifer Cazares, the executive assistant to the dean and associate dean for the Huntley college, who was also part of the search committee that led to the hiring of Orr. “But now I feel like with everything that is happening, it’s almost like our time to shine.”
Orr said his reason to apply for the role as dean was because of the students. He saw the students’ hunger for self-improvement and was impressed.
Orr came from a rough background and had to work through school, often holding two to three jobs at a time, he said. For him, a college degree was a gateway to a better job. He takes this with him and hopes students will see CPP can transform their lives, too.
This led him to caring about student success, and he plans to work with industries to establish opportunities for students to obtain internship interviews and jobs. He wants to help students recognize their passions and be successful in them.
“I want students to not only have an amazing job and be able to provide for themselves and their family, but have the excess capacity to make our community a better place, too,” said Orr.
He also plans to collaborate with other colleges, such as the College of Engineering, for the use of technology and the College of Business Administration, according to Gomez.
Gomez said Orr’s ability to think creatively about solutions and partnerships can enhance the learning experience for students.
Cazares said she believes that, with Orr’s background and knowledge, he is going to take the Huntley College of Agriculture to the next level.
Before he makes any changes, Orr said he will take on the role as a student himself and will first listen and learn. In order to get to know the CPP student body, he plans to have an open door and will attend anything a student group invites him to.
He also looks forward to attending the Pumpkin Fest and the Arabian horse shows.
“It’s a stunningly beautiful campus, and it had a very rural feel with the mountains in the background,” Orr said. “It was very comfortable.”
Not only did the homey feeling satisfy his decision, but the faculty and staff did as well. He saw the years and decades of commitment and how, in his mind, they still love it.
“If you’re working at a place 20 years later, there’s something special about that place, and part of what I get to do that excites me is I get to discover what it is that makes CPP such an incredible place,” Orr said.
For Orr, it’s the students who drive the campus, and everything the university does is to serve and equip students for the chance to have a better life.
Feature image courtesy of the University of Arizona
