By Ava Uhlack, September 30, 2025
The Cal Poly Pomona campus community expects the new president to increase transparency, stand up for students’ interests and advocate for proper and fair financial allocation.
The open forum, organized Thursday, Sept. 25 in-person and livestreamed for those who were unable to attend in person, allowed one minute of speaking time for all campus community members to voice their expectations for the future president as the search begins after President Soraya Coley retired in July after 11 years in the leadership position.
An approximate 40 community members made statements during the forum, with concerns or hopes spanning from personality traits they’d like to see in the president to actions in which they’d like to see the president take part.
The community stood united in the expectation that the new CPP president should be courageous and stand for the CPP community in all aspects.
“I’ve watched what happened at Columbia University,” said Evan Ware, chair of the Music Department. “That would be a disgrace if it happened here. I would like to see someone who isn’t afraid to speak truth to power and who’s not going to sell us down the river the minute someone like the FCC commissioner doesn’t like what we’re doing.”
Efforts to improve student engagement was also one of the main expectations the CPP community has of the new president. “I want a leader who recognizes that student success is tied to the academic experience both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Associate Vice President of Student Success Cecilia Santiago-Gonzalez. “We can foster an inclusive scholarly community where students are engaged in their learning, supported by faculty and staff and provided the resources they need to thrive.”
The new president is expected to support and embody transparency the university will follow by faculty.
“I hope for transparency in every aspect,” said Associate Chair of the Industrial and Manufacuring Engineering Department Saeideh Fallah-Fini. “I hope the new president considers the academic senate not just as a place to make announcements for decisions after they are made but to be used for consultation for making those decisions that are going to impact all of us faculty, staff and students.”
An electro-mechanical systems engineering technology student Sir Daniel Davis chimed in with similar sentiment.
“I believe that this campus needs a president that communicates above all else,” Davis said. “I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that a lot of students and staff are left in the dark about what’s going on around campus. We should be aware of when things are happening and why things are happening.”
The audience also called for the future president to be mindful of financial allocation and needs across campus.
“I see good allocation with resources in ASI and the student government,” said Dashiell Morales, a psychology student. “The future president could follow in the lead of ASI because every semester there are changes and they take into account student feedback.”
The forum ended slightly after 2:30 p.m., about 30 minutes earlier than planned, although the Advisory Committee remained for a little longer in the case than someone else came forward with comment.
The committee consists of the chair of the Academic Senate, two faculty representatives, one campus support staff member, two students, one member of the campus advisory board, one alumnus/alumna, one vice president or academic Dean and one president of another Cal State University, according to information from an Academic Senate meeting the day before the open forum.
The Advisory Committee will work with a Trustee Committee to select candidates for the position and the ultimate decision of the transition of power will come from the Board of Trustees. The Trustee Committee will contain the chair of the Board, the chancellor and four trustees, with one being designated the chair.
According to the Academic Senate meeting, the recruitment for the new president will begin in October and the projected time of announcing the new permanent president will be in March of 2026.
Feature image courtesy of Gerardo Sanchez