By Rachel Prior and Elise Ong, August 25, 2026
The 2026 fall semester is ringing in new beginnings not only for students but also for Cal Poly Pomona’s new president Vanya Quiñones and her new cabinet.
Formerly the president of California State University, Monterey Bay, Quiñones said she is stepping into her role with hopes to cultivate change across the many divisions that make up CPP, including community and belonging, human resources and enrollment.
Restructuring her cabinet and adding new staff help to show how “the emphasis of this momentum of change is going to be based on people,” according to Quiñones.
According to an address sent to the campus community July 16, Quiñones announced two new cabinet-level divisions, including the Division of Enrollment Management and Division of People and Culture, as well as new positions and appointments within the cabinet.
The new cabinet staff include five interim roles filled by internal staff and two additional vacant positions for chief of staff and vice president for presidential operations as well as senior associate vice president for strategic marketing and communications, with appointments expected early this fall, according to Quiñones.
The Division of Enrollment Management centers on registration, financial aid and general student success.
The enrollment pressures CPP face are one of Quiñones’ main concerns, as it affects not only prospective students but students currently attending the university, according to Quiñones.
“Although we have strong enrollment, there is a projection of decline of enrollment by 2030 of about 20% for 18 year olds and 20% transfers, so altogether it could be 40% (in) the LA area,” Quiñones said.
Quiñones plans to combat the pressures with the new division working on an enrollment management structure aiming to improve recruitment, retention and engagement with students. Quiñones also said she is hoping for more intentional interaction with elementary and high schools.
The new cabinet structure also brings more representation for community belonging and human resources.
Interim Vice President Kimberly Allain will lead the Division of People and Culture to focus on talent development, employee well-being and organizational effectiveness.
Quiñones said bringing human resources into the cabinet will ensure the university has policies and procedures in place to quickly respond to concerns and create a welcoming environment.
According to Quiñones, CPP’s responsibility toward students does not stop at graduation but continues as they enter the workforce.
While some programs like engineering and architecture already require internships, Quiñones plans to grow internship opportunities across all majors.
Quiñones is working toward the Cal Poly Pomona Promise, which focuses on student success and aims to ensure that by 2030 all CPP students have access to paid internships and extend support to students after they graduate and transition into the workforce.
To ensure the promise is achievable, Quiñones plans to improve industry partnerships by strengthening connections with current partners and creating new ones, noting CPP’s location as an advantage due to a wide range of industries in surrounding areas.
Quiñones also plans to revamp and simplify Career Services by taking inventory of all the opportunities students can apply for through CPP to have a clearer understanding of available internships and jobs.
“The Cal Poly Pomona Promise will be that every student, regardless of your major, you will have the ability to work with this vast network,” Quiñones said.
Elevating CPP’s profile by increasing its visibility throughout California is something Quiñones aims to do.
Quiñones said CPP already has strong enrollment, a top record of upward mobility and highly ranked programs but struggles to promote itself.
Increasing media coverage and creating a more consistent message around CPP’s accomplishments is a central focus for Quiñones.
“We’re not a hidden gem anymore,” Quiñones said. “And I want everybody to stop saying that. We’re actually the best Cal Poly experience, and we’re the No. 1. That’s basically the message that I want everybody to have.”
Since the start of her term July 1, Quiñones said she has met around 2,200 to 2,500 people at CPP. Meeting different divisions of the university through listening tours to address strengths, beliefs and concerns is a way Quiñones said she is able to learn about how to lead with a culture of care.
“Before she comes in and decides to change everything, she wants to understand how things work, what peoples’ concerns are, what peoples’ priorities are,” said former Academic Senate Chair Peter Hanink. “She’s not just coming in from the outside saying, ‘Here’s how I’m going to fix everything, here’s how I’m going to change everything,’ it’s, ‘Let me see how things are working right now.’”
A culture of care, according to Quiñones, means being intentional in ensuring resources, ranging from basic needs to academic support and counseling, are available, so students, faculty and staff have what they need to succeed.
As part of the search committee for the new president, Hanink said Quiñones’ energy and involvement stood out from the beginning.
Hanink described her not only as a leader of the university but also as a cheerleader in the way she aims to raise CPP up.
“I think part of it is she wants people to identify with her, and she wants to be open, so people come to her, and that people aren’t afraid of talking to her and aren’t afraid of engaging with her,” Hanink said. “I think that is a priority of hers.”
Beyond academic support, Quiñones said she attends home games, eats lunch around campus and visits student associations to be as accessible as possible to everyone at CPP. Her Instagram page is filled with selfies taken with students, staff and alumni as she meets them around campus.
Gregory Barding, the new chair of the Academic Senate, said he expects to interact with Quiñones frequently this year and looks forward to an increase in communication and transparency between faculty and administration.
“At the very end of the day, we just keep student success as … the pillar of our relationship, which means that faculty success also has to be key to that as well,” Barding said.
Barding also highlighted the university’s loss of its ombuds service. He said he hopes administration will work closely with the Academic Senate and faculty to develop a replacement to effectively address faculty concerns and needs.
After years of external and internal changes, Hanink said many faculty members feel burned out and are looking for a president who can give them a greater sense of stability and direction.
“I think one thing that I will be looking for is faculty morale,” Hanink said. “Do people have a vision for how things can get better, of something we can work toward?”
In Quiñones’ effort to move toward a stronger communication network, students can expect an email in early September with listed communication improvements, cabinet discussions and office hours of the president, provost, cabinet and information on the six town halls planned for the year.
There will also be a community-based conversation 100 days into Quiñones’ presidency Oct. 8 to assess what has been achieved, what is currently happening and what needs to be done to reach the 2030 goals.
Quiñones said she has an ad hoc committee working on surveys to be sent to faculty, staff and students to gather insight on the main pillars she is working on with her cabinet.
“We don’t want to develop ideas just by the administration, we want to have voices of people,” Quiñones said. “So once we have the surveys and the ad hoc recommendations, we will have a much better understanding on how we’re going to comprehensively move to our culture of care, community and belonging and sustainability.”