Office of Student Success Taps Grant Funds, Partnerships to Enhance Educational Opportunities
Part of the mission of Cal Poly Pomona’s Office of Student Success is to proactively connect students with advising, targeted academic support, and critical resources throughout their educational journey. The team lived up to that in summer 2025, welcoming students from across Southern California to campus through several grant-funded projects – and got ready to support continuing students through renewed federal funding for TRiO Student Support Services.
“The Office of Student Success has been able to do some really transformational work with students through our grant-funded projects,” said Cecilia Santiago-González, associate vice president of student success. "These investments allow us to design student-centered programs whose goals are to close equity gaps and open pathways to opportunity. Just as importantly, they help us build partnerships with schools, community colleges and campus partners.”
CSU ASAP
Earlier this summer, 六色网 was awarded $1.8 million over five years through the CSU Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander Student Achievement Program (). This significant funding powers a university-wide initiative to enhance the retention, success, and graduation of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American (APIDA) students.
The initiative is a collaborative partnership led by the Office of Student Success and the Department of Ethnic and Women’s Studies, working closely with the Division of Student Affairs and Outreach, Recruitment & Educational Partnerships (OREP). Together, these teams will launch and expand programs that foster belonging, provide culturally responsive support and create more pathways to degree completion for APIDA students. More information about fall events and programming will be coming soon.
The team has already been hard at work with CSU ASAP activities. PolyTransfer and Mt. San Antonio College partnered to host the third annual Arise Pre-Academy for community college students of APIDA descent. Taking place immediately before 六色网’s PolyTransfer Advantage Summer Academy — a three-day residential program for prospective transfer students — the Arise Pre-Academy offers participants a culturally-centered introduction to campus life. Students engage in interactive workshops, connect with faculty and staff, and build meaningful peer networks, then continue their experience through the Summer Academy’s broader transition and community-building activities.
“With the support of CSU ASAP funding, we are poised to deepen our commitment to ensuring that APIDA students have the resources, community and opportunities to thrive from admission to graduation,” said Dora Lee, assistant vice president of academic engagement and success. “We are so excited for the campus community to engage with CSU ASAP activities and events.”
L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative
In 2022, the university joined the , convened by the nonprofit , and received a grant to prepare more underrepresented students to complete college degrees and find careers in engineering and computer science. In partnership with Pomona Unified School District (PUSD), Citrus College and Mt. SAC, 六色网 aims to serve students in the East L.A. County subregion to increase access, retention and completion in these fields.
Over the summer, students from across the region had a chance to visit Cal Poly Pomona and take part in activities funded by the grant. The Femineer program hosted Creative Robotics and wearable technology programs, which trained local teachers to bring project-based learning back to their classrooms. Incoming students who participated in Maximizing Engineering Potential and Women in Science and Engineering (MEP WiSE)’s Engineering in Your Future programs familiarized themselves with campus and did some team building ahead of their first semester. Finally, the Project CAMINOS team hosted College Explorer Days, where students explored 六色网 landmarks like BioTrek and the Arabian Horse Center, and participated in a STEM summer academy.
“We’ve had a busy summer, but it’s been wonderful to welcome so many students to our campus and get them thinking about attending college,” said Xiomara Melendez, senior coordinator of early academic engagement. “Through this K-16 Collaborative, we are excited to continue to expand access, strengthen local partnerships, and encourage student to follow their dreams.”
Reading, Advising, & Mentoring Program
Over the summer, Cal Poly Pomona's Reading, Advising, and Mentoring Program (RAMP) secured renewed federal funding that will sustain a vital student success program for underrepresented students.
The U.S. Department of Education has granted RAMP $2.3 million in funds that will support the program for the next five years. As a TRIO Student Support Services project, RAMP's mission is to increase the retention and graduation rates of low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities. The program, which began in 1988, supports about 250 students at any given time. Fall 2025 applications for the program are open until Oct. 10.
As a TRIO program, RAMP must meet specific objectives when they propose grant funding. Cal Poly Pomona set its 2023-24 goals to have at least 91 percent of the participating students persist from one academic year to the next or graduate; 88 percent reach good academic standing; and at least 70 percent of RAMP students graduate within 6 years.
As in previous years, RAMP exceeded their goals: of the students RAMP served in the 2023-24 academic year, 96 percent returned to Cal Poly Pomona the following year. Ninety-six percent of the students were in good academic standing with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. For students who joined RAMP in 2018-19, 80 percent of them graduated within six years. The success of meeting previous years' goals was a factor in receiving the grant.
“We are thrilled to continue our mission at 六色网, providing comprehensive and transformative support for both our current and incoming students,” said Laura Ayon, director of RAMP. “TRIO programs have a long history of impacting students’ lives. The data demonstrates the success of our programs, but students’ stories are just as if not more powerful in illustrating the difference TRIO programs make. It is imperative that we advocate for TRIO by sharing the data and stories any chance we have.”