Negotiations are underway between Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University (CGU) to pursue a potential partnership. In exclusive interviews with TSL this week, Pomona President Gabrielle Starr and several other college administrators laid out the details.
CGU has been seeking a partner to preserve its financial stability since last January, and, on Dec. 13, the university officially announced its unrivaled interest in Pomona.
“We are really excited about being able to provide some stability and support for the entire consortium,” Starr said when asked how this partnership would benefit the college.
Pomona is not buying CGU nor transferring money to the university, several college administrators clarified. Instead, they will share their financial resources to help CGU efficiently repay its outstanding debts.
“We can help them access better financing and borrowing rates,” Pomona VP and Treasurer Jeff Roth said. “We can help them with their investments and, in turn, get better returns on their investments.”
Starr said keeping CGU as an independent 7C institution would ensure that “the financial structure on which we all depend stays as close to unchanged as we can get it.” Roth confirmed that any arrangement made between Pomona and CGU “will not impact resources available to support Pomona’s budget.”
“If the partnership finalizes, and CGU is still unable to financially support itself, Pomona would absorb and “be ultimately responsible” for all of its debts and assets, according to Starr.”
If the partnership finalizes, and CGU is still unable to financially support itself, Pomona would absorb and “be ultimately responsible” for all of its debts and assets, according to Starr.
When asked if Pomona would assume ownership of CGU’s land if the university were to close, Starr answered, “all I can say is most likely yes.”
In email correspondence with TSL, CGU Interim President Michelle Bligh said Pomona was “the best fit,” financially and otherwise, to partner with.
“We value each other, we share a common history,” she wrote. “We are both members of the Consortium and understand its importance.”
If a non-Claremont institution were to partner with CGU, it could threaten the structure of the consortium, according to multiple Pomona administrators.
Currently, costs for shared resources like Student Health Services, campus safety, the affinity offices and the library are split between the seven schools. If CGU were forced by an external partner to exit the consortium entirely, the six colleges would have to divide the remaining amount.
“Everyone’s cost would go up significantly,” Starr said.
But Roth specified that costs are not split equally among the seven colleges — the two graduate institutions “have a smaller share.”
Still, he said, “nobody wants to pay more for roughly the same services.”
Even if partnering with an outside institution did not push CGU to leave the 7Cs, Pomona Executive Director of Strategic Innovation KJ Fagan said the presence of an external institution could “pose a risk to the consortium.”
“We would not be able to influence their decision-making in any way,” Fagan said. “It could be an organization that doesn’t have the same mission, doesn’t make the same strategic decisions that the members of the consortium might make.”
Cindy Aragon CGU ’26 has been working on a master’s in history and museum studies since 2018. She expressed concern about Pomona’s “selfish” reasons for partnering with CGU.
“They’re just doing it because somehow it fits their agenda,” she said. “I don’t feel like they have our best interest [at heart].”
She said another institution might have provided more opportunities for the students at CGU, compared to the undergraduate-focused Pomona.
“I haven’t seen or heard anyone excited [about the partnership],” Aragon said.
According to Roth, CGU was engaging with around seven institutions before narrowing in on Pomona. He said that the schools’ historic relationship contributed to CGU’s choice.
“Because we are part of the consortium, we pitched a more collaborative approach during this period of negotiations than maybe other institutions would have,” Roth said.
As CGU and Pomona continue to discuss their potential partnership, Fagan said the process has followed a cooperative approach.
“I don’t think I would describe it as that we are debating anything,” Fagan said. “We are trying to work together to kind of co-create what this partnership is going to look like.”
The details of proposed improvements still need to be ironed out, but Roth shared that the institutions are considering consolidating certain back-of-house services like human resources and finances.
“Instead of having separate services staffed at CGU and at Pomona, there might be some opportunities to do those in a combined way, which could save money on the budget,” Roth said.
Bligh said CGU was “moving diligently” to present its Board of Trustees with a partnership proposal by May.
Starr expressed more uncertainty.
“The total timeline is really going to be dictated by a whole range of things, including how much information our board needs to come to a decision, getting decisions made by the Consortium and ultimately, accreditation decisions,” she said. “That timeline is not one that we control.”
Roth said Pomona’s administration is “really committed” to community outreach this spring, hosting town halls, senate discussions and hour-long administrator conversations every other week at Café 47.
Fagan said the majority of feedback has been “very positive” since the administration revealed that non-disclosure agreements from CGU forced them to keep the Pomona community in the dark until December.
Roth said that while they develop long-term plans with CGU, he still wants to focus on the well-being of current Pomona students.
“One thing we’d like to continue to think about and develop is exciting things for current students who are only going to be here a couple more years.”
Overall, Fagan is optimistic about upcoming negotiations.
“There’s going to be a lot of independence of CGU under the proposed structure,” Fagan said. “It really does feel like a great partnership.”
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