In an email sent earlier today, Pomona College Dean of Students Avis Hinkson informed the student body “of a reorganization that is separate from the furloughs announced yesterday by President Starr.” The marketing coordinator of Pomona’s Career Development Office (CDO), as well as the director of Outdoor Education and the shift supervisor at the Coop Fountain, have been laid off as Pomona’s new staffing plan comes into effect.
The announcement came a day after Pomona announced a number of temporary staff furloughs in the wake of a $37 million budget shortfall. The decision came as part of a “new staffing plan for [Pomona’s} division.” According to Dean Hinkson’s email:
“This decision to reorganize our staff was not easily made and we recognize that this may be challenging news to process at an already difficult moment. Please know that we remain fully committed to maintaining and enhancing each program.”
Pomona’s staffing plan includes provisions to support all three departments. Per the email:
“Once students are back on campus and public health guidance allows it, we will return to supporting Orientation Adventure, in concert with outdoor education opportunities for the campus. We look forward to implementing the plans we had in place for August 2020 to include Los Angeles-centered trips, in addition to many of the previous locations we have sent student groups to over the years. Going forward, O.A. operations will be more closely intertwined with those of Campus Life as a whole.”
Dean Hinkson has promised a similar level of support for both the CDO and the Coop Fountain. In her email, she states that “[t]he Coop Fountain will continue to be a dining option and an employer of students, as [Pomona} aim[s] to create more student employment opportunities there over the long term.”
The CDO, meanwhile, “will continue to connect students, recruiters and alumni as they navigate career, fellowship, graduate and professional school and internship opportunities. The CDO marketing position will shift to a different role focused on data and research as [Pomona] continue[s] to move forward in helping our students prepare for and shape their post-Pomona lives.” Earlier this year, Pomona hired Hazel Raja, formerly in charge of the career center at NYU Abu Dhabi, as director of the Career Development Office.
According to the email, “[a]ll three program areas are actively supporting the division in creating a robust student experience for [students] – both in the current remote environment and beyond.”
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