Terri Gomez

Dr. Terri Gomez serves as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. With a 25-year career at Cal Poly Pomona, she has held significant roles including Associate Provost for Student Success, Equity and Innovation, and founding director of the PolyTransfer Program. Her work focuses on eliminating equity gaps through data-driven initiatives and collaborative academic programming.

• Education: Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California, Los Angeles
• Academic Leadership: First Full Professor in Ethnic and Women’s Studies
• Administrative Roles: Department Chair, Interim Associate Dean, Associate Vice President for Student Success

Dr. Gomez specializes in creating systemic solutions for student success, particularly for first-generation, Pell Grant-eligible, and historically underrepresented populations. Her research explores:

• First-Year Experience programs
• Transfer student retention strategies
• Equity gap elimination frameworks
• Data-supported College-Based Student Success Teams
• Predictive analytics implementation
• Graduation Initiative 2025 compliance systems

Notable achievements include:

• 95% degree completion rate in 2018 Summer Completion Grant Initiative
• Establishment of the Office of Student Success (2016)
• White House Initiative recognition for TRANSFERmations program

Her scholarly work intersects with practical implementation of:

• High-impact practices (HIPs)
• Interdisciplinary research models
• Civic engagement initiatives
• Academic advising transformation
• Learning resource center development
• First-generation student pathway design