The Huntley College of Agriculture's History

•  1938 – The university that would become Cal Poly Pomona is established in San Dimas as a satellite campus of the California Polytechnic School in San Luis Obispo. The first programs offered are agricultural services and inspection, subtropical horticulture, and ornamental horticulture.
• 1949 – The campus expands with the addition of an 800-acre ranch in nearby Pomona that is donated by breakfast cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg (seen at left in the above photo with actor Tom Mix) to the state of California to serve as a university campus.
• 1952 – The Department of Animal Husbandry (now known as the Department of Animal & Veterinary Science) is created.
• 1955 – The campus begins leasing 127 acres of farmland at the nearby Pacific State Hospital (later the Lanterman Development Center). Eventually, the state transfers the land to university control, and it becomes known as Spadra Farm.
• 1956 – The Department of Foods & Nutrition (later known as the Department of Nutrition & Food Science) is created. In addition, all instruction is moved to the Pomona campus.

• 1960 – The agricultural business management program is created.
• 1968 – The Department of Plant & Soil Science is created.
• 1972 – The campus becomes California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
• 1977 – The agricultural science program is created.
• 1987 – The Department of Foods & Nutrition begins offering an accredited post-baccalaureate dietetic internship program, one of the requirements to become a registered dietitian.
• 1988 – The School of Agriculture gains college status.
• 1993 – The college holds the first Pumpkin Festival.
• 1999 – The food science and technology program is created, the first of its kind in Southern California.
• 2000 – The Department of Apparel Merchandising & Management is created, spinning off from the former home economics program in the Department of Foods & Nutrition.

• 2001 – AGRIscapes and the Cal Poly Pomona Farm Store open.
• 2002 – Horsehill Vineyards is established.
• 2004 – The animal health science major is established.
• 2007 – The AGRIscapes greenhouses are opened.
• 2016 – The college is named after alumnus Don B. Huntley (’61, animal husbandry) in recognition of his pledge to gift his Central Valley pistachio farm to the college.

Don Huntley (’60, animal husbandry) is living proof of the value of a Cal Poly Pomona education, with its emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning. And he's given back to his beloved alma mater in extraordinary fashion.

Huntley grew up in the San Gabriel Valley during the 1940s and '50s, when Los Angeles County was still largely rural and the leading agricultural-producing county in the country. 

He enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona and studied animal husbandry. After graduating, he sold animal health products to cattlemen and farmers in the San Joaquin Valley.

Later, Huntley became a real estate agent selling agricultural and hill-country land in the area. Eventually, he bought his own farmland and became a successful pistachio and cherry grower.

Huntley has long donated to research, student scholarships, and agricultural literacy efforts at his beloved alma mater. He also backed the creation of Cal Poly Pomona’s 14-acre Huntley Vineyard, which produces the grapes used to make Horsehill Vineyards wine.

“Cal Poly Pomona is a fantastic university with a beautiful campus and a unique history. The students who graduate are making an important impact in California, and I want to support them and provide new opportunities,” he said. “We need Cal Poly Pomona students and faculty to continue making advancements in agriculture, biotechnology, science, and other research. I’m going to support the school for as long as I have the ability.”

A Renaissance man, Huntley has shared pieces from his Western art collection with the College of Agriculture and the Huntley Art Gallery at the University Library. He also has supported initiatives in other colleges and programs on campus, including the Native American Pipeline and Pathways to Graduation program.

In recognition of his generosity, the California State University Board of Trustees awarded Huntley with an honorary doctorate in 2009.

In 2016, Huntley pledged his pistachio farm to the College of Agriculture as an estate gift.

In response, the California State University Board of Trustees approved a new name for the college: the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture. It is only the second named college at Cal Poly Pomona, following the Collins College of Hospitality Management, and the only one named for an alumnus.