CPP Ranks No. 4 for Best Undergraduate Teaching in West
Cal Poly Pomona has been ranked No. 4 for Best Undergraduate Teaching among Regional Universities West in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Colleges. The ranking is based on peer nominations from academic leaders — presidents, provosts and deans — who identify institutions whose faculty excel in undergraduate instruction.
The university’s “Become by Doing” philosophy comes to life throughout the campus, where teaching excellence engages students to apply theory to real-world challenges. Below is a snapshot of classroom-to-community activities that demonstrate how faculty turn learning into hands-on experiences with lasting impact.
- Last year, political science students in Assistant Professor Jarred Cuellar’s special topics Iowa caucus course traveled to Des Moines to observe and participate in the 2024 Republican caucus, shadowing presidential nominee hopefuls, canvassing with campaigns and attending rallies. Linking classroom theory directly to campaign events, the trip offered a real entry into grassroots politics and a chance to see how campaigns operate outside California.
- Chemistry Professor Chantal Stieber was recently honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, one of only 13 nationwide. Her lab engages undergraduates — many of them first-generation students — in synthetic inorganic chemistry, spectroscopy and computational chemistry research, giving them early access to advanced instrumentation and close faculty mentorship.
- Engineering students are applying classroom theory to NASA-sponsored competitions with bold, student-led projects. Teams such as THERMOSPRING, AERO Pegasus and Stellar Sparks are tackling challenges from cryogenic fuel storage to lunar robotics and emergency response flyers — preparing them for real-world problem solving. These opportunities have even helped alumni launch ventures like PRISM Intelligence, a NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge winner that uses AI to analyze geospatial data for climate and resource management.
- Students involved in the Healthcare Architecture Initiative learn to design patient-oriented, sustainable spaces for healing. This sustainability-centered specialization is the first architecture program of its kind on the West Coast. Past projects from the initiative include proposed conversions for behavioral health hospitals, which are traditionally sparse in numbers and beds; birth centers and ambulatory surgery rooms; and assisted-living communities for seniors.
- In the Foal Watch course offered each spring semester, students from all majors gain immersive, hands-on training in equine care and breeding practices during foaling season. Students learn how to support pregnant mares using live camera feeds, veterinary demonstrations and tools like milk calcium testing. The class gives students elective or Equine Studies Minor credit while connecting them to the university’s storied Arabian horse legacy.
- At the Singelyn Center for Innovative Analytics, computer information systems students turn coursework into practice — designing machine-learning models with Boeing and creating rental affordability dashboards for the City of Pomona — while building experience in data management, visualization and predictive modeling with real industry and community partners.
- Hospitality management students are learning-by-going in a new study-abroad program in Thailand. Partnering with Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, their academic and professional enrichment includes immersing themselves in local culture — exploring agri-tourism, retail and wholesale markets, and Thai wellness practices to see firsthand how cultural traditions shape unique hospitality offerings.
- Through the Afrofuturism Initiative, students explore how Black history, art, culture and imagination can inspire more inclusive futures. By blending storytelling, technology and community engagement, the program provides a space for students to reimagine education and society, amplifying underrepresented voices and fostering creativity as a driver of social change.
This accolade accompanies broader institutional success. In the 2026 U.S. News rankings, CPP was named the No. 2 Top Public School in the West, No. 2 Most Innovative School, No. 3 Regional Universities West and No. 3 Best College for Veterans. Nationally, the university’s engineering program was ranked No. 9 best engineering programs where a doctorate is not offered.