Cal Poly Pomona welcomed a distinguished delegation from Peru’s Ministry of Education for a full day of meetings and campus visits focused on building long-term academic and workforce partnerships between the two countries.
Advisor Luzmila Rojas Sandoval and Tito Omar Portocarrero Vela, a specialist, represented General Directorate of Technical-Productive Education and Higher Technological and Artistic Education, a key body in Peru’s Ministry of Education, at the Jan. 28 visit. This trip to Cal Poly Pomona opened their series of visits across California, and was part of a broader effort to learn from U.S. institutions known for strong technical education, STEM pathways and close connections to industry.
Hosted by Global Campus, a division of the College of Professional and Global Education (CPGE), the visit began with an overview of Peru’s higher education system, followed by introductions to Cal Poly Pomona’s polytechnic model and international programs by Lisa Xue, assistant vice president for Global Campus and senior international officer, and her team. Throughout the day, discussions centered on potential areas of collaboration, including student exchange, workforce-aligned degree pathways, English-language preparation, entrepreneurship education and applied learning opportunities.
During the formal welcome, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Terri Gomez spoke about Cal Poly Pomona’s drive to support learning that welcomes everyone, focuses on real-world practice, yet connects across borders. While outlining priorities, she emphasized programs that blend experience with worldwide collaboration, reflecting values central to the institution’s mission.
“On behalf of President Levine and our entire university community, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to Cal Poly Pomona,” Gomez said. “As a student-centered, Hispanic-Serving Institution, we are deeply committed to hands-on learning and innovation, and we see tremendous opportunity to grow academic exchange and collaboration with institutions in Peru.”
The Ministry of Education in Peru collaborates with over a thousand institutions for technical and advanced learning, reaching close to a million learners across the country, according to Rojas Sandoval. She expressed strong interest in Cal Poly Pomona’s engineering programs, innovation ecosystem and industry partnerships, particularly for high-achieving students from Peru’s technological institutes.
“We are very happy with the offerings at Cal Poly Pomona, especially in engineering and innovation,” Rojas Sandoval said. “We are very fortunate to have your support and visionary international leaders, and we appreciate the warm welcome and openness to collaboration.”
Throughout the day, the delegation met with campus leaders and toured key facilities that showcase Cal Poly Pomona’s applied learning environment. These included the Career Center, the Collins College of Hospitality Management, the Student Innovation Idea Labs (iLab) and Maker Studios, and the Office of Graduate Studies, as well as the Workforce Innovation & Career Engagement (WICE) unit within CPGE. Conversations focused on how Cal Poly Pomona aligns education with economic and industry needs — a priority shared by Peru’s Ministry of Education.
Under the leadership of Interim Dean Larisa Preiser-Houy and Xue, Cal Poly Pomona’s international and academic teams worked collaboratively to organize the visit. University leaders expressed optimism that the conversations will lead to meaningful, long-term partnerships that strengthen global education, workforce development and innovation.
“This visit represents an important step toward deeper collaboration,” Gomez said. “We look forward to welcoming more students and colleagues from Peru to Cal Poly Pomona and to creating opportunities for our own students and faculty to engage globally.”
