Cal Poly Update | February 2008 | The E-Newsletter for Cal Poly Friends & Alumni

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Alumni News
Cal Poly to Offer Online Irrigation Classes
Thanks to $500,000 Donation from Alumni
Cal Poly will soon offer students and professionals across California and the West a chance to earn university credit for irrigation classes – without leaving their jobs or their hometowns. Cal Poly alumni Fred Hamisch and his wife Virginia jump-started the online irrigation classes with a donation of $500,000 in December. Cal Poly’s Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) is currently seeking additional matching funding for the online courses from the US Department of Agriculture and from industry supporters. Cal Poly is expanding its irrigation education online at a time when the West is facing a catastrophic shortage of professionals to design and operate the complex irrigation systems the region -- and the agriculture industry -- needs.
More on the online irrigation courses
Visit the Irrigation Training & Research Center

Forget the Super Bowl - Get Ready for Mustangs vs. Aztecs this Fall
Mustang football fans, make sure to put this date on your calendar: Saturday, August 30. That's when the Cal Poly Mustangs will take on the San Diego State Aztecs at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The Cal Poly Alumni Association and Cal Poly Athletics are hosting a tailgate barbecue at the stadium - and planning for Amtrak train transport for Mustang fans from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Watch future editions of Update and the PolyLink alumni events calendar for details as they develop. No sign-in is required for the PolyLink Alumni Events calendar -- check in any time at www.calpolylink.com/alumnievents

Fishing for your Cal Poly E-Newsletters in Your Bulk Mail Folder?
Do You Yahoo? Did you find your copy of Cal Poly Update or the Engineering Advantage e-newsletter in your Spam or Bulk Mail folder instead of your inbox? Yahoo! mail users in particular tell us it's happening to them. Read on for tips on how to get your university mail delivered straight to your inbox.
Cal Poly E-mail Delivery Tips for alumni, parents and friends

Get in Touch With Your Inner Italian: See Sicily with CPAA & Friends
Mondello boats You don't have to belong to the Cal Poly Alumni Association to take advantage of its great travel program. All alumni, parents and university friends are welcome. This October, get in touch with your inner Italian by touring Sicily. The island abounds with ancient historical sites: Taormina, Mt. Etna, Syracuse, Mondello, Agrigento, and Palermo.
Visit the CPAA Travel Web for more details

Turkish coffee vendor PolyLink Photo of the Month: Turkish Coffee
This is not Katie Cooney. It's a coffee vendor in Cappadocia, Turkey -- and just one of the many photos in her PolyLink albums. And it's the PolyLink Photo of the Month winner for February. Cooney, a Human Development alumna, is a professional photographer in San Jose with a penchant for travel and cowboys. And her family. Are you member of PolyLink, Cal Poly's online community for alumni? Then click on the text link to View her personal photo albums.

Not a PolyLink member? You can still visit the PolyLink University Photos Gallery anytime - no login required. See more alumni Photo of the Month winners in the gallery anytime too - no login required.

Alumni in the News
Surf Film Splash, CEOs, COOs, & More
Central Coast residents were lining up in the rain for the premiere of alumnus Trevor Povah's new film on surfing, life and music. Look for "Lost in the Middle" to make a splash soon at theatres near you. Who else was in the news this month? A father and son alumni team revitalizing their NorCal family ranch by selling pricey organic beef - and high grade cattle bones for human medical implants. A nutrition alumna and author survived a grueling ordeal in the snow on a hike gone awry. One Cal Poly alum was profiled in East Coast media as the most influential California winemaker you've never heard of. And as usual, more alumni took the reins as CEOs and COOs at firms across the globe this month. Find out who they are -- and if you know any of them...
Cal Poly Alumni in the News

Student making chalk drawing University News
Cal Poly Architecture, Design Programs
Rank Among Best in Nation -- Again
Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design has earned top rankings in several categories in the 2008 DesignIntelligence survey of the nation’s university design programs. In the Design Intelligence poll's 2008 rankings of the nation’s 20 Top Architecture Programs, Cal Poly’s undergraduate architecture program was rated fourth, up from its sixth-place ranking in 2007. The program has consistently made the nation’s Top 20 List since 2003, with a ranking of six or better. Cal Poly’s undergraduate architecture program earned the No. 1 spot in two of the survey’s regional categories.
More on the rankings for the college

Cal Poly Receives Nearly $30M in Grants & Donations in 2006-07
Cal Poly received more than $27.7 million in gifts and donation commitments in 2006-07, part of the CSU system’s record $326 million in charitable donations for the year. Cal Poly ranked No. 3 in the CSU in terms of donations in 2006-07 with $26 million, behind No. 2 San Diego State with $46 million and No. 1 San Jose State with $50.5 million. Cal Poly Chief Development Officer Michael McCall said Cal Poly receives more financial support from parents than any other campus.
Read the CSU Release on donations & grants

Cal Poly Participates in Global Climate 'Teach In'
Cal Poly joined more than 1,000 universities across the country in hosting a day-long teach-in on climate change Jan. 31. The event was titled “Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for America" and was free and open to the public as well as students, faculty and staff. The goal was to spark national discussion about climate change solutions. The teach-in featured presentations and panel discussions by faculty and staff experts from various fields including physics, biology, architecture, engineering, agriculture, business, economics, psychology and religious studies.
Read more about Focus the Nation at Cal Poly
See the KSBY story about the event
See the KCOY story on the event

State Budget Could Mean 500 Less Freshmen at Cal Poly
Cal Poly will enroll 500 fewer freshmen in 2008-09 in anticipation of a tighter budget, university President Warren J. Baker said at a recent media gathering on campus. That means Cal Poly’s standard for admission for next year will include higher grades and test scores and fewer admissions offers. Incoming freshmen this year had an average grade-point average of 3.71. “Budget reductions mean less funding and less access to education,” Baker told reporters.
Read the story in the SLO Tribune

AT&T CEO Speaks at Orfalea College of Business
The Orfalea College of Business Distinguished Speaker Series hosted Tim Harden, president & CEO of AT&T West. Harden spoke on campus Feb. 4. Harden oversees nearly 40,000 employees who deliver traditional and Internet Protocol (IP)-based voice, broadband Internet, wireless, and video services to the company’s California and Nevada customers.
Read the Tribune interview with Harden

Chelsea Clinton Speaks on Campus
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, visited Cal Poly Feb. 1 to talk to students, faculty, staff and community members about her mother's campaign and to urge Californians to get out and vote in Tuesday's primary election. The crowd filled the University Union Plaza at sunset, and stayed to hear the youngest Clinton speak for an hour. The former first daughter then posed for photos with Cal Poly students and community members.
See photos of Chelsea Clinton in the UU
See the KSBY story | See the Tribune story/slideshow |
See the Mustang Daily story & Mustang Daily slideshow

Today's Students
Business Students Offering Free Tax Return Help Through Mid-March
Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business accounting seniors will prepare tax returns at no charge for individuals and families with gross incomes of less than $40,000 per year. The effort is part of the annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Tax return help will be available in the third-floor computer lab in Cal Poly’s Business Building every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Visitors are asked to enter Cal Poly via California Boulevard, and follow the signs to the Orfalea College of Business. Parking is free.
Read more about the annual free tax prep program

Fraternity Member Among Leaders for National Anti-Hazing Effort
At Cal Poly, aerospace engineering student and Tau Kappa Epsilon member Adrian Herrera was recently named one of the nation's anti-hazing heroes by Hazingprevention.org. The nonprofit organization's mission is to empower students to create healthy and haze-free environments across college campuses. Herrera started working towards the goal with his fraternity after attending a leadership conference almost two years ago.
See the KCOY story on Herrera and anti-hazing programs at Cal Poly

Faculty & Staff
cow What's Up With Cloned Beef?
Professors Peterson, Tong Explain
The Food and Drug Administration's recent decision that cloned beef, pork, goat and dairy products from cloned animals are safe for consumption is sparking headlines. Cal Poly Animal Science Professor Dan Peterson and Cal Poly Dairy Products Technology Center Director and Professor Phil Tong say the decision shouldn't worry consumers or affect foodstuffs. "I tell people to think of identical twins," Tong explained. Cloning a prize milk cow to create 40 "identical twin" cows for a dairy herd wouldn't change the properties of their milk.
Read the Media Advisory
See Professor Peterson's interview on KSBY TV

Cal Poly Professor Volunteering to Teach Latino Teens about Leadership
Cal Poly Professor Bob Flores is one of the instructors in an inaugural nine-week course for Latino teens on the Central Coach. The Youth Leadership Program is based on the Vision Unida program for adults. The Central Coast YLP workshops will feature several community leaders who will teach leadership skills, civic activism and college preparedness. Instructors include psychiatrist Silvia Ortiz, Cal Poly Agriculture Professor Bob Flores and Cuesta Latina Leadership Network co-chair Janet Florez.
Read the SLO Tribune story on the program

Kennelly Elected to Serve
Modern Language Association
Brian Kennelly, Chair of the Modern Languages and Literatures Department, has been elected to serve on the Modern Language Association of America's Delegate Assembly Organizing Committee until 2010. Founded in 1883, the Modern Language Association of America provides opportunities for its 30,000 members in 100 countries to share their scholarly findings and teaching experiences with colleagues and to discuss trends in the academy.

Faculty Passings: Cummins, Bruckart, Silvers, Abshire
Retired Industrial Technology Professor and former Dean Carl Cummins; retired Industrial Technology Professor William Bruckart; alumnus and former Architecture Professor Arthur Silvers; and Engineering Professor Emeritus Franklin Abshire all passed away over the past month.
Read more about the passing of professors Cummins, Bruckart, Silvers, and Abshire

Coming Up
See Cal Poly Collection-to-Be at San Francisco Conservatory Now
Penjing islands A collection of classic Chinese “living sculptures” now on display in the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park will soon be coming to Cal Poly – permanently. The collection of penjing – dwarf plants set in stone formations – was acquired by Cal Poly Professor John Peterson, head of the university’s Horticulture and Crop Science Department. The penjing will be moved to Cal Poly after the display ends April 29. Bay Area and Central Coast alumni, garden lovers and others can get a preview of the penjing collection at the conservatory’s Aquatic House now.
More on the Penjing collection & display
Read the SF Chronicle Story

Nationally Known Nature Photographer & Alumna to Speak Feb. 14
Nationally recognized outdoor and nature photographer and Cal Poly journalism alumna Kinsey Barnard will give two talks at Cal Poly on Thursday, Feb. 14. She will be speaking to students in a journalism class at 9:40 a.m. in the Kennedy Library, Room 111-B. She will also speak at the meeting of the Public Relations Student Society of America at 11 a.m. in Room 303 in the Graphic Arts Building on campus. In her presentation, “Telling Stories with Pictures,” Barnard will talk about her extensive experience “painting with the camera.”
Details on nature photographer Kinsey Barnard

Michael Feinstein Vocalist Michael Feinstein
in Concert Feb. 21 at the PAC
Hear vocalist Michael Feinstein Thursday, February 21, at 8 p.m. in Harman Hall at the Christopher Cohan Center. Feinstein’s musical knowledge and repertoire are vast; his performance of each sumptuous song more nuanced than the last. Back at our grand piano, the intimate solo evening with the premiere interpreter of American popular song promises present-day standards, touching ballads, and classic songs from days gone by. A musician on many levels and an artist on all, Cal Poly Arts presents his long-awaited return engagement.
Details on the Michael Feinstein concert

‘Design of Dissent’ on Display at University Art Gallery Through Feb. 23
“The Design of Dissent,” an exhibition that sheds artistic light on current news and world events, is going on now at Cal Poly’s University Art Gallery, located in the Dexter Building. The exhibit, which runs through Feb. 23, provides a glimpse at how artists and designers from around the globe address the constraints of government.
More on the Design of Dissent display

Jazzbands It's Just Jazz
with University Jazz Bands Feb. 23
Cal Poly’s University Jazz Bands program combines the professionalism of a working big band with the academic rigor of cutting-edge big band repertoire. Their winter concert is set for Feb. 23.
Check the PAC web for tickets

Celtic Music's Celebrated Altan Plays the PAC Feb. 28
Cal Poly Arts presents Altan in concert Thursday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. in Harman Hall in the Christopher Cohan Center. The Celtic quintet, filled with flashing fiddles and rich vocals, is considered to be one of the most dynamic Irish music bands on the international scene. With a deep respect for the past and their traditional source, Altan creates a fresh approach that virtually redefines and reinvigorates the classic sound of Irish songs and joyous reels and jigs.
More on the Altan concert

Cal Poly Choirs' Winter Concert Set for March 1
The Cal Poly Choirs present their annual Winter Concert Saturday, March 1, in the Christopher Cohan Center. Curtain time is 8 p.m. Music of past masters will be united with two world premieres by Cal Poly Professors Antonio G. Barata and Craig H. Russell. Both will feature the Forbes Pipe Organ.
Choirs Winter Concert ticket information

Get Ready for Fiddle 'Barrage' March 5 at the PAC
Cal Poly Arts presents Barrage, Wednesday, March 5, at 8 p.m. in Harman Hall in the Christopher Cohan Center. A high-octane international fiddle-fest filled with an eclectic mix of pop music, song and dance. For over a decade, Calgary’s Barrage has created a diverse fusion of cultures, combining contemporary world music influences, layered vocal arrangements, and pulsating modern beats. The six violins, bass, guitar, and drums of Barrage flood the hall with breathtaking musicality and showmanship.
More on the Barrage fiddle festival performance

Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble Winter Concert is March 7
Hear the Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble as singers and instrumentalists perform some of the best-known art and popular music of the Eastern Mediterranean and larger Middle East. Performance is Friday, March 7, at 8 p.m., in the PAC Pavilion.
More on the Arab Music Ensemble

Cal Poly Symphony
Winter Concert is set for March 9
The Cal Poly Music Department presents the Cal Poly Symphony in its Winter Concert Sunday, March 9, at 3 p.m. in the Christopher Cohan Center. In addition to selections by Debussy and Prokofiev, the performance will feature the winners of the annual student solo competition. The Cal Poly Symphony is a select ensemble comprised of students pursuing a variety of majors on campus. It performs works by composers from the Baroque through Contemporary periods.
Check the PAC for tickets

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