Cal Poly Update - December 2009
President Baker is Retiring after More than 30 Years
Cal Poly President
Warren J. Baker announced Dec. 7 that he is retiring after more than 30 years. The President will stay on until his successor can take office -- expected to be in mid-2010. California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed praised Baker’s accomplishments as visionary and enduring. “Under Warren’s direction, Cal Poly emerged as one of the nation’s premier polytechnic universities, with an outstanding reputation for graduating students who are highly sought after by employers. " Under President Baker's leadership, Cal Poly consistently has earned national recognition for excellence and for its learn-by-doing teaching methodology that encourages students to explore real-world problems and develop practical solutions.
News Release about President Baker's retirement
Read President Baker's e-mail to campus
See more images from
President Baker's years at Cal Poly on the Cal Poly News Flickr Gallery
Alumni News
First Mustang Mentoring Day is a Hit
with Students, Alumni
The first Mustang Mentoring Day on Nov. 14 was a big success. The event brought more than 100 alumni and current students together for a Saturday in the Berg Gallery in the Architecture Building. The day started with team-building exercises, progressed to speed-mentoring sessions and ended with one-on-one discussions after mentors and mentees were paired based on student preferences. To participate, students had to apply and were required to take training sessions that helped them get the most out of the event. Alumni from all over the state volunteered their time for the day to help students. The event was planned and hosted by the Cal Poly Alumni Association, the College of Engineering and the Engineering Student Council.
Watch a video on the event including student and alumni interviews
Find more pictures anytime at www.calpolylink.com/mustangmentoring09
To become a mentor or find other ways to participate visit www.getinvolved.calpoly.edu
Happy Holidays from Cal Poly - Multimedia Card
The third annual Cal Poly Thanksgiving Holiday Card went out the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. If you didn't get a chance to see it between the visitors and the turkey, you can view it anytime on Cal Poly's YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/calpoly. It features photos by alumni Chris Leschinsky (Applied Art and Design, 1995) and Dennis Steers (Journalism, 1978) accompanied by a song written and performed by alumna Inga Swearingen (Music, 2002). Recent grad Lauren Barker (Graphic Communication, 2008) created this multimedia movie card.
Click here to view the holiday card
PolyLink Photo of the Month: Dog Sledding in Alaska
It wasn't the North Pole, but it was close. Daniel Aden (Computer Engineering, 2004) is the December PolyLink Photo of the Month winner for this shot of Aden and his wife Melissa Darrow Aden ( Animal Science, 2005) with a sled dog team at Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier. It's the 'summer' training grounds for Iditarod sled dog teams. The Adens took a helicopter trip to the glacier while visiting Alaska. When he's not hanging out with sled dogs, Aden works for Electronic Arts, a video gaming company. He is a software engineer and develops online services for the company's games. "It's a great place to work, and we solve some very interesting problems. My favorite thing about work is being able to play soccer outside during lunch, " he says. Aden is one of the 14,125 alumni in PolyLink (www.calpolylink.com), Cal Poly's private, secure social network.
See the full-size photo in the 2010 PolyLInk Photo of the Month gallery (no login needed)
Alumni in the News - December 2009
Cal Poly agriculture alum Abel Maldonado was named Lieutenant Governor by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Engineering alum Peter Siebold was honored for his work as a test pilot. Liberal Arts alumna Kerrie Kelley released her second book on interior design -- this one under the Sunset label. Those were just a few of the alumni who made headlines recently. Find out who the rest of them are -- and if you know any of them.
Read about Alumni in the News
University News
Poly Receives Record Number of Applications for Fall 2010
Cal Poly received a record number of undergraduate applications for the 2010 fall quarter. The university received a total of 40,904 applications, up 12.1 percent from 36,489 last year. Of the nearly 41,000 first-time freshmen who submitted applications, 4,744 were submitted as early decision applications, or applications for students who made Cal Poly their first choice. The early decision pool increased by over 32 percent from last year, a positive sign that more and more students are considering Cal Poly as their first choice.
Read more about the record
Cal Poly Graduation Rates Reach All-Time High
Cal Poly’s graduation rates increased to an all-time high with the graduating class of the spring of 2009, according to Provost Bob Koob. Of the 3,011 Cal Poly students who enrolled in 2003, 74 percent graduated in six years, an all-time high for Cal Poly and the best graduation rate in the California State University system. And of the 3,575 students who enrolled in 2005, more than 30 percent graduated in four years, which is up from a 15 percent four-year graduation rate 10 years ago.
Read more about Cal Poly's Graduation and Retention Rates
Cal Poly, Department of Defense Partnering at St. Louis AFB Lab
Cal Poly is partnering with the Department of Defense at Scott Air Force Base near St. Louis in a new research center. The Knowledge Management Laboratory (KML) Center is a nonprofit, hands-on lab outside Scott Air Force Base, opened in September thanks to a university research agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense. At the lab, Cal Poly students and faculty, representatives of information technology companies, and government researchers will work on ideas to streamline and improve the process of delivering equipment and supplies to the U.S. military around the world.
More on the KML Center and Cal Poly's agreement with the Department of Defense
Cal Poly Recognizes Simpson Strong-Tie with Named Materials Lab
Cal Poly recognized a critical partnership with a longtime supporter recently by the naming of the Simpson Strong-Tie Materials Demonstration Laboratory in the new Construction Innovations Center. The facility is part of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED), which includes the Architecture, Architectural Engineering, Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, and City and Regional Planning departments. The naming follows a generous donation of $500,000 by Simpson Strong-Tie to help fund the laboratory. It was announced at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting Nov. 17.
More on Simpson Strong-Tie
Cal Poly Ranked as No. 3 Architecture Program in the Nation
Two programs in Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design placed in the 2010 DesignIntelligence survey, which ranks public and private degree programs nationally. Cal Poly’s Architecture Department ranked third among undergraduate programs. The architecture program has made the nation’s Top 20 list since 2003 with a ranking of sixth or better.
More on CAED rankings
Poly Named No. 2 in the Nation
for Aerospace and Defense Recruitment
Aviation Week & Space Technology recently named Cal Poly second in the nation for industry workforce recruiting. The publication is the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Cal Poly tied for the No. 2 ranking with Purdue and Penn State, while Virginia Tech ranked first.
More on ranking
Kennedy Library Evolving Into a Hot Spot for Thinking, Research, Talk
In summer 2008, the Kennedy Library's second floor transformed spaces for study and collaboration. Library Dean Michael Miller is behind an emerging role for the Kennedy Library as an intellectual commons for the campus. This year, the library launched the Cal Poly Science Café program. The Science Café at Cal Poly is modeled on the international science café (Café Scientifique) movement. On campus, it brings a scientific interactive speaker to the library for informal talks with students, faculty, staff and the public. It's also the first and only Science Café on California's Central Coast. Read about it in the latest Kennedy Library Annual Report, released this month.
More on the Kennedy Library Science Cafe and happenings
Today's Students
Business Club Brings Disney, IBM, Starbucks Execs to Campus
Cal Poly’s Net Impact Club hosted a panel discussion on sustainability in the business environment in November. The club brought senior executives from IBM, Starbucks and Disney to campus to speak on the importance of sustainability and their corporate efforts in the field. The event was open to the public.
More on the panel discussion
Engineering Students Share Ideas on Central Coast Climate Plans
Cal Poly students presented their ideas for future transportation in the city and county of San Luis Obispo at a community forum in November. They based their recommendations on a mandate from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to reduce greenhouse gases by 2050. That's the deadline for cutting California's greenhouse gases to 80 percent below 1990 levels. The student presenters were from Cal Poly Engineering Professor Eugene Judd's classes.
Details on the engineering students
Students Prepare for Trip to United Arab Emirates
A group of Cal Poly students will spend part of winter break examining issues such as sustainability in business, renewable energy, and women in higher education in the Middle East during a nine-day visit to the United Arab Emirates. The trip is taking place through Cal Poly’s Alternative Breaks program, which allows students to spend an academic break performing volunteer work or otherwise experience a new culture. Five students and one faculty member will visit UAE from Dec. 14-22.
More on the United Arab Emirates trip
Cal Poly Engineering Professor Jim Hanson (l)
and GWRI interim director Nazli Yesiller (r)
Faculty & Staff
New Cal Poly Institute Trying to Transform Trash
Cal Poly Engineering has established the Global Waste Research Institute (GWRI). It's a collaborative effort between Cal Poly and industry to promote the development of sustainable waste treatment technologies and advance current practices in resource management. Funded by an initial $1 million grant from Waste Connections, Inc., the Institute will engage faculty and students in projects that investigate all aspects of wastes and byproducts -- from initial generation to final disposal.
More on GWRI
Coming Up
Mid-Year Commencement Set for This Saturday
Nearly 600 Cal Poly students are expected to graduate in three ceremonies at the university’s annual mid-year commencement this Saturday (Dec. 12). Students from the Orfalea College of Business and the College of Engineering will graduate in a 9 a.m. ceremony. Students from the College of Liberal Arts and College of Architecture and Environmental Design will graduate in a 1 p.m. ceremony. Students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the College of Science and Mathematics will graduate in the last ceremony of the afternoon, at 4 p.m. All ceremonies will be held in Mott Gym.
Read more about the commencement
Civic Ballet's "Nutcracker" Dances Dec. 12 & 13 at the PAC
The Civic Ballet presents everyone's favorite holiday tradition, "The Nutcracker," with afternoon and evening performances Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12 and 13, plus a Sugar Plum Tea Party both days, in the Cohan Center. Audiences of all ages will marvel at the magic and wonder of this spectacular, professional production that has delighted the Central Coast for more than 30 years.
More on Nutcracker
Sing Along with the Forbes Organ Dec. 20
A traditional holiday show with an interactive twist! Featuring memorable performances by the Vocal Arts Ensemble and the Central Coast Children’s Choir. Also featuring University Organist Paul Woodring on the magnificent Forbes Pipe Organ playing a collection of holiday carols while audience members sing along. A benefit show for Youth Outreach for the Performing Arts Center (YOPAC) and the two participating community choirs. Performance time is 3 p.m. in the Cohan Center.
More on the Forbes Organ Concert
Spend New Year's Eve with
Comedienne Judy Tenuta at the PAC
Looking for a way to ring in the New Year with some much needed laughter? Join headliner Judy Tenuta along with three of the country’s top stand-up comedians for a rollicking night of bubbly and belly laughs Dec. 31. This big New Year’s Eve party, complete with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and champagne, is just the ticket to kick off 2010 with a bang! (Ages 21+ only.)
More on New Year's Eve at the PAC
Faculty Piano Recital Set for Jan. 8
Hear Cal Poly Music Professor W. Terrence Spiller in concert at 8 p.m. in Spanos Theatre. Concert pianist and Music Department Chairman Spiller will perform works of three great composers in his annual solo recital.
More on Spiller's performance
Temptations Coming to Cohan Center Jan. 11
Motown comes to SLO-town when the Temptations arrive in concert, marking the 45th anniversary of their first No. 1 hit. These Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers and multi-Grammy winners bring freshness and fire to the world of contemporary music with a non-stop suite of red-hot hits – “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “Just My Imagination,”and the iconic “My Girl”– plus a bright new mix of sounds, grooves and, above all, soaring voices.
More on the Temptations concert
See the Best of Momix Dance Troupe Jan. 13
Cal Poly Arts presents The Best of Momix Jan. 13 in the Cohan Center. Using props, shadows, and the human body plus a spectacular blend of physical theatre, circus, athleticism and comedy. Momix transports audiences from the mundane everyday to the absolute magical through its trademark use of lighting and imagery, creating a visual fantasy not to be missed.
More on Momix