Alumni News

Natural Resources Management Celebrates 40 Years, Hosts Western Forestry Conclave in March

Cal Poly's College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Natural Resources Management program and host the 2011 Western Forestry Conclave and Stihl Timbersports Collegiate and Pro Series competition on campus March 25-27. The conclave brings together 200 student participants from 11 western schools. Participating college logging teams compete in traditional events dating back to forestry's "lumberjack" history, as well as more modern forest resources management trials. The final event of the conclave, the Stihl Timbersports ProAm competition, takes place March 25 and will air on ESPN2 this fall.  The 40th anniversary celebration culminates March 26, with an NRM department showcase of faculty presentations, student club demonstrations and a reunion gala banquet and silent auction.
Find more details about the NRM 40th anniversary celebration and the 2011 conclave

Art, Pizza, Basketball, and More:
Get Together with Alumni Across California This Month

Enjoy a night out with alumni in Fresno, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Clarksburg, Palo Alto and Oakland this month at events hosted by Cal Poly Alumni Association chapters. Alumni, parents and friends are always welcome at alumni events. Here's what's on the CPAA Events Schedule in the next few weeks:

• Fresno, March 10: "The Human Touch"
  Join Fresno-area alumni for a social at the Fresno Area Art Museum.
• San Rafael Social, March 24
  Join San Rafael-area alumni for a social at Pizza Orgasmica.
• Santa Rosa Social, March 25
  Join Santa Rosa-area alumni and chapter leaders for a get together at The Front Room Bar & Lounge.
• Sacramento Social, March 26
  Join Sacramento-area alumni in Clarksburg at the "Taste of Cal Poly" social at The Old Sugar Mill.
• Palo Alto Social, March 31
  Join San Francisco/San Jose area alumni at Old Pro in downtown Palo Alto.
  
• Oracle Arena (Oakland) Warriors vs. Mavericks, April 2
  Join Cal Poly alumni to cheer on the Golden State Warriors as they face the Dallas Maverick in the Oracle Arena. A portion of each ticket supports the San Francisco/San Jose Chapter's student scholarship fund.

Cal Poly Dairy Science Alumni, Industry Leaders Gather
at 2011 World Ag Expo

More than 100 Cal Poly Dairy Science Department alumni and industry leaders gathered in February at World Wide Sires in Visalia to celebrate Cal Poly’s successful dairy science program in coordination with the 2011 World Ag Expo. Jeffrey D. Armstrong, Cal Poly's new president, attended the event, which included a tasting of Cal Poly-made products. On the sampling menu were student-made cheeses, ice cream, butter and dark chocolate milk from the Cal Poly Creamery, along with vintages from the Wine and Viticulture program.
Details on the expo | Read about Cal Poly "Dairy Gold" in Cal Poly Magazine

Mustang Athletics Drive Offers a Trip to the 2011 Country Music Awards

Win two tickets to the 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas by signing up for an online Mustang Athletics benefit event. The 2011 CMA awards are April 1-4 in Las Vegas. The trip includes two round-trip airline tickets, hotel accommodations for two for three nights at the MGM Las Vegas, two tickets to the CMA's new artist concert April 1, two tickets to the Lady Antebellum concert April 2, and two tickets to the CMA Awards Show on April 3. Online benefit tickets are $5, or $20 for five. The drawing for the winning ticket will be held on March 19 during the Seventh Inning Stretch of the CP/UCLA baseball game.
Details on the Mustang Athletics CMA benefit

Alumni in the News: Wine, Music Art and Commerce

Brothers John (B.S., Agricultural Business, 1968), Larry (B.S., Mathematics, 1970) Randy (B.S., Mechanized Agriculture, 1976) and Davey Piña made headlines for their winery: Piña Napa Valley. The Piñas produce an annual average of around 2,000 cases of wine, making one chardonnay and five different cabernets. On the Central Coast, Gary Burk (B.S., Business Administration, 1986) has moved from a music career to wine making and now owns Costa de Oro Winery. Kimberly Lyon (B.S., Microbiology, 1982) worked for 10 years as a microbiologist before discovering she had a passion for glasswork and launched Ladybug Glass Studio. Read more about these and other alumni who made headlines this month.
March alumni in the news

University News

Cal Poly Unveils Dow Jones & Company
Web Printing Laboratory

In its continued effort to educate the best and brightest to enter the graphic communication industry and lead it in the future, Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department has unveiled the Dow Jones & Company Web Printing Laboratory. With heavy support from industry partners, the department has expanded its educational offerings in publication printing by doubling the page count and color capacity of its web publication press. The addition of four-units makes it an eight-unit web press.
Details on the new laboratory

Three Finalists for Athletics Director
Now Under Consideration

Cal Poly is considering three finalists seeking to be the next director of Cal Poly Athletics. They are Torre Chisholm of Portland State University, Don Oberhelman of San Diego State University, and Ron Prettyman of Indiana State University. Prettyman was on campus for interviews and open forums February 24 and 25, Chisholm was on campus Feb. 28 and March 1, and Oberhelman was on campus March 7 and 8. Alison Cone, Cal Poly’s director of athletics from 2004-2010, retired in December after 16 years at Cal Poly.
Read background information on each candidate
Read the Mustang Daily article on Prettyman | Read the Tribune story on Prettyman
Read the Mustang Daily article on Chisholm | Read the Tribune article on Chisholm
Read the Mustang Daily article on Oberhelman | Read the Tribune article

University Meets Three Finalists for University Vice President for Advancement Position

Cal Poly is considering three finalists for the open position of Vice President for University Advancement. Candidates are John W. Welty, vice president development and administration for the University of New Mexico Foundation, Inc.; Aaron Conley, vice president for development and alumni relations, University of Texas at Dallas; and Michael McCall, associate vice president and chief development officer at Cal Poly. Each visited Cal Poly for two days and made presentations and took questions at an open forum during their visit. Welty's form was Feb. 25, Conley's was March 1, and McCall's was March 4. Cal Poly's University Advancement Division reports to Interim Provost Robert Koob. The new vice president will succeed Sandra Ogren, who died in 2010 after battling cancer. She had served as Cal Poly’s vice president for Advancement for six years.

Orfalea College of Business Launches Low-Income Taxpayer Service Provider Network

Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business has launched the California Central Coast Tax Coalition, which extends the reach of the University’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) services. The clinic will offer free assistance on a case-by-case basis to qualified low-income taxpayers with sensitive tax-related issues requiring direct contact with the IRS or U.S. Tax Court. Assistance is available in both English and Spanish. The coalition provides federal tax education, outreach and direct consultation services to the elderly, low-income taxpayers and the Spanish-speaking community. The Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic is located on campus in the Orfalea College of Business and is a Cal Poly-sponsored Service Learning Project, providing undergraduate and graduate tax students the chance to work with local clients involved in tax controversies before the IRS and U.S. Tax Court. It is a complement to the college's annual VITA program, which engages students to help low-income families prepare tax returns under the supervision of faculty and certified finance professionals.
Details on the clinic

Today's Students

Band Fraternity Receives National Award

The national honorary band fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi has designated Cal Poly’s chapter as a 2009-11 Kappa Kappa Psi Leadership Award recipient. The honor was given to 18 chapters across the country, including UCLA, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Georgia. Each chapter is acknowledged as having maintained an extraordinary level of commitment to their band programs and to the purposes and values of Kappa Kappa Psi. Established in 1992, Iota Pi is made up of Cal Poly band members dedicated to promoting and aiding the band program through service, leadership and community outreach. Iota Pi has been actively involved in the Cal Poly’s Music Department as well as with campuswide projects and endeavors.
Details on the award

Faculty & Staff

Kinesiology Professor's Study Shows Lifestyle Intervention
Curbs Unhealthy Pregnancy Weight Gain

Pregnant women avoid unhealthy weight gain and return to their normal weight after delivery at much higher rates if they receive personalized nutrition and exercise monitoring and support throughout their pregnancy, according to a study led by Cal Poly Kinesiology Professor Suzanne Phelan. The "Fit for Delivery" study was published in February by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “We found that preventing excessive weight gain during pregnancy is possible through a low-intensity lifestyle intervention that promotes frequent self-weighing, reducing fast food and soda consumption, and engaging in moderate physical activity at least five days a week,” Phelan said. The findings are important, because excessive weight gain during pregnancy is a major risk factor for post-delivery weight retention and obesity for women and obesity in their children.
More on Phelan's study

Coming Up

Annual Admitted Students Preview Day, Cal Poly Open House set for April 15-16

Open House began in 1994 and has its roots in Poly Royal. It's an annual showcase spotlighting the best of the university for prospective students, their families and the community. This year, thousands of families will be in town for Admitted Students Preview Day Friday, April 15. Saturday's Open House events are open to those families, alumni and the public and include hundreds of displays and activities put on by clubs and university departments. Highlights include the Design Village collegiate architecture competition in Poly Canyon, Robo Rodentia robot competition, the Tractor Pull and the Poly Royal Rodeo. Open House kicks off at 9 a.m. April 16 with the Poly Royal Parade. Alumni can check their Cal Poly College web sites for college and department events.
Photo: Chinese Students Association at the Poly Royal Parade
Get Details on Open House 2011 on the Student Affairs Web site | See Photos from Open House 2010

Find Events on the Cal Poly Events & Entertainment Calendar