Maritime Integration FAQ
Fall 2026 Return to Campus
Cal Poly Maritime Academy is excited to welcome students back to campus this fall. As students, faculty, and staff return, we want to ensure a smooth start to the semester by highlighting a few important updates and reminders.
This page provides key information to help you access and navigate the Cal Poly portal, including login guidance and resources to support your transition back to campus systems and services.
Starting in July, students, faculty and staff will have expanded access to the Cal Poly Portal. This includes access to Canvas, 25Live (for event planning), and Planon (for maintenance and service requests).
Follow these instructions on how to access the Cal Poly Portal.
On July 8, continue using your current login credentials.
Important: Your computer (desktop) login is not the same as your Cal Poly Portal login. Even if you use your @calpoly.edu account to access the Cal Poly Portal or other services, you should continue using your @csum.edu account to log in to your computer until your desktop account has been updated which will occur by the end of the calendar year.
If you're unsure which account to use or experience problems signing in, please contact the ITS Service Desk for assistance.
On July 8, Cal Poly Maritime Academy students, faculty and staff, as well as emeritus faculty members and campus guests with email accounts, can access their new @calpoly.edu email account.
Office 365 applications in your new Cal Poly account will mirror what exists in your @csum.edu account. This means all Outlook and OneDrive folders, documents (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.), sent mail, received mail, contacts and calendar items will mirror what is in your existing CSUM account. Emails sent to your CSUM address will be automatically forwarded for one year following the migration.
Note:
- Email signatures may need to be recreated or updated.
- Shared mailboxes or shared calendars may take some time to reappear.
- Some applications may require a restart before recognizing the new account configuration and you may be prompted to sign in again to some applications.
- Log in to the Cal Poly Portal or go here if you need account help.
- Once logged in, go to the “My Apps” menu and click “Email and Calendar.” A new browser tab will open Microsoft Outlook for the web.
- Confirm your access to the Cal Poly Portal by logging in, or go here if you need account help.
- Follow these instructions to set up Outlook for either Windows or Mac/iOS mail clients. It is important to log into the Cal Poly Portal first to confirm access before setting up your mail client.
Follow these instructions to access your Zoom account.
- Submit a ticket to the Help Desk:
- Online: tech.calpoly.edu
- Via phone: (707) 654-1048
- Send an email to the Integration Inbox
- Virtual Office Hours - Join Zoom Meeting
- Wednesday, June 8: 9 – 10 a.m., and 2 – 3 p.m.
- Thursday, June 9: 10 – 11 a.m., and 2 – 3 p.m.
- Friday, June 10: 10 – 11 a.m., and 2 – 3 p.m.
Cal Poly IDs will replace Port Passes once you return to campus. More information will be sent in July.
Continuing students in the Corps of Cadets will be provided with new uniform patches, name badges, name tapes, and hats. These items will be provided at no cost.
Need help with Financial Aid? Visit the Financial Aid site for more information on applying for and managing Financial Aid.
New students move into campus housing on August 17, and continuing students move in from August 22 – 23. More information on key housing dates can be found here.
The Integration Process
The California State University Board of Trustees noted on Nov. 21, 2024 to approve the CSU Chancellor’s recommendation to integrate Cal Poly and California State University Maritime Academy. This integration not only builds on Cal Poly’s strong track record in admissions and enrollment but also unites two institutions that share a hands-on, immersive educational approach while also creating administrative efficiencies.
Integration brings tremendous opportunities and benefits for students, faculty and staff. With the trustees’ approval, the integration process is moving forward, with the goal of welcoming the first Cal Poly Maritime Academy and Cal Poly Solano Campus students into the Cal Poly family by fall 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Effective July 1, 2025, the two institutions began operating as one single Cal Poly. Cal Poly Maritime Academy students officially became Cal Poly students on July 1, 2026. Work on integration will continue through the fall of 2026 to finalize any systems, applications or processes needed for operations across both campuses.
The integration has resulted in one university (Cal Poly) under one president, President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. Effective July 1, 2025, Corey Cook, Ph.D., assumed the role of Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Cal Poly’s Solano Campus in Vallejo, and Rear Admiral (Ret.) Eric C. Jones, USCG, was appointed Superintendent of the Cal Poly Maritime Academy. Both Cook and Jones were selected for their positions following a national search. Read the leadership announcement.
Additionally, the integration has resulted in a single administrative structure, one budget and one of each of the following: faculty/academic senates, Associated Students, alumni association and philanthropic foundation.
Workgroups were formed comprising subject matter experts from the CSU Chancellor’s Office, Cal Poly and Cal Maritime across the 23 operational areas identified as most critical to a seamless and timely integration. Those 23 groups have been consolidated into seven functional implementation teams (“FIT” teams) organized under thematic work areas: academics; enrollment; student affairs; advancement, communications and external relations; financial, administrative and human resources; technology; and legal, regulatory and accreditation matters.
Informed and guided by Baker Tilly — a firm with extensive national experience in this highly specialized area — the seven FIT teams have mapped the previously identified critical issues to activities that formed the foundation of an implementation plan.
The CSU and Cal Poly are committed to identifying, accurately measuring and regularly reporting progress toward success metrics across this large and complex project.
The FIT teams have make recommendations for accountability measures to the Integration Steering Committee (comprised of both university presidents as well as several senior members of the chancellor’s leadership team).
Assisted by outside experts where special expertise is required, the Integration Steering Committee has and will continue to carefully review, refine as necessary and approve accountability measures once it is satisfied that the identified success metrics offer the chancellor and board the degree of specificity needed to appropriately assess the integration work as it advances. Baker Tilly has assisted with the data collection and measurement of the success metrics according to the specifications and detail requested by the Integration Steering Committee.
As a tenet of shared governance, faculty have purview over curricula (the courses and course content within academic programs) and faculty leadership. To honor this principle, eight faculty leaders — four from each of the campus faculty senate leadership groups at Cal Maritime and Cal Poly — were invited to begin work in these areas. Initial work focused on the structure, organization and governance of a single academic senate across the integrated institution. Those faculty members also were asked to begin the process of analyzing curricular and catalog data, course information and enrollment data for potential overlapping adjacencies or duplication in academic programming and curricula.
Students within both the Associated Students Inc. (ASI) and Associated Students of Cal Maritime Association (ASCMA) have been actively involved in the integration process from the beginning. Both student body presidents have served on FIT teams and working groups, ensuring that student perspectives are represented in key discussions. ASI has taken a lead role in reviewing the student body organization’s legal and governance structure, with a strong emphasis on maintaining and enhancing student representation and advocacy.
All students who apply to Cal Poly apply to a specific major and compete against other students who have applied to the same program. This model has been carried forward into and throughout the integration. Students will apply to specific programs at a specific location, and the applicant pool will set the level of competitiveness. Cal Poly will utilize its comprehensive review, known as Multi Criteria Admissions (MCA) process, to screen and evaluate students. Students are required to meet CSU minimum standards.
Once integration is complete, there will be one integrated set of academic offerings, one academic senate and one set of curricular processes.
All students will be subject to the Cal Poly fee structure beginning fall 2026. Actual fees to be included have been determined, and more information on them can be found here.
The CSU/Cal Poly has ensured that continuing (resident California and nonresident enrolling before fall 2026) Cal Maritime students enrolled prior to fall 2026 are provided scholarships to cover any difference in fees as they complete their degrees.
Cal Poly’s financial aid and scholarship plan has resulted in increased recruitment and enrollment yield of California students with financial need. Consequently, Cal Poly’s student body recently achieved 25% Hispanic / Latino with an incoming class of 29% for fall 2024. Financial aid and scholarships were provided in fall 2025 to expand access for students from California and the western facing Pacific United States (Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii) and U.S. territories (Guam and Samoa). An emphasis has been placed on low-income and underserved students from these states and territories. Financial aid and scholarships have been funded by one-time funds from the CSU and Cal Poly campus-based fees. Over 50% of recent campus-based fees (Cal Poly Opportunity Fee and College Based Fee adjustment) will support financial aid and scholarships on an ongoing basis.
Cal Maritime faced fiscal challenges of a magnitude that undermined its viability as a standalone institution. This financial unsustainability also threatened the offering of key academic programs leading to a Merchant Marine license issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as the continued employment of numerous faculty and staff. The integration is intended to preserve these programs, which provide a vital economic and security resource to our state and nation.
The primary factors were declining enrollment, increased compensation costs and rising operating expenses. Over the past seven years, enrollment at Cal Maritime has declined by 31%, from a headcount of 1,107 students in 2016–17 to a headcount of 761 in 2023–24. For the fall 2024 semester, enrollment was 804. Meanwhile, projections indicated that a growing budget deficit through 2026–27 was inevitable, even if enrollment growth targets would be met.
Many options were considered to preserve Cal Maritime’s unique programs while ensuring financial feasibility and sustainability. It was determined that Cal Poly was clearly the best aligned with Cal Maritime for a successful integration.
Cal Poly and Cal Maritime are similar institutions in many fundamental ways, primarily in their academic missions and learning ethos. Both institutions rely upon a hands-on approach. Both offer degree programs within high return-on-investment program areas. Clear synergistic opportunities exist in multiple academic programs, perhaps most obviously within the engineering and marine science fields. Both institutions are involved in national and economic security issues that impact the western U.S., the Pacific Rim and beyond. There is also untapped potential in the ability of the two institutions, if combined, to compete for increased federal, philanthropic and other sources of funding for national security, renewable energy and other programs.
The integration has not affected the new ship’s arrival schedule or planned waterfront upgrades. The Cal Poly Maritime Academy will receive a new, purpose-built training ship in 2027, depending upon the production schedule. In accordance with federal regulations, the new vessel requires a much larger wharf and associated infrastructure. The associated waterfront construction began in late 2024.
The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) was informed of the integration plans, and the university collaborated closely with the CSU Chancellor’s Office to ensure a seamless implementation of the waterfront upgrades supporting the new ship’s arrival. The new ship is fully funded by the federal government. The estimated cost of the waterfront upgrades is $120 million; it is anticipated that federal funding will cover at least 80% of the required construction cost and CSU plans to fund the remaining 20% from the capital budget.
Support from the U.S. Maritime Administration is projected to remain consistent as long as the Maritime Academy remains in operation.
Cal Maritime faculty are encouraged to continue to provide feedback or raise any concerns with Dinesh Pinisetty, the executive dean of academic affairs at Cal Poly Maritime Academy. Both the senate and faculty will be consulted in areas within their expertise, such as curriculum matters, to ensure their input is considered.
As shared in the Feb. 12, 2025, faculty meeting at Cal Maritime and in campuswide communications, a key focus of the alignment of academic departments is to help shape the future structure of academic departments at both campuses in a way that supports student success and maintains academic quality.
Academic Department Alignment (Effective July 1, 2025)
College of Engineering
| Cal Maritime Department | Cal Poly Department |
|---|---|
| Department of Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering Department |
| Department of Engineering Technology | Transitioning intact as a unit |
Bailey College of Science and Mathematics
| Cal Maritime Department | Cal Poly Department |
|---|---|
| Department of Sciences and Mathematics | Biological Sciences Department Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Mathematics Department Physics Department |
Orfalea College of Business
| Cal Maritime Department | Cal Poly Department |
|---|---|
| Department of International Business and Logistics | Industrial Technology, Packaging and Entrepreneurship Accounting and Business Law Management, Human Resources and Information Systems Economics |
College of Liberal Arts
| Cal Maritime Department | Cal Poly Department |
|---|---|
| Department of Culture & Communication | English Department |
| Department of International Strategy & Security | Philosophy Department |
College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences
| Cal Maritime Department | Cal Poly Department |
|---|---|
| Department of Marine Transportation | Transition intact as a unit |
| Department of Naval Science | Transition intact as a unit |
Curriculum matters were coordinated by Rachel Fernflores, Ph.D., faculty engagement coordinator. Curricular changes followed the shared governance process, and any relevant updates were communicated to faculty. Students maintain catalog rights and can choose to follow the updated curriculum, which will be taught accordingly.
New program development continues to follow established academic planning and approval processes.
The 2025–26 academic year has served as a bridge year to support the 2026–27 academic year, allowing essential academic services to continue uninterrupted while systems, policies and operations are aligned across both campuses.
Advising, tutoring and library services generally continued as-is through the bridge year. Planning teams completed a service inventory and identified opportunities to strengthen alignment and delivery across both campuses ready to deliver services to students in the fall of 2026.
The 2026–28 catalog reflects a fully integrated academic portfolio. Key updates include:
- Mechanical Engineering (ME): Faculty in both ME programs developed a common ME core in the 2025-26 academic year, which they proposed for review in the 2026-28 catalog cycle.
- Business: A single, unified business program will launch with a new Supply Chain Management concentration at the Solano Campus starting in fall 2026.
- Oceanography: Continued development of the oceanography program at the Solano Campus, leveraging faculty expertise and synergies across both campuses.
- Licensure Programs: These programs are not changing, and the goal is to ensure programs stay as-is.
Some Cal Maritime GE courses were reviewed in 2025–26 to align with Cal Poly’s academic structure. Additional updates appear in the 2026–28 catalog.
Yes. Future summer programming is being planned for the Solano Campus, including opportunities tied to the new training ship expected to arrive in early 2027.
The Cal Poly Academic Senate approved the integration of Solano faculty, effective July 1, 2025. For an initial one-year period, this includes:
- Four Solano-specific Senate seats, with one seat reserved for a merchant mariner.
- A Solano senator serving on the Academic Senate Executive Committee.
- Solano representation was established on all standing and ad-hoc Senate committees.
On April 10, 2025, the Cal Maritime Faculty Senate approved a resolution to merge with the Cal Poly Academic Senate.
During the 2025-26 academic year, the integrated Academic Senate established an ad-hoc shared governance committee to evaluate and recommend a long-term governance model.