Cal Poly Named Best in the West for 29th Consecutive Year by U.S. News

Cal Poly has been named the best public, master’s-level university in the West for the 29th straight year in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges guidebook. The 2022 guide, released Sept. 13, provides data on more than 1,800 colleges and universities and rankings for more than 1,400 institutions. It lists Cal Poly as No. 2 overall in the West — up one from last year — and as the top-ranked public university in the region. In addition, several Cal Poly College of Engineering programs were ranked among the best in the nation for masters-level educational institutions, and the university was ranked as the top school in the West for veterans among public and private institutions that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees. Read more on the Cal Poly News site.

J. Kevin Taylor Named Interim Dean of Extended Education

J. Kevin Taylor, director of the School of Education, has been named interim dean of Extended Education. Taylor began in this role on Sept. 13 and will serve through August 2022 or until a permanent dean appointment is made. During this time, Taylor will continue to serve as director of the School of Education. “I’m excited for this new opportunity to work with the amazing team in Extended Education,” said Taylor. “I’m looking forward to forging new and exciting partnerships across the university.” Taylor joined Cal Poly in 1999 and has previously served as department chair for the Kinesiology and Public Health Department. He has been recognized for his innovative and engaging approach to teaching as a recipient of Cal Poly’s Distinguished Teaching award, and in 2015 was honored as the inaugural Learn by Doing Scholar awardee. Taylor earned his doctorate in teacher education, physical education from the University of South Carolina, his M.S. in physical education from Central Washington University, and his B.A. in sports studies from Northumberland University, Newcastle, England. A search for the permanent dean of Extended Education will be launched this quarter; more details will be forthcoming.

Employee COVID-19 Testing Available in UU 220

Free, on-campus testing is available for unvaccinated, asymptomatic faculty and staff on campus. An ongoing asymptomatic testing site recently opened in UU 220, and a second testing site at Poly Canyon Village will reopen in the next few weeks. Employees who are vaccinated, believe they have been exposed and are asymptomatic may also test on campus. The CSU has MOU agreements with many of the labor unions, and Cal Poly is in the process of developing a similar testing program for unvaccinated employees consistent with the union agreements. Employees must follow several important steps to participate in saliva-based testing, including making an appointment and getting a new six-digit registration ID before each test. Visit the Employee Testing webpage to view hours, make appointments and learn more about Cal Poly’s faculty-developed testing method. Unvaccinated students will be required to test twice a week during fall quarter. Vaccinated students will also be able to test but are not required. All state, Cal Poly Corporation and ASI employees should enter their COVID-19 vaccination status as soon as possible; the deadline to do so is Monday, Sept. 20. For more information on how to submit your vaccination status, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.

Facilities Management and Development Shares COVID-19 Response 

From signage to sanitation to ventilation, Facilities Management and Development (FMD) supports our campus to ensure COVID-19 safe practices are implemented. FMD has been hard at work these past 18 months ensuring safe essential operations and face-to-face classes, and preparing for the fall 2021 re-population of campus. Wondering what the filter rating in your building is? Curious about the COVID-19 Prevention Program? Want to submit a COVID-19- related service request? Need sanitation supplies?  Visit the FMD COVID-19 Response website or contact the Facilities Management and Development Help Center at ext. 6-5555 or [email protected]. FMD customer service coordinators are ready to assist you Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Resources and Toolkits Available to Assist Staff During Repopulation

Administration and Finance (A&F) staff have begun a phased repopulation of campus. For some individuals, this will be the first time they have been back on campus since March 2020. To help assist in the transition, A&F has developed new work policies and procedures, gathered resources and, created toolkits and made them available at https://afd.calpoly.edu/hr/return-to-work. To support staff readiness for this reimagined future, Human Resources has partnered with LifeMatters to help employees manage their concerns about returning to campus. The CSU system requires all staff, faculty and student employees to continue wearing a face covering while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. If staff have a medical or psychological disability that prevents them from returning to campus, they should contact Shelly Giesmann, at [email protected] or ext. 6-5395. She can advise them on the process to request an accommodation.

New Employee Emergency Fund Created

A new Cal Poly Employee Emergency Fund is available as of Sept. 1, with initial funding contributed by President Armstrong and his Cabinet. This fund may be able to help with unexpected expenses related to a federally recognized disaster, such as a natural disaster, pandemic or act of terrorism. Non-student employees (state, Corporation and ASI) may apply for reimbursement after incurring eligible expenses. Please note that this fund is not an employment benefit and is not a guarantee of reimbursement. The application, as well as further details and limitations, is available at: https://afd.calpoly.edu/hr/employee-resources/emergency-fund/. To contribute to the fund, click here.

News Roundup Brings Learn by Doing Stories to Your Inbox 

Cal Poly News is launching a newsletter to share our most exciting stories with the campus community and supporters. The monthly email will highlight recent news posts, the best photos of Learn by Doing projects and the way Mustangs are making an impact on California and beyond. To receive the Cal Poly News Roundup each month, subscribe via this form. Find the latest stories on the Cal Poly News website.  

Cal Poly Public Policy Graduate Student Receives CSU Trustees’ Award

A public policy graduate student from San Francisco has received a 2021 California State University Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement — CSU’s highest award for students. Christine Lam was selected as Cal Poly’s awardee, the Trustee Wenda Fong and Daniel Fetterly Scholar, for her academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and financial need. She will receive a $6,000 Trustees’ Award scholarship as part of her recognition.  “I am honored to receive this award because it ensures that I will be the first person in my family to graduate from college,” Lam said. “It means a lot to me since it shows how the sacrifices my parents made for me to pursue an education were worth it and because I will be able to focus more on my academics and personal goals instead of working to pay for school.” The Outstanding Achievement Awards are presented annually to one student from each of the CSU system’s 23 campuses. Read the news release.

Find Qualified Student Applicants, Post On-campus Positions on MustangJOBS 

Have a student employee job opening you’d like to promote? Easily post it on MustangJOBS powered by Handshake. Career Services offers this convenient, fast way to quickly reach many qualified student applicants. To post positions on MustangJOBS, click here to get started. A custom on-campus job posting guide for faculty and staff to maximize their recruiting efforts can be found here: On-Campus Job Posting Guide. For more information on using MustangJOBS, contact Career Services at [email protected] or ext. 6-2501. 

Faculty Members Receive Grant to Develop Open Educational Resources

Civil and Environmental Engineering Professors Anurag Pande and Shams Tanvir, in partnership with the University of Texas at Arlington and University of South Florida, have been awarded more than $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Education Open Textbooks Pilot Program to develop free open educational resources (OER) for transportation planning graduate students. The funds allow the universities to create six open transportation textbooks over the next three years and support a greater opportunity to open the field of transportation engineering and planning to a more diverse group of students. Supported by Anne Regan, faculty coordinator for the two open educational materials grant initiatives (AL$ and AB 798) at Cal Poly, the team is responsible for creating two OER Canvas Courses and corresponding OER textbooks in support of educating and retaining students who will work in the transportation engineering/planning industry. The goals of the project include eliminating textbook costs for students enrolled in certain transportation planning courses and expanding OER resources for transportation engineering and planning programs at the three partner institutions and beyond. Learn more about OER at Cal Poly.

Open Enrollment is Coming Soon

Open Enrollment, which begins Sept. 20 through Oct. 15, is an annual opportunity to review, enroll, cancel or make changes to your health, dental, vision, flexcash, dependent care reimbursement account, healthcare reimbursement account, or voluntary benefits plans to be effective January 2022.  Open enrollment information will be made available on the Open Enrollment webpage as details are provided from the Chancellor’s Office and various providers.

Save the date for the Virtual Benefits Fair, where various health plan and voluntary plan providers will be present to share important information about rates, changes and key features. This is also an opportunity to ask questions as you make important decisions regarding your coverage.  The Virtual Benefits Fair will be available as follows:        

• Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to noon.
• Sept. 30, 1-3 p.m. 
• Oct. 1, 10 a.m. to noon.

Expect an email communication from Human Resources later in September with more information about Open Enrollment and registration details for the Virtual Benefits Fair. 

New Fall Book and Learning Circles for Faculty and Staff

Employee and Organization Development invites employees to participate in the Fall 2021 Book and Learning Circles. Book Circles involve reading a book over the course of three to five sessions. The books are:

• “The Gift of Imperfection” by Brené Brown: Shares how to embrace your imperfect self and the rewards that come from self-compassion.
• “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman: The author reveals when we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking.
• “How To Be An Inclusive Leader” by Jennifer Brown: Learn how to create a workplace of greater mutual understanding where everyone's talents can shine. 

Learning Circles involve watching a video, listening to a podcast or reading an article and participating in a discussion during a single session. Learning Circles include:

• “Leading Productive Meetings”: Join this roundtable-style learning circle as participants draw on their collective knowledge as well as industry best practices to share ideas and tips for facilitating productive, meaningful and engaging meetings, whether that is in person, online or hybrid.
• “How Diversity and Inclusion Will Drive Workplaces” by Jennifer Brown: Learn how to build inclusive workplace environments where everyone feels welcome.

To view full descriptions and register to attend, visit the Book and Learning Circles webpage at learnandgrow.calpoly.edu.

New Professional Development Courses Added for September

Employee and Organization Development has shared the release of the September professional development offerings as part of the Cross Campus Collaboration series. Many of Cal Poly’s and the CSU campuses’ workshops are offered online, giving employees the unique opportunity to extend learning beyond campus borders and offer a new way to share professional development. EOD has recently added new courses and additional dates for September that you can view and register for using the links below. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Respect in the Workplace, Sept. 21, 10-11:30 a.m.
• Creating a Culture of Service Excellence, Sept. 21, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• Onboarding New and Reassigned Employees, Sept. 22, 10-11 a.m.
• Exposing Hidden Bias, Sept. 22, 1:30-3 p.m.
• Positive Psychology, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.-noon.
• True Colors Personal Success Workshop, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to noon.

More classes coming in October!  Check the Upcoming Opportunities page of the learnandgrow.calpoly.edu website soon for updates.

International Student Flag Available in Poly Profile 

The International Center has launched a new flag in Poly Profile starting fall quarter. Students identified by the “SEVIS International Student" flag in Poly Profile are international students in F-1 or J-1 visa status. They have met federal visa regulation requirements in addition to their Cal Poly student requirements. These students have records that are managed by the International Center in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which is a database maintained and monitored by the Department of Homeland Security. The International Center is identifying these international students for faculty and advising staff because special considerations should be taken when advising these students to avoid any violations of visa status. For example, the International Center must pre-approve some activities including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Under-enrollment.
2. Leaves of absence.
3. Off-campus employment, including volunteer jobs and internships.
4. Course withdrawals.
5. Current and retroactive term withdrawals.

Contact an international student advisor at [email protected] with any questions. Also encourage students to contact [email protected] if they have questions related to their visa status.

Creating Accessible Course Materials Workshop Available in October

Since accessibility is key to creating inclusive learning spaces for students with disabilities, a four-week fully online workshop will be offered from Oct. 4-31 to provide faculty with hands-on experience creating accessible course content in Canvas. Participants will create an accessible Canvas page, an accessible Word document, and an instructional video with captions. They will also explore the Ally tool in Canvas to identify and fix inaccessible course content. Expect to spend seven to 10 hours per week. A $500 stipend is available for eligible participants. Questions? Email Pam Dougherty at [email protected]. Learn more and register.

New Employee Resources Available Online, On-Demand

The Employee and Organization Development department has live, online and on-demand resources to support all new employees and their managers throughout onboarding. Managers are encouraged to share the New Employee Page with new personnel to ensure access to critical information and onboarding professional development resources as well as convenient answers to frequently asked questions. Make sure to dedicate time in each new employee’s onboarding schedule to attend the live New Employee Orientation as well as watch the informational department introductions specifically designed to connect new employees to the campus culture, colleagues and information. Visit the New Employee Page for more information or reach out directly to [email protected].

Dwayne Brummett, associate executive director of ASI, will retire Sept. 15. Brummett began working for ASI in 2001 as the business manager. Since that time, he was promoted to director – business services and then to his current role in 2013. Brummett earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University. He has an extensive background in management and finance and is a licensed CPA. As the associate executive director for ASI, Brummett oversees all University Union and ASI programs, services and operations, including Business Services (Information Technology, Human Resources and Accounting), Facilities Management, Recreational Sports and the Cal Poly Rose Float program. Corporate responsibilities include risk management, strategic planning and ASI capital facility enhancement projects. Working closely with ASI student government and the ASI team, Brummett participated in the design and construction of the expanded Cal Poly Recreation Center and UU Plaza. These accomplishments also include assisting in building infrastructure improvements of over $9 million and upgrades to the Cal Poly Sports Complex totaling $4 million. Brummett’s impact at ASI and throughout campus will be felt long after he begins his retirement. Though Brummett’s projects with ASI may be coming to an end, he still has a few of his own that include restoring his ‘65 mustang convertible and volunteering in the community.

New Food Truck Villages Opening on Campus

This fall Campus Dining is opening two new Food Truck Villages to provide the campus community with fresh gastronomic experiences, alongside some tried and true favorites. These villages are home to several food trucks including local favorites, such as G. Brothers Smokehouse, G. Brothers Taco Truck, SLO Dogs, Jewel of India and Yogurt Creations, as well as Campus Dining’s Central Coaster and What’s Cookin’ Mobile. Alongside these local favorites, each village will include national favorites, such as Starbucks. Each village will have a convenient location with dedicated seating areas that will be cleaned and maintained frequently. One of the villages will be located on Mott Lawn, in front of Mott Athletics Center. The second village will be located on the north end of Mustang Way near Grand Avenue and North Perimeter Road. All food trucks accept Grubhub orders to provide the highest level of convenience for busy students, faculty and staff.

Free AWS Cloud Training Available Sept. 22

Extended Education is offering another opportunity for campus community members to receive free cloud training through its Amazon Web Services (AWS) Discovery Day event. On Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon, Cal Poly will offer a Discovery Day session hosted on Zoom. This event is free and offers a great way for those who are interested to learn more about AWS fundamental cloud concepts and services. Cal Poly joined the AWS Partner Network (APN) Training Partner Program in October, which enables authorized instructors at the university to deliver training developed by AWS. To learn more about this unique partnership and to register for the Discovery Day event, visit the AWS Training website.

Campus Blood Drive Scheduled for Sept. 30

A blood drive will be hosted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 30, by the Orfalea College of Business, Human Resources and Campus Health and Wellbeing. A Vitalant bus will be parked on the concrete walkway on Dexter Lawn, near the Dexter Building (No. 34). Scheduled donations are prioritized over walk-ups; please sign up for an appointment. Donors are encouraged to hydrate well and eat a hearty meal before donating. Sign up here or contact Lisa Gray at [email protected] for more information. 

Statistical Consulting Service Available During Fall

The Statistics Department provides a statistical consulting service to the university community to facilitate research design and data analysis in a wide variety of disciplines. Consulting will be available through Dec. 3 by appointment only. Ulric Lund will serve as the consultant. He is available to advise on data collection, experimental design and analysis of research projects. In addition, he is available to lead seminars or tutorials on requested topics and offer advice on various computer packages available at Cal Poly. Faculty, staff and students interested in utilizing the consulting service are encouraged to access the Statistics Department website for additional information, including what to bring to a consulting session. To schedule a consultation, email [email protected]. 

Volunteers Needed for Cal Poly Cat Program

The Cal Poly Cat Program (CPCP), a nonprofit, 100% volunteer, full-service cat shelter located on campus, is seeking volunteers. Since last year, 160 kittens were rescued, over 160 feral cats were TNR’ed (trapped, neutered, and released), and 186 adopted.  The program is geared for students — it provides excellent Learn by Doing opportunities in animal care — but shelter volunteers also include Cal Poly staff, faculty, and community members. Shelter duties include cleaning cages, litter boxes, and doing laundry. After the cleaning is done, it's playtime — all the cuddles and love you can handle! Shelter volunteer shifts are seven days a week, beginning at 7 a.m. and lasting into the late evening.  If you’re not up for cleaning but would like to assist with our TNR effort, we’d be happy to have you help us.  To learn more, visit the CPCP website; to volunteer, contact [email protected]. 

Climate Solutions Now Virtual Conference to be Held Oct. 2-3

Climate Solutions Now, an all-virtual conference focused on solutions to the climate crisis and organized by the Initiative for Climate Leadership and Resilience (ICLR), will be held online Oct 2-3. Conference attendees will:

• Explore current climate efforts and avenues for getting engaged. 
• Discover current and forthcoming Learn By Doing opportunities. 
• Strategize faster, more efficient emissions-reduction efforts and more equitable, efficient and effective responses to climate change. 
• Energize communication between scientists, engineers, government employees, practitioners and entrepreneurs working on climate challenges.

Expert speakers from governments, industry, business and academia, will present on:

• Agriculture and Food Systems
• Alternative Energy
• The Built Environment
• Climate Action Planning
• Community Wastewater 
• Environmental Justice and Public Policy
• Natural Resources
• Regional Climate Action
• The Sciences
• Transportation

The conference will also feature short introductory courses on Climate Action Planning and Life-Cycle Analysis, a method for carbon accounting. This conference is a fundraiser for ICLR. Further information can be found at the ICLR web site.

Cal Poly Music Department Announces 2021-22 Events

The Music Department is delighted to be planning in-person events again. On Oct. 30, the Cal Poly Bands — the Wind Bands and Mustang Marching Band — will celebrate the strength of Cal Poly’s musical community with Bandfest Returns! At the Nov. 4 Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble Fall Concert, instrumentalists, vocalists and dancers will perform a variety of seminal Arab art music and selections from the historically related cultures. The Nov. 12 Fall Jazz Concert will be a celebration of the release of the double album “another time, another place,” produced at the onset of the pandemic. On Dec. 3, the Cal Poly Symphony will present "Gabrielian Plays Shostakovich.” Guest artist Tanya Gabrielian will perform Shostakovich’s Piano Concert No. 2 with the symphony, which will perform other works by composers with mental illness. Fall quarter will conclude with the Cal Poly Choirs' Holiday Kaleidoscope on Dec. 4. The entire 2021-22 season is on the department's calendar website. For more information, email the department, or call ext. 6-2406.

Event Postings

Events.calpoly.edu is a new platform that shines a spotlight on high-profile special events at 

Cal Poly and throughout our community, focusing on the wide and diverse range of activities on and around our campus. This site is designed to help our colleges, programs, departments and facilities promote exciting events that can be seen by a selected audience. It will update regularly and include events happening in the next 30-45 days. It is not a calendar of all events, and it does not include student club events. Here are some links to help you navigate:  

Submitting an Event to Events.calpoly.edu

To submit your event for consideration, please send the event title, date, time, duration, ticket information, intended audience(s) and image (1600 bpi wide) to [email protected].

University Events Calendar

To find a listing of all events — such as performances, lectures, workshops and more — visit our Master Calendar.

Scheduling/Booking Venues 

25Live: Space and Event Scheduling can help you schedule or book a venue for an upcoming on-campus event.

For an overview of up-to-date sports information, photos and videos, visit gopoly.com. Per current guidelines from the state and San Luis Obispo County Public Health, fans will be permitted for outdoor events at 100% capacity. Indoor events also will be at 100% capacity with certain restrictions. These guidelines may be revisited as necessary. Tickets for football, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball games can be purchased at the Cal Poly Ticket office, located at the Performing Arts Center, and online.

Upcoming Events @ Home

Thursday, Sept. 16

  Men's Soccer vs. Grand Canyon, Spanos Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 18

  Women's Volleyball vs. Loyola Marymount, Mott Athletics Center, 1 p.m.

  Football vs. South Dakota, Spanos Stadium, 5:05 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 23

  Men's Soccer vs. Cal State Fullerton, Spanos Stadium, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 26

  Men's Soccer vs. UC Riverside, Spanos Stadium, noon.

Friday, Oct. 1

  Women's Volleyball vs. UC Santa Barbara, Mott athletics Center, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 2

  Women's Volleyball vs. CSUN, Mott Athletics Center, 2 p.m.

  Football vs. Weber State (Homecoming), Spanos Stadium, 5:05 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 3

  Men's Soccer vs. CSUN, Spanos Stadium, 5 p.m.

Employment Opportunities

For all available job openings, visit jobs.calpoly.edu. All new positions opened this week are listed below. To apply, go online and complete the application form. Current employees can also find job postings at CSU Careers, an internal job site for CSU employees. For assistance, call Human Resources at ext. 6-2236. 

There are no new listings this week. To see currently available jobs, please follow the instructions included below.

To find internally posted positions, start from the Cal Poly Portal. Click “Cal Poly Jobs” on the left-hand menu. On the next page click “Apply.” All internally and externally posted positions appear there. For a full list of available jobs, go to jobs.calpoly.edu.

Faculty Employment Opportunities

Visit jobs.calpoly.edu for current openings, further information and how to apply. For assistance, email Academic Personnel at [email protected].

There are no new listings this week.

Corporation Employment Opportunities

Cal Poly Corporation is a separate entity operating in concert with the university to provide a diverse range of services and resources to students, faculty and staff. To view all available job postings or apply, visit the Corporation website. For assistance, contact Human Resources at ext. 6-1121.

There are no new listings this week.

ASI Employment Opportunities

Hiring, developing and empowering quality staff is what drives the ASI organization. Join ASI’s dynamic team that supports not only the students of Cal Poly, but the entire university and greater San Luis Obispo communities. Visit the Work For ASI webpage for a full listing of available positions and to apply. Sign up for the Work For ASI newsletter to be the first to know about new opportunities. For more information, contact ASI Human Resources at [email protected]. 

There are no new listings this week.

Cal Poly Report (CPR) is Cal Poly's official employee newsletter, designed to communicate information about officially sanctioned university news or events to faculty, staff and administrators. Submissions may run a maximum of three times and should be limited to 150 words. To help ensure CPR continues to contain only relevant and approved information, submissions are required to come from or be approved by the employee designated to approve submissions in the respective colleges, units and work areas. A list of designated approvers is available on the Cal Poly Report index website. Entries submitted by those other than the designated approver must be accompanied by an approval form signed by the unit's approver. The approval form is available online in fillable pdf format or a downloadable Microsoft Word format. CPR is published weekly during the school year, except during academic breaks, and monthly in the summer. The deadline for each issue is 12:30 p.m. the Friday prior to publication.