Student-Run Marketing Course
Rodeo Athletes Land NIL Deal with Boot Barn
Three top members of Cal Poly’s rodeo team have partnered with national brand Boot Barn for promotional opportunities thanks to the Athlete Lab, a business course that acts as a mini-marketing agency for student athletes. The partnership marks the first time the Athlete Lab has worked with rodeo students since lecturer Randy Rovegno launched the program in the fall of 2023.
Learn More About the Partnership
Small Stature, Strong Smell
Another Corpse Flower Blooms on Campus
If you walked into the lowland rainforest section of the Cal Poly Plant Conservatory on Monday, your nostrils were greeted with a rare treat: the smell of roadkill and death, the trademark stench of the corpse flower. “It hits the back of your throat. There’s a depth to it that’s fascinating,” said conservatory curator Gage Willey, as he grinned and pointed out the fading bloom on Tuesday. The flower that bloomed in the conservatory this week wasn’t the massive titan arum — which bloomed at Cal Poly for three summers in a row — but a smaller cousin, the Amorphophallus hewitii.
Learn More About the Corpse Flower
1144 Chorro St.
Work on New Downtown Location Gets Underway
The Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) and the Cal Poly Mustang Shop will soon have a new home. Tenant improvements on the new 1144 Chorro St. location are underway to create an expanded space for the two university programs. Cal Poly Partners’ plans for the former Copeland Sports location will help revitalize the long-vacant building, all while expanding the university’s role in developing innovators and entrepreneurs in the HotHouse and furthering regional economic development. Following tenant improvements, the building is scheduled to open in Winter 2026.
Learn More About 1144 Chorro on the Cal Poly Partners Website
Board Meeting - April 25
Cal Poly Partners
Cal Poly Partners Board meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. April 25 at Vista Grande (Building 112-350.) It is open to the public. Written public comments must be submitted no later than Wednesday, April 23, via email to cppartners-admin@calpoly.edu. Any person desiring to speak on any board item is asked to fill out a Board Appearance Request , submit 24 hours prior to the board meeting, and arrive at 8:15 a.m. The Zoom Webinar is for the public to view only: https://calpoly.zoom.us/j/82299636350. The agenda will be available online five days in advance of the meeting. Questions? Call 805-756-1131.
Save the Dates
Campus Visits for CENG Dean Finalists
The Consultative Search Committee for the Dean of the College of Engineering will host up to four finalists for the role. Please save the following dates for potential two-day campus visits:
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May 5-6, 2025
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May 7-8, 2025
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May 12-13, 2025
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May 15-16, 2025
Open forums will be held on the second day of each visit, from 11:10 a.m. to noon in the Advanced Technologies Lab (Building 007) and via Zoom. Information about each finalist, Zoom links, and a feedback survey will be shared in advance.
Center for Expressive Technologies
Seed Grant Applications Open
Center for Expressive Technologies (CET) seed grant applications are open to all faculty and staff until Friday, April 25. Any project creatively studying/using technology to improve the human experience is eligible for up to $4,000 in funding and an additional $1,000 for studio costs. Projects can utilize CET's new studio space in the center of campus where users can experiment with the latest projection and sound, exhibit art, video, audio or mixed reality experiences, or conduct live performances and community engagement. Questions? Email CET Director Matthew Harsh at mharsh@calpoly.edu.
NACADA Conference
Carly Head and Austin Ferguson Named Best in Region
Carly Head, Mustang Success Center assistant director, and Austin Ferguson, CAFES academic advisor, received the Best in Region award at the NACADA Region 8/9 Conference held March 17–19, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska, for their presentation, “Enhancing Academic Advising Practices with AI: Strategies for a Balanced Workload.” Their session highlighted how AI tools like ChatGPT can streamline advising by automating routine tasks, identifying students with risk factors, and providing personalized student support. Emphasizing ethical, student-centered use, they demonstrated how AI can reduce advisor burnout while preserving human connection, offering attendees actionable strategies to responsibly integrate AI into their advising practices.
Outage Starting April 25
Common Financial System Maintenance
The Common Financial System (CFS) is receiving an upgrade as part of a major step to enhance the system’s performance and user experience. The system will be down April 25 at 5 p.m. and will be back online Monday April 28 at 9 a.m. as the updates are made over the weekend. The update will improve the user interface and offer better personalization of the overall CFS workspace. Application enhancements will also be made to Accounts Payable, CSUBUY, general ledger and more. It is recommended to clear the browser cache before logging in following the update.
Questions? Email Administration and Finance
Cal Poly Toastmasters
Spring into Speech
Join Cal Poly Toastmasters for our Spring Open House noon to 1 p.m.Wednesday, April 23, in Facilities Building (No. 70), Room 110! Enjoy lunch and explore how we help staff, faculty and students strengthen their public speaking and communication skills. Observe, mingle and participate at your comfort level. Meet our award-winning members, experience our supportive community and build your confidence in a safe space. Weekly Wednesday lunchtime meetings offer practice in speeches, presentations, and impromptu speaking. Questions? Contact Jolene Girten, vice president for membership at jgirten@calpoly.edu.
Learn More About Cal Poly Toastmasters Club
Mustang Shop
Apple Sale Happening Next Week
The Mustang Shop is hosting a staff and faculty appreciation sale offering discounts on Apple computers and iPads from April 21-25. This sale offers an additional 5% off already low education pricing on select current models. The most popular sale of the year also includes 10% off discontinued Mac and iPad items and 50% off M1 and M2 Mac items. Supplies are limited. Shop in store and at the Mustang Shop online. Individual and institutional purchases are both included. Call the Mustang Shop at 805-457-9652 option 5 or email d.hanna@follett.com with questions and pre-orders.
Mustang Shop online Will Be Updated With Sale Prices April 21
Cal Poly Presents
Kennedy Library Transformation at SCUP Conference
Cal Poly’s Kennedy Library Transformation team presented “Transformation on a Budget: Cal Poly’s Kennedy Library Renovation” at The Society for College and University Planning’s (SCUP) Pacific Regional Conference on April 4 in Monterey. The session highlighted how campuswide collaboration and student input shaped the design framework, prioritizing key upgrades and services within a limited budget. The library is scheduled to reopen in fall 2025.
EPaCE Offers
Conversational Spanish Course This Summer
Cal Poly’s Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) will offer Conversational Spanish from June 17 to Aug. 5, with eight Tuesday evening sessions from 6–8 p.m. Taught by Rocio Alvear, this non-credit course introduces essential Spanish grammar, vocabulary and cultural insights. Students will develop listening, speaking and reading skills through interactive conversations. The $159 course fee excludes the required textbook, “Tu Mundo, Español Sin Fronteras (Third Edition).” Alvear, a retired Cal Poly educator from Ecuador, brings extensive language-teaching experience.
Register to Start Your Spanish-Learning Journey
Presentation Showcase – April 17
Service-Learning Innovations
The 2024-25 Service-Learning Faculty Fellows will present the Service-Learning Showcase of course redesign proposals noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in the Architecture Building (No. 5) Berg Gallery, Room 105. Organized by the Center for Service in Action and the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, this poster-session-style event will be an opportunity to view and discuss the latest innovations of service-learning developed by faculty and is open to the entire campus community. Light refreshments will be provided.
Learn More About the Service-Learning Faculty Fellowship
Now Accepting Applications
Spring Makers Market
The ASI Craft Center is excited to announce the spring Makers Market and invites Cal Poly community artists of all mediums to apply now to be a vendor! The Maker’s Market is a vibrant event that celebrates creativity and craftsmanship, showcasing local vendors and their artistic creations. Join us May 5–7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Chumash Auditorium (Building 65). If you are interested in selling your craft at the Makers Market, complete a Vendor Application by 11:59 p.m. Apr. 23.
Cal Poly Faculty to Present – April 18
‘A Musical Time Machine’ Concert with Guests
Cal Poly Music Department faculty members Sarra Hey-Folick, clarinet, and Aaron Kline, composer, will showcase the voice, clarinet and piano through the ages at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, in Room 218 of the Davidson Music Center. Titled “A Musical Time Machine,” the program’s works will range from W.A. Mozart’s “Parto Parto, ma tu, ben mio” to Kline’s “The Rose.” Guest artists include Kate Meyer, mezzo-soprano, and pianists W. Terrence Spiller and Alin Melik-Adamyan.
Learn More on the Music Department’s Website
Cal Poly Arts - April 18
Vieux Farka Touré
Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara,” Vieux Farka Touré is a singer, composer, and guitarist from Mali, known for dazzling crowds with his speed and dexterity on the guitar; referencing elements of rock, Latin music, and other African influences. This event has a 20% staff and faculty discount available.
Purchase Tickets to Vieux Farka Touré
Cal Poly to Host Concert - April 24
Departure Duo
The Music Department will host Departure Duo for a concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, in Room 218 of the Davidson Music Center (No. 45). A “high-low duo,” Nina Guo, soprano, and Edward Kass, string bass, explore the possibilities for music at its extremes. The concert centerpiece will be the duo’s newest commission by Tomás Gueglio, a Chicago-based, Argentine composer, which draws inspiration from the heightened drama and radiophonic landscape of telenovelas. The duo’s “30x’30” project has a goal of finding 30 hours of soprano and string bass repertory by 2030.
Learn More on the Music Department’s Website
All-Chopin Recital – April 25
Pianist W. Terrence Spiller to Perform at the PAC
Pianist and music Professor Emeritus W. Terrence Spiller will give a recital of works by Frédéric Chopin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the Pavilion of the Performing Arts Center. Spiller will cover a broad swath of Chopin’s works, including dances and a nocturne, and will conclude with his ground-breaking cycle of piano miniatures, “Preludes, Op. 28.” The other works include “Tres Valses brillante,” Op. 34; “Berceuse in D-flat Major,” Op. 57; “Nocturne in F-sharp Minor,” Op. 48, No. 2; and “Polonaise in F-sharp Minor,” Op. 44. More information is on the Music Department’s website.
It’s Back - April 26
Cal Poly Alumni Baseball Day
Alumni faculty and staff are invited to the annual Alumni Baseball Day when the Cal Poly Mustangs take on UC Irvine starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at Baggett Stadium. Tickets are $5 for general admission or $40 for Krukow's Klubhouse, which includes unlimited beverages (non-alcoholic and/or beer and seltzer for guests 21+), hot dogs and snacks until the seventh inning. Registered guests can swing by the Cal Poly Alumni tent to learn about the Cal Poly Alumni Association, upcoming events in the San Luis Obispo area and pick up some Cal Poly swag.
SLO Master Chorale – April 27
Requiem Mass by Verdi at the PAC
The San Luis Obispo Master Chorale and Orchestra closes their 40th anniversary season with Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem Mass on Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in Harold Miossi Hall. Best known for his operas (Aida, Rigoletto, La Traviata), Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem Mass was inspired by the death of writer Alessandro Manzoni. The piece is now recognized as one of the most famous and well-liked masterworks of all time.
Returning April 29-30
Shen Yun at the PAC
Shen Yun 2025 returns at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30, at the Performing Arts Center in Harold Miossi Hall. Shen Yun takes you on an extraordinary journey through China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture. Exquisite beauty from the heavens, profound wisdom from dynasties past, timeless legends, and ethnic traditions all spring to life through classical Chinese dance, enchanting live orchestral music, authentic costumes, and patented interactive backdrops. Revisit a time when scholars and artists sought harmony with the Tao, or the “Way” of the universe, and when divine beings walked upon the earth to inspire humanity.