The new submission form for Cal Poly Report and Sponsored Portal Announcements is officially live! Thank you to everyone who helped us test and improve the form. We will continue to monitor its progress and make updates as needed.
There will be a month-long adoption period for this new process. After Oct. 31, we cannot guarantee that email submissions will be included in the Cal Poly Report or SPAs.
News
Giant Birds Soar Together in Cal Poly Universities' 2027 Rose Float Design
Cal Poly universities’ 78th Rose Parade float, “Soaring as One,” depicts a vibrant flock of flying and usually flightless birds soaring together through a colorful, sunset sky, celebrating the Tournament of Roses’ Parade theme of “Welcome” by sharing a story of inclusivity, acceptance and belonging. The only student-designed and student-built float in the Rose Parade, “Soaring as One” is a joint effort between California State University students at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, who collaborate on all aspects of the float despite being separated by 250 miles.
Read More About the 2027 Rose Float Design
News
Space Vandenberg Innovation Fund
REACH, with UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly and California Jobs First, is launching the $525,000 Space Vandenberg Innovation Fund to advance technology development, commercialization and growth in the space economy across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Eligible applicants include students, faculty, researchers, labs, university innovators and collaborative teams developing aerospace and space technologies.
Funding tiers:
- DISCOVER: Up to $7,500 for early ideas and proof of concept
- IGNITE: Up to $50,000 to advance promising technologies or research assets
- LAUNCH: Up to $100,000 for market-ready technologies and industry adoption
Letters of intent are due Oct. 2 at 5 p.m.
Learn More About the Call for Proposals
News
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to Keynote HSI Symposium
Join us in welcoming Miguel Cardona, Ph.D. — educator, equity leader and former 12th U.S. Secretary of Education — as keynote speaker for Cal Poly’s annual HSI Symposium. A first-generation college graduate who celebrates bilingualism and biculturalism, Cardona brings nearly three decades of experience advancing access, opportunity and student success from the classroom to the national stage.
University Announcements
Attend the Virtual Benefits Fair on Oct. 1
Attend the virtual open enrollment benefits fair on Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Various health plan and voluntary plan providers will be present to share important information about rates, changes and key features. This is your opportunity to ask questions as you make important decisions regarding your coverage. More information is available on the open enrollment webpage.
Register to Attend the Virtual Benefits Fair
University Announcements
September is National Suicide Prevention Month
Campus Health and Wellbeing (CH&W) invites the university community to recognize National Suicide Prevention Month this September. Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. We can all play a role in prevention. Important resources include:
Mental Health Resources for faculty and staff
Made for Mustangs webinars, articles and videos
There will be a suicide prevention resource booth on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the UU Plaza on the San Luis Obispo Campus.
Question, Persuade and Refer Gatekeeper Training for classrooms and university departments is available. Contact abecer22@calpoly.edu for more information and to schedule.
University Announcements
Introducing Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success
The division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, which was brought together in 2025, is now the division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success (SEMSS). The new name better reflects the division’s full purpose: supporting students from enrollment through persistence, belonging, well-being, academic progress, commencement and post-graduation success. The new name also aligns with the CSU system’s Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success and systemwide student-success strategies.
University Announcements
Last Chance to Be a Service-Learning Faculty Fellow
Just five days remain to apply for the Service-Learning Faculty Fellowship. Academic Innovations and Programs and the Center for Service in Action invite faculty teaching in spring 2027 to apply individually or in teams. Service-learning combines learning goals and community service in ways that enhance both student growth and the common good. The fellowship supports faculty in redesigning courses to include projects that enhance student learning and community impact. Apply by 5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 28. View program details for more information. Questions? Email Anurag Pande. In-person office hours are Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. in the International Center.
University Announcements
Apply for Internal Funding Opportunities by Noon on Oct. 8
The Office of Research would like to remind faculty that proposals are currently being accepted for the 2027-28 Internal Funding Grant Program, which is supported by funds from the CSU Chancellor’s Office and Cal Poly’s Office of the Provost. Proposals should be submitted by noon, Thursday, Oct. 8, via the Cal Poly InfoReady system. Please direct questions to research@calpoly.edu.
Campus Announcements
BEACoN Undergraduate Research Scholar Applications Open
Culture and Institutional Excellence invites Cal Poly undergraduates to apply for the BEACoN Research Scholars Program. Open to all students and centered on expanding access for underrepresented students, BEACoN offers funded faculty-mentored research, professional development and community. Selected scholars participate from fall through spring and receive a $4,000 financial aid award. Applications are now open. Join a network committed to “Believe, Educate and Empower, Advocate, Collaborate, and Nurture.”
Events
Celebrate 30 Years of the Performing Arts Center This Weekend
Tickets are still available for the Performing Arts Center’s 30th Anniversary Celebration from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. The celebration will feature three stages of nonstop live music and dancing, unlimited food and drinks from Central Coast favorites, photo opportunities and more. Faculty and staff can receive a discount on tickets by using code CPSTAFF at pacslo.org. Join the celebration and help mark 30 years of the Performing Arts Center.
Events
Writers-at-Work Welcomes Haitian Poet Sony Ton-Aime Sept. 30
Haitian poet and translator Sony Ton-Aime will read from his poetry collection, “Konbit,” Wednesday, Sept. 30, at noon as part of the Writers-at-Work series. The Zoom reading is free and open to the public. “Konbit” focuses on the Bois Caïman ceremony of Aug. 14, 1791, considered the impetus of the Haitian Independence Revolution. “I am attempting to imagine and bring to light what would give my ancestors the confidence to arise against those that held them in slavery for some 300 years,” Ton-Aime writes.
Get More Information and Zoom Link
Events
Cal Poly Alumni – Latinx Community ¡Viva Los Mustangs! Alumni Reception
Cal Poly alumni, faculty, staff and supporters are invited to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the Cal Poly Alumni – Latinx Community at a special reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Cal Poly Alumni House. Connect over refreshments and burrito appetizers before Cal Poly men’s soccer faces Cal Baptist at 3 p.m. Reception tickets are $10 and include appetizers and beverages; game tickets are sold separately.
Events
Cal Poly Alumni 2026 Legacy Lunch at Mustang Family Weekend
Cal Poly alumni parents registered for Mustang Family Weekend are invited to a special lunch celebrating multigenerational Mustangs from noon to 1:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2, at the Cal Poly Alumni House, Building 28, at the corner of Campus and Crandall Way. Connect over lunch, refreshments, games and prizes. Tickets are $10 for parents and supporters and include lunch and nonalcoholic beverages. Current Cal Poly students and children younger than 12 attend for free.
Events
Visit ‘HOW TO PLAY’ Exhibit at the University Art Gallery Through Oct. 18
“HOW TO PLAY” is an exhibition that explores game play as a form of making new worlds. Games can happen spontaneously, or they can be formally constructed, radical explorations of storytelling that allow players to leave with physical traces of the world they build. Artists' books extend this playful spirit, using ludic formats and modes of interaction to reveal the exploratory character of artistic practice. “HOW TO PLAY” seeks to interject the everyday with a different kind of learning and joy, showing how playing can build empathy and support curiosity and changing perspectives.
Events
‘Circa: Wolf’ Comes to PACSLO on Oct. 20
Circa leads a new wave of contemporary Australian circus, blending movement, dance, theatre and extreme physicality to create powerful emotional experiences. “Wolf” is a gasp-inducing acrobatic thrill ride. Ten extraordinary Circa artists grasp, climb, leap and balance with fierce abandon, propelled by DJ Ori Lichtik’s primal rhythms. Across two contrasting acts, they evolve from disruptive forces of chaos into a ferocious pack overflowing with raw energy and astounding physicality. Wolf is circus with fangs. Join the pack. This event has student tickets and a 20% staff and faculty discount available.
Athletics Schedule
Wednesday, Sept. 23
- Women’s soccer versus California Baptist, Mustang Memorial Field, 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 25
- Women’s tennis – Cal Poly Invitational, Ronca Tennis Center, All Day
- Volleyball vs. Cal State Bakersfield, Mott Athletics Center, 6 p.m.
- Men’s soccer vs. UC Santa Barbara, Mustang Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 26
- Women’s tennis – Cal Poly Invitational, Ronca Tennis Center, All Day
- Volleyball vs. CSUN, Mott Athletics Center, 4 p.m.
- Women’s soccer versus Long Beach State, Mustang Memorial Field, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 27
- Women’s tennis – Cal Poly Invitational, Ronca Tennis Center, All Day
Campus Announcements
NAGPRA Presentation and Search at Solano Campus
On Thursday, Oct. 1, NAGPRA Coordinator and Tribal Relations Lead Kent Spiers will present an overview of NAGPRA, CSU policy, Cal Poly’s repatriation status and details about the upcoming physical search of campus. The session will be held from 11 a.m. to noon in Mayo Hall Classroom 101. The following day, Kent will conduct a campuswide physical search to identify and document potential NAGPRA-related holdings. Searches may occur in classrooms, labs, storage areas, remote facilities and other campus-managed spaces. Any Native American cultural items or human remains found will be documented and handled respectfully. Contact Kent at spiers@calpoly.edu with questions.
Campus Announcements
Solano Campus Parking Lot Notifications
Faculty and staff are reminded that email notifications will no longer be sent regarding parking lot closures or other parking impacts on the Solano Campus. Signage will continue to be posted at affected lots at least 72 hours before a scheduled closure. Faculty and staff can also find current and upcoming parking lot closures on the Cal Poly Maritime Academy parking lot closures page.