News
Golden Bear Retirement Marks the End of an Era at Cal Poly Maritime Academy
For more than three decades, Training Ship Golden Bear carried cadets around the world during Summer Sea Term, providing the hands-on experience that prepares students for careers in the maritime industry and beyond. Cal Poly Maritime Academy is preparing for one of the most significant transitions in its history, starting this fall, when the Training Ship Golden Bear is transferred back to the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) for eventual decommissioning as the academy begins its transition to Golden State. The new, purpose-built training ship will provide the next generation of academy students with an advanced maritime learning environment.
Learn More About the Training Ships
News
Register for Cal Poly AI Day on Oct. 22
Join us for AI Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Swanson Center of Effort Conference Hall. Open to faculty, staff, students, alumni, industry partners and community members, the event will showcase AI in practice through Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing approach. Highlights include faculty and student innovation, the AI immersion lab, a provost-hosted lunch with Zach Justus, the AI Factory digital ribbon-cutting and early adopter showcase and the Noyce Distinguished Speaker Series, featuring NVIDIA’s Charlie Wuischpard. A livestream of select sessions will be available; details will be added to the AI Day website.
University Announcements
October is Dating Violence Action Month
October is upon us, which means it’s Dating Violence Action Month. This year marks 30 years of Safer’s student-driven movement to end gender- and power-based violence at Cal Poly, and Safer’s 2026 theme is “Your Wings Already Exist: Choose Your Direction.” Whether it’s wearing purple on Purple Thursday on Oct.15 to raise awareness, attending the “Category is... Ghouls Night Out” performance with Cal Poly Drag Club on Oct. 29 or supporting one of the Solano Campus events, we hope you’ll join Safer in cultivating healthy relationships that help you and those you care about thrive.
Find Dating Violence Action Month Events
University Announcements
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
The choices you make every day help protect Cal Poly’s information, research and technology resources. Throughout October, the Information Security Office will share practical tips to help you recognize common threats, protect sensitive information and stay safer online. Start by reviewing the Cal Poly Information Security Policy, and learn from cybersecurity experts across the CSU and industry through this month’s CSU Cybersecurity Awareness Month webinars.
Explore Cybersecurity Awareness Month Resources
University Announcements
Last Opportunity For Benefits Open Enrollment Changes
This Friday, Oct. 9, is the deadline to make benefits open enrollment changes, effective January 2027. This includes medical, dental, vision, flexcash, dependent care reimbursement account, health care reimbursement account and voluntary offerings. Open enrollment details are available on the open enrollment webpage.
Visit the Open Enrollment Page
University Announcements
Great Grads 2027 Nominations Now Open
Do you know a graduating student whose Cal Poly experience is helping address a state, national or global challenge? University Communications and Marketing is seeking nominations for its 2027 Great Grads commencement stories, highlighting seven students, one from each college and the Maritime Academy, who will graduate in May 2027. This year’s theme, “The Whole Picture,” features students who connect disciplines, research, partnerships or sectors to make an impact. Nominations are open through Nov. 13. Please nominate as many students as you would like, using a separate form for each nomination.
Submit 2027 Great Grads Nomination
University Announcements
Last Week to Submit Honorary Degree Nominees
Nominations are due this Friday, Oct. 9, for honorary degree recipients to be awarded at Cal Poly’s May 2027 commencement ceremonies. Nominations are invited from both the San Luis Obispo and Solano campuses, reflecting the full breadth of our university community. Recipients are selected to recognize inspirational character, excellence and extraordinary achievement, or meritorious service to the CSU, California, the nation or humanity at large. Please see the CSU Policy for Awarding Honorary Degrees for the full criteria. Please submit your nominations by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9.
University Announcements
Two Campuses. One Library Website. Your Voice Matters.
The Cal Poly Maritime Academy Library and Kennedy Library websites are integrating! Faculty are invited to help shape the new library website by participating in a series of user experience activities, including card sorting, tree testing and usability testing. Complete our interest form and select the activities you’d like to join. Your feedback will help us create a better website for all users. Participants will receive a gift card after completing an activity.
Complete the Participation Interest Form
Faculty and Staff
CSU’s Got Talent: Mental Health Awareness in Action
Join CSU’s Got Talent on Oct. 14 from 10 to 11 a.m. for a virtual session that provides practical guidance for recognizing signs of distress and responding with care, clarity and appropriate support. Participants will learn how to identify behavioral, emotional and situational indicators that someone may be struggling; engage in supportive conversations; reduce stigma; and connect individuals to relevant resources. The session emphasizes empathy, boundaries and timely referral as key elements of creating a safer and more responsive community.
Register for the October Webcast
Catastrophic Leave
Scott Gray, Custodian, AFD-UH-Custodial Operations, has qualified for catastrophic leave. To donate leave credits to help Gray remain in full-pay status during an extended leave of absence, please contact catastrophic leave coordinator Esther Wilkinson at 805-756-7781 or eswilkin@calpoly.edu to request a donation form.
Faculty and Staff
Office of Research Reception Scheduled for Oct. 21
Faculty and staff are invited to join Interim Associate Vice Provost of Research Dean Wendt to celebrate and recognize research, scholarship and creative activity across campus. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
- Wed, Oct. 21
- 3 to 5 p.m.
- Partners Pavilion, 19A-0127
For questions, contact research@calpoly.edu.
Campus Announcements
Faculty and Staff Rec Center Membership Offer
Faculty and staff who sign up for or renew a recreation center membership between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1 will receive three months of free large towel service. Sign up at the ASI Recreational Sports Membership Services front desk at the recreation center (building 43). Faculty and staff only. Limit one offer per person.
Campus Announcements
Cal Poly Partners Board Meeting Scheduled for Oct. 16
The next Cal Poly Partners Board meeting will be held on Friday, Oct. 16, at 8:30 a.m. at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 1144 Chorro St. It is open to the public. Written comments must be submitted by Wednesday, Oct. 14, to cppartners-admin@calpoly.edu. To comment on board items, please fill out a board appearance request 24 hours prior. Please arrive at 8:15 a.m. The webinar is for viewing only. The agenda will be available five days in advance of the meeting on the Cal Poly Partners website.
Visit the Cal Poly Partners Website
Retirements
Missi Allison-Bullock Retires After 30 Years with ASI
Missi Allison-Bullock served ASI for 30-plus years in roles across the Children’s Center, Craft Center, ASI Events, student government, assessment and public relations, communications and marketing, culminating as director of programs and services. She supported more than 750 student events, founded the Mustang Mile 5K of Fun and partnered across campus and the community to champion and advance student engagement and leadership. Her contributions have been recognized with top staff awards from ASI, Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success and Cal Poly. For Missi, making a student’s day has always been the most rewarding part of her career.
Events
New Exhibition Opens in Kennedy Library
“Sort, Store, and Retrieve: Opportunities and Limits” within Library Classification examines how fields of knowledge are constructed: how organization, categorization and presentation in libraries connect texts and ideas. Through a series of participatory exhibits, viewers are invited to think about how organizational structures prioritize narratives of research, knowledge and learning. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Learn more about the exhibition
Events
Cal Poly Symphony to Host Elizabeth Dorman Oct. 9, 11
Elizabeth Dorman will be the soloist with Cal Poly Symphony at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, in the Performing Arts Center for Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The symphony will also perform Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol,” and collaborate with the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony for a performance of Mikhail Glinka’s “Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila.” Dorman will give two free presentations on Oct. 9 in the Davidson Music Center: a lecture-recital on Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” at 11 a.m. and a recital at 7:30 p.m. with applied faculty members Emily Lanzone, violin; Michael Whitson, viola; and Megan Chartier, cello.
Read More about the Concert and Free Presentations
Events
Cal Poly Wind Bands: Stage and Screen Concert Oct. 10
Cal Poly’s Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will present music from the stage and screen at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, in the Performing Arts Center. There will be selections from the legendary John Williams catalog, including “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Far and Away” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”; plus music from “Star Trek” and James Bond movies. Sergei Rachmaninoff’s iconic “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini” — a masterpiece that has inspired generations of composers and film scorers alike — will also be performed. Christopher J. Woodruff and Nicholas P. Waldron will be the conductors.
Events
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day Oct. 12
Join yakʔitʸutʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash tribal members for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, Oct. 12, from 3 to 5 p.m. on yakʔitʸutʸu lawn. Tribal members will speak about their culture and grandmother’s songs, share a traditional walnut game and exhibit items tied to their heritage. Free food will be provided, sponsored by the Native American and Indigenous Cultural Center, Student Development and Belonging, Culture and Institutional Excellence, Office of Tribal Relations and University Housing. Learn about Chumash culture and have some fun!
Learn More About Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebrations
Events
Tour Vista Meadows Homes Oct. 14
Faculty and staff are invited to a Vista Meadows open house from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. Attendees can tour all three floor plans and learn more about the faculty and staff housing development at Grand Avenue and Slack Street, including available homes and the homeownership program. Vista Meadows includes 34 single-family homes, with prices starting at $749,500.
Learn more about Vista Meadows
Events
Vitalant Blood Drive Oct. 15
Join us on Dexter Lawn to donate blood to support the surrounding San Luis Obispo community! To schedule your appointment, call Vitalant at 877-258-4825 and mention blood drive code K3011 or visit the registration link. Vitalant will be dispensing shirts to participants while supplies last. Donations are open to all employees and students.
Events
Center for Service in Action to Host Volunteer and Service Fair Oct. 15
The Center for Service in Action will host a volunteer and service fair for the campus community from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, on Dexter Lawn. This event is for anyone who wants to engage in meaningful service at a local nonprofit or government agency, or perhaps serve on an advisory committee or board of directors. Come by the fair to speak to representatives from organizations doing amazing work in San Luis Obispo County. Several community partner agencies will share how service can take shape for faculty, staff and students.
Events
Real Estate Day Speakers to Explore Data Centers
Facilitating the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, thousands of data centers have been built across the United States, and thousands more are in the works. To learn more, attend the second Real Estate Day on Oct. 28 from noon to 5 p.m. in Chumash Auditorium. The event will feature several experts and multiple discussion panels on the following topics: data center demand growth, power and infrastructure needs, site-selection tradeoffs, the case for or against Central Coast projects and how real data center deals are financed.
Read more about the event and register
Athletics Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 10
- Women’s soccer vs. Utah Valley, Mustang Memorial Field, 6 p.m.
Student Success
Cal Poly Maritime Academy Student Journeys ‘Where Dreams Set Sail’
For Cianna Coyle, a conversation with a recruiter at last year’s career fair, plus a friendship with someone within the cruise industry, led to the opportunity of a lifetime with Disney Cruise Line. Her experience highlights how simple things, like a connection and a chat, can lead to a dream career with one of the most recognized brands and respected companies in the world.