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1904

First Farmer's Picnic
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The Farmers’ Institute and Basket Picnic, the first open house event on campus, is held on May 24, 1904. More than 200 visitors attend that first Farmers’ Picnic, touring the school’s new buildings, eating barbecue and listening to a speech by Trustee E. J. Wickson, a member of the agricultural faculty at the University of California at Berkeley. By 1910, the event is so popular that the Pacific Coast Railway offered reduced fares, luring more than 800 visitors. By the 1920s, however, the Farmers’ Institute has disappeared, perhaps a victim of funding uncertainties during this period.

Cal Poly Milestones

1901
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School is Established

Governor Gage signs legislation to establish the California Polytechnic School.

1903
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First Classes Held

On October 1, classes begin in a three year, secondary level course of study.

1904
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First Farmer's Picnic

The Farmers’ Institute and Basket Picnic, the first open house event on campus, is held on May 24, 1904.

1916 - 1921
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New Departments Established

[1/01/1916] New academic departments are added to the three original departments.

1925
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Enterprise Projects are Established

[1/01/1925] Enterprise projects — the forerunner to today’s senior projects — are established for agriculture students.

1927
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Cal Poly Enters the Lexicon

[1/01/1927] The name Cal Poly comes into popular use and the school adds a two-year Junior College Division.

1929
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Women are Banned

[1/01/1929] The California government bars women from attending Cal Poly.

1931
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Agriculture Department Makes Changes

[1/01/1931] The Agriculture Department is transferred to the direct supervision of the State Bureau of Agricultural Education.

1932 - 33
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Mission is Modified

[1/01/1932] The school is reorganized and changed to a two-year technical and vocational school.

1933
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Poly Royal is Established

The first annual Poly Royal, an annual open house event that showcases the campus, is established.

1938
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First Large Donation Received

Cal Poly receives its first million-dollar gift from Charles and Jerry Voorhis.

1940-1942
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Officially Becomes a University

The state grants collegiate status to the California Polytechnic School.

1947
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Name is Changed

The California Polytechnic School is renamed the California State Polytechnic College.

1949
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Cal Poly Pomona is Established

W. K. Kellogg donates his Arabian horse ranch to Cal Poly and Cal Poly Pomona comes into being.

1952
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Participates in the ICA

Cal Poly begins participating in a program that allows international students to receive a teacher education.

1956
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Female Students Return

Female students are once again admitted to the college.

1960
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Tragic Plane Crash

[10/29/1960] Eighteen people lose their lives when a plane crashes with the football team on board.

1966
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Cal Poly Separates From Pomona

The Kellogg-Voorhis Unit is split from Cal Poly and becomes a separate college (Cal Poly Pomona).

1967 - 1968
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Curriculum is Reorganized

The curriculum is reorganized into four academic units and the School of Architecture is created.

1972
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Name is Officially Changed

Cal Poly’s official name is changed to California Polytechnic State University by the state legislature.

1986
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Curriculum is Reorganized

The curriculum is reorganized into seven new academic units.

1992
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Reorganized into Colleges

[1/01/1992] Academic units within the university are reorganized into colleges.

1993
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University Grows

[1/01/1993] University receives a 3,200-acre ranch and earns national recognition.

2000
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College of Business Renamed

[1/01/2000] The Paul J. Orfalea family donates $15 million to the College of Business.

2002
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Rankings Rise

[1/01/2002} Cal Poly is rated the best public, largely undergraduate university in the West by U.S. News & World Report for the 10th consecutive year.

2007
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Architecture Receives Large Gift

[1/01/2007] The Architecture Department receives $60 million from an anonymous donor.

2013
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Baker Center Opens

[1/01/2013] The Warren J. Baker Center for Mathematics and Science opens in the center of campus.

2017
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Frost Gift

[1/01/2017] William and Linda Frost give $110 million to Cal Poly’s College of Science and Mathematics.

2019
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Construction Begins on Research Center

[5/01/2019] The William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation breaks ground.