Celebrating Mentorship Across Cal Poly
Has a member of the Cal Poly community served as your mentor? Tell us about the person — faculty, staff, student or alumni — who supported you and made a big difference in your journey. Fill out this form to share your story with Cal Poly Magazine. The publication will share highlights from the campus community this fall. Pass the link on to any colleagues or students who may want to participate.
Cal Poly Corporation Board of Directors to Meet June 3
The board of directors of the Cal Poly Corporation will hold a regular meeting virtually using Zoom at noon Tuesday, June 3. This is a public meeting. To join, use the Zoom webinar link and call-in information. Public comments for this meeting must submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday, June 2, via email to [email protected]. A copy of the agenda is available with all pertinent information for the Zoom meeting. For a copy, email [email protected] or visit the Cal Poly Corporation website.
Reminder: Employee State Law and CSU Election Compliance
With the upcoming primary election, it is important that all faculty and staff comply with state law and CSU policy regarding the use of CSU resources in connection with election issues. Section 8314 of the California Government Code provides: (a) It is unlawful for … any state or local appointee, employee or consultant, to use or permit others to use public resources for a campaign activity, or personal or other purposes which are not authorized by law. In this context, “public resources” means any property or asset owned by the state or any local agency, including, but not limited to, land, buildings, facilities, funds, equipment, supplies, telephones, computers, email system, vehicles, travel and state-compensated time. (Cal. Gov’t Code § 8314(b)(3).) CSU policy regarding what election-related activities are allowed and what activities can be prohibited, as well as guidelines on how to exercise appropriate discretion, are set forth in the CSU Handbook of Election Issues published by the Office of the General Counsel.
University Art Gallery to Exhibit 2022 BFA Senior Showcase Through June 12
Cal Poly’s graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts seniors will present the 2022 BFA exhibition, titled “Dearest,” through June 12 at the University Art Gallery. The exhibition showcases work from studio art and photo and video concentration students. These promising emerging artists use a wide variety of mediums, concepts and technical skills to engage in the thought and conversation of contemporary art. In addition to the gallery show, each artist will also be featured at www.calpolybfa.com.
At Local Dam, Students Investigate Architecture’s Impact on the Environment
Just 30 minutes from campus, the Salinas Dam rises 135 feet high, holding millions of gallons of water in Santa Margarita Lake and serving as a testament to the engineering and construction feat achieved during wartime conditions in the early 1940s. For about 40 Cal Poly second-year architecture students, the dam represents more than that. They spent a quarter researching its history and designing their own interpretive centers for the site. Some student photos, original construction drawings and student design proposals will be displayed at an exhibit of the Salinas Dam through June 10 in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design Lobby (No. 5, Room 212), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. “Sometimes we forget how we impact the world around us,” student William Bearden said. “We have to consider how our architecture impacts the way we perceive the natural environment, and try not to impose further upon it.”
Examining Whiteness Foundational Series
Faculty and staff are invited to sign up for Examining Whiteness, a program inspired by Building Anti-Racist White Educators (BARWE). The Examining Whiteness foundational series is designed as a first step for white educators toward engaging in critical reflection on whiteness and working toward anti-racism. The series is open to individuals at all levels of learning in their personal journey toward better understanding whiteness in their personal and professional lives. This six-session program will meet on Zoom from 9:30-11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from July 19 to Aug. 4. Participants must be able to commit to attending at least five sessions. Learn more and register for Examining Whiteness. Contact Sarah Macdonald, Ph.D., assistant director for diversity, equity and inclusion in teaching in the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, with any questions at [email protected].
Volunteer Signups Available for 2022-23 Commencement and Move-In
Volunteer shift signups are available for 2022-23 Commencement and Mustang Move-in events. Sign up to volunteer and play an important role in supporting students and their supporters during these milestone events:
- Mustang Move-In, Sept. 13-18.
- Fall Commencement, Dec. 10.
- Spring Commencement, June 17-18, 2023.
All employee volunteers will receive a $50 gift card to the University Store for completing their shift. Opportunities are also available to make this a great team-building activity for you and your colleagues.
CSU’s Got Talent June Webcast to Focus on ‘Building a Culture of Strategic Thinkers’
All employees are invited to participate in another edition of the CSU’s Got Talent series from 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, June 28. President of Teibel Education and Consulting Howard Teibel will present a webcast titled “A New Organizational Practice: Building a Culture of Strategic Thinkers.” Learn to better identify opportunities, increase your credibility and pave the future for both you and your employees.
Register through the Learning Hub
Emeritus Staff Response Needed for Parking Permits Renewal
Current emeritus parking permits will expire June 30. All emeritus staff are asked to respond to the email sent to their Cal Poly account regarding extension of their parking privileges. A response is required to activate an updated virtual emeritus permit that will be valid starting July 1, 2022. Employee and emeritus parking accounts should reflect accurate information at all times to stay compliant. Emeritus employees should log into their parking account and ensure that their license plate number is correct and linked to an active parking permit. For more information about the License Plate Recognition software, visit the Transportation and Parking Services website at parking.calpoly.edu/LPR.
University Personnel Offers Well-Being Workshops in June and July
University Personnel has worked with Cal Poly’s employee assistance program, LifeMatters, to offer synchronous well-being workshops in June and July. They include:
- Respect in a Diverse Workplace: Learn about the benefits of a diverse, inclusive workplace and how to remove barriers through constructive, assertive confrontation. This session will review definitions of diversity and respect, examples of respectful and disrespectful behaviors, and assertive confrontation. June 16 at 10 a.m.
- Workplace Change: While change can happen in an instant, our adaptation to it can be a gradual process. Learn about transition through change, including understanding the impacts and learning how to influence the change process and adapt new strategies. July 19 at 11 a.m.
Contact Lisa Gray at [email protected] for more information on well-being workshops.
Take Advantage of Professional Development Courses in June
Employee and Organization Development announces the release of the June professional development offerings as part of the Cross Campus Collaboration, a series of online workshops offered by Cal Poly and other CSU campuses. These unique opportunities extend learning beyond campus borders and offer a new way to share professional development. Employee and Organization Development has recently added new courses and dates for June. View and register using the links below. Registration opens May 23 on a first-come basis. Upcoming workshops are:
- Personal Branding – Building Your Professional Presence, June 7, 2-3 p.m.
- People-Centered Change, June 8, 1-2 p.m.
- SMART Goals, June 8, 1-2:30 p.m.
- Positive Psychology – The Happiness Advantage, June 9, 1-3 p.m.
- Decisions, Decisions! Creative Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Techniques, June 16, 2-4 p.m.
- Snapping the Perfect Image, June 23, 10-11:30 a.m.
Check Upcoming Opportunities for updates.
India D’Avignon will retire at the end of August. She is simultaneously a proud Mustang and Buckeye since she came to campus in 2008 from Columbus, Ohio, where she taught and chaired the piano and organ department at the Capital University Conservatory of Music; and earned her graduate degree from The Ohio State University. She began serving a three-year term as chair at Cal Poly in fall 2019, then when faced with COVID-19 just months later began working tirelessly to find ways for students from all over campus who participate in the department’s performing ensembles to safely meet in person. She developed several new initiatives to foster student success including a Curriculum Innovation Committee, Mentor/Mentee program, Student Ambassador Outreach Program, Music Major Workshops and Chat with the Chair group meetings. She was instrumental in getting the renovation and expansion of the Davidson Music Center back on the CSU’s schedule. A highlight was when she traveled to Kenya with several choir members to participate in a choral exchange. She has served on the Academic Senate, has been involved with two national accreditation reviews of the department and is a member of the Cal Poly Arts board of directors. She was a member of the San Luis Obispo Symphony board of directors and also served as its president. She currently serves on the board for the Paderewski Festival and is a judge for several local piano competitions. She will be joining in retirement her husband Ignati Vakalis, who chaired the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department for 11 years.
Craig H. Russell started teaching at Cal Poly in 1982 after earning his doctorate from the University of North Carolina. He has received numerous awards while at Cal Poly, including the 2007 Wang Family Excellence Award; the 2007 Cal Poly Distinguished Research Award; the 1996 President’s Arts Award; the 1994-95 CSU Trustee’s Outstanding Professor Award, CSU’s highest honor; and the 1994-95 Cal Poly Outstanding Faculty Award. In 2013 he was inducted into the prestigious Reial Acadèmie Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi (one of a few North American scholars to be inducted into the Spanish Royal Academy). He is steeped in the music of Spain and the Hispano-American world, having published more than 100 juried articles on 18th-century Hispanic studies, Mexican cathedral music, the California missions, and American popular culture. He authored 26 articles for “The New Grove Dictionary” and collaborated with Chanticleer on a DVD film and four CDs, two of which received Gramophone award nominations. His scholarship — including four major books — has been published by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Macmillan, Prentice Hall, the University of Illinois Press, and several universities and publishing houses in Spain and Mexico. Russell’s compositions are released on Naxos as part of the American Classics series and have been widely performed in Europe, Australia, and the U.S., including concerts of his orchestral compositions in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Sydney Opera House, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
There will be a reception for Music Department retirees India D'Avignon and Craig H. Russell on June 5 in the lobby of the Performing Arts Center immediately following the Cal Poly Symphony and Choirs’ 3 p.m. concert in the PAC's Miossi Hall. Sign their virtual cards: D’Avignon’s card and Russell’s card.
Get an Overview of Cal Poly Public Safety
Over the past two years, Cal Poly Public Safety has collaborated to guide the university through the COVID-19 pandemic, decreased university-related greenhouse gas emissions, ensured free public transportation to campus from throughout the county, was recognized with a Best Workplace for Commuters award, increased electric vehicle charging opportunities, introduced an on-campus evening ”shuttle and so much more in its commitment to Cal Poly. Through critical campus collaboration, Cal Poly Public Safety — which includes Transportation and Parking Services, the Cal Poly Police Department, Department of Emergency Management and Public Safety Business Services — has helped create a campus that is safer, more sustainable and easier to get around. Read more about what Cal Poly Public Safety has done over the past year to enhance the campus experience in the latest Inside Cal Poly blog post.
Journalism Department Receives Full Accreditation
The Journalism Department has received full accreditation, joining 117 other programs around the world to receive such validation. The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC), the agency responsible for the evaluation of professional journalism and mass communications programs in colleges and universities, voted 18-0 at its April 29 meeting in Chicago in favor of the Journalism Department receiving full accreditation. Cal Poly is now one of eight journalism programs in the CSU system to be fully accredited by ACEJMC. Accredited programs, which are reviewed on a six-year cycle, are eligible for external funding and are more attractive to both students and industry partners. Of the roughly 500 journalism and mass communications programs in the U.S., less than one-fourth are fully accredited.
Campus Dining Wins Silver Award in National Food Service Competition
The National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) has recognized Campus Dining’s Vista Grande Dining Complex as a silver tier recipient of the 2021 Loyal E. Horton Dining Award for Retail Sales – Single Concept/Multiple Concepts/Marketplace. “Vista Grande was designed to create an environment of community with menus that appeal to all tastes and dietary needs, and it’s an honor to be recognized for that,” said Andrea Burns, Cal Poly Corporation’s associate executive director, commercial services. “It’s great to be acknowledged for the uniqueness of Vista Grande, with its focus on sustainability, nutrition and amazing food, as well as its success and impact on campus.” The Retail Sales category recognizes outstanding retail locations on campus that have innovative features and techniques. Vista Grande was designed to be flexible to the ever-changing palate of guests who visit the complex multiple times a day. Each restaurant features a rotating menu of seasonal dishes reflecting the latest culinary concepts, including international street food, global noodle dishes and fresh, locally sourced desserts.
Cal Poly’s ‘RSVP XXVII: Multimedia Showcase’ Set for June 2
The Cal Poly Music Department’s student production ensemble RSVP will present “RSVP XXVII: Multimedia Showcase” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2, in the Pavilion of the Performing Arts Center. Students from the Music Department’s Sound Design classes have been collaborating with Composition Forum Club members, dancers from the Theatre and Dance Department and guest visual artists to premiere original interdisciplinary works for fixed and live interactive media. This year’s production will deliver a multistylistic experience with the theme of “The Myriad.” “The students have been exploring a myriad of soundscapes and visuals,” said Sound Design instructor and RSVP director Laura M. Kramer. “The sounds will range from ambient soundscapes to lo-fi beats, cinematic melodies, pop, and rock, which will be paired with choreography by Evan Ricaurté, a 2020 architecture graduate, as well as with film and interactive visual media.” Tickets are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office, ext. 6-4849. For more information, visit the Music Department calendar website or call ext. 6-2406.
Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble and Zaryab Ensemble to Perform Concert on June 4
The Arab Music Ensemble will be joined by the Zaryab Ensemble for its spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 4, in Spanos Theatre. The Zaryab Ensemble will begin the program with Iranian and Tajik music under the artistic direction of Neema Hekmat. The group includes internationally acclaimed Nasser Sabouri on vocals, Nariman Assadi on tombak and daff, Azadeh Nemat-Gorgani on piano, Maruf Noyoft on robab and vocals, and Hekmat on santur. The combined groups will perform selections that have gained widespread popularity across Southwest Asia and North Africa. Acclaimed guest percussionist Faisal Zedan will return to lead the Arab Music Ensemble’s percussion section on riqq, darabukka and daff. An Arab Music Ensemble chamber ensemble will begin the second half with a performance of two popular Sephardic songs which will flow into a musical suite by the orchestra and choir. The concert will conclude with both ensembles performing classic selections of Iranian and Arab music together. Music Professor Ken Habib will direct the event, and Jenna Mitchell directs the Arab Music Ensemble dance troupe. Tickets are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office, ext. 6-4849. For more information, visit the Music Department calendar website or call ext. 6-2406.
Donizetti’s ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ to Screen June 4 at the PAC
Met Opera’s performance of “Lucia di Lammermoor” will screen at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 4, in Miossi Hall. The screening is presented by Cal Poly Arts and OperaSLO. In recent seasons, soprano Nadine Sierra has brought down the house at the Met with virtuosic vocalism and captivating stage presence as Gilda in “Rigoletto,” Susanna in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” and Ilia in “Idomeneo.” Now, she takes on one of the repertory’s most formidable and storied roles, the haunted heroine of “Lucia di Lammermoor,” in an electrifying new staging by in-demand Australian theater and film director Simon Stone, conducted by Riccardo Frizza. Show-stopping tenor Javier Camarena adds to the bel canto fireworks as Lucia’s beloved, Edgardo, with baritone Artur Ruciński as her overbearing brother, Enrico, and bass Matthew Rose as her tutor, Raimondo. Tickets can be purchased at the Cal Poly Ticket Office, by calling ext. 6-4849 or online.
Cal Poly Symphony and Choirs to Perform Groundbreaking Works from Early 20th Century on June 5
Cal Poly’s Symphony and Choirs will perform Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Dona Nobis Pacem” and William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony” at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 5, in the Performing Arts Center. Both momentous works were composed in the 1930s and addressed issues of that time that are equally relevant today. The groups will be joined by guest soloists Amy Goymerac, soprano; and John Buffett, baritone. A choir will open the concert with Paul Hindemith’s celebrated “Six Chansons.” The symphony will then perform Grant Still's “Afro-American Symphony,” a celebration of Black culture and the blues that rose from the Harlem Renaissance. After intermission, the symphony will perform Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk’s “Melody,” and the combined choirs and symphony will perform Williams’ “Dona Nobis Pacem” (“Give Us Peace”). Written at the dawn of World War II, the text of the work is primarily derived from Walt Whitman’s poetry. There will be a post-concert reception in the lobby for Music Department retirees India D'Avignon and Craig H. Russell. Tickets are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office, ext. 6-4849. For more information, visit the Music Department calendar website 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 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 includes 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.
Note that a minimum three-day lead time is required to process a request for use of space through the Office of the Registrar.
Visit Cal Poly Now for Student Affairs events, learning opportunities and more
Find the latest student-focused campus events from your favorite Student Affairs programs and services by visiting the new Cal Poly Now.