California Polytechnic State University
Motto:	Discere Faciendo (Latin: "To Learn by Doing")
Established:	March 8, 1901
Type:	Public Land-Grant University
Endowment:	US$186 million (2006)[1]
President:	Warren J. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The date of establishment or date of founding of an Institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The term public school has two distinct (and virtually opposite meanings depending on the location of usage in the United States, Australia and Land-grant universities (also called land-grant colleges or land grant institutions) are institutions of higher education in the United States that have A financial endowment is a Transfer of Money or Property donated to an Institution, usually with the stipulation that it be invested The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been University president is the title of the highest ranking officer within a University, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as Baker
Faculty:	1,203
Students:	19,777
Undergraduates:	17,488
Postgraduates:	987
Location:	San Luis Obispo, California
Campus:	Suburban, 9,678 acres (39 km²)
Colors:	Green and Gold
Nickname:	Mustang
Mascot:	Musty the Mustang
Affiliations:	California State University Big West Conference Great West Football Conference
Website:	www.calpoly.edu
See Cal Poly's quickfacts [2]

California Polytechnic State University, commonly called Cal Poly, is a nationally ranked public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, USA. A public university is a University that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government as opposed to private universities. San Luis Obispo (sænˈluːɪs əˈbɪspoʊ Spanish for St Louis the Bishop) is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Cal Poly is part of the 23-campus California State University system, and it is the second largest land-holding university in California. History Today's California State University system is the direct descendant of the California State Normal School (now San José State University) a ^[2]

Cal Poly offers a full spectrum of degrees from seven colleges. Specifically, the university's highly respected engineering, architecture, and agriculture colleges are consistently ranked at the top of their respective categories. In U.S. News & World Report's 2008 America's Best Colleges report, Cal Poly has been ranked as the #1 public-master's university in the Western United States for the 15th year in a row. USNews & World Report is an influential weekly American Newsmagazine published in Washington D The College of Engineering was also ranked as the #1 public undergraduate engineering school (ranked 4th overall in undergraduate engineering) in the US whose highest degree is a master's. Commensurable with its academic reputation, Cal Poly is a highly selective undergraduate university, with 2007 acceptance rate of 43%. Also, the university is often regarded as the premier campus within the California State University system, while directly competing for new students with several University of California campuses. History Today's California State University system is the direct descendant of the California State Normal School (now San José State University) a The University of California ( UC) is a Public university system in the state of California. There are over 117,000 living alumni of Cal Poly, and in fall 2007, 19,777 people were enrolled. ^[3][2]

Cal Poly is a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU is an Organization of state-supported colleges and universities that offer degree programs leading to The National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC is the oldest higher-education association within the US. Cal Poly is one of three California State Universities that participate in the Big West Conference. Cal Poly is known for its "learn by doing" philosophy.

History

Overview

Cal Poly Performing Arts Center

Cal Poly was established in 1901 when Governor Henry T. Gage signed the California Polytechnic School Bill. Henry Tifft Gage ( December 25, 1852 August 28, 1924) was an American lawyer politician and diplomat The California Polytechnic School was built adjacent to San Luis Obispo and held its first classes on September 30, 1903, offering secondary (high school) courses of study. San Luis Obispo (sænˈluːɪs əˈbɪspoʊ Spanish for St Louis the Bishop) is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting The first incoming class was 20 students. The school continued to grow steadily, except during a period from the mid 1910s to the early 1920s when World War I led to drops in enrollment and drastic budget cuts forced fewer class offerings. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

In 1924, Cal Poly was placed under the control of the California State Board of Education. In 1933, the Board of Education changed Cal Poly into a two year technical and vocational school. A vocation is an occupation for which a person is suited trained or qualified The institution began to offer Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1940, and was renamed the California State Polytechnic College in 1947 to better reflect its higher education offerings. In 1960, control of Cal Poly and all other state colleges was transferred from the State Board of Education to an independent Board of Trustees, which later became the California State University system. History Today's California State University system is the direct descendant of the California State Normal School (now San José State University) a

The college was authorized to offer Master of Science degrees in 1967. From 1967 to 1970, the school’s curriculum was reorganized into different units (such as the School of Science and Math, the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the School of Architecture, which was created in 1968). Cal Poly's FM radio station, KCPR, also began as a senior project in 1968. See also Frequency modulation, FM band FM broadcasting is a broadcast Technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that KCPR is a non-profit Freeform college Radio station at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo California. The state legislature changed the school’s official name again in 1971 to California Polytechnic State University. Since the 1970s, the university has seen steady enrollment growth and the construction of many significant buildings on campus. Cal Poly celebrated its centennial in 2001, and kicked off a $225 million fundraising campaign, the largest fund raising effort ever undertaken in CSU history. A century (from the Latin centum, meaning one hundred is One hundred consecutive Years Centuries are numbered ordinally (e The Centennial Campaign raised over $264 million dollars from over 81,000 donors, more than tripling the university’s endowment from $43 million to $140 million. A financial endowment is a Transfer of Money or Property donated to an Institution, usually with the stipulation that it be invested Cal Poly’s endowment is in the top 10% of higher education endowments nationwide. Cal Poly was ranked 268 out of 746 colleges and universities ranked in the Chronicle of Higher Education's endowment rankings of 2005.

Relationship with Cal Poly Pomona

The Dexter Lawn

Cal Poly Pomona began as a satellite campus of Cal Poly in 1938 when a completely equipped school and farm were donated by Charles Voorhis of Pasadena, California and his son Jerry Voorhis. The California State Polytechnic University Pomona, also officially Cal Poly Pomona, is a public, nationally-ranked coeducational university and one of the Charles Henry Voorhis ( March 13, 1833 &ndash April 15, 1896) was a nineteenth century politician lawyer and judge from Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The satellite campus was initially called the Voorhis Unit. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation then donated a 812 acre (3. The WK Kellogg Foundation was founded in June 1930 as the WK Kellogg Child Welfare Foundation by Breakfast Cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg 3 km²) horse ranch in Pomona, California to Cal Poly in 1949. Pomona is the 5th largest city in Los Angeles County (after Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, and Santa Clarita) Located about one mile (1. 6 km) from the Voorhis campus, the two became known as the Kellogg-Voorhis unit. The Kellogg-Voorhis unit broke off in 1966, becoming the fully independent University, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Since 1949, the San Luis Obispo and Pomona universities have cooperated on creating a float for the Rose Parade. The Tournament of Roses Parade was established and first held on January 1 1890 in Pasadena California, eight miles (13 km northeast of Downtown Los Angeles The float program is one of the longest consecutive running self-built entries in the parade, as well as the only "self built" floats designed and constructed entirely by students year-round on both campuses.

1960 Football team plane crash

Main article: Cal Poly football team plane crash

On October 29, 1960, a chartered plane carrying the Cal Poly football team, hours after a loss to Bowling Green State University, crashed on takeoff at the Toledo Express Airport in Toledo, Ohio. On October 29, 1960, a chartered C-46 plane carrying the California Polytechnic State University football team hours after a loss to Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Bowling Green State University (BGSU is a public four-year institution located in Bowling Green Ohio, USA, about 20 miles south of Toledo Ohio on Toledo Express Airport is a public Airport located 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Toledo in Lucas County, Ohio, USA This article is about the city in Ohio, USA. For Toledo Spain, see that article Twenty-two of the forty-eight people on board were killed, including sixteen players. Former Cal Poly football player John Madden knew many of the players and coaches on board the aircraft. John Earl Madden (born April 10, 1936) is a former National Football League player a former head coach with the Oakland Raiders, a football Because of the tragic accident, John Madden will not fly but prefers traveling by tour bus.

Female admissions

Cal Poly opened as a coeducational school, and it had 40 men and 12 women in its incoming class of 1904. Mixed-sex education, (or just Mixed education) also known as Coeducation, is the integrated education to males and females at the same school facilities However, in 1930, females were barred from the entire school. Female students were again admitted in 1956 (27 years later). The university remains coeducational today.

Organization

As of 2008, the president of Cal Poly is Warren J. Baker who has been the president since 1979. ^[4]

Cal Poly Corporation

The Cal Poly Corporation is a separate non-profit 501(c) corporation operating in concert with the university. Its primary role is to furnish non-academic services for the university such as eateries, the bookstore, and endowment administration. This arrangement is relatively common at many of California's public universities. The corporation was founded in 1941, and it was known as the Cal Poly Foundation until February 1, 2006. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Campus

The south side of the Cal Poly campus

Cal Poly owns more land than any other California university. There are 9,678 acres (39 km²) in total. The lands are used for student education, mainly agriculture. The lands include the main campus, two nearby agricultural lands and two properties in Santa Cruz County.

Part of the Cal Poly property is the Swanton Pacific Ranch, a 3,200-acre (13 km²) ranch located in Santa Cruz County, California outside the town of Davenport. Davenport is an unincorporated community in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The ranch operated for educational and research opportunities. The ranch encompasses rangeland, livestock and forestry operations for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental sciences. This ranch fosters Cal Poly’s teaching philosophy of “learn by doing” with emphasis on sustainable management of these agricultural practices.

Expansion

The Cal Poly Master Plan calls to increase student population from approximately 17,000 students to 20,000 students by the year 2020-2021. In order to maintain "Learn by Doing" philosophy and low class size classes, the master plan calls for an increase in classrooms, laboratories, and professors.

Proposed Expansion

The Center for Science and Mathematics 

Will replace aging "spider" Science Building 52 with a new 250,000-square-foot (23,000 m²) structure. It will add new laboratories, classrooms, and studios to support the expanding population of the university. It is planned to be the largest and most technologically advanced structure in Cal Poly once constructed. In addition a Centennial Park will be constructed adjacent to the structure. COSAM

Recreation Center Expanion 

Will expand the Recreation center and double its usable size. Two new gym rooms, additional leisure pool, synthetic turf for sports complete fields, triple the size of exercise and weight training rooms (from 7,000 sq ft (650 m²) to 21,000 sq ft), and a multi-activity center are planned additions to the recreation center. (Student Vote passed on 28 Feb 08. Construction begins Fall 2008) Rec Center Expansion

Current construction

Poly Canyon Village 

The largest single housing project on any campus in America. They are apartments which will double the amount of students living on-campus, lower price of surrounding housing, and decrease automobile traffic in Cal Poly. The project also aims to include retail space and become the "hub" of Cal Poly. This on-campus housing is designed for second year students. First phase of housing will be open in Fall of 2008.

Engineering/Architecture Renovation and Replacement 

Include a new building which will provide 46,000 square feet (4,300 m²) of space of classrooms, laboratories, and rooms for student related needs/activities. ^[5]

Commuting

Campus parking is limited. In its most recent survey of available parking spaces on campus, the Cal Poly University Police reported 2,615 general purpose parking spaces, 1,635 dorm resident spaces, and 6,621 total spaces. ^[6] In its facilities Master Plan, the university admits that while more parking spots will be added, the actual ratio of parking to students will decrease since enrollment is expected to increase sharply. ^[7] To resolve the disparity, the Master Plan calls on the university to reduce the demand for individual vehicle parking. As part of that plan, the university has constructed additional dorms and has tried to make campus life more enjoyable. However, many students would prefer not to live on campus for a variety of reasons, including the campus-wide ban on alcohol and mandatory meal plan. Recently, the school launched a public information campaign called "Options", which seeks to educate students on commuting alternatives, though it is not clear that the campaign has had any effect. Recent increases in parking costs and gas prices has caused a massive increase in the use of bicycles and buses.

Bicycle racks are available throughout the campus, but the off-campus student population is mostly centered in areas either close enough to walk or areas judged to be too far to ride a bicycle. The city's SLO Transit bus system provides service to and from campus. Since the buses are partially subsidized by student tuition, Cal Poly students can ride for free.

Academics

The Agricultural Sciences Building

Colleges

The university currently offers bachelor's and master's degrees in seven colleges:

• College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
• College of Architecture and Environmental Design
• Orfalea College of Business
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Liberal Arts
• College of Science and Mathematics

Ranking

According to U.S. News & World Report's 2008 America's Best Colleges report, Cal Poly is ranked #1 in the Western United States for public schools whose highest degree is a Master's. A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and The California Polytechnic State University College of Architecutre and Environmental Design (or CAED) is one of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's seven colleges The California Polytechnic State University College of Engineering (or CENG) is the engineering college of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. USNews & World Report is an influential weekly American Newsmagazine published in Washington D The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost The College of Engineering was ranked the #1 public undergraduate engineering school, while ranking #4 overall, in the US whose highest degree is a Master's. The engineering college had edged out other elite public institutions (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy) to earn this ranking. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, The United States Naval Academy is an undergraduate college in Annapolis, Maryland, United States that educates and commissions officers of the United States The United States Air Force Academy ( USAFA or Air Force) is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officers for the United States Air ^[8]

Among public schools whose highest degree is a master's, specific engineering programs were ranked:

• Electrical Engineering: #1 ^[9]
• Computer Engineering: #1^[10]
• Mechanical Engineering: #1^[11]
• Industrial Engineering: #1^[12]
• Aerospace Engineering: #2 (behind the U. S. Air Force Academy)^[13]
• Civil Engineering: #2 (behind the U. S. Military Academy)^[14]

In a 2006 poll conducted by the leading architecture and engineering journal DesignIntelligence, Cal Poly was voted the number three architecture school in the nation. The landscape architecture program was ranked in the top ten. ^[15][16]

Cal Poly’s City and Regional Planning graduate program ranked highly in the Planetizen 2007 Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs. ^[17]

Admissions

Engineering West

Cal Poly has a selective admissions process. For the fall of 2007, Cal Poly received a record number of applications for the 13th year in a row. They had over 35,000 students apply and approximately 15,200 students were admitted (43% acceptance rate). The average high school GPA of admitted freshmen was 3. In Education, a grade (or mark is a teacher's standardized Evaluation of a Student 's work 80. The average SAT 1 score was 1215 (based on reading and math scores only). The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test for College admissions in the ^[18]

Students are required to declare a major when they apply for admission and each candidate is judged against others applying to that major. Because of this, there are differences in the percentage of students admitted between majors. To prevent students from applying for an easy major and transferring to another major, the transfer process has been made difficult. In many cases, student wishing change majors end up moving to another university.

Tuition

California state law guarantees free education for all residents by not charging tuition at schools in the California State University System. However, all CSU's charge fees to make up for this. ^[19] The fall 2007 fees for the average student were $1,681 per quarter. A fee is the Price one pays as Remuneration for Services especially the Honorarium paid to a doctor lawyer, Consultant ^[20]

Endowment

Cal Poly’s endowment more than tripled during its Centennial Campaign from US$43. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 1 million to US$140. 1 million. It is now the largest in the CSU system, representing one-fifth of all endowed funds in the 23-campus system. Growth is attributed to gifts and prudent stewardship.

Student life

Residence halls

There are four styles of residence halls on the Cal Poly campus. Dormitory typically refers in the United States to residence halls which are sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for The five North Mountain halls are the oldest on campus and were constructed during the 1950s. The Sierra Madre and Yosemite halls were finished by 1968, the six Red Bricks were built in the 1960s, and Cerro Vista was completed in 2003. Construction on a new on-campus apartment complex, Poly Canyon Village, began in 2006.

Each of the residence halls represent a different living community on campus. The six red-brick halls are the Living-Learning Program halls for the different colleges of Cal Poly. The five North Mountain halls are organizationally a part of the engineering Living-Learning Program. The Sierra Madre and Yosemite halls are the First-Year Connection Program halls and focus on freshman-oriented transition programs. All buildings house students of all majors. The Cerro Vista Apartments is the Sophomore Success Program community and helps students transition into independent living. The total on-campus population is 3,600 (as of 2006), but will grow to over 6,300 after the Poly Canyon Village Apartments are completely opened in fall 2009. Half of Poly Canyon Village Apartments will be open in the fall of 2008.

Greek life

Since 1949, Greek organizations have been present at Cal Poly. The Greek community consists of three governing councils at Cal Poly: United Sorority and Fraternity Council, Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association. ^[21]
The 2007 Fall rush was record breaking for Cal Poly, the Greek community grew by approximately 940 freshman students. ^[22] The IFC campus average in March 2006 was 40, after 2007 Fall rush the new IFC Fraternity average is 64.

There are currently:
11 USFC Fraternities/Sororities
18 IFC Fraternities
1 IFC Colony (Sigma Pi)
1 IFC interest group (Delta Lambda Phi)
8 Panhellenic Sororities
1 Panhellenic Interest Group (Alpha Epsilon)

Athletics

Cal Poly fields 20 varsity sports. The school's mascot is the Mustang. Sigma Pi ( ΣΠ) is an international College social fraternity with chapters in the United States and Canada. Delta Lambda Phi ( ΔΛΦ) is a national social fraternity for Gay, Bisexual, and progressive men Sports teams participate in the NCAA's Division I. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations Cal Poly athletics generally compete in the Big West Conference, with football and wrestling being the exception. Cal Poly's wrestling team is a member of the PAC-10 Conference. Prior to joining Division I in the mid 90's, the school won 35 national championships. ^[23] Football plays in the Great West Football Conference. Their football team is notable for being the first Great West Football Conference participant in the Division I-AA (now known as FCS) playoffs. The football team plays rival UC Davis in the annual Battle for the Golden Horseshoe. The University of California Davis, commonly known as UC Davis, or just UCD, is a public coeducational university located in the city of Davis, The Battle for the Golden Horseshoe is an annual rivalry football game played between the UC Davis Aggies and the Cal Poly Mustangs. The Mustang Maniacs are Cal Poly's spirit group. They support the team both away and at home. The Mustang basketball team had its most successful year in 2007, when the team came within one win in the Big West basketball tournament of getting into the NCAA basketball tournament

The schools best program, in recent years and in the '80's, is the women's volleyball team. The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination Tournament held each spring featuring 65 College basketball teams in the On November 19, 2007 the team captured its second straight Big West Title by posting a 15-1 conference record and a 23-8 record overall. The program made it to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 1985 before losing to Standford in the Sweet 16. The team also went 23-6 in 2006.

Notable Athletes:

Football:
Jordan Beck, LB - Class of 2005 - Currently on Denver Broncos
Kyle Shotwell, LB - Class of 2007 - Currently on Indianapolis Colts
Chris Gocong, LB - Class of 2006 - Currently on Philadelphia Eagles

Songs

Fight Songs

Alma mater

See also

• List of California Polytechnic State University alumni
• Alex G. Spanos Stadium
• Center for Coastal Marine Sciences
• Leaning Pine Arboretum
• Mercy Bowl
• Cal Poly Mustang Band

Notes

External links

• Cal Poly Alma Mater and Fight Songs