Editor’s note: Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong has since clarified some of the statements he made in the article below.
Sean McMinn
smcminn@mustangdaily.net
Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong spoke with students this past Friday in the second of three Campus Community Chats. Below are several of the key topics discussed.
1. The semester debate isn’t over just yet.
What he said Thursday:
Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong’s “campus community conversation” opened with three questions — one from an Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) board member — about quarters and semesters.
Armstrong emphasized his support for quarters, but said it wasn’t an issue for which he would “fall on his sword” to challenge Chancellor Timothy White. He said he doesn’t want Cal Poly to be a single-issue campus in the eyes of White, but would advise him again to stay on quarters if the chancellor is still undecided.
“If the door cracks open, I’m going to be there pushing on the door,” he said.
White will visit Cal Poly in early May, where he will further discuss semesters at Cal Poly along with other challenges in the California State University system.
The president’s record so far:
The semester debate burst onto Cal Poly’s campus one year ago when Armstrong first introduced the idea to faculty in a special meeting of the Academic Senate. He said then that he believed the university should convert to semesters, but was open to discussing it with students, faculty and staff.
Following a quarter-long review by the president’s Semester Review Task Force and another quarter of pushback from students, Armstrong backed off his original statement and recommended to White that Cal Poly stay on quarters.
Armstrong’s staff said he then had multiple private discussions with the chancellor, and eventually compromised on a plan that would bring Cal Poly to semesters after all other campuses converted.
2. Crops aren’t the only things growing on campus
What he said Thursday:
Though he kept details intentionally vague, Armstrong told students about plans to construct an agriculture technology center on campus with private donations. He said it will likely be north of the Clyde P. Fischer Science building, an area not frequented by students as of now.
This building would be part of a new “Learn By Doing Center” the president wants to create in the next dozen years. In his vision, students would be able to attend classes in the morning, then go to the center for an afternoon internship — all while staying on campus, he said.
Armstrong said he is discussing a second technology building with a donor who wants to remain permanently anonymous.
New residence halls are also in the planning phase, Armstrong said. Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey, who sat as a panelist Friday, will lead the effort to create and manage the halls.
The president’s record so far:
Since his start at Cal Poly in February 2011, Armstrong has supported the construction of new facilities, particularly additional housing options. Armstrong expressed a desire for new housing on campus in several addresses in 2011 and 2012, referencing his intentions to make on-campus living available for all freshmen and sophomores.
Though the only impending project currently acknowledged by facilities planning is that of the new Center for Science and Mathematics — which is scheduled to open for in Fall 2013 — Armstrong has long supported the belief that updated facilities are influential in fostering Learn By Doing education.
3. Administrators are still concerned about Cal Poly’s diversity
What he said Thursday:
The president relayed concerns he’s heard from employers and alumni Friday, telling students he often is told how Cal Poly doesn’t prepare students to work with people from different backgrounds.
“Right now, if you’re a person of color and you come to Cal Poly, it’s a shock,” he said.
Armstrong told the story of a black student who went to the Cal Poly Health Center with an injury and was immediately asked what sport he played. When he said that he wasn’t an athlete, the staff member asked: “Then how did you get in?”
Some audience members groaned.
Armstrong said the university is increasing its outreach programs and created an administrative diversity coordinator position in March to help.
The president’s record so far:
Armstrong has tackled the issue of diversity in recent years with the addition of three positions at the administrative level — an executive director of diversity and inclusivity, and two positions within the admissions office — to ensure that Cal Poly is promoting diversity in first-year students. The university planned for these positions when implementing the Student Success Fee in January, and new Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusivity Annie Holmes began her role in early March.
Armstrong said in 2012 he believes diversity and exposure to differences are also important to Cal Poly’s “Learn By Doing” philosophy.