Sean McMinn
smcminn@mustangdaily.net
University President Jeffrey Armstrong will open himself up to students today in an open forum — an opportunity he expects students will take to discuss semesters at Cal Poly and long-term goals for the university.
The forum, which will be moderated by Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) President Katie Morrow, comes barely one month after Armstrong announced Cal Poly will likely convert to semesters despite near-90 percent disapproval among students who voted on the issue in an ASI advisory vote. Armstrong said he’s expecting questions about semesters and quarters, both of which he said Tuesday are still possible outcomes at Cal Poly, pending word from the California State University Chancellor’s Office.
“If discussions when (Chancellor Timothy White) is on our campus cause him to realize Cal Poly and quarters are best, that’s fine,” Armstrong said. “And I think he’s like me: he’s open to listening.”
Armstrong added that he has already responded to criticism about semesters by meeting with chemistry junior Molly Burns, who started the “Get President Armstrong To Give A Public Announcement!” Facebook event. A spokesperson for Armstrong said today’s forum was scheduled before his office was aware of Burns’ event, but the president said he was able to “clarify” some points with Burns during an hour-long meeting this quarter.
“I realized that my communication to campus about quarters and semesters wasn’t as clear as we had worked hard to make it,” he said. “And that’s OK. It wasn’t that we took it for granted, we worked hard to try to make sure the communication was clear and yet show we were supportive of the chancellor and supportive of the system.”
In addition to semesters, Armstrong said he plans to address four points that have become signature during his two years at Cal Poly: student success, Learn By Doing, continuous improvement and maintaining a “comprehensive polytechnic university.” Armstrong formed those ideas with fellow administrators when he arrived at Cal Poly, but he plans to continue shaping what they mean by talking with students.
Armstrong is also hopeful he will be able to address state budget concerns with students during the hour-long forum today. He said that though California state support is expected to increase, students, faculty and staff are still hurting from years of budget cuts and tuition hikes.
“I’m sure we’re doing better, but we’re not there yet with regard to classes,” he said. “There’s still some students, not as many as a year ago, but there’s still some students having problems getting classes.”
The forum, which Armstrong said he hopes will be more of a dialogue than a lecture, could come into future goals for the university. The president said since several current issues, such as semesters and budget allocations, are being stabilized, he can now focus on what Cal Poly will look like in 10 or 12 years. During that time, Cal Poly will look to build more residence halls and other buildings on campus, he said.
Morrow said she is excited for today’s event, where she will moderate questions. She originally planned to encourage students to RSVP and submit questions before, but said she decided against it in favor of welcoming more students.
In an email to students Monday, Morrow invited students who are “interested in learning and voicing concerns about campus issues.”
“It’s a great chance to get that face to face,” Morrow said. “They can ask him anything they want.”
Some students said they have been impressed with Armstrong’s connection to campus during his time here. Civil engineering freshman Sam Marchant said Wednesday that though he hasn’t met the president, he’s seen him on campus multiple times and believes he wants student input before making high-profile decisions.
“I actually read a paper on him and … I heard he really manages his time well, and he puts a lot of effort into caring about what his students think and talking to students and everything,” Marchant said. “But I heard he’s a really good guy and a really good president.”
The forum is at 1 p.m. in the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center Pavilion.