Cal Poly Pomona

The California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is a public, coeducational university situated at the western corner of the city of Pomona, a suburb of Los Angeles, California, and is adjacent to Mt. San Antonio College. It is commonly known as Cal Poly Pomona and is one of the 23 campuses that comprise the California State University.

Contents

1 History 2 Academics 3 Noted Graduates 4 Noted Faculty Members 5 Student life 6 Athletics 7 Notable architecture and landmarks 8 External links 9 Notable involvements

History

Cal Poly Pomona was established in 1938 as the Voorhis Unit of the California State Polytechnic College. It was originally located on the former Voorhis School for Boys in San Dimas, California.

In the fall of 1956, the campus was moved to the former ranch of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg who donated it to Cal Poly in 1949. The former Voorhis campus was relegated to a education outreach center, before being leased for 7 years and finally sold to the Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in 1978.

The university became fully independent from Cal Poly SLO in 1966 and gained university status in 1972.

Academics

Cal Poly Pomona is well-known for its "learn by doing" philosophy where an essential part of the curriculum is hands-on application of knowledge. This has resulted in a high interest by many firms for Cal Poly engineers, computer scientists, and MBAs.

The university also has the only agriculture program in Southern California. Farmlands flank the campus, giving a stark contrast to a stereotypical urban university. And with the exception of its sister school, Cal Poly Pomona maintains the only accredited architecture program in a California public university.

Cal Poly consistently ranks in the top of Western Colleges in U.S. News & World Report's annual college ranking and was named one of the "Best of the West" by The Princeton Review in 2004.

The most popular undergraduate majors include Business Administration, Electrical Engineering, Liberal Studies, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Animal Science, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Biology, and Psychology.

Some departments (mostly in engineering) continue to follow the originally mandatory requirement for an undergraduate senior/research thesis to graduate.

Noted Graduates

• Brent D. Mishler -- Currently Director of the University & Jepson Herbaria at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Mishler is a world expert on the biology and evolution of mosses.

Noted Faculty Members

• Takeo Uesugi -- Professor emeritus in Landscape Architecture noted for his work in Japanese gardens, Dr. Uesugi designed the garden at the Washington Center in Washington, D.C., among other notable landmarks.
• Saul Landau -- Director of Digital Media Programs noted internationally for his films and writing on domestic policy and cultural issues, he is the recipient of numerous awards, including a 1980 Emmy.

Student life

Cal Poly Pomona is located in what could be called an industrial-agricultural suburb. This location has contributed to limited local housing and a largely commuter student body. This, in part, has led to an environment where many students come to school only for class and a less active student body than is traditionally seen at state colleges.

Athletics

Cal Poly Pomona ranks among the best of the NCAA Division II schools bosting, most recently, the 2001 and 2002 women's basketball champions. However, student apathy results in extremely low turnout for games, perhaps, influenced by the lack of a football team--disbanded in the early 1980s following a slow decline in performance.

Notable architecture and landmarks

• CLA Building - Apart from the bland Modernist boxes that are typical of CSU campuses, Cal Poly Pomona is also home to a futuristic-looking structure called the Classroom/Laboratory/Administration Building. The CLA Building was used in the films Gattaca and Impostor as well as several TV commercials for products such as cars and cell phones.
• W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center - As part of the 22 terms and conditions to the donation of the Kellogg ranch, the University maintains a herd of purebred Arabian horses. These horses became the defining character of the University's mascot, The Broncos.
• Old Stables - The Arabian Horse Center was formerly located here and horse performances were held behind the structure where the University Union now stands. The Old Stables is now part of the University Union Plaza and serves as offices for student services and organizations.
• Rose Garden - The Rose Garden is located behind the CLA building and is one of the oldest sites of the Campus. In the 1990's a gazebo was added in the center together with the Walk of Fame.
• Japanese Garden - The Japanese Garden was built in the Summer of 2003, costing $777,000 and covering 57,650 square feet (5,400 m²), it is located next to the CLA building adjacent to the Rose Garden.
• John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies - This facility, built adjacent to an old landfill, stresses sustainable technology and agriculture, with solar-powered dormitories, aquaculture ponds, and organic gardens.
• BioTrek - Composed of a rainforest greenhouse, a California ethnobotany garden, and an aquatic biology center, BioTrek (http://www.csupomona.edu/~biotrek/) provides environmental education at all levels.
• Innovation Village - The Innovation Village is a section of land that is part of the Kellogg ranch deed, as a separate section independent of the University, it is managed by a cooperative called AccelTech, formed between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the College of the Extended University of Cal Poly Pomona. AccelTech is also sponsored by other institutions like Caltech and Larta Institute. The 65 acres (263,000 m²) tract of land is located between South Campus Drive and Valley Boulovard.
• American Red Cross blood processing center - The first and anchor tenant of the new Innovation Village, the American Red Cross built their largest blood processing center in the United States in Innovation Village, which was completed early 2005 and opened May 13, 2005.

You can see some of these landmarks live using the Cal Poly Pomona Streamcams (http://video.csupomona.edu/streaming/streamcams/).

External links

• Official Cal Poly Pomona Site (http://www.csupomona.edu/)
• The Poly Post Student Newspaper (http://www.thepolypost.com/)
• Student Run Cal Poly Pomona Site (http://www.calpolyonline.com/)

Notable involvements

• Tournament of Roses - Cal Poly Pomona together with Cal Poly SLO has participated in the Tournament of Roses with many of its award winning floats since 1949.