An inside look at living, studying and working at Cal Poly.

Inside Cal Poly

Original Source: KSBY



Reporter: KSBY Staff



Date: July 23, 2025



Link: <a href="https://www.ksby.com/san-luis-obispo/cal-poly-announces-new-chief-of-police">https://www.ksby.com/san-luis-obispo/cal-poly-announces-new-chief-of-police</a>



The Cal Poly Police Department is officially under new leadership after a swearing-in ceremony for the chief of police on Friday.



His appointment comes after previous chief George Hughes was promoted in the summer of 2024 to the role of associate vice president of Public Safety, which oversees the police departments at both Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and the Cal Poly Solano campus, as well as the university’s Transportation and Parking Services and Department of Emergency Services.



“With his extensive background in public safety and working collaboratively with an academic community similar to ours, Robert is going to be a perfect fit with our holistic, compassionate and progressive public safety approach at Cal Poly,” Hughes said in a press release.

New Chief of Cal Poly Police Department Swears in Friday

Original Source: KEYT



Reporter: Jarrod Zinn



Date: July 25, 2025



Link: <a href="https://keyt.com/news/san-luis-obispo-county/2025/07/25/new-police-chief-and-officers-sworn-in-at-cal-poly/">https://keyt.com/news/san-luis-obispo-county/2025/07/25/new-police-chief-and-officers-sworn-in-at-cal-poly/</a>



Cal Poly held the swearing-in ceremony for its new police chief this morning.



Robert Plastino brings nearly three decades of experience in public safety with the Santa Barbara county sheriff&#8217;s office in various capacities.



“I’m excited to be here,” says Chief Plastino. “I have got a great department to work with. I have a great boss that has stood in my shoes before, which is unusual. That&#8217;s not something that normally happens. Chiefs come in and they don&#8217;t get to work directly for the previous chief. So that&#8217;s a positive. That means that it&#8217;s going to be a seamless operation.”

New Police Chief and Officers Sworn in at Cal Poly

Original Source: The Tribune



Reporter: Sasha Tuddenham



Date: July 23, 2025



Link: <a href="https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article311199350.html">https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article311199350.html</a>



Cal Poly has named Robert Plastino as the university’s new chief of police, according to a news release Tuesday.



He comes from 27 years at the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office where he managed the department’s North and South County operations, the release said. In Santa Barbara, he supervised more than 250 sworn and non-sworn staff, along with criminal investigations.



According to the release, he has worked with colleges before, collaborating with UC Santa Barbara’s administration and students. He also established community relations with Isla Vista residents.

Cal Poly Welcomes New Police Chief with Decades of Experience

Original Source: KCLU



Reporter: Lance Orozco



Date: July 25, 2025



Link: <a href="https://www.kclu.org/2025-07-25/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo-gets-to-police-chief">https://www.kclu.org/2025-07-25/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo-gets-to-police-chief</a>



A Central Coast college has a new police chief who&#8217;s already a familiar face in Tri-Counties law enforcement.



Robert Plastino was sworn in on Friday as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Police Chief. He&#8217;ll oversee 22 officers.



Plastino spent nearly three decades with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. He has a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor&#8217;s in business administration. He also has extensive experience working with UC Santa Barbara.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Gets New Police Chief

Original Source: Mustang News



Reporter: Alan Ko



Date: Aug. 5, 2025



Link: <a href="https://mustangnews.net/cal-poly-welcomes-new-police-chief/">https://mustangnews.net/cal-poly-welcomes-new-police-chief/</a>







Cal Poly officially welcomed its new chief of police, Robert Plastino, during a swearing-in ceremony on July 25.



Plastino brings over 27 years of experience with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, where he previously served as chief deputy of law enforcement operations. He covered a wide jurisdiction from Carpinteria to Cuyama and included oversight of both patrol and detective divisions. He also worked closely with the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Isla Vista communities.



His appointment follows the promotion of former Chief George Hughes last summer to associate vice president of public safety, a role that now oversees both Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the new Solano campus.

Cal Poly Swears in New Police Chief

Original Source: BDC Network



Reporter: Novid Parsi



Date: July 1, 2025



Link: <a href="https://www.bdcnetwork.com/home/news/55300726/cal-poly-takes-a-modular-approach-to-deliver-4200-beds-in-nine-new-student-housing-buildings">https://www.bdcnetwork.com/home/news/55300726/cal-poly-takes-a-modular-approach-to-deliver-4200-beds-in-nine-new-student-housing-buildings</a>



In San Luis Obispo, Calif., California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) has commenced work on a student housing development that will provide 4,200 beds in nine new buildings, enabling all second-year students to live on campus.



With design by Steinberg Hart Architects, the $1 billion-plus project marks the first large-scale use of modular construction within the California State University system, according to FullStack Modular, which will manufacture the units offsite.



FullStack Modular’s volumetric modular system, which is all steel and fully integrated, will reduce costs, construction time, and environmental impact while maintaining superior quality, according to the company’s press statement. By taking a modular approach, Cal Poly aims to address the challenges of rising construction costs and the state’s lack of affordable housing.

Cal Poly Takes a Modular Approach to Deliver 4,200 Beds in Nine New Student Housing Buildings

At the start of July, the Administration and Finance (A&amp;F) team will grow as the division welcomes new colleagues from University Housing.



This restructuring is part of a larger university-wide plan to meet the state&#8217;s enrollment growth requirements and to better align services across campus.



With new student, staff and faculty accommodations coming online and an increase in the operating budget to fund new construction and capital projects, moving most Housing departments within A&amp;F will help to streamline processes and make the teams more effective in fulfilling major operational roles for the university.



This change, while significant in its impact on campus efficiencies, is not planned to have a major effect on individual staff member roles. For housing staff, their reporting structures, as well as telecommuting and work locations will remain the same.



The biggest change will be for Juliette Duke. Duke, the executive director of University Housing, will report directly to Allison Baird-James, A&amp;F’s senior vice president.



Duke will oversee the University Housing units joining A&amp;F. Those units include:



– Administrative Services and Strategy: Outreach and Communication, Assignments, Assessment, and Special Events.



– Business and Finance: Procurement and Budget – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Employee Experience: Payroll and Recruitment.



– Facilities Operations: Custodial, Planning and Support Services, and the Depot.



The Residential Student Experience Unit of University Housing will stay within Student Affairs.



Please join us in welcoming and helping accommodate our new A&amp;F colleagues from Housing. Together, we will continue to move Cal Poly forward and work to enhance the student experience.

A&F Grows with the Addition of Housing

As vice president and chief information officer of Cal Poly ITS, Meggan Levitt is leading the university in a big way.



Whether supporting Kennedy Library&#8217;s reopening or leading the campus cloud transformation, Meggan leverages technology effectively and responsibly to guide strategic investments and foster collaborative innovation.



Before her current position, she held key roles at UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Emory University, Westminster College, and University of Texas at Austin.



Meggan recently took a break from her busy schedule to discuss her career journey, current role and the insights she’s gained along the way.



What does a day in your life look like in your current role?&nbsp;



Honestly, there&#8217;s no such thing as &#8220;typical&#8221; in the technology world! That&#8217;s what I love about the Cal Poly VP and CIO role — every day brings me something different.



I start early by catching up on anything that comes in overnight. Technology doesn&#8217;t sleep. The highlight of my morning is our daily operational meetings with the ITS managers. This is quite a witty group with a fantastic sense of humor, so I am always guaranteed a laugh to start my day, no matter what challenges we&#8217;re facing. We&#8217;ve gotten creative with these meetings too, giving each day a theme like &#8220;Threat Thursday,&#8221; where we collectively review cybersecurity activities.



The heart of my work really happens when I step outside my office and connect across campus. I spend a good chunk of time in conversations with department heads, academic leaders and steering committees. These partnerships aren&#8217;t just meetings to get work done — they&#8217;re how we make sure our technology serves the Cal Poly community in meaningful ways. There&#8217;s nothing more satisfying than seeing a solution we&#8217;ve developed make the Cal Poly experience better for our students, staff and faculty.



Between meetings, I carve out time to stay on top of where technology is heading, and at warp speed too. I might be getting product demos from vendors, comparing notes with CIO colleagues at other CSUs, or diving into the latest research. I go to the typical tech sources, but I also have some quirky ones too — check out the online newsletter <a href="http://tedium.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tedium.com</a> that piques my curiosity often on unusual technology topics.



Afternoons typically shift toward the bigger picture — planning for the future, finding resources for innovations we want to pursue, and making sure our talented team has what they need to succeed. I keep an open-door policy with our ITS directors because they&#8217;re on the front lines and their insights are invaluable.



No day is complete without moments I get to spend with our incredible Cal Poly students. Whether I&#8217;m joining campus activities or just chatting with students about their technology experiences, these conversations remind me why we do this work and provide valuable insights that help shape our services. After all, supporting learning motivates me and is the whole reason I&#8217;ve dedicated my career to higher education.



What are some projects your team is working on that you are excited about?&nbsp;



The ITS teams are tackling several exciting projects that will enhance the Cal Poly Learn by Doing experience for years to come.



I&#8217;m particularly proud of our work supporting Kennedy Library&#8217;s reopening after its two-year transformation. Our teams have upgraded the fiber connection and installed modern network infrastructure throughout the building. There&#8217;s something special about knowing thousands of students will soon return to this revitalized space this fall. The library is truly the heart of academic life on campus, and helping to bring it back to life with modern technology has been incredibly rewarding.



We&#8217;re also undertaking a $1.2 million campus network upgrade, replacing over 400 network switches across buildings this summer and fall. Network infrastructure is like plumbing — nobody thinks about it until it doesn&#8217;t work! This project will boost network speeds and reduce congestion for everyone. When students can seamlessly stream video for projects or researchers can transfer massive datasets without delays, that&#8217;s when this behind-the-scenes work truly matters.&nbsp;



Another key project is the renovation of Building 52, where we&#8217;re working with Facilities to convert office space into classrooms. We&#8217;re ensuring these new learning spaces have robust network infrastructure and enhanced audio/visual technology. It&#8217;s exciting to envision Cal Poly students engaged in active learning in these new spaces.&nbsp;



These infrastructure investments will serve our campus community for years to come. The essential work of cables, switches, and server rooms is laying the foundation that allows Cal Poly&#8217;s unique Learn by Doing approach to flourish in our digital world.&nbsp;



Are you from San Luis Obispo? If not, where are you from, and how did you end up in SLO County?&nbsp;



I am not originally from San Luis Obispo, but I got here as soon as I could! It’s a stunning location with warm people to match the climate. I ended up in SLO specifically for my job at Cal Poly less than one year ago. I&#8217;ve been in California for a decade now, and I adore the playful yet hard-working Central Coast lifestyle.&nbsp;



I grew up overseas because I&#8217;m half-British. My father is English and was an executive in international business. My mother was American and from Chicago, Illinois. My childhood was split between Jakarta, Indonesia and about 20 miles west of London on the banks of the River Thames in England. I lived in the villages of Chobham, Woking and Windsor to name a few. Windsor is famous for Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British royal family. I could see the castle and the Royal Standard flag flown when the Queen was in from my bedroom window!&nbsp;



Growing up globally really shaped me in profound ways, and it&#8217;s one of the reasons I love working on college campuses and Cal Poly in particular — they bring so many different, unique people and cultures together. I often hear different languages being spoken on campus and learn about the world through my daily interactions with our community. This moves me deeply and it&#8217;s why I joke that I went to college and never left! I&#8217;ve been in higher education IT my whole career and wouldn&#8217;t have it any other way.&nbsp;



Where is your happy place?&nbsp;



My happy place is any live music venue — from concert halls to dive bars. I love the atmosphere of a show and find them both energizing and soul-fulfilling. I&#8217;ve always enjoyed dancing to disconnect from the workday.&nbsp;



If you could live in any movie universe, which one would it be and why?&nbsp;



This one’s easy for a techie: Star Wars! For epic space travel and the chance to use the Force.&nbsp;



If you could meet your future self, what would you ask her?&nbsp;



Tell me about AI&#8217;s journey overall and at <a href="https://www.calpoly.edu/news/tag/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cal Poly</a> — did it develop into the beacon for human progress we envisioned? Have we used its abilities to solve tough, complex problems like climate change or curing diseases? Or did it go in a direction we didn&#8217;t expect? How does AI fit into your daily life now? Have we struck that delicate harmony between embracing innovation while preserving what makes us human?



I hope my future self would say Cal Poly got this right as I witness our AI innovation as well as our research on AI&#8217;s ethical implications. Cal Poly is already using AI to revolutionize procurement with tools like <a href="https://dxhub.calpoly.edu/challenges/using-generative-ai-to-generate-scope-of-work/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;ScopeBuilder&#8221; for creating more effective RFPs</a>. And students are using <a href="https://www.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-students-practice-physics-phones-and-ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AI-powered apps in physics labs</a>, while others gain hands-on experience through the <a href="https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/news/Pages/CSU-AI-Powered-Initiative.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cal State AI initiative</a>, which provides free access to tools like ChatGPT.&nbsp;&nbsp;



At Cal Poly, I envision technology that empowers both learning and human connection — AI tools that enhance education while keeping community and our hands-on, Learn by Doing approach at the heart of what we do. If you have questions about our IT initiatives, visit us at <a href="https://tech.calpoly.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tech.calpoly.edu/</a>.&nbsp;

Meggan Levitt’s Dream for ITS

With many students and faculty away during the summer, Cal Poly will continue the hard work of pushing Learn by Doing forward with new and enhanced campus amenities, buildings, facilities and some significant capital projects.



Less foot traffic during the summer offers a perfect opportunity to perform impactful work and maintenance, such as student housing and the student success center. These projects, in support of the&nbsp;<a href="https://masterplan.calpoly.edu/docs/cal-poly-campus-master-plan-abridged.pdf">Cal Poly Master Plan</a>, are designed to enhance the quality of university life, support academic achievement and provide resourced facilities.



To help the Cal Poly community navigate campus this summer, we’ve compiled a list of construction projects and <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/lot_closures/">affected roads and parking lots</a>.



<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/vista-meadows/">Vista Meadows</a> The faculty and staff housing project located on the corner of Slack and Grand is actively under construction. The project will create 33 single-family homes for faculty and staff purchase. Summer construction impacts will include intermittent road impairments on Slack Street, allowing the underground and overhead utility installations and follow-on paving activities.&nbsp;Similar intermittent lane closures will occur at the Slack and Grand intersection, accommodating the utility tie-in locations. The Grand Avenue entrance will be resurfaced in the late summer resulting in lane closures. As the utility work is complete, the project will transition to foundations and framing activities for the new homes.



<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/football_operations/">John Madden Football Center</a> Construction on the Madden Football Center continues.&nbsp;As a reminder, this project forms a new and expanded football clubhouse/facility. The superstructure is nearing completion, with the project transitioning to mechanical and electrical infrastructure and interior finish activities later this fall. Construction impacts on the campus community will be similar to the current effects, with construction vehicles entering and exiting the site.



<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/water-reclamation/">Water Reclamation Facility (WRF)</a> The Water Reclamation Project provides sustainable solutions to the campus water infrastructure. The reclamation treatment plant will process the campus&#8217;s sewer water, allowing grey water to be utilized as an irrigation resource. The project is adjacent to the swine unit and will have little impact on everyday campus operations. Intermittent lane and California Boulevard road closures are scheduled for lift station upgrades and utility connections.



<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/water-infrastructure-improvement/">Water Infrastructure Improvement Project (WIIP)</a> The WIIP expands the campus&#8217;s domestic and fire water infrastructure in alignment with the campus master plan and growth of the Cal Poly campus. In broad terms, the project increases the capacity of water stored in holding tanks at the top of the hill with upgrades to the distribution system to campus buildings. The bulk of the summer work will focus on reconstructing the storage tanks and pump house adjacent to the tanks. Impact to campus includes intermittent noise and construction material delivery traffic.



<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/housing-program/">Cal Poly Student Housing Project (CPSHP)</a> The student housing project is the largest campus project and will continue in phases for multiple years. This project expands the current housing stock by 3100 to 3800 new residential beds with up to 8 new buildings. The project is located on the north mountain site behind the existing red brick residential halls. The first building of the program is actively under construction and includes site enabling work. The project consists of modular construction units beginning in September, with the first building’s modular units stacked by the end of 2025.&nbsp;Summer construction impacts include replacing the underground infrastructure and connections on Perimeter Road. Impacts also include the ongoing construction traffic to and from the site.



<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/kennedy-library/">Kennedy Library</a> Kennedy Library, scheduled to reopen Monday, Sept. 15, will be substantially completed by summer. Summer impacts will include move-in and transition to occupancy activities in mid-July.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/plant-sciences/">Plant Science Complex</a>, <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/animal-health-science/">Animal Health Center</a> The Plant Science and Animal Health project combines two buildings, providing additional resources to educate CAFES-related fields. The project is located on Highland Drive near the railroad overpass. Construction traffic entering and leaving the site and intermittent noise are the only project impacts expected during the summer. The planned completion of the projects is winter 2026.



<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/student-success/">Student Success Center</a> The Student Success Center is a project in the planning stage that will construct new and expanded programs to improve student success and ongoing student enrollment growth. The new building will be located on the existing H-4F parking lot between Perimeter Road and Truckee, adjacent to Fisher Science Hall. Expect intermittent impacts beginning in summer to Perimeter, Village and Truckee roads accommodating utility enabling work for the site.



Parking Updates



The H-4F parking lot between Perimeter and Truckee roads, adjacent to Fisher Science Hall will be partially closed this summer for utility line work. The lot is scheduled to fully close in mid-September as construction on the Student Success Center starts.



The Grand Avenue Parking Structure is receiving an LED retrofit. This update will be an ongoing project throughout the 2025-26 academic year and will help make this major parking facility much more energy efficient.



The H-11 parking lot on Via Carta near Building 10 will come back online when the temporary study structure is removed in preparation for the opening of the Kennedy Library.



For up-to-date information visit Transportation and Parking Services <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/lot_closures/">Parking Lot Closure webpage</a>.



Cal Poly is also engaged with the City of SLO collaborating on <a href="https://www.slocity.org/government/department-directory/public-works/construction-and-traffic-updates">active projects in or around campus</a>, and with Cal Trans, aligning on <a href="https://roads.dot.ca.gov/?roadnumber=1">night closures construction work on Highway 1</a>.



For the latest on campus construction projects, visit the <a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/facilities/planning-capital-projects/project-news/">Project News web page</a>.

Category: News