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

Inside Cal Poly

Original Source: Cal Poly



Reporter: Robyn Kontra Tanner



Date: January 8, 2026



Link: <a href="https://www.calpoly.edu/news/light-spacious-and-bustling-take-look-inside-refreshed-kennedy-library">https://www.calpoly.edu/news/light-spacious-and-bustling-take-look-inside-refreshed-kennedy-library</a>



After a two-year closure, the refreshed Robert E. Kennedy Library — the largest library between Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz — has reopened its doors and assumed its rightful spot as a hub of campus life.&nbsp;



The space reopened in September 2025 after its first major remodel since it originally debuted in January of 1981. The $78-million renovation improved accessibility, added classroom space, upgraded heating and cooling systems and expanded the on-site cafe — all while saving energy.



The reimagined first floor holds two exhibit spaces for art and historical artifacts from Kennedy Library’s Special Collections and Archives, the expanded Julian’s Café and a redesigned courtyard. Hub24, the university’s 24-hour study space, grew to include the library’s first and second floors when the facility reopened.



At the main entrance, visitors are greeted by a vibrant work of art. The acrylic mural, titled “Grounds for Growth,” is the creation of artists Joshua Lawyer and MJ Lindo-Lawyer, known as Rough Edge Collective.

Light, Spacious and Bustling: Take a Look Inside a Refreshed Kennedy Library

Original Source: Los Angeles Times



Reporter: &nbsp;Hailey Branson-Potts



Date: January 1, 2026



Link: <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-01/la-me-rose-parade-float-awards-cal-poly">https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-01/la-me-rose-parade-float-awards-cal-poly</a>



The Cal Poly Universities float took top honors in the 137th Rose Parade on Thursday, winning the Sweepstakes Award for “most beautiful entry.”



The float is a joint effort by students at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. It is the only float in the parade designed and built by students.



The Cal Poly float, called “Jungle Jumpstart,” featured a 40-foot robot, depicted as lying with injuries on the rainforest floor. It is surrounded by colorful animals who are repairing the robot as it holds a red, yellow and blue parrot in its outstretched hand.

Cal Poly Float Wins Top Award in Rose Parade

Original Source: The Tribune



Reporter: Sadie Dittenber



Date: December 11, 2025



Link: <a href="https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article313555860.html">https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article313555860.html</a>



Cal Poly saw the highest enrollment in what appears to be university history this year, with more than 23,000 students flocking to the San Luis Obispo campus in September. According to data released by the CSU, Cal Poly enrolled a total of 23,245 students in fall 2025 — a 1.8% increase over the 22,842 students who enrolled in 2024.



More than 85% of the enrolled students were California residents, the dashboard said. About 96% were undergraduates, while 4% were graduate or postbaccalaureate students. Over the last decade, the university gained more than 2,300 students, according to the data.

Cal Poly Sees Highest Enrollment in University History. See the Data

Original Source: Mustang News



Reporter: Sam Fickett



Date: October 13, 2025



Link: <a href="https://mustangnews.net/mustang-safe-replaces-rave-guardian/">https://mustangnews.net/mustang-safe-replaces-rave-guardian/</a>



Cal Poly launched Mustang Safe, on Sept. 19, to replace the existing campus safety app, Rave Guardian. This change comes after Cal Poly introduced Rave Guardian two years ago in January 2022.&nbsp;



According to&nbsp;<a href="https://afd.calpoly.edu/police/services/safety-app">the Cal Poly Police Department website</a>, the app provides “a more holistic approach to campus safety and wellbeing.” The website’s report also states Cal Poly students, faculty and staff will need to remove the Rave Guardian app before they can download the Mustang Safe app.



Mustang Safe offers similar features to Rave Guardian, with additional campus-specific integrations. It includes the core safety features that Rave Guardian offered, such as directories to call 911 or the Cal Poly Police Department (CPPD), links to student resources and has location sharing options.&nbsp;

Nighttime photo of an outdoor campus plaza with stairs and overhead lights, showing a faint, ghost-like blur of a person walking due to long-exposure motion.

Cal Poly Launches New Campus Safety App ‘Mustang Safe’ to Replace ‘Rave Guardian’

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

Original Source: Rebusiness Online



Date: Feb. 13, 2025 



Link: <a href="https://rebusinessonline.com/california-polytechnic-state-university-to-begin-4200-bed-residence-hall-project/">https://rebusinessonline.com/california-polytechnic-state-university-to-begin-4200-bed-residence-hall-project/</a>



SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF. — California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is set to begin construction on a 4,200-bed residence hall project on the university’s campus in San Luis Obispo. The development will include nine buildings offering suite-style units for second-year students.



“Affordable housing is such a big problem — especially on the West Coast — and we need to think differently about how we approach housing and continue to improve the process,” says Mike McCormick, vice president of facilities management and development at Cal Poly. “We’ve assembled a team of professionals committed to rethinking how we deliver housing and FullStack Modular’s innovative approach is a huge part of that.”

California Polytechnic State University to Begin 4,200-Bed Residence Hall Project

Original Source: Archinect



Reporter: Josh Niland



Date: Feb. 7, 2025



Link: <a href="https://archinect.com/news/article/150464171/cal-poly-slo-to-begin-largest-modular-student-housing-construction-in-the-u-s">https://archinect.com/news/article/150464171/cal-poly-slo-to-begin-largest-modular-student-housing-construction-in-the-u-s</a>



A modular student housing project for the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, that will help students who have been displaced by the recent Los Angeles Fires, is about to begin.



The Steinberg Hart-designed project is the product of a new partnership between FullStack Modular and the California State University system, which promotes it as being the &#8220;largest modular [student housing] project in the U.S.&#8221; It will also become the first large-scale modular construction in the CSU system.



Manufacturing for the project will begin in late winter 2025, yielding nine suite-style buildings with a total of 4,200 new beds. California is currently facing a student housing crisis affecting more than 400,000 students statewide.

Cal Poly SLO to Begin Largest Modular Student Housing Construction in the U.S.

Original Source: Multi-Housing News



Reporter: Vicentiu Fusea



Date: Feb. 7, 2025



Link: <a href="https://www.multihousingnews.com/fullstack-cal-poly-to-develop-4200-beds/">https://www.multihousingnews.com/fullstack-cal-poly-to-develop-4200-beds/</a>



California Polytechnic State University has partnered with FullStack Modular for the development of 4,200 new student housing beds in San Luis Obispo, Calif.



The entire housing program, encompassing both the construction of nine modular buildings and the refurbishment of existing halls, is scheduled to come online by 2030.



Partners on the development include design firm Steinberg Hart Architects and Whiting-Turner as design-build contractor. The residence halls are built according to LEED Gold certification.

FullStack, Cal Poly Plan 4,200 Beds

Original Source: The Tribune



Reporter: Joan Lynch



Date: Feb. 6, 2025



Link: <a href="https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article299721549.html">https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/cal-poly-university/article299721549.html</a>



Cal Poly’s plan to bring around 4,200 new beds to campus to house more of its student population is taking shape.



First approved by the California State University Board of Trustees as part of Cal Poly’s billion-dollar Future Housing Plan, the 4,200-unit buildout will use a modular construction model from FullStack Modular to fabricate and install nine new eight- and nine-story buildings within the next five years — the first development of its kind not only for Cal Poly but the California State University system.



Buildings are expected to go up quickly, with off-site manufacturing reducing cost, construction time and local environmental and air quality burdens.

Tag: College