Message from the Department Head

As I look outside through the window in my office I notice people going here and there with urgency in their step and determination on their face that signifies the coming of the end of another quarter. Students are busy finishing projects and preparing for exams while faculty is engaged in grading assignments and advising students as they register for next quarter. In the midst of all this activity it's important that we not lose sight of the purpose of it all.

In the short term, the focus is often “just to get through the quarter” but in the larger picture, the foundations of a student's character are being shaped and molded. The growth and development that goes on in a student's life as they attend Cal Poly is an amazing process to watch. I wish more of you could witness it. Seeing their happiness when they have done well on an exam, made a new friend, or discovered that that they have “the right stuff” to succeed in whatever course they chose. Another interesting insight is seeing the pain and sorrow as they deal with the consequences of their poor choices, of losing someone close to them, or of learning the limits of their abilities.

The journey we call life is the discovery of ourselves. I thank all of you, parents, friends, faculty, and staff that support students in their journey that we call life at Cal Poly.