News & Events
Three Students Represent Orfalea College of Business During Tour of Statehouse
By Jay Thompson Three Orfalea College of Business students accompanied Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong to Sacramento this month, where lawmakers honored them and other students for their accomplishments. In all, 19 Cal Poly students from all six colleges were recognized Jan. 30 on the floors of the state Assembly and Senate. Each student…
How Rose Float Design Chair Saira Mapes Took Chances and Became a Leader
By Pat Pemberton Outside the Cal Poly Rose Float Lab, an 11-foot metal contraption, looking like a steel spider web sculpture, leans against a wall. “So here’s the mushroom cap,” says Saira Mapes, pointing toward the piece. The highest element of this year’s Cal Poly universities float, she explains, will be a giant mushroom with…
Happy New Year!
https://youtu.be/CCWgy77Sosc Damon Fleming, dean of the Orfalea College of Business, offers a New Year’s greeting.
Finance Professor: “It’s a Wonderful Life” Offers Valuable Lesson on Investment Behavior and Risk After Cryptocurrency Implosion
By Pat Pemberton As Americans commence with their annual viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the 1946 Christmas classic provides a valuable lesson about banking and the cryptocurrency implosion, according to a Cal Poly finance professor. “In addition to being a holiday favorite, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ reminds us why trust in financial institutions is…
Making the Cut: Nate Mirizzi, the Only Business Student in the Cal Poly Loggers Club, Can Balance the Books and Throw an Axe
Recent Orfalea College of Business graduate Nate Mirizzi chops wood during his final logging competition. (Photo: Andy Sherar) By Pat Pemberton Balanced atop a 12-inch wood block, Nate Mirizzi drives an axe down repeatedly, digging a triangle in the center of the log. “The better you hit your lines, with strength and good hits, the…
The Search for Surf — and Camaraderie: Scholarship Enables Finance Student to Co-Create Mustang Surf Club
Jackson Prudhon, finance major and president of the Mustang Surf Club, rides a wave next to Morro Rock. Prudhon and his roommate co-founded the Mustang Surf Club. By Pat Pemberton As the majestic Morro Rock casts a soft shadow in the early morning light, Jackson Prudhon quickly applies wax to his 7-foot surfboard, eager to…
Building for the Future: Here’s What We Have Planned
In the Orfalea College of business, we proudly boast about our 89-percent, 5-year graduation rate, which is the best in the entire CSU. We attribute much of that success to our unique Student Services program, which prepares students for success both in college and in their careers. To build on that achievement, the college plans…
Business Students Explore Entrepreneurships for Former Prisoners, Spotify Algorithms, Leveraged Buyouts and More During Second SURP
Students present their research findings at the Summer Undergrad Research Project Symposium (Photo: Andy Sherar) By Pat Pemberton Michelle Jenkins thinks the subjects of her summer research project deserve a second chance – despite being convicted felons. “These people, regardless of what they’ve done, are trying their hardest to re-enter society and provide for their…
Honored Alumnus Katherine Johnson: “I know how hard it was for me, so it’s nice to be able to offer someone a lifeline.”
https://vimeo.com/754914085 One of nine children growing up, Katherine Johnson (Business Administration, ’81, Concentration in Accounting) had to support herself through college — working 40 hours a week her senior year — which limited her social activities. Despite the busy schedule, she did graduate from Cal Poly and had a succesful career as an accounting executive.…
Latinx Alumni Share Experiences, Advice During National Hispanic Heritage Month
Network. Take risks. Share your roots. Have fun. That’s a sample of the advice offered by some of our Latino alumni. As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), the Student Services crew reached out to several Latinx alumni who have had an impact at their workplaces and asked them to share their…
In the Moment: Improv Group Teaches New Orfalea Students Communication Skills Before Classes Begin
https://youtu.be/qK-dwrIEFRk Hundreds of students, freshmen and transfer students new to the Orfalea College of Business, participated in a welcome session put on by improv group On Your Feet. (Video: Charlie Damico) By Pat Pemberton Forget those warnings you heard as a child — Brad Robertson says you should talk to strangers. “There’s lots of research…
Students Help Residents Deal with Record Number of Issues at Cal Poly Low Income Tax Clinic
Many LITC clients had personal hardships confounded with unexpected bills from the IRS By Pat Pemberton After having to sell their home to care for a sick relative, a former Central Coast couple recently visited the Cal Poly Low Income Tax Clinic seeking help with another devastating event: An unexpected $223,000 bill from the IRS.…
Blues Revival: Marketing Alumnus Adam Stowe Brought Stability Back to San Luis Obispo Baseball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOKqmnDkuiA By Pat Pemberton When Adam Stowe became general manager of the San Luis Obispo Blues baseball team in 2012, he joined an organization that had endured several years of debt, instability and turmoil – capped off by a former owner’s 32-month prison sentence. But since taking over, Stowe (Marketing, ’97) has turned the club…
Addressing Economic Inequality: Carlos Noe Saavedra Took His Economics Degree to London to Explore Cryptocurrency as a More Inclusionary Monetary System
By Pat Pemberton A business card Carlos Noe Saavedra picked up at the Cal Poly Robert E. Kennedy Library in 2013 would eventually change the course of his career. The card, promoting Bitcoin as the money of the future, signaled an excellent career opportunity with an emerging technology, he said — and a way to…
Help Me Ronda: Ronda Beaman Helps Other Achieve Dreams Through Leadership Class and Work with Terminally Ill Adults
By Pat Pemberton On the final day of Ronda Beaman’s leadership class, she is surrounded by 30 students on O’Neill Green, many of them holding “vision boards” containing collages of their dreams. One student says she wants to own a coffee shop. Another says he wants to be involved in sports management. A third shares…
Katya Vasilaky’s Ukrainian Roots Have Influenced Her Careers as a Dancer and Economist
By Pat Pemberton During the dramatic finale of a “Nutcracker” performance with the San Francisco Ballet, Katya Vasilaky gracefully leapt onstage, then landed to a jolt of pain. Unknown to the audience at the War Memorial Opera House, a previously healed stress fracture had unraveled, tearing an ankle tendon. “I heard it snap, and then…
State Law Mandating Plastic Packaging Be Recyclable Could Promote Positive Sustainable Innovation, Cal Poly Professors Say, But Plastic Isn’t Always Bad – Or the Most Damaging
By Pat Pemberton Even before California passed a ground-breaking law requiring all plastics be recyclable or compostable by 2032, Cal Poly students were exploring more sustainable packaging alternatives, professors said. “We need professionals that understand the profound implications of their design decisions,” said Javier de la Fuente, who chairs the Industrial Technology and Packaging area…
Start Your Engines: Business Students Help Cal Poly Racing Team Cross the Finish Line Behind the Scenes and Behind the Wheel
By Pat Pemberton Inside the Aero hangar, Tommy Bordeaux and Chase Gioffredi are kneeled on each side of a Formula race car designed and built by the Cal Poly Racing team as they discuss the possibility of moving the car’s pedals forward. “My legs are pretty long, so, unfortunately, I don’t fit really well,” says…
Finance Chair: Interest Rate, Raised to Combat Inflation, Could Eventually Lower Housing Prices
While increased interest rates have placed home ownership even further out of reach for many Americans, those steadily rising costs might eventually help would-be buyers, said the chair of Cal Poly’s Finance Department.
A Bright Idea: Capstone Class Challenges Students to Create Light Fixture Startups
By Pat Pemberton For Oliver Kensinger’s capstone startup, Legos proved to be both fun and practical. “The original prototype was made out of Legos,” said Kensinger, who served as co-operations manager for his 10-member team. Students in John Paulick’s course, Applied Business and Production Management, had to create a startup involving decorative light fixtures. The…
Journey to Cal Poly: An Outstanding Grad Shares Her Leadership Story
Note: Carolyn Lidster was one of six 2022 graduates featured in Cal Poly’s annual Outstanding Grads story. She will be recognized by the Orfalea College of Business for Contributions to the Objectives and Public Image of the College. By Jay Thompson Carolyn Lidster was ready to leave Sacramento for college in 2018, probably outside the…
Large Crowd Embraces the Return of Poly Pack’s Egg Drop Competition
https://youtu.be/CTSHP3BOurU By Pat Pemberton There’s a strategy to protecting an egg from a 30-foot fall. You have to consider stress points, weight, wind, materials and more. “But the basic strategy is you need to know how the egg is going to fall once it’s inside your package,” said Koushik Saha, professor of industrial technology and…
Cal Poly Finance Team Advances in Global Competition with Analysis of PayPal Stock Outlook
A detailed analysis of PayPal’s stock outlook, with a recommendation to sell, helped a team of Cal Poly students surpass hundreds of others recently in the CFA Institute Research Challenge. Competing with over 900 schools from North, Central and South America, the Cal Poly team was just one of 17 that advanced to the Americas’…
Ready To Grow and Eager To Learn
Ten Teams. Lot’s of Big Ideas. A Look At The 2021 CIE Summer Accelerator Program.
Welcome to Dean Damon Fleming
Cal Poly names Damon Fleming as the new dean of the Orfalea College of Business.
Critical Conversation
Fostering a discussion around inequality, community, growth, and a path toward greater diversity and inclusion.
Timeline
In 1921, business classes were first introduced at Cal Poly. Looking at a century of learning.
