CalendarMay 22 - Cal Poly Accounting Club (CPAC) Day in the Park. Located on the O’Neill Green in front of the Orfalea College of Business Faculty, alumni and students will gather for socializing and barbecue 11:00am – 2:00pm, Contact Norinne Cruzat for more details. May 22 -Accounting Awards Banquet Embassy Suites, Madonna road, San Luis Obispo, 6:00pm Contact Norinne Cruzat for more details. May 25 - Campus Holiday, Memorial Day observed May 29 - Orfalea College of Business Annual Awards Banquet, Chumash, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., contact Tamara Vassey for more information June 13 - Commencement! Spanos Stadium, 10:00 a.m. Look for information on the Cal Poly University Commencement web site and click the Commencement – June 2009 link for details on the main ceremony. Individualized ceremonies for each concentration of the Orfalea College of Business immediately follow the main ceremony on the Three-Acre Lawn and surrounding areas of the college. Go to the Orfalea College of Business web site and click the Spring Commencement link for complete details and a downloadable/printable pdf map of the college ceremony locations. June 22 - Beginning of summer term July 3 - Academic Holiday - Independence Day observed July 4 - Independence Day July 29 - 30 - Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) for the Orfalea College of Business July 30 - 31 - Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) for the Orfalea College of Business August 5 - 6 - Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) for the Orfalea College of Business August 6 - 7 - Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) for the Orfalea College of Business Sept. 4 - End of summer term Sept. 15 - 19 - Week of Welcome (WOW) Sept. 19 - WOW Block Party Sept. 22 - Fall term classes begin Oct. 15 - Dean's Advisory Council Dinner, The Cliffs Resort, 6:00 p.m., contact Tamara Vassey for more information Oct. 16 - Dean's Advisory Council Meeting, Location TBD, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., contact Tamara Vassey for more information Oct. 16 - Dean's Advisory Council Luncheon, Sage Banquet Room 12 noon, Contact Tamara Vassey for more information Oct. 17 - Homecoming Football Game, Spanos stadium, 6:05 p.m. vs. Southern Utah Nov. 11 - Academic Holiday - Veteran's Day observed Nov. 25 - 29 - Academic Holiday - Thanksgiving Dec. 4 - Last day of fall term classes Dec. 12 - Mid-Year Commencement, End of Fall term Dec. 13 - Jan. 3 - Academic Holiday |
May 2009 E-News
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| Joanne Smith at Good Morning SLO! |
Cal Poly estimated over 40,000 guests visited campus over the Open House 2009 weekend!
Our two Distinguished Speakers wowed audiences in Spanos Theater. Greg Jamison, President and CEO, San Jose Sharks, revealed how persistence pays off in the business of sports and entertainment. Our own Orfalea College alumna, Joanne Smith, Sr. Vice President, Delta Airlines, demonstrated how she managed to stay on her feet in the corporate world while battling personal and corporate change. Joanne was also a guest speaker at the Good Morning SLO Chamber Breakfast on Thursday morning.
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Pictured clockwise right to left, Greg Jamison, Dean Dave Christy, Student Ambassador Michael Parikh, Diane Blakeslee-Brocato, Student Ambassador Kami Tolar, Cal Poly Athletics Director Alison Cone and Student Ambassador Christine Hogan. |
Our 2009 issue of the Orfalea College of Business magazine was completed in late April and the magazine is available in PDF format on our web site In following with Cal Poly’s mantra of sustainability and going green, we hope to encourage more readers to view the magazine online in the future. This will not only save trees, printing and mailing costs, but will allow you to view the magazine earlier! Download it from our web site If you need to update your current mailing address, email address or have an item of interest for a college publication, click the give us your address link and complete the Alumni Update Form. For further information or questions, contact Tamara Vassey.
The annual Industrial Technology Packaging Fair was held on April 30th on nearby Dexter Lawn and the surrounding grounds of the Orfalea College of Business. The attending students, staff, faculty and alums had a beautiful central coast day of sunshine for their celebration. Once again, the infamous Egg Drop (and we aren’t talking soup) took place in front of an anxiously waiting crowd.
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Approximately 65 contestants from across campus participated, including students from College of Liberal Arts, Engineering and the Orfalea College of Business (Packaging). |
Among the spectators were Industrial Technology Advisory Council members Scott Fleming, IT ‘78 (left) and Joan Passovoy, IT ’76. The IT and Packaging Advisory Council Board meetings are held in conjunction with the fair each year. |
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Egg Deceleration Contest
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The Egg Drop Contest determined three winners. Left to right, Peter Brown, VP Operations, Lansmont Corp. and chair of the Packaging Advisory Board, winners Kevin Whipp, John Biddle, William Lefever and I.T. Professor Jay Singh |

Erik Quade, Chief Information Officer of Technology Integration Group (TIG) has been named Technology Executive of the Year 2009 in the large private business category for the San Diego area by the San Diego Business Journal. The award was given at a ceremony on Thursday, April 23 at the Torrey Pines Hilton in La Jolla and was attended by over 700 people.
Erik is a 2000 Management Information Systems graduate from the Orfalea College of Business. “I am honored to receive this award,” said Quade, “as the CIO for a national technology provider it is important that TIG utilize best technology practices that our sales managers, engineers, and customers can look to as an example. Our IT team at TIG is dedicated to innovation and has access to best of breed technology solutions through TIG’s many technology partners.”
Simeon Trieu, a dual degree student currently pursuing an MBA and MS in Electrical Engineering, was recently awarded a fellowship grant from the National Science Foundation’s East Asia Pacific and Summer Institutes (NSF-EAPSI, nsfsi.org). This prestigious and competitive grant provides a roundtrip international airline ticket, stipend and support to cover living expenses while studying abroad.
Simeon said, “I believe my experience on the Cal Poly MBA International Study Tour, in China and India, helped me stand out among other applicants for this grant. The course helped me understand both Chinese and Indian business cultures and gave me the basis to build bridges between those countries and the United States. Thanks for offering a course and study tour that was not only a smooth and enjoyable learning experience but one that has the added benefit of putting me on the competitive edge of my field in engineering and business.”
Spring Commencement for the Orfalea College of Business is Saturday, June 13, 2009
The University Commencement begins at 9:30am in Spanos Stadium. The Orfalea College of Business will hold six individual Area ceremonies on the grounds of the Richard O’Neill green and around the college of business building immediately following the conclusion of the University Commencement.
Please visit our web site for further information and a printable PDF map of the locations.
For more information about making a gift to Cal Poly's Orfalea College of Business, visit the College's Advancement web page.
