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 to consolidate and expand the program’s space, making the Student Success Center a welcoming place on the third floor of the business building.

This project is just one of several exciting building initiatives we’re pursuing that requires donor support.

The Student Services program at the Orfalea College of Business has been credited with helping the college’s graduation rate, which is a leader in the CSU. Pictured here is Jacob Nachshen, a career peer advisor. (Photo: Drew Boysen)

Some renovations have already been completed, including several classroom innovation projects that incorporate newly updated teaching spaces with technology in six Orfalea College of Business-controlled classrooms. We updated the Industrial Technology & Packaging teaching lab with furniture and student workstations. All projects are helping us modernize spaces to enhance our student experiences.

Plans to modernize the building include other exciting wish lists, such as outdoor study spaces for students, a mini-amphitheater for classes and events, and a living green wall. We want to make the college aesthetically pleasing, too, so landscape improvements would include more pathways and sculptures.

The Student Success Center project is our primary focus.

The Student Success Center will house a wide array of programs, including peer mentoring, the Multi-Cultural Business Program, the Transfer-Mation program, and career advising, to name a few. These programs offer in-person advising, career advice and training, a sense of community and more. Our outstanding student ambassadors, who promote the college to prospective students and their parents, will work from this space.

These programs have led to measurable success, so we want to expand it. To do so, a larger physical space is needed.

Currently, Student Services is scattered, with some features, such as the Multi-Cultural Business Program, located in crammed, uninviting spaces.

The Student Success Center will be relocated to a larger, unified space that can be designed to better meet the needs of our students. Meanwhile, the space Student Services currently occupies on the first floor will provide expanded room to the Low Income Tax Clinic (LITC) and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs – two impactful groups that aide the community while providing valuable experiential education to our accounting students.

By becoming more efficient, we also plan to carve out a seventh classroom for the college, once again providing students with transformational learning spaces.

We are grateful for the several donors who have already contributed to these improvements, and we continue to look for more support. Your gift to the Orfalea College of Business Dean’s Excellent Fund will allow us to continue providing our students with the competitive edge they need to succeed after their time at Cal Poly.

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