On Thursday Oct. 26 the Board of Directors met for the first time this academic year and discussed two major projects, one that will directly impact the Cal Poly community and another that aims continue the internal changes to the Corporation – faculty and staff housing, and CPC culture.

Faculty and Staff Housing

Jim Dunning, the corporation’s associate executive director, Real Estate Development and Services, and CEO Cody VanDorn presented an update on the faculty and staff housing project on the corner of Slack Street and Grand Avenue.

The project has completed 75% of schematic design for the 33 much-needed single family homes that are planned for the site. Three distinct floor plans for the homes will be available ranging from 1,600 to 2,100 square feet with the first homes planned to be ready in early 2025.

The project is scheduled to go in front of the CSU Board of Trustees in early 2024 for financing approval and is planned to break ground in the Spring. 

Additional development sites on and near campus for both for-sale and rental units are currently being evaluated. This is the next step of a phased approach to increase housing options for faculty and staff. This next phase will include a mix of for-sale single family detached, and higher density residential units, including some rental units. at an alternate site. The long-term plans are to have 400-600 units available.

The goal is to have a diverse stock of housing options ranging from transitional, near-term, mid-term, and long-term solutions to meet faculty and staff demands for the next 15-20 years.

Staff wanting more information and to get on an interest list for Slack and Grand, Bella Montana and future faculty and staff housing sites should visit the Faculty and Staff Housing webpage on the Cal Poly Corporation website. Please note the interest list is not a waitlist for home purchase.

CPC Culture

Improving organizational culture and creating a workplace that is collaborative, supportive, innovative, accountable, engaging and respectful has been one of the key focuses of CPC leadership.

A good workplace culture goes hand in hand with more efficient and happy team members and thus more positive impacts for Cal Poly. 

Human Resources Director Tiffany Kramlich presented some planned next steps and what initiatives have already taken place.

In August, corporation staff took part in an Employee Engagement Survey for the second year in a row. Administered by Gallup, the survey polled 674 employees, including student employees who have worked for at least a year.

The results of the survey will be communicated fully to employees during staff meetings.

Another initiative that Kramlich introduced to the Board is the Culture Champion.

A Culture Champion is an individual within the organization who actively promotes and supports its desired culture. They serve as advocates for the organization’s values, beliefs and behaviors, and work to ensure that these initiatives are understood and embraced by employees at all levels.

Culture Champions play a crucial role in shaping and maintaining a positive and productive work environment. They embody the organization’s culture themselves and inspire others to do the same.

The Culture Champion initiative is the most recent in a long list of changes that CPC leadership has implemented over the past few years in the continual effort to increase employee engagement.