Growing in Prestige
Victor Glover Voyages to the Moon and Back
On April 1, 2026, Cal Poly alumnus and astronaut Victor Glover made history as pilot of NASA’s Artemis II mission, humanity’s first crewed voyage around the moon in more than 50 years and the farthest humans have traveled from Earth. During a June campus visit, Glover reflected on the journey from Cal Poly to the moon and back, sharing how his Learn by Doing education helped shape his path.
Athletics Breaks records
A record 11 Big West championships capped off a year where Cal Poly earned the Dennis Farrell Big West Commissioner’s Cup for the second time in school history. The annual award recognizes the conference’s top-performing athletics department across men’s and women’s sports. The Mustangs’ point total was the highest in the cup’s 26-year history.
Baseball Team Makes History
Cal Poly Baseball capped a historic season with a Big West co-championship, a second consecutive conference tournament title and the program's first NCAA Division I regional crown, advancing the Mustangs to their first Super Regional.
Celebrating the Legendary John Madden
Cal Poly Athletics celebrated the opening of the John Madden Football Center, a transformative home for training, recovery and team development. Cal Poly also retired Madden’s No. 74 jersey on Friday, Aug. 28.
Cal Poly STUNT and Women's Flag Football
Cal Poly is expanding opportunities for women student-athletes. Cal Poly STUNT will join the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in 2027 — the sport’s first year as an NCAA championship sport, while Cal Poly becomes the first university in California to establish a Division I women’s flag football program.
Maintaining Academic Excellence
Cal Poly student-athletes excel on the field and in the classroom, with a 93% graduation rate and a cumulative 3.25 GPA as of spring 2025. The beach volleyball team also earned its sixth consecutive Team Academic Award after posting a 3.55 team GPA, with 24 student-athletes achieving a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Growing in Impact
On July 1, 2026, Cal Poly Maritime Academy alumni officially joined the Cal Poly Alumni Association, creating a unified network of more than 250,000 alumni worldwide. This milestone builds on the broader integration of Cal Poly and Cal Poly Maritime Academy, now one university united by a commitment to hands-on learning, high-impact academic programs and preparing graduates to address regional and global challenges.
Together, Cal Poly is creating new opportunities for collaboration across fields such as engineering and marine science, while strengthening connections among alumni, students, faculty and staff.
Growing in Footprint
Cal Poly’s campus environment evolved and expanded in remarkable ways. The university reopened Kennedy Library following its major renovation; broke ground on the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Student Success Center and new residence halls; transformed Building 15 into Mustang Commons, a home for cultural centers and student support services; and began construction on the Charles and Claire Jacobson Animal Health Center and the Plant Sciences Complex. Cal Poly also opened the John Madden Football Center, a new home for Mustang Football.
Growing in tech and innovation
Cal Poly embraced emerging technologies and innovation across the university, hosting an AI Convening and AI Symposium and announcing plans for an NVIDIA-powered AI Factory. Through faculty research, student organizations and industry partnerships—including AWS and DxHub—students are applying artificial intelligence to real-world projects in true Learn by Doing fashion.
From building Cal Poly’s first solid-state laser to launching a CubeSat into space, students continue to turn ambitious ideas into meaningful technological advances.
