This series serves as a gathering place for research on the history of California Polytechnic State University, from its origins as the "California Polytechnic School" in 1901 through the present.
Additional research on Cal Poly's history is accessible at Kennedy Library, including senior projects pre-2009. These materials can be searched at Kennedy Library's catalog..
Primary sources used in this research are found in University Archives, Special Collections and Archives, Kennedy Library, Cal Poly. Some materials from University Archives are digitized, including the student newspaper, the El Rodeo yearbooks, Cal Poly course catalogs, and photos and audiovisual materials.
Submissions from 2016
Cal Poly and the Wayward Field of Home Economics, Cullen P. Conboy
Coeds Come to the Cal Poly Campus: The Return of Female Students to Cal Poly, Kaylin A. Embrey
Rodeo and the Women's Barrel Racing Team at Cal Poly, Sara D. Fellbaum
Laying the Foundation for Excellence, Matthew T. Hamilton
Town and Gown at Cal Poly, Jenna E. Iwamura
University Housing: How Residence Halls Changed Student Life at Cal Poly, Gary B. Jimenez
The Poly Royal Beauty Pageant at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: How Queens Reigned Over their Empire, Anna C. Johnson
Cal Poly Entrepreneurship: The Journey of Innovative Culture at the University, David N. Karditzas
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's Band Program: The Responsibilities, the Development and its Significance, Jenely-Anne Lozares
Learn By Neglect: A History of Cal Poly's Stance on Campus Racial Climate, Salar Malik
From the Berkeley Hills to Bishop Peak: Acquisition and Use of Land at Cal Poly and UC Berkeley, Paul J. Michaels
Altitude: Cal Poly's Aeronautics Department and "Learn By Doing", Austin S. Ng
Mockery of Philanthropy: How the Inter Fraternity Council of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Disassociates from Philanthropic Tradition, Graham E. Peralta
Politics, Paranoia, and Poly: The McCarthy-Era Red Scare and Its Impact on California State Polytechnic School, San Luis, Emily E. Scates
Women at Cal Poly: The Fear of Sexual Integration, Gabriela Shy
Cal Poly’s Response to the AIDS Crisis of the 1980s, Tessa St. Clair
Cal Poly Women: Roles and Depictions during World War II, Elena P. Sullivan
A Contemporary Witch Hunt: The McCarthy Era at Cal Poly, Courtney M. Thompson
Disparity or Equality: How Were Female Students Treated from 1917-1920, Charlie Williams
Submissions from 2015
The Power of Friendship: Cal Poly’s Contract in Thailand and Reinterpreting Cold War Agency Through Relationships, Sean Martinez
Cold War Culture: The Social Functions of the Cal Poly ROTC from 1953-57, Anthony Wong
Submissions from 2013
Development of the Cal Poly Biochemistry Department, 1967-1977, Jackson Baumgartner
The Civil Rights Movement at Cal Poly, Megan Manning
Cal Poly Veteran Village, Jenna Rovenstine