California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly SLO) is
located due north of downtown and highway 101. Just look for the
concrete "P" stuck on the side of a hill above the campus. This four
year college is known for its engineering, agricultural & business
schools. Cal Poly's motto is "Learn by doing." This motto is evident on
campus as there are over 350 different clubs and many 'hands on'
laboratories.
At the Cal Poly store you can buy Cal Poly ice cream made by the
students and also Cal Poly milk. Student led tours of the campus are
given M, W, or F at 10AM or 2PM. The tours- question/answers phone
number is (805) 756-2792.
In 1996 construction on a performing arts center was completed and
concerts and symphonies are regularly held in its main hall. Often
celebrities and well known musicians perform here. Every once in a while
Wierd Al Yankovich returns to his Alma Mater and performs. Rumor has it
he recorded his first hit in one of the bathrooms on campus. The
acoustics are tremendous. Tickets can be purchased by calling (805)
756-2787.
In fact over the last 5 years Cal Poly has seen quite a dramatic
increase in new buildings on the campus. New engineering labs are
springing up on campus - a parking garage was added just a couple of
years ago, a "sports complex" was recently finished, and in 2003 a set
of very nice new dorms were finished on campus. Construction ended in
late 2005 on a series of Engineering labs towards the lower end of
campus near Engineering Building 13 and several more Engineering
buildings are almost completed - sitting on what was the main library
parking lot.
The next wave of construction started in 2006. The renovation
improvements to the football stadium continues. Huge towers, expanded
seating and a memorial to a plane crash carrying Cal Poly football
players is now completed. Poly Canyon Village when
completed will be Cal Poly's own unique town. It is a series of dorms,
other student facilities and two parking garages which are being built
at the north entrance to Poly Canyon.
Sports
Complex Cal Poly Campus
Construction has started on this and will take a few years due to the
enormous scale of this project.
The Robert E. Kennedy library was built in 1980, named after a former president of the
University, not JFK's brother. This library, the heart of the campus, contains over
620,000 books and 500,000 government documents.
