Strategic Initiatives
We are incredibly proud of our department’s response to the challenges of COVID-19. Our faculty and staff have supported students while keeping a Learn by Doing curriculum as we transitioned to virtual instruction. However, finding the funds to support this transition was an unforeseen expense. To avoid additional cost to students, the department found ways to sponsor some of the virtual learning tools. Times like these show the direct impact of departments’ discretionary funds.
Your generous gift in this area will support:
- Hands-on learning opportunities
- Enhancing curriculum for distance learning
- Adapting to any new challenges that may arise
Women in Computing — Grace Hopper Conference
We are becoming a national leader at the annual Grace Hopper Conference, the premier conference on women in computing, by fully supporting approximately 100 young women to attend and participate
As we continue to advocate for female students as a top strategic priority, the Grace Hopper Conference and student clubs such as Women in Software and Hardware (W.I.S.H.) provides incredible mentoring, support and leadership opportunities for our young women in the department. The number of female students in our programs has tripled during the last four year, and W.I.S.H. has doubled.
Your generous gift in this area will support:
- The participation of more young women to the Grace Hopper Conference
- Additional mentoring opportunities
Cost needed to support each student: $1000
Reflecting on ever increasing industry demand and student interest, the department offers a Cross Disciplinary Studies Minor in Data Science. A unique blend of courses and capstone experiences was made possible with collaboration between the departments of Computer Science and Statistics, allowing students to complement their Computer Science or Software Engineering major.
Your generous gift in this area will support:
- Upgrades to our computational infrastructure for big data
- Student projects
- Opportunities for students to present in professional conferences
Reflecting upon the diverse interests and passion of our students, and addressing industry demand, the department offers a multi-disciplinary Cross Disciplinary Studies Minor in Computing for Interactive Arts. Collaboration between the departments of Computer Science and Art and Design allows out students to compliment their Computer Science or Software Engineering major with a blend of courses and capstone experiences.
Your generous gift in this area will support:
- Upgrades to the Game Development Lab
- Student projects
- Opportunities for students to present in professional conferences
The demand for cybersecurity courses has exceeded expectations, and enhancing this program remains a key strategic emphasis at the department, college, and university levels. The department has hired two faculty, developed a number of new cybersecurity courses, and uses the Cal Poly Cyber lab exclusively for teaching this curriculum.
Your generous gift in this area will support:
- Upgrades of the Cal Poly Cyber Lab
- Development of a “Cybersecurity Projects and Innovation Lab” – home of the White Hat club
- Student projects
- Opportunities for students to present in professional conferences
With your generous support, we have recently completed a very successful fundraising campaign to develop the Massively Parallel Computing (MPAC) Lab. We are deeply grateful to you and to our industry sponsors for all the support.
The MPAC lab will be a unique facility to allow the teaching of specialized courses and the implementation of multidisciplinary projects that require high performance computing and visualization capabilities.
Your generous gift in this area will support:
- Student Projects
- Opportunities for students to present in professional conferences
- Future Lab Upgrades
During recent years, we have developed courses on the Android and iOS platforms, which are extremely popular. One of our goals is to develop a specialized lab for projects/research in the area of security for mobile devices to address student interests and industry demand.
Your generous gift in this area will support:
- Upgrades and acquisition of mobile devices
- Development of the Mobile Devices Security Lab
Matching Gifts
Many companies have matching gift programs and will match contributions of their employees. By signing up, you can double the impact of your gift the Computer Science Department.
providing your support by check
Please make checks payable to: Department of Computer Science – CAL POLY
On the memo line, insert: “In support of <name of Strategic Initiative>”
Mail to:
c/o Chris Lupo, Chair
Computer Science and Software Engineering Department
Building 14
Cal Poly State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0354
Thank you for your support!
Your gift will help ensure that the Cal Poly Computer Science and Software Engineering Department remains a national leader.