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Multiple Opportunities for Engagement
Your support and involvement can have a powerful impact on students and adds new ideas and concepts to their rapidly expanding professional abilities. While these times have created a great need for monetary contributions, this does not take the place of the need to provide professional guidance and support.
There are many different ways for a professional to become a valued contributor to the Cal Poly Landscape Architecture family. Sponsoring an office visit, conducting field visits to project sites, or engaging a class in a real world project all provide valued mentorship for students. Hiring a summer intern or a senior for a two or three quarter period provides professional opportunities for students which cannot be attained on campus. Attending a design critique or coming to campus as a guest speaker will provide additional leadership to the program.
You may also be interested in providing a gift in one of our three priority areas (student leadership and professional engagement, faculty excellence and curriculum innovation, technology and the learning environment) or in making an unrestricted gift that allows the department to use the funds in the areas of most critical need.
Student Leadership and Professional Engagement
Professional engagement is required to assure that Cal Poly continues to produce graduates with the high level of skill and leadership traits needed for 21st century landscape architectural practice.
Being on the Central Coast is both an opportunity and a constraint for the Landscape Architecture Department. Cal Poly students can greatly benefit from support that allows them to participate in the Extended Field Trip Program, Metro Programs, or other field trips and office visits. The support of students through scholarships, internship programs, guest lecturers, job shadowing and mentoring programs is also important. The "learn by doing" method of engagement places a unique emphasis on practitioner and community engagement which generates costs to the department that are not met by State allocations.
These following examples illustrate how supporting students and supporting community engagement is important in maintaining a quality education at Cal Poly.
A variety of opportunities exist that would help the department assure that the educational environment produces graduates with a high level of skill and continued professional engagement, including:
- A gift of $1,000 could subsidize the cost of printing large format files in the printing station at the MRC, for students with economic hardship.
- A gift of $1,250 could sponsor students and faculty in one class seeking to travel to an urban region to make office visits and visit case study projects.
- A gift of $2,000 could provide two students with support to attend an ASLA Annual Meeting.
- A gift of $3,000 could provide support for one student who cannot afford to purchase the laptop and software that the program requires.
- A gift of $4,000 could provide support for eight 5th year students to offset the cost of their capstone project and encourage them to enter the ASLA student competition.
- A gift of $5,000 could provide a stipend to one student to offset the cost of participation in the Metro Program or other urban internship/educational experience.
- A gift of $5,000 could provide a stipend to one student to offset the cost of participation in the Extended Field Trip Program or other off-campus experience.
- A gift of $7,500 could provide support for "Design Week," a five-day intensive interdisciplinary activity that includes public lectures, studio design sessions, design reviews and final presentations, engaging students at all class levels, faculty, and practicing professionals.
- A gift of $10,000 could support the SLO Landscape Journal for one year. This is the main vehicle used to stay connected to alumni and costs $10,000 a year to produce in full-color and mail.
- A gift of $15,000 could provide a $5,000 scholarship to three students.
- A gift of $20,000 could establish a scholarship endowment where the principal is held in perpetuity with part of the annual earnings generating ongoing support for activities designated by the donor. The minimum threshold for a scholarship endowment is $10,000.
Faculty Excellence and Curriculum Innovation
The faculty excellence and curriculum innovation program is needed to address a major issue found at the Cal Poly campus. Attracting and retaining tenure-track faculty has been difficult, especially given the fixed levels of salaries that the State of California offers compared with the high cost of living found in San Luis Obispo.
Because of the remote nature of the San Luis Obispo campus, faculty are required to spend greater amounts of their own money to complete field trips, visit offices or attend professional and academic conferences and events. Assistance in this program is intended to supplement the department's budget by providing support for faculty development activities.
When financial assistance is added to faculty salaries, it can make Cal Poly more competitive in attracting and retaining faculty with the appropriate level of credentials and professional experience. The department values its professors greatly and believes the learning environment is what drives students to be inspired and to ultimately excel.
A variety of opportunities exist that would help to continue to support faculty excellence and curriculum innovation, including:
- A gift of $750 could sponsor one faculty member for one year (three quarters), covering her/his expenses to travel to an urban region to make office visits and visit case study projects with students.
- A gift of $2,500 could support one faculty member for one year in their professional development activities, which include training, participation in workshops, travel to conferences, etc.
- A gift of $3,000 could support two Visiting Lecturers a year, allowing national or international professionals/theorists/practitioners to give guest lectures and review studios and supporting some of their transportation costs, lodging and meals.
- A gift of $5,000 could support one faculty member for two years in their professional development activities, including training, workshop participation, travel to conferences, etc.
- A gift of $15,000 could support the off-campus Extended Field Trip (EFT) Program. This support offsets the cost of travel and housing for the faculty member living abroad as part of the EFT, thus reducing student participation cost by about $1,000 per student.
- A gift of $25,000 could complete the $50,000 target set for the Walt Tryon Endowment fund that supports faculty development activities.
- A gift of $250,000 could establish a permanent Endowed Lectureship where the principal is held in perpetuity with part of the annual earnings generating ongoing support to hire a faculty member to achieve the benefactor's vision.
- A gift of $500,000 could establish a permanent Endowed Professorship where the principal is held in perpetuity with part of the annual earnings generating ongoing support to hire a faculty member to achieve the benefactor's vision.
- A gift of $1,000,000 could establish a permanent endowed Chair where the principal is held in perpetuity with part of the annual earnings generating ongoing support to hire a faculty member to achieve the benefactor's vision.
Technology and the Learning Environment
The learning environment program will help to build the classroom of the future and improve the department's common spaces and faculty offices. Funds are needed not only for technology, but for the basics such as desks, storage systems, partitions, display space and lighting.
The College has provided the department with State funds to improve about half of the department's facilities. Support is needed for updating the second-year labs, meeting areas, display spaces and faculty offices. Professional offices place a high value on creating a quality work environment. The Department intends to create a quality learning environment that can inspire students, faculty and staff.
A variety of opportunities exist that would help the department continue to improve facilities and equipment, including:
- A gift of $1,000 could provide an 11" x 17" scanner.
- A gift of $3,000 could provide one large screen desktop computer with software licenses in the student lab.
- A gift of $5,000 could update a faculty office with new furniture, storage space and space for student advising.
- A gift of $6,000 could provide one 72" Smartboard in one of the student labs. This is an interactive whiteboard system with a large, high-quality display that combines the simplicity of a whiteboard with the features of a computer and projection system.
- A gift of $8,000 could improve the visibility of the Landscape Architecture facilities: Letters on the exterior of Dexter Hall, indicating: LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE; signage and display space at the front entrance facing Dexter lawn; signage or mural along the staircase that leads form the Art and Design Department to the Landscape Architecture Department.
- A gift of $10,000 could update the lobby space outside the Landscape Architecture main office, providing gallery space for "special projects," new lighting, information boards and informal seating area.
- A gift of $15,000 could provide a large format color scanner for one of the student labs.
- A gift of $20,000 could provide comprehensive digital technology for one of the design labs. This would typically include a media cart with digital projector, sound, hard drive and camera for video conferencing; five classroom computers with software licenses; and an 11" x 17" scanner.
- A gift of $24,000 could provide eight large screen desktop computers with software licenses for one of the 2nd year student labs. There are three 2nd year labs in the department.
- A gift of $35,000 allows for the purchase of all of the above items listed in the "comprehensive digital technology for one of the design labs" plus a large format color scanner.
Various naming opportunities exist, that would design appropriate signage outside the space to acknowledge the contribution, for example:
- Name a studio for five years at the $50,000 level allowing for incremental improvements to one of the teaching labs. This can be achieved by making a $10,000 gift for five consecutive years. Sponsored studios are particularly needed for 34-247, 34-248 and 34-249. Ideally, one studio would be designated as a "material and products" lab, one studio would be designated as a "drawing and digital representation" lab, and the third one as an "office sponsored" lab. These could either be designated for a 5-year named lab, or as a life-time naming opportunity as indicated below.
- Name a support space (e.g., the Fireplace Room or one of the breakout spaces) at the $75,000 level, allowing for the renovation of one of these spaces. The lecture space within the large 34-252 lab is in particular need of renovation since it is our major lecture/presentation space.
- Name a Landscape Architecture Gallery space at the $100,000 level, allowing for the renovation of a classroom space into a dedicated gallery, pin-up and review space.
- Lifetime naming opportunity for a studio at the $250,000 - $350,000 level allowing for the complete renovation of a teaching lab.