Impact Magazine 2017

Dear CLA Alumni and Friends:

The Learn by Doing promise is Cal Poly’s commitment to engage students in hands-on learning and collaborative real-world projects. Increasingly, this requires working with advanced technology.

Although many of our majors have always been dependent on technical equipment and infrastructure, dramatic changes in the technology available to students has changed all disciplines in the College of Liberal Arts. The way students research, publish, create work and build their careers now is very different than it used to be. Today, students often need technical tools to showcase their ideas and projects in innovative, compelling ways, especially if their ideas are going to stand out in the barrage of information presented in today’s world.

As you know, the sky is the limit with regard to the ideas and creativity of Cal Poly students. In this issue of Impact, you will read stories that demonstrate how alumni and students in the liberal arts are using technology to supplement their traditional studies in the arts, social sciences, humanities and communications.

As new technological tools emerge and become more advanced, it’s important that users — like our CLA graduates — continue to approach problems critically, creatively and contextually. Our goal in the college is to make sure our students have the technical skills they need to succeed in today’s world; the experience to collaborate productively in diverse settings; and the understanding to make reasoned, ethical and socially responsible decisions.

Best regards,
Douglas Epperson
Dean, College of Liberal Arts