As many of you know, Dean Williams recently embarked on a new professional adventure at Oregon State University. I’m excited to be temporarily stepping into his shoes, serving as interim dean this year while the university conducts a national search for our next permanent dean.

I came to Cal Poly in 2007 as an assistant professor in the History Department, where I taught classes ranging from graduate seminars on the Scientific Revolution to lower-division surveys of Early America. I’ve spent the last ten years in various leadership positions, including as graduate director of the History M.A. program, an administrative fellow in the CLA dean’s office, History Department Chair, and, most recently, the Associate Dean for Student Success.

I accepted an offer to join Cal Poly’s History faculty all those years ago for the same basic reason that I agreed to serve as interim dean: the exceptional people who comprise the Cal Poly community. In this new role, I’m looking forward to finding new ways to support the outstanding staff, faculty, students, alumni, and friends of the college.

Almost two decades in, I remain in awe of the transformative educational opportunities that our faculty and staff create for our students. In the pages that follow, you’ll get a chance to learn more about some of those opportunities, including the Spanish Language Debate Team, cutting-edge CLA research labs, and how our students are leveraging minors in strategic and creative ways.

I’m grateful for all that you each do to support the college and, most importantly, the people who comprise it.

All my best wishes,
Kate Murphy
Interim Dean, College of Liberal Arts