Provost Communication, Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Hello everyone and I hope you are having a good morning. I wanted to acknowledge that there are a lot of questions from students, parents, and our campus community regarding housing for new and continuing Cal Poly Humboldt students. I appreciate your important relationships with our students and hope that you have seen the messaging that has gone out to the campus this week. If not, it bears repeating and I have reposted it below. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have additional questions and I would be happy to try and answer them and/or connect you with the appropriate person.

Housing for Students Messaging

Cal Poly Humboldt is experiencing unprecedented growth due to our strong academic programs as well as our polytechnic designation. We know that students and their families have concerns about the availability of quality, affordable housing during this time of growth. To help meet their needs, the University is providing other temporary housing options.

We are committed to offering priority housing at on-campus residence halls for all first-year students and accommodating as many transfer and returning students as we can in the next academic year. We know that while all students benefit from the opportunity to live on campus, it is of the utmost importance to those students newest to our campus to support their full transition to Cal Poly Humboldt. To balance these needs and support our returning and transfer students, Cal Poly Humboldt is increasing our bridge housing options for Fall 2023 by adding approximately 1,000 beds. Our goal is to provide as many students as possible with a safe and affordable housing option managed by the University.  At this time, we have arranged options that include the Comfort Inn, Motel 6, and Super 8 hotels near campus in Arcata. We are also working on additional options.

Cal Poly Humboldt is committed to sustaining a quality student experience throughout this time of growth and transition. One example of bridge housing is from this past Fall 2022 when upperclassmen had the opportunity to live at the Comfort Inn in Arcata. Surveys and conversation with current residents in our campus-managed off-site housing have shown their satisfaction with this option. Students have shared their appreciation of the convenience of the location, its strong connection with the community and local businesses, and the extra amenities, such as breakfast, cleaning service, and a grocery store within walking distance. Students enjoy these amenities as well as a reduced cost of housing (which will be $3,312 per semester for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters respectively).  

All continuing students received a message today from Housing & Residence Life explaining their options and the housing application process and timeline. This web page was recently updated to help our students and their families better understand our process. More information will be shared regarding options and the included amenities in more detail. We will continue to update you as we finalize contractual agreements for additional spaces and services.

Call for Participation in April 6th Career and Education Fair

On Thursday, April 6, 2023, McKinleyville High School, College of the Redwoods, and the McKinleyville Chamber of Commerce are co-hosting a Career & Education Fair to help Humboldt County high school students and CR students explore career ideas, apply for summer jobs, and learn about education, volunteer, and job opportunities. Approximately 300 students from CR, MHS, and other high schools will participate. Academic Departments are invited to host a booth at the fair from 11:15 am -12:30 pm in the MHS gymnasiums. Please RSVP your attendance to host a booth at the fair as soon as possible, but no later than March 1, 2023.

If you would like to connect directly with more College of the Redwoods students, please consider attending the CR Career Exploration Day & Open House on March 27, 2023, and/or the CR Job Fair on April 25, 2023. If you are interested in hosting a booth, please email Jim Ritter at james-ritter@redwoods.edu or call 707-498-2917. 

Spring 2023 Graduate Studies Newsletter

The Spring 2023 Newsletter features grad and alumni student success stories each from different graduate programs. We hope you are inspired by the work our amazing grad students are doing and get even more involved in grad programs.  

CSU Grad Slam - Three-minute Thesis Competition

The Humboldt Grad Slam competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by graduate students. The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. For some, it helps to develop an "elevator speech" for their research. Participation showcases communication abilities – an essential skill. Please encourage your graduate students to sign up now for Cal Poly Humboldt's own Grad Slam, taking place on campus on Thursday, March 30, 2023. One winner will be selected from each college. In addition to our campus prize, two of the three will move on to the CSU competition and the third will be an alternate. Registration is open now until February 28, 2023. Apply Here! 

Thanks so much for all that you do.

Jenn Capps, PhD

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Cal Poly Humboldt