Provost Communication, Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Good morning and happy Wednesday. I hope your last week of classes (before final week and commencement, of course) is going well. My apologies that this is a long one today, but a lot of important information to share, so read carefully!

Well Done: ideaFest!

A delayed congratulations to everyone who made ideaFest yet another sweeping success this past Friday. The exhibits of scholarship, student engagement, and coming together around diverse and engaging projects were wonderful. A special thanks to Cyril Oberlander, Dean of the Library and all of the library faculty and staff; Kacie Flynn, Associate Vice President of Research and all of the Sponsored program staff; and last but not least, all of the faculty and students engaged in making ideaFest a vibrant intellectual event. 

State University Grant (SUG) Update

A recent change in policy from the Chancellor's Office related to State University Grant (SUG) has caused some concern related to affordability for Cal Poly Humboldt students for Fall 2025.

We have had to plan to receive a reduced amount of SUG funding for Humboldt students, for now set at 85% of our current allocation. In addition, the need threshold changed significantly for both graduate and undergraduate students. Some students (graduate and undergraduate, continuing and new) now no longer qualify for SUG. For continuing students, this includes many who previously received SUG as part of their financial aid packages.

• Because of the Green & Gold Guarantee that Humboldt rolled out in January, there is no immediate impact on the majority of new undergraduate students, including transfers. Our campus will be absorbing the unexpected shift in funding for those new students for the 25-26 academic year.

• Cal Poly Humboldt leadership advocated for increased flexibility for our campus in order to protect our new enrollment and retention efforts. A draft policy was released that offered us flexibility in the ability to package for continuing students, but it does not increase the amount of funding available to us. 

• The currently known allocation does not allow us to meet all continuing students' needs at their previously awarded levels, which is estimated at well over $1.4 million.

• The impact on continuing graduate students has been mitigated by a re-awarding process, leveraging the new flexibility that allowed us to match the awards previously given to our continuing graduate students.

• New graduate students must meet the updated policy requirements, but campus leadership has approved additional graduate fee waivers as a supportive measure.

• We are still working through ways in which we can further support the financial needs of continuing undergraduate students. This includes continued advocacy with the CO around increased allocation, as well as possible re-awarding strategies.

Graduate Student Fee Waivers

The recent conversations about the challenges with SUG have offered a different opportunity to increase support for a subset of graduate students in the area of fee waivers. Up until this year, Cal Poly Humboldt had had 15 approved fee waivers for graduate students. It has been several years since we have adjusted this number, and with the rise in our graduate student numbers and decline in resources like SUG to support them, it’s an ideal time to increase the number of fee waivers we offer.  I am pleased to announce that we have increased the number of Fee Waiver slots to 27 for AY 25-26, which matches the total number of eligible applicants. 

Nexus @ Noon event on Friday, May 9, 2025

Nexus @ Noon is where students, faculty, and staff converge to explore today's most pressing political issues. True to the meaning of "nexus"—a connection linking multiple points—this series will be a dynamic space for questioning, discussing, and researching political developments at local, state, federal, and global levels. With no set agenda, each session will be guided by the questions and interests of attendees, alongside insights from the Chair of the Department of Politics and special guests. Whether participants are attending to ask, learn, or contribute, Nexus @ Noon is where they can learn more about the complexities of current events in real time! Join us for the third event (see attached flyer) on Friday, May 9, in LIB 002 (basement level), 12-1 pm

If you have questions, please contact Politics Department Chair Dr. Joice Chang at joice.chang@humboldt.edu. Refreshments provided.

Day of Data Science on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 9 am-12:30 pm in BSS 312.  

This event is for all students interested in learning about the field of data science, associated career options, and more.  Faculty and staff are welcome too. Please see the flyer attached for more information.

Have a wonderful rest of your week.

Sincerely,

Jenn Capps