Provost Communication: Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

So much of our Cal Poly Humboldt identity is anchored in our sense of place and the many opportunities for place-based learning that our unique region affords us. While we often think of place-based learning as applied learning among our forests, rivers, and ocean, equally important is helping our students develop a sense of belonging within the communities that surround us. The college experience is all the richer when students feel safe, welcomed, and connected—not only on campus, but throughout the community they will call home during their time at Humboldt.

Shout out to the Place-Based Learning Communities Team for an Outstanding Welcome to our Students!

A huge shout out and thank you to our Place-Based Learning Communities (PBLC) team for helping create what may have been one of the best introductions to the greater Humboldt community our students have experienced. 

On August 21, PBLC partnered with the City of Arcata, Humboldt Made, and other community partners for the opening night of the Arcata Friday Night Market—an evening specifically designed to welcome Cal Poly Humboldt students into the community. The Arcata Plaza was alive with people, local food vendors, music, businesses, and community members—even Humboldt’s very own enormous fire-breathing octopus, El Pulpo Magnifico, created by local artist Duane Flatmo. I am told that the dance party surrounding the fiery octopus was an all-ages spectacle to behold! 

What is especially meaningful is how well this experience reflected what PBLC is all about. Our Place-Based Learning Communities are designed to foster belonging, connect students with their peers and faculty, deepen connections between academic learning and the Humboldt region, and create meaningful opportunities for experiential learning. This was place-based learning before the first assignment was even due! 

For a new student, an evening like this says something important: Humboldt isn't only the university you attend. This place—the people, communities, creativity, culture, and wonderfully unusual things that happen here—is part of your education and your experience, too.

That matters. Our programs are about helping transform the university from an organization into a community, where students develop relationships, discover interests, build belonging, and begin to understand their place here. The Friday Night Market made that idea tangible.

Thank you to the PBLC team, the City of Arcata, and everyone who contributed the planning, creativity, relationship-building, and behind-the-scenes work that made this possible. You didn't just put on an event. You helped introduce our students to their new home. What a way to say: Welcome to Humboldt. Welcome to Arcata. We're glad you're here.

For anyone who wants to see how the community described the evening, here’s some of the coverage: 

• Lost Coast Outpost — “A Month of Friday Night Markets in Arcata Kicks Off Tonight With Duane Flatmo’s El Pulpo Magnifico”

• Redheaded Blackbelt — “Arcata’s Friday Night Market Returns with a Fire-Breathing, 28-Foot Octopus”

• Forever Humboldt — Arcata Friday Night Market event listing

I always welcome the opportunity to celebrate the great work of our colleagues, both on and off campus. If there are points of pride, accomplishments, or acknowledgements you would like to share in a future Provost Communication, please don't hesitate to send a note to OAAVP@humboldt.edu or directly to Pearl Podgorniak at pip5@humboldt.edu. 

Finally, you likely need no reminding, but I’ll do so anyway: Campus is closed on Monday, September 7, 2026 in commemoration of Labor Day. I sincerely hope you can enjoy this precious day off doing some things of your choosing. Provost Communications will resume on Wednesday, September 9th.

Sincerely, 

Shawna Young