Cal Maritime officially merges with Cal Poly

On Tuesday morning the colors of green and navy blue merged with gold as Cal Maritime Academy officially became Cal Poly Maritime Academy.

This comes after California State University Board of Trustees voted in November to approve a CSU Chancellor recommendation to integrate the two schools. The integration would be complete by the start of the 2026-27 academic year.

 

On Tuesday morning in the administration building of the Vallejo campus, officials were in good spirits on the first day of the merger.

“We’ve been anticipating this time between now and last November and we’re looking forward to the new collaboration and coordination,” Cal Poly Maritime Director of University Affairs Chelsea McClain said. “We will be integrating the academic year from quarter to semester. Cal Maritime was already semester and now Cal Poly will transition.

“But it’s going to be a unique situation where we take elements of Cal Poly and merge them with Cal Maritime,” McClain continued. “We’re not sure yet what the mascot will be in the future. Possibly a Mustang the Mariner character of a captain or sailor.” The Cal Poly mascot is a Mustang, while Cal Maritime’s mascot is a Keelhauler.

McClain said the merger was especially special for her as she graduated from Cal Poly in 2001 and grew up in nearby Davis.

The decision of the merger between the two schools was made after Cal Maritime experienced a 31 percent enrollment decline over the last seven years — going from approximately 1,100 students in 2016-17 to just over 750 in 2023-24, according to a CSU statement. There are 81 members of faculty, with 176 staff.

The rising employment and operational costs have contributed to the fiscal crisis for Cal Maritime, which has an annual budget of $53 million.

Cal Maritime's campus is shown. (Thomas Gase - Times-Herald file)
Cal Maritime’s campus is shown. (Thomas Gase – Times-Herald file) 

Cal Poly has appointed two new leaders to guide the future of the Cal Poly, Solano Campus and the Cal Poly Maritime Academy as part of its ongoing integration efforts.

Dr. Corey Cook has been named vice president and chief executive officer of Cal Poly, Solano Campus, while Rear Admiral (Retired) Eric C. Jones, USCG, has been named superintendent of the Cal Poly Maritime Academy.

Cook and Jones were appointed to their new posts after a national search and began their respective roles on Tuesday.

“These new leaders will work closely with colleagues from across both campuses to advance our shared mission, champion Learn by Doing and deepen our commitment to maritime education and regional impact,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong in May.

McClain said that despite the merger, the two schools will still have two campuses that fit specific needs.

“For example, if your major is Marine transportation, you can only learn that here (the Vallejo campus) while there are degrees you will only be able to learn in San Luis Obispo,” McClain said. She added that many issues will be worked out over the next year, such as what to do with the sports programs.

“Rules specify that you can’t have a Division I team as well as a NAIA team, you’ll we will have to work that out,” McClain said. She said that Cal Maritime will have a sports program next year but details are still being worked out on what happens after the spring of 2026.

Additionally, integration will result in a single administrative structure, one budget and one of each of the appropriate shared governance structures, including faculty/academic senates, one Associated Students, one alumni association and one philanthropic foundation.

The integration is considered a permanent solution and Cal Maritime will not be going back to an independent school in the future. The CSU is providing $35 million in one-time funds to support the integration that will be distributed over seven years.

Numerous options were considered to preserve Cal Maritime’s unique programs while ensuring financial feasibility and sustainability. It was determined that Cal Poly was clearly the best aligned with Cal Maritime for a successful integration because the schools have similar institutions in many fundamental ways, primarily in their academic missions and learning ethos. Both institutions rely upon a hands-on approach and both offer degree programs within high return-on-investment program areas. Clear synergistic opportunities exist in multiple academic programs, perhaps most obviously within the engineering and marine science fields.

Both institutions also are involved in national and economic security issues that impact the western U.S., the Pacific Rim and beyond. There is also untapped potential in the ability of the two institutions, if combined, to compete for increased federal, philanthropic and other sources of funding for national security, renewable energy and other programs.

Not everyone was thrilled about the new name change, as many on the Vallejo City Council were disappointed that the name “Vallejo” wasn’t included.

In December the council moved forward with a 7-0 vote to write letters and advocate for the word “Vallejo” to be in the name of the campus once Cal Maritime Academy merges. It did not take.

Some council members in December wondered if the name was left out due to the bad reputation Vallejo gets with education from enrollment dwindling in the past few years, as well as a crime element that exists in Vallejo that may or may not hurt recruiting for new students.

Former Vice Mayor Mina Loera-Diaz wasn’t having any of that, saying in December they would find out soon enough after attending the school what the city was like and called the non-naming of Vallejo a “bait and switch.”

McClain told the Times-Herald on Tuesday morning that no new signs on campus had been constructed with the new name, but that the process was currently in place for that to take place soon at which point a ceremony will likely be held.

 

 

 

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