Contact: Jevon Edwards | Cal Poly Strategic Enrollment Management
770-312-4686; jedwar13@calpoly.edu

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly’s Office of Admissions has received a grant award from the California State University Office of the Chancellor to serve as a host site for the CSU’s Summer Algebra Institute (SAI) program.

Seventy seventh- and eighth-grade Central Coast students have been selected to participate in a free, five-week math enrichment program that also includes college readiness activities and Learn by Doing workshops. Participants will learn skills and techniques to improve their knowledge of mathematics and quantitative reasoning and participate in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) activities to further conceptualize the real-world application of mathematics.

In alignment with the goals of the CSU’s Graduation Initiative 2025, SAI aims to strengthen academic preparation, improve college access, and address equity gaps to ensure that all students have an opportunity to earn a college degree.

Cal Poly’s Office of Admissions has partnered with Allan Hancock College, the California Student Opportunity and Access Program — Central Coast Consortium (Cal SOAP-CCC), Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, Santa Maria Bonita School District, Guadalupe Union School District, and on-campus constituents to offer the SAI program this summer.

The program starts June 13 and runs for five weeks. Class sessions will be held at the Allan Hancock College Santa Maria campus Monday through Friday, and students will visit the Cal Poly campus on June 17, July 1, and July 15 from 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. to experience Learn by Doing workshops and college readiness activities.

Cal Poly will host Learn by Doing workshops and college readiness activities: an admissions information session; a blood measurement workshop with biomedical engineering Assistant Professor Michael Whitt; a three-part mobile making workshop with Chance Hoellwarth, director of the Center for Engineering, Science and Mathematics Education; a load flow workshop with architectural engineering Professor Edmond Saliklis; a strengths and personality activity with Career Counselor Hannah Steen of Career Services; and an introduction to coding in JavaScript with Matthew Harsh of Seeds in STEM.

The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District has partnered with Cal Poly to sponsor daily bus transportation to and from Allan Hancock College and Cal Poly for all students participating in the program, and the district will fund the salaries of two credentialed math instructors. Students participating in the Summer Algebra Institute program will receive elective credit at participating high schools in the Santa Maria district.

Cal SOAP-CCC will sponsor two program coordinators and eight tutors that will oversee and support all aspects of SAI. Cal SOAP-CCC will also provide students with breakfast and lunch daily with meal options including Subway, Chick-fil-a, and In-N-Out.

Cal Poly’s Summer Algebra Institute initiated student recruitment in May and has enrolled 70 seventh- and eighth-grade students, with an additional six students on a waitlist. The program hosted an orientation June 1 at the Boys and Girls Club of Mid Central Coast in Santa Maria, with over 150 students, parents and supporters in attendance.