Contact: Matt Lazier
805-756-7109; media@calpoly.edu

Renewed focus on U.S. maritime industry growth presents a golden opportunity for the West Coast’s only state maritime academy to make an impact and provide the industry leaders of tomorrow

VALLEJO, California — The Cal Poly Solano Campus recently hosted media for a day of conversations with students and faculty and interaction some of the Cal Poly Maritime Academy’s cutting-edge, hands-on technology and programming helping to prepare the next generation of maritime industry leaders.

The gathering helped mark the start of the academy’s first fall semester integrated with Cal Poly, a move that provides needed support for the crucial maritime academy programming while taking advantage of synergies between the universities’ academic programs and shared emphasis on Learn by Doing — all at a time when the nation is calling for increased focus on and revitalization of the U.S. maritime industry.

The California State University Board of Trustees voted in 2024 to integrate the former California State University Maritime Academy with Cal Poly to strengthen both universities’ programming and reverse the academy’s years of enrollment declines and struggling finances. As of July 1, 2025, the campuses are operating administratively as one university under the leadership of a single president: Jeffrey D. Armstrong. Academic integration is continuing through the current school year, with the first students enrolling at the Cal Poly Maritime Academy as Cal Poly students in Fall 2026.

“What the integration enables us to do is focus our resources directly on the student experience and on student outcomes, which is an extraordinary opportunity in higher education,” said Corey Cook, vice president and CEO of the Cal Poly Solano Campus, which includes the maritime academy. “So, if you take as a starting point two incredible institutions that are nationally known for having an impact on students, and say, ‘Let’s combine them in such a way that focuses all of our attention on student outcomes,’ I think the sky is the limit in terms of what we can achieve together.”

The merger was pursued as a way to maintain the maritime academy as a key feeder of new employees to a crucial sector of the national economy.

“The maritime industry is really the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. Over 90 percent of our goods travel over the seas. And the multimodal port facilities that get goods across this nation are really what allow us to enjoy the quality of life we have,” said Adm. Eric C. Jones, superintendent of the Cal Poly Maritime Academy. “Here on the West Coast and the Pacific region, I’m here to tell you, if you’re involved in any of the maritime industry, whether it’s out at sea or along the waterfront, you’re going to find Cal Poly Maritime Academy graduates.”

Utilizing Cal Poly’s expertise in attracting prospective students, the Cal Poly Maritime Academy is focusing on growing enrollment and increasing the number of new graduates headed into the industry ready day one to succeed.

“We have a unique opportunity to partner with entities across the region to help regrow the maritime industry, as the only state maritime academy on the West Coast of the United States,” Cook said. “So, we’re focusing on impact — how do we increase impact for our students, how do we increase our impact in our communities. Impact, for me, is: How do we grow student pipelines?”

Visitors to campus experienced some of this Learn by Doing curriculum first-hand, getting a glimpse at cutting-edge technology such as the academy’s navigational bridge simulator — which gives participants a realistic experience of conning a vessel through a variety of water and weather conditions. As well, they heard from students and faculty about how hands-on learning positions students for immediate success in their careers.

“For all of our graduates, all of our cadets graduating into whatever industry they aspire to be in, they have jobs before they graduate,” said Tyler Venator, a senior mechanical engineering student and commander of the corps of cadets at Cal Poly Maritime Academy. “I’ve got an offer for a job that I was working last summer, which was really great. Most of our cadets have return offers after their sophomore year.”

It's a familiar story to Capt. Samar Bannister — an alumna of the maritime academy who has returned to lead the training vessel Golden Bear.

“Cal Poly Maritime Academy was pivotal in my career and my personal growth. Getting a degree and a license opened doors that I never thought were possible,” Bannister said. “I’m most excited about leveraging the Cal Poly formula for success. We are both academies of Learn by Doing, we always have been, so this fit is a natural fit. And we now have the opportunity to broaden our horizon in terms of reaching out to more students so that we can make other students’ dreams come true like mine came true many years ago.”

For more information on the Cal Poly Maritime Academy and Cal Poly Solano Campus, visit: www.calpoly.edu/maritime

For more information about Cal Poly, visit www.calpoly.edu.