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

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Kate Murphy has been named dean of Cal Poly’s College of Liberal Arts (CLA), effective July 1. 

Murphy has served as interim dean of CLA since August 2024, leading efforts to expand transfer pathways, enhance career readiness programs and support interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Kate Murphy is the incoming dean of the College of Liberal Arts

Under her guidance, the college has strengthened its commitment to preparing students to be successful in an evolving job market while maintaining the transformative impact of a liberal arts education at a polytechnic university.

“Kate is a collaborative and empathetic leader who understands the opportunities and challenges facing higher education today,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, Cal Poly’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Her leadership has already strengthened CLA’s academic programs and student opportunities, and I am confident she will continue to build on that momentum in meaningful ways.” 

Since joining Cal Poly in 2007, Murphy has served as an educator and in several leadership roles. Before becoming interim dean, she was associate dean for student success, where she led efforts to make CLA more transfer-friendly and spearheaded collegewide initiatives to enhance advising, improve student retention and provide greater support for first-generation students and/or those facing academic challenges.
 
“I am eager to continue shaping the college's future and ensuring its success, inspired by my deep admiration for the college and the dedicated individuals who make up its community,” Murphy said. “I have a profound respect for how Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing ethos uniquely enriches the liberal arts, creating deeply meaningful learning experiences. Most importantly, I believe in the life-changing impact of public universities — especially Cal Poly — not only for our students but also their families and communities.”

Murphy is an accomplished historian known for her research on the history of science and the transatlantic slave trade. Her work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).

She has published widely in academic journals and is the author of Captivity’s Collections: Science, Natural History, and the Transatlantic British Slave Trade. 
She holds a doctorate and master’s degree in history from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Virginia.

Outside of her work, Kate enjoys swimming, hiking, gardening and spending time with her husband and their 5-year-old son, often exploring the outdoors and community farmers markets together.

Top photo: Students in a 2024 TH470 Ancestral Theatre course meet with Visiting Professor Andrew Saito to discuss the research they’ve done with their ancestries, genealogies, families and communities to learn about their familial and cultural pasts. They’ll use what they’ve learned and these class discussions to help them craft plays based on their findings.

Cal Poly photo by Joe Johnston