HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-08-2013 pc armstrong•
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JAN 08 201 3
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OFFICE OF THE PRESIDEN T
COUNCIL MEETING :V2/i3
ITEM NO .:
•
CAL POLY
SAN LUIS OBISP O
January 8, 201 3
Mayor Jan Howell Marx and Members of the City Counci l
City of San Luis Obisp o
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-324 9
Re : City goal-setting and budget process for 2013-1 5
Dear Mayor Marx and Council Members :
As you undertake the important process of establishing the city's major goals for the 2013-1 5
cycle, 1 want to underscore Cal Poly's desire to help you create an even more remarkable plac e
to live, work and, of course, to learn .
I note that two of the city's top 2011-13 major goals — Economic Development an d
Neighborhood Wellness — were especially relevant to Cal Poly's mission, and I encourage you t o
retain these as major goals for 2013-15 .
While I believe Cal Poly has made tangible contributions toward these two goals, my colleague s
and I all agree that we can be even more helpful in these areas . Improvements would be helpful
to all who live here, of course, but they also have a direct bearing on our primary focus as a
university – the success of Cal Poly students .
The Economic Development goal specifically included a desire for expanded collaboration wit h
Cal Poly . In the last two years, with encouragement and support from the County and the City o f
San Luis Obispo, as well as elected officials and civic leaders throughout the region, Cal Pol y
has opened the Tech Park, established both the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship an d
the Small Business Development Center for Innovation . Additionally, a very focused partnershi p
involving city officials, local business leaders and Cal Poly gave birth to the SLO HotHous e
business incubator .
We are continuing to look at how Cal Poly can be more effective at promoting partnerships wit h
business, industry and government to promote economic development throughout the region an d
look forward to what we can contribute to the city's efforts should economic developmen t
remain a major goal . While our core mission is educating students enrolled in our degre e
programs, we recognize that economic opportunity, intercollegiate athletics, and performing an d
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Mayor Jan Howell Marx and Members of the City Counci l
Page 2
January 8, 201 3
visual arts enhance our community for residents and visitors . We also know that as we expand
partnerships, we are creating more opportunities for our students to interact with and learn fro m
some of the region's finest minds .
With regard to Neighborhood Wellness, improvements are vital not only as a matter o f
respecting our neighbors, but they also are important to our students' success, as their learning i s
done best in a safe, welcoming and respectful environment . There has been some succes s
regarding code compliance and overall reductions in noise complaints, and I believe it has bee n
the result of a combination of education and enforcement efforts .
The council deserves credit for its leadership in approving tougher fines and encouraging stricte r
code compliance, efforts that Cal Poly publicly supported at a September 2009 city workshop .
On the education front, our students, on their own initiative, developed The Mustang Way, a se t
of principles to guide student decision making (http ://goo .gl/37hEx).Additionally, our Studen t
Affairs division implemented an educational program about the dangers of alcohol abuse calle d
Aware Awake Alive (hup :/lstudentaffairs-test .calpolv .edu/contentlawareawakeali v e).
Neighborhood wellness is a rich concept, and, of course, is about more than code enforcemen t
and noise complaints . Working together to address neighborhood wellness in a holistic way, w e
can do even more to continue to improve the quality of life for all residents, including th e
thousands of residents who are students at Cal Poly and Cuesta .
In urging you to retain and expand Neighborhood Wellness as an initiative, Cal Poly pledges t o
be an active, constructive partner . Keith Humphrey, our new vice president for student affairs, i s
eager to assist ; ASI President Katie Morrow affirms the same commitment to help in the wor k
ahead . While I mention these two important Cal Poly leaders, please know that all of us at Ca l
Poly are committed to assisting the city attain its goals .
As our students wrote in The Mustang Way, "We are one community . We accept responsibility ."
They speak for all of us at Cal Poly.
Thank you for the opportunity to share Cal Poly's perspective with you . And thank for your
leadership in addressing these complex, challenging issues .
Sincerely ,
Jeffrey D . Armstrong