Over $50 Million Awarded to Cal Poly Humboldt for Research and Community Initiatives
Cal Poly Humboldt’s B.A. in Communication program at Pelican Bay State Prison is the first B.A. program to be taught in person in a Level IV yard (high-security facility) in California. Photo by Tiffany L. Conover, Pelican Bay State Prison.
Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt:
Cal Poly Humboldt’s Pelican Bay Bachelor of Arts in Communication program stands as one of California’s pioneering educational offerings, providing a B.A. degree within a level-four, maximum-security prison setting.The program recently secured $899,999 in funding from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), marking just one of many impactful grants awarded to Cal Poly Humboldt during the 2023-24 fiscal year. Altogether, the University’s Sponsored Programs Foundation (SPF) secured $52.3 million to support a diverse range of student, staff, and faculty research and creative projects. These projects span critical areas, including renewable energy, social equity, and groundbreaking work in stem cell research.
According to Kacie Flynn, executive director of the SPF, which administers external funding and submits proposals on the University’s behalf, this past year’s funding underscores Humboldt’s commitment to programs that directly impact community resilience and social progress.
The DOJ grant for the University’s prison education program will bolster efforts to prepare incarcerated and recently released students for careers, easing their re-entry into society. Delivered in partnership with Project Rebound, the program will offer post-degree employment preparation and support services, promoting racial justice and reducing recidivism. This work contributes to building a stronger California economy and supports the ongoing development of community resilience.
Among the numerous grants awarded this year, Biology Professor Amy Sprowles and Dean of the College of Natural Resources & Sciences Eric Riggs received $4.39 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to enhance and expand the University’s Shared Resource Laboratory for Human Stem Cell-Based Modeling. Located in one of California’s most rural, medically underserved areas, the lab will provide cutting-edge access to stem cell-based research. In collaboration with UC Davis and Stanford University, the program aims to diversify the biomedical workforce, close health equity gaps, and advance reproducibility in regenerative medicine studies.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $23 million to Cal Poly Humboldt’s Schatz Energy Research Center to support the Tribal Energy Resilience and Sovereignty (TERAS) project. In partnership with the Hoopa Valley, Karuk, Yurok, and Blue Lake Rancheria Tribes, this initiative addresses the frequent and prolonged power outages these communities face. The TERAS project will develop nested microgrid solutions and advanced control systems to improve energy resilience, create local jobs, and promote climate adaptation within rural tribal lands.
Quick Facts for the 2023-24 Fiscal Year:
- Proposals: 337 new proposals submitted, requesting $151.2 million (record-breaking year for SPF).
- Awards: Received 237 new awards, totaling $52.3 million.
- Grant Portfolio: Managing 695 active projects, with a total award value of $189 million.
- Scholarships: Awarded $4 million in grant scholarships and stipends.
- Travel: Funded $1.9 million for faculty and student travel.
- Academic Grants: Secured over $5.1 million in academic grants, including $1.7 million for Social Work CALSWEC and $1.9 million in TRiO grants.
- Local Employment Impact: SPF employs 1,114 individuals annually, including 222 full-time staff, 419 part-time staff and faculty, and 473 students. These roles provide students with hands-on research experience and stable income, while faculty and staff benefit from opportunities to advance specialized research alongside supplementary income.
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Waste of Money we need to cut these ticks out
“You’re tax dollars at work.” Ha, Ha! Supporting a bunch of people who probably never worked a real job in their lives but who’ve mastered buzzword lingo.
a lot of these programs will probably go bye bye with biden
Yep i hope, but slimmy Gavin will keep theft like this alive at the state level. A payoff for votes. Wealth redistribution, reparation, social justice.
This is another redistribution of wealth.
But in this case it’s stealing from rich and poor alike to support the bureaucratic class.
Try researching how CPH might gain a tad bit of respect from the community if campus police didn’t lay in wait at parking lots that used to be open to the community during events on weekends, now owned by CPH, and slap tickets on vehicles just to keep the lots empty and gain a small buck.
Try researching how positively CPH might be viewed if it just went away.
This is really stupid – it’s probably an overreaction to vehicle campers that were using the lots 24/7.
Really stupid is assuming what something probably is or isn’t.
I will keep this brief as I’ve already commented on this in length.
North Country Fair 2024.
The parking lot behind CPH Campus Store, formerly Bank of America. There are two other lots in town that I know were ticketed, however, I do not have firsthand knowledge of those.
The former BoA lot has always been used to stage the parades on both days of the fair. The bands that play on the stage adjacent to the lot have always been allowed to park in it from which to haul their equipment, rather than making multiple trips across town with heavy instruments, amps, etc while leaving a vehicle full of the remaining equipment. On both days, several people from different bands were ticketed while performing, and in some cases, while transferring equipment the 100ft to the stage. The latter is why I suggested the campus were lying in wait. In the case of some bands, if two members in a single band received tickets, then the total cost would exceed the payment for playing the gig. When I spoke to the Fair organizers, I was told even they were informed, the morning of the event, that they must vacate the lot. I personally saw a vehicle parked in a handicapped spot, their placard properly displayed, with a ticket (that’s a low blow in my opinion).
While a few tickets were dismissed, others were not, mainly because people didn’t try to, or know they could, contest the issue. Time spent talking to APD. Time spent trying to reach and finally talking to CPH PD. Time spent Writing a letter to submit to CPH PD. Time spent nail biting and hair pulling waiting for a response.
Ok, not that brief, I’m still peeved. And NO. Probably not STUPID ! !
CPH can suck an egg ! ! I’m done with them.
While we mourn many lost aspects of the beloved former HSU, there’s one thing CPH does much better: self-promotion.
Don’t forget diversity!!! Until it starts raining!
My Emergency Grant to provide hot Coco to distraught Cal Poly students post election is “killing it”! Can’t wait for Saturday at the Arcata Farmers Market! Yes, I have a permit so there will be no “take-down”. Costa Rica here I come!
‘Community initiatives’ like a community radio station maybe??? There’s a concept! 🙁
Great. So, not only do I have to house, feed, and clothe the worst that society has to offer, now I have to give them a college education, too ???????
At least the inmates have housing unlike the students at CPH. How about using some of that money for housing for the students that actually have to pay for their schooling