History
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Overview
Cal Poly was established in 1901 when Governor Henry T. Gage signed the California Polytechnic School Bill. The California Polytechnic School was built adjacent to San Luis Obispo and held its first classes on September 30, 1903, offering secondary (high school) courses of study. The first incoming class was 20 students. The school continued to grow steadily, except during a period from the mid 1910s to the early 1920s when World War I led to drops in enrollment and drastic budget cuts forced fewer class offerings.
In 1924, Cal Poly was placed under the control of the California State Board of Education. In 1933, the Board of Education changed Cal Poly into a two year technical and vocational school. The institution began to offer Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1940 and was renamed the California State Polytechnic College in 1947 to better reflect its higher education offerings. In 1960, control of Cal Poly and all other state colleges was transferred from the State Board of Education to an independent Board of Trustees, which later became the California State University system.
Expansion
The college was authorized to offer Master of Science degrees in 1967. From 1967 to 1970, the school’s curriculum was reorganized into different units (such as the School of Science and Math, the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the School of Architecture, which was created in 1968). The state legislature changed the school’s official name again in 1971 to California Polytechnic State University. The College of Architecture and Environmental Design was formally organized in 1972 with George Hasslein appointed as the first Dean of the College. The architecture degree was initially named "Architectural Engineering" and was later changed to "Architecture".
Women in Architecture
At it's founding in 1901 Cal Poly allowed enrollment by both men and women. However, this changed in 1930 when women were barred from enrolling or attending classes at the school. In 1937 Governor Frank Merriam approved a legislative act to repeal the act that limited the School to male students, but due to little publicity Cal Poly remained an all-male school until the war-preparedness training programs began in 1940 for both men and women.[1] Besides these select courses women were not allowed general enrollment at the university until 1956 under the direction of then university president Julian A. McPhee. As of the fall quarter, 2009, the university enrolment consisted of 56% men and 44% women.[2]
The first woman enrolled at Cal Poly in 1957. That year 120 to 126 women enrolled[3]. Thirteen of those were in the freshman architecture class. Among that group was Joyce (Mickey) Dolman. Of those thirteen Joyce was the only one to come back for the sophomore year of study. Two other woman later transfered into the program, including Pat Dillinger (transfered in the Winter quarter of 1958 from San Jose State) who joined the Structural Engineering program. Joyce graduated in 1962 making her the first woman to complete the entire architecture program.
In the early days at Cal Poly the unmarried women were required to live in the dormitories, and unlike their male counterparts, they had a 10:00pm curfew. This proved to be difficult for the female architecture students who needed to stay late working in their studios. It was not uncommon for the women to sneak out after curfew to return to their classes. The women would have to hide when the night watchman and dog would check the labs.[4] Women in the architecture program were later granted an exemption to the requirement of living in the dorms but were required to live with someone who was at least 21 years old.[5]
Sources
- ↑ Cal Poly, Inclusive Excellence, History, accessed 1/6/2010
- ↑ Cal Poly Quick Facts, accessed 1/5/2010
- ↑ The Studio Podcast, Episode 50 @53:30; Dec. 10th, 2010
- ↑ The Studio Podcast, Episode 50 @56:15; Dec. 10th, 2010
- ↑ The Studio Podcast, Episode 50 @59:00; Dec. 10th, 2010
