Cal Poly takes over Bay Area university to save it from closure

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will absorb Cal Maritime, a struggling public university in Vallejo. The California State Board of Regents voted Thursday to merge the two schools, saying it is the only way to save the Bay Area school from closure.

Senior leaders at both schools supported the move. This will take some time, and by the fall of 2026, all Cal Maritime students will be identified as Cal Poly students.

The Maritime Academy trains students in marine engineering technology, transportation and mechanical engineering. That makes it a good fit, according to Jeffrey Armstrong, president of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. This week he presented the integration proposal to the Council.

“There are many similarities in the types of majors—engineering, oceanography and marine science—but there are also some truly unique aspects of the Maritime Academy. Well… that would be the Cal Poly Maritime Academy. It is the only Maritime Academy on the West Coast. So this is very important not only for California, but also for the four Pacific Western states and two territories,” Armstrong said.

Cal Poly’s Maritime Academy, as the program will be called, will continue to offer degrees leading to the Coast Guard Certification.

The California Teachers Association, the union representing teachers at the two schools, opposed the vote, saying not enough information about the merger was disclosed to students and faculty.

Lisa Kawamura is a Cal Poly faculty member and union chapter president. Kawamura said CSU has not been transparent about its integration plans, and that university faculty, students and others who pay money into the CSU system deserve to know how it will affect their education and jobs.

“I don’t want to make it sound like either party – Cal Maritime or San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly, you know – is against the merger, but there are a lot of questions that still haven’t been answered.”

A CSU spokesperson told KCBX, “The integration process will draw on the expertise and diverse voices of both universities to ensure a thorough, seamless student-centered integration.”

Meanwhile, Armstrong said Cal Poly is committed to further promoting transparency.

“A lot needs to change with the curriculum, with the courses. But this will be done through joint management. There will be an administration that will look at what phase makes sense from a budgetary perspective, but we are committed to growing Cal Poly. We are committed to growing the California Maritime Academy,” he said.

Starting next July, Cal Maritime and its Maritime Academy will become Cal Poly, Solano and Cal Poly Maritime Academy.