Message From the Dean

Dean Wendt with Camille O'Bryant, BEACoN Research Scholar and Goro Kato From left, Dean Wendt with: Camille O'Bryant (retired Bailey College associate dean for student success, welfare and issues of diversity and inclusion); Taiga Sobajima statistics student and BEACoN Research Scholar); and Goro Kato (math professor emeritus). From left, photos by Eileen Odanaka Vavra, Mariya Avtanska and Alexis Kovacevic

Reflections on Legacy, Learning and Growth

OCTOBER 2025
by DEAN E. WENDT

“Bailey College is powered by our students, faculty and staff, but also by the many Bailey College alumni, donors, parents, partners and supporters.

Dean E. Wendt

Dean, Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

Every day at the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics, I am inspired by the talent, creativity and dedication that fill our classrooms, labs and field sites. It is my great honor to serve as dean and to work alongside such extraordinary faculty, staff and students. I am deeply grateful for the passion and excellence our community brings to everything we do.

Cal Poly students thrive in an environment fueled by inspiring classes, visionary faculty, groundbreaking research and advanced technology. These elements are among the many aspects of a Cal Poly student’s education that shape the next generation of leaders, innovators and problem solvers. In this issue, you’ll meet the people, discover the programs and explore the transformational educational experiences that help students grow personally and academically every single day.

Our cover story celebrates the legacy of Camille O’Bryant, who recently retired after serving for the past decade as Bailey College’s associate dean of student success and welfare, and issues of diversity and inclusion. Over her remarkable 26-year Cal Poly career, from her time as a Kinesiology and Public Health Department faculty member and then department chair, O’Bryant dedicated herself completely to inspiring students to reach their full potential and enhancing a welcoming and inclusive campus culture. Her impact will continue to shape our community for generations to come.

Learning is a lifelong adventure, and one’s time in college is an important period to develop the skills and knowledge used in navigating a complex and evolving world with confidence and competence. Alumni like Bailey College Honored Alum Tony Aghazarian (Physics, ’96) often share how their most powerful lessons came from unique, hands-on experiences that shaped their careers and lives, and Aghazarian reflects on those moments through a Q&A article. Every day our students sharpen their skills by putting Learn by Doing into action. They solve real-world problems, they work collaboratively and across disciplines, and in doing so they contribute to the greater good.

We never stand still in supporting our students. Many of the college’s newest support programs result from student ideas, and they are already making a difference. This past year, we hosted the first-ever Bailey College Career Fair in October 2024, extended the BEACoN research program to include summer, introduced a one-of-a-kind ocean chemistry study abroad program in French Polynesia, and launched our expanded alumni-student mentorship program (Bailey Alumni Mentoring Students or BAMS). Each initiative is designed with one goal in mind: ensuring our graduates are ready to thrive from Day One in their careers or advanced studies.

We are also growing in exciting new ways. The Bailey College community recently welcomed a new group of faculty and staff from the Cal Poly Maritime Academy, housed on the Cal Poly Solano Campus along the beautiful shores of San Pablo Bay in the greater San Francisco Bay. We can’t wait to see the opportunities that will emerge as Cal Poly Maritime students join our college starting in fall 2026, marking a bold new chapter in our story.

Bailey College is powered by our students, faculty and staff, but also by the many Bailey College alumni, donors, parents, partners and supporters like you. Your dedication makes it possible for our students to achieve the highest levels and for our programs to continue moving forward. We invite you to stay in touch, share your Cal Poly experience, and become involved with helping us define our future of innovation, inclusion and excellence. I hope you enjoy this energizing edition of Intersections.

Sincerely,

Dean Wendt
Dean, Bailey College of Science and Mathematics