Cal Poly Students and Dean Bailey Honored at State Capitol

Dean Phil Bailey receives a resolution honoring his almost 50 years of service to Cal Poly from senators Bill Monning and Jean Fuller.
Also pictured are Sharon and Jeff Armstrong and 20 students who were honored for their achievements.

Dean Phil Bailey received a resolution for nearly 50 years of service to
Cal Poly

Twenty Cal Poly students who have received state and national awards and other honors were recognized for their accomplishments by state lawmakers at the Capitol in Sacramento in March.

“These students are indicative of our Learn by Doing philosophy and reflect what their peers are also accomplishing at Cal Poly,” said university President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. “We want to honor these representatives of our six colleges for their success in the classroom and for their extracurricular activities throughout the community.”

The group was introduced on the floors of the Senate and Assembly by local representatives Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian and Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning. In addition, the students met with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. They also greeted family, friends and alumni at two receptions in the Sacramento area.

The group included: statistics major Jimmy Wong, who took second at the National Undergraduate Statistics Project Competition; Delany Bales, a mechanical engineering major and member of Cal Poly universities’ award-winning 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade float; liberal arts major Gabrielle Amar, who was selected for a Clinton Foundation internship in 2014; and Christopher Bet, a business major and member of an interdisciplinary team that took second at the recent National Association of Home Builders Residential Construction Management Competition.

State lawmakers also honored Dean Phil Bailey, who has headed the College of Science & Mathematics since 1983. Bailey received a joint Senate-Assembly resolution for his nearly 50 years of service at Cal Poly.

The resolution was co-sponsored by Assemblyman Achadjian, R-San Luis Obispo, who graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in business administration; Sen. Monning, D-Carmel, whose district includes San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties and portions of Monterey and Santa Clara counties; Sen. Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, who attended Cal Poly; and lead sponsor Sen. Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield.

“This resolution honoring Dr. Bailey is special because Sen. Fuller is from outside our district,” Armstrong said. “Usually, resolutions come from local representatives.”

Fuller’s sister, Elaine Rathbun, is a Cal Poly alumnus who thinks highly of Bailey and urged the senator to sponsor the resolution.

Bailey, the senior science dean in the California State University system, joined Cal Poly’s faculty in 1969. He has taught almost every term since then.