Giving Opportunities
The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences giving opportunities are focused in three areas: Centers for Excellence, Student Success and Learn by Doing Initiatives.
Centers for Excellence
We are building for the future. Our students thrive on Learn by Doing opportunities that enable them to create, collaborate and innovate. Centers of excellence bring students, faculty and industry together to discover new solutions to complex issues. Help propel learning in spaces that are at the forefront of the industry.
Animal Health Center
The Animal Health Center will be an experiential animal clinic featuring large lab spaces to accommodate live animals as well as traditional lab uses. Students will have the space to examine, treat and care for animals under the supervision of veterinary faculty and staff embracing Cal Poly’s motto of Learn by Doing.
Plant Sciences Complex
The 6-acre Plant Sciences Complex will feature a new teaching and laboratory building, state-of-the-art research and production greenhouses, an ancillary produce packing and cooling facility and a farm store for food retail operations. The complex will support applied innovation and teaching in soil health, water and air quality, plant cultivation, harvesting and processing, food safety as well as automation and systems testing.
Swanton Pacific Ranch
Located in Santa Cruz County, the 3,200-acre Swanton Pacific Ranch is composed of majestic redwood forest, lush riverine ecosystems and coastal grasslands overlooking the Pacific Ocean and providing research and educational opportunities. In August 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex fires swept through the ranch, destroying much of the property and its structures.
Student Success
Every day at the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, we are investing in the future by focusing on student success. We recruit the best and brightest faculty so that students gain the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in industry as soon as they graduate. There are many ways to support students across the college.
Earn by Doing Internship Program
The CAFES Earn by Doing Internship Program allows students to gain paid work experience at one of the college’s 15 on-campus food and agricultural production units or departments. Students work up to 20 hours per week, gaining technical skills in positions directly related to their chosen careers and real-world exposure running thriving, essential operations.
Summer Undergraduate Research Program
The CAFES Summer Undergraduate Research Program is a 10-week research program that connects undergrad students with faculty to collaborate on cutting-edge research and receive a stipend. Students develop advanced problem-solving and critical thinking skills, learn how to gather information, analyze and evaluate evidence and gain enhanced communication skills.
CAFES Scholarships
Financial scholarships for students in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences remain a critical need. Even with financial aid packages, parental assistance and loans, some students cannot close the gap between their available resources and the growing cost of education. View a list of existing scholarships to directly support students today.
Learn by Doing Initiatives
Learn by Doing is the core of a Cal Poly education. Every day in CAFES, students are learning in labs, fields, greenhouses and classrooms how to solve today’s most pressing issues. We bring learning into the field, the farm and the forest in order to meet the diverse agricultural and environmental needs of California and our global society. Supporting Learn by Doing ensures that more students will benefit from these vital opportunities.
Learn by Doing Endowment
In 2009, 11 agriculture leaders formed the Learn by Doing Endowment to support CAFES’ renowned tradition of excellence. Each founding member donated $100,000 to fund a $1.1 million gift that's impact is multiplied through matching endowments. Funds are used to support CAFES’ ten departments, including purchasing new and upgraded equipment in laboratories and classrooms.
Dean's Power of Doing
The Dean’s Power of Doing Fund provides support where it is needed most. Funds are used to enhance student success across departments and centers, to further opportunities with industry and research and to advance current and future capital projects. This fund allows us to move quickly to seize special opportunities, leverage resources and address pressing needs across the college.
Industry Engagement Fund
Our partnerships with industry leaders provides engage opportunities for students in and out of the classroom. When students and faculty can collaborate with industry partners, knowledge and expertise collide. To spur innovation and solve real-world challenges, we seek to strengthen our ties to industry and build new relationships with key stakeholders.