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Posted 9.9.09
Dandekar Named CRP Department Head
A nationally ranked department at Cal Poly has a new leader. Hemalata Dandekar has been named department head for City and Regional Planning at Cal Poly, bringing a strong interdisciplinary and international background to the position.
Dandekar was chosen by R. Thomas Jones, dean of Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design. “She has the administrative experience, record of scholarship and familiarity with the environmental design professions,” said Jones. “She will make an immediate contribution to the university community.”
Dandekar is currently professor of planning at Arizona State University. She served as director of the School of Planning at ASU from 2002-2007.
Before ASU, Dandekar was professor of planning at the University of Michigan in the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and held senior administrative posts at the university. She holds a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning from UCLA, a master’s in architecture from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s in architecture from the University of Bombay.
She is also a registered architect in California. An author of six books and numerous book chapters, Dandekar has done recent work on planning along the U.S. Mexico border and on rural community development and family farms and farm buildings.
Posted 9.9.09
Architecture Among Nations Best in Degrees to Minority Students
Cal Poly students’ success placed the university among the Top 10 of the “Top 100 Degree Producers 2009” rankings compiled by the magazine “Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
In the organization’s 2009 national rankings, Cal Poly was:
- No. 5 in architecture degrees to students of all minority groups
- No 5 in architecture degrees to Asian American students
- No. 5 in architecture degrees to Hispanic students
"We take great pride in the diversity of Cal Poly's graduates. We're constantly striving to improve the diversity of our student body because we know that greater diversity enriches our learning experience, and it also serves California industries well,” said Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker. “Employers want well-trained scientific and technical professionals able to compete effectively and work comfortably in an increasingly complex, multi-cultural global economy."
The organization released its 2009 rankings in late June; Cal Poly and 12 other California State University campuses made the “Top 100” list. The magazine analyzes data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics to create its annual rankings.
The CSU system “prides itself on creating access to higher education," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "Our trustees, presidents, faculty, staff and students have worked to create welcoming and inclusive campuses – resulting in a university system that reflects the rich diversity of the state of California."
For more details on the 2009 rankings, visit the organization’s web site at http://diverseeducation.com.
Posted: 06/12/09
CRP Student Honored by Hispanic Caucus Institute
City and regional planning graduate student Ulises Gonzalez has received the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Graduate Young Professional Fellowship in Housing Policy. One of 20 chosen nationally for the honor, Gonzalez will spend nine months in Washington, D.C. assigned to a congressional and then a federal agency. Gonzalez earned his master’s degree in city and regional planning this June.
Go to the Gonzalez News Release for more information.