An executive from the CSU Chancellor’s Office said the proposed merger between Cal Maritime and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo will be greatly beneficial to both schools.
The Office is considering integrating Cal Maritime Academy in Vallejo into Cal Poly, SLO. The proposal comes after Cal Maritime had lost 30% of its enrollment over the last seven years.
The university is one of only six state maritime academies in the country and the only one on the west coast.
CSU Executive Vice Chancellor Steve Relyea said the two campuses will be complementary.
“I think it will allow the combined institution to be more competitive for federal grants in a lot of key areas,” Relyea said. “They both bring a lot of strengths in areas like marine sciences, sustainable energy, engineering — just across the board.”
Prior to this proposed integration, the academy was set to receive a new state of the art ship for its unique learn-by-doing training.
Relyea said the integration will not affect this new facility.
The CSU Board of Trustees will take up the proposal this summer. If approved, the first maritime academy students will officially enroll as Cal Poly students in fall 2026.
