Service-Learning: Faculty Team award

Dennis Bashaw, Maggie Kirk, Greg Starzyk

Professors Bashaw, Kirk and Starzyk created an interdisciplinary studio experience that focused on assisting and rebuilding the community of Weed, California that was ravaged by fire in September 2014.

The course on Integrate Project Delivery included students from all three disciplines working in teams to develop and execute a recovery for the community. What is remarkable about their work is that these faculty are from three different departments at Cal Poly. It may come as a surprise to some of you but in academia we work in our silos way too often. It takes real work to break down those silos and work together as they have been doing. One of their partners in the community called their interdisciplinary approach to real world projects “the best learning that can occur.” Their leadership, organization, and management skills were critical to the success of the project so far away from San Luis Obispo.