About the Alliance Foundation

History of the Foundation

The Alliance was created in 1985 as a non-profit foundation to support the teachings of George Hasslein, the founding Dean for the School of Architecture at Cal Poly SLO. Members of the Alliance are a volunteer alumni support group that forms a link between the students and faculty in the CAED, and the professional AEC community. The Alliance and it’s donors provide financial support in the form of grants for student-led interdisciplinary projects and programs. For more than 40 years The Alliance has remained dedicated to connecting students in all the schools in the CAED and emphasizes a collaborative interdisciplinary mindset within the student community. George always said, “Students that are going to work together need to be educated together…” He also said, “The student-based program was founded on three principles: a work and service ethic; a collaboration between academia and practitioners in the design professions; and a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching that combined all the professions which create and construct the built environment.”

In the real world nothing could be further than the truth, in that no one discipline can design and build a project by themselves. It takes a team to collaborate. The CAED has 5 silos, Architecture, CM, Architectural Engineering, CRP and Landscape Architecture. The Alliance was created to bring those schools together and assist the students in meeting and learning what each other does and assisting in the development of relationships that could last a career.

OUR MISSION

The Mission of the Alliance Foundation

The Alliance provides resources to promote student centered interdisciplinary education, advocate creative care and concern for the environment, facilitate industry and profession connected learning, preserve and communicate CAED history, and to continue that special spirit that made the Cal Poly education so important to the alumni of the College.

A Brief Alliance Foundation Timeline

The organization now known as The Alliance was founded as the “School of Architecture and Environmental Design Foundation” (SAEDF). A California public benefit corporation with an IRS 503(c) designation, SAEDF was created by alumni of what was then known as the School of Architecture and Environmental Design at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The intent of the founders was to continue the vision of the founding dean of SADEF, George Hasslein, to promote hands-on, interdisciplinary education in the fields of planning, design, and construction. SADEF established an endowment to support a Cal Poly chair for interdisciplinary studies, funded various scholarships, created the Hasslein Medal to be awarded to persons who demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the interdisciplinary vision of George Hasslein, and made grants for student projects. A condensed timeline of the organization follows:

  • 1985: The organization is founded as the School of Architecture and Environmental Design Foundation.

  • 1993: The School is renamed as the “College of Architecture and Environmental Design” and SADEF is renamed as CAEDF to reflect the change.

  • 2001: CAEDF publishes “The Vision: Founding the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo”.

  • 2002: The funds set aside for the chair endowment created by SADEF are donated to the Cal Poly Foundation to create the George Hasslein Chair Endowment.

  • 2010: CAEDF becomes a “constituency alumni group” subject to the regulations of California State University regulations and codes.

  • 2015: The Board adopts several resolutions to provide governance of the corporation. Resolutions include the formation of an executive committee and operating practices are established.

  • 2016: Due to changes in the California State University regulations, the Board of CAEDF terminates the constituency alumni group status and changes the name of the corporation to the “Foundation for Interdisciplinary Studies” (FIS).

  • 2016: The Board adopts a baseline strategic plan as a “living document” intended to be reviewed and modified annually.

  • 2017: CAEDF establishes the Hasslein Grant program to fund student initiated interdisciplinary projects. The program awards several grants each year.

  • 2018: CAEDF hosts a symposium in San Luis Obispo attended by over 100 AEC professionals, students, and CAED faculty. The input from the event leads to CAEDF establishing a series of in person events to bring together students and professionals from all disciplines to discuss, learn, and network.

  • 2020: The Board approves a DBA name for the Foundation of “The Alliance”.

  • 2021: The Board approves an agreement with Cal Poly to terminate the George Hasslein Chair Endowment, accept the return of the original donation principal, and become the donor of the accrued investment funds to establish the George Hasslein Interdisciplinary Learning Endowment with the Cal Poly Foundation.

  • 2021: The Alliance begins sponsoring first year interdisciplinary teams in the Design Village Competition.

  • 2025: The Board authorizes the Executive Committee to negotiate a donor agreement with CAED to formalize and streamline sponsorship of Design Village.

Faculty Representatives

Mark Montoya

Faculty Rep – CM

Kevin Grouchau

Faculty Rep – Larch