April 14, 2009

Contact: Amy Hewes
College of Engineering
805-756-6402
ahewes@calpoly.edu

Cal Poly's David Cantu Honored

David Cantu has guided as many as 8,000 students as the director of the College of Engineering's Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP), which provides an academic support community for educationally disadvantaged students, including many who represent the "first generation" of college attendees in their families.

Seeing students succeed is Cantu’s ultimate reward, but this year he was formally recognized for his contributions at a national conference in Los Angeles for the Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates. There he was presented with the 2008 Outstanding MEP Director award.

Cantu has been the director of MEP since 1985. He explains the importance of the program by asking “In five years, will we have the technological workforce needed to sustain the economy?” “We will,” says Cantu, “if we educate all types of people in order to keep up with advancement and innovation in engineering. MEP can help fill all these seats.” He also says that California’s changing demographics make the program more essential than ever before.

Cantu has three degrees from Cal Poly: a B.S. and M.S. in Biology and a master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance. He started working at on campus in 1980 as an advisor in career services. He then worked for a statewide initiative called MESA, which focuses on pre-college, low-income students interested in math, engineering and science—work he continues in his MEP position.

Helping students help each other is Cantu’s biggest motivator. Only one-third of engineering universities across the country have an MEP program and Cal Poly is lucky to have this tool for community building and to support its multicultural engineering clubs.

Cantu’s hope is that the state and Cal Poly provide stable funding and an ongoing commitment to MEP—a reasonable wish from someone who has given 24 years of outstanding service to Cal Poly’s underrepresented students.

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Photo caption: David Cantu (center) with scholarship winners from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers