Kate Murphy will serve as dean of the College of Liberal Arts starting July 1, according to a university-wide email yesterday.
Murphy, who has served as interim dean since August 2024, has been a member of the Cal Poly community since 2007 in both faculty and administrative roles. As interim dean, Murphy led efforts to support career readiness programs, the announcement stated.
“The language ‘high-impact practices’ gets used a lot, which includes a number of the things we think of as ‘Learn by Doing,’ like undergraduate research, internships and study abroad,” Murphy told Mustang News. “It’s really important to me that we continue to make these opportunities available to all students, regardless of their means.”
As dean, Murphy plans to continue improving the college’s support for transfer students, especially with the upcoming semester conversion. She said she will also prioritize interdisciplinary work between liberal arts and science and technology.
“That’s one of my favorite examples of how it should be different to be here at a comprehensive polytechnic university,” Murphy said. “Students have this opportunity to collaborate with people with different skill sets, and then that translates to whatever you do after you graduate.”
Following her first year as a history professor, Murphy was awarded Teacher of the Year and later became the history department chair. She also served as director of the history department’s graduate program.
Murphy attended Johns Hopkins University for her doctorate and master’s degrees and the University of Virginia for her bachelor’s degree, all in history.
Her work, focusing on the history of science, slavery and colonial America, has been published in many notable peer-reviewed journals, according to her biography.
Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, commended Murphy’s appointment in the email.
“Her leadership has already strengthened CLA’s academic programs and student opportunities, and I am confident she will continue to build on that momentum in meaningful ways,” Jackson-Elmoore said.
