The first interdisciplinary school of its kind at Cal Poly, the Noyce School of Applied Computing combines three departments — Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Software Engineering, and Computer Engineering — with Statistics joining as an affiliate. 

The $60 million gift from the Robert N. Noyce Trust, in honor of Intel founder and Silicon Valley icon Robert Noyce, will have a transformational impact on the university, allowing for the establishment of an endowment that will fund the Noyce School's operations in perpetuity and enable Cal Poly to offer state-of-the-art facilities, new interdisciplinary research, and curricular and co-curricular opportunities for faculty and students.

“Dr. Noyce’s legacy will inspire students and faculty to grow and be the next industry trailblazers," said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong.

"Through this generous gift from the Robert N. Noyce Trust, Cal Poly will be able to educate more students to solve the challenges of tomorrow,” he added.

Currently, the demand for graduates with an applied computing degree is far outpacing supply, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting jobs in computing and information technology will climb 15% from 2021 to 2031 — much faster than the average for all occupations.

Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering accounted for 15 percent of recent applications to Cal Poly and the number of applicants grows every year. The Noyce School will allow Cal Poly to increase the number of qualified students accepted to these programs. 

Thanks to this generous gift, Cal Poly is already investing in state-of-the-art equipment for upgraded labs. Students will also have more opportunities to further their interests in teaching and learning, as well as industry opportunities for paid internships and opportunities for mentors to provide guidance and counseling along the way. In addition, faculty will be provided with additional resources for teaching and applied research, professional development, and innovative and collaborative curriculum design. 

“Our students are going out into the leading-edge industrial companies,” said Amy Fleischer, Dean of the College of Engineering. “They're going to change the world and the education that we're going to provide here in The Noyce School will help them do that.”