These graduates were transfer students from College of the Redwoods (CR), who had come to Cal Poly Humboldt to earn their bachelor's degrees. The graduation sash, created through the collaboration of Humboldt and CR, symbolizes the shared vision of these institutions to empower students in achieving their dreams.
For many students who attend CR, transferring to Cal Poly Humboldt is the natural next step. Over the last few years, CR and Humboldt have made that transition easier and more meaningful for students, strengthening a partnership that helps them thrive.
CR and Cal Poly Humboldt educate many of the same students and share thousands of alumni. The institutions are united by a deep dedication to the region and a belief in education as a path to opportunity through new programs, joint services, and a shared vision for the future.
Academic collaboration has been a prominent feature of this partnership, with the RN-to-BSN Nursing Program serving as a prime example. This concurrent enrollment program, which launched in Fall 2024, allows nursing students to attend both campuses simultaneously, enabling them to graduate more efficiently with their Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). As a result, nursing graduates can earn their BSN at Cal Poly Humboldt while staying closer to home, which represents a significant advancement for healthcare in the region.
Additionally, the two institutions are joining more regional partnerships to promote advanced health care careers, such as the California Medical Scholars Program called AvenueM, which provides students enrolled at CR a pathway that aims to reduce barriers to entry to medical school. After a student graduates from CR, they can continue their education at Humboldt and continue to get support that can help them qualify to get into UC Davis or another medical school.
State Sen. Mike McGuire has helped secure funding for the creation of a Healthcare Education Hub, which will allow Humboldt and CR to provide additional health care educational opportunities so the region can improve efforts to “grow our own” health care workforce.
Additional new degree pathways at CR in Social Justice, Environmental Science, and Social Work & Human Services are preparing students to continue their education at Humboldt or other four-year universities, all while addressing regional and statewide workforce needs.
Humboldt works closely with CR to create clear, supportive transfer pathways for students, which include collaboration in co-hosting National Transfer Student Week events on both campuses, offering co-located advising with Humboldt staff in the CR Transfer Center, and providing the earliest possible instant admissions appointments directly on the CR campus.
Meanwhile, formerly incarcerated students at both schools are receiving wraparound support through Project Rebound at Humboldt and the Pelican Bay Scholars Program at CR. Building on College of the Redwoods’ long-standing presence at Pelican Bay State Prison—where CR has offered in-person instruction since 2016—the two colleges partnered with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to create the Pelican Bay BA in Communications program—the first B.A. program to be taught in person in a high-security facility in California. Joint pharmacy services and free access to Humboldt’s Library resources are additional ways this partnership improves the student experience on a daily basis.
Together, CR and Cal Poly Humboldt are modeling what higher education partnerships can and should be—locally grounded, deeply collaborative, and wholly focused on student success.
As Interim Cal Poly Humboldt President Mike Spagna and CR President Keith Flamer discuss on their collaborative Talk Humboldt radio show: the strength of Humboldt’s community lies in the people who make it work—and in the partnerships that help students flourish.
Together, CR and Cal Poly Humboldt are making sure every student’s dream is within reach—one seamless step at a time.