IRA

Forms

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Instructionally Related Activities

ira activities

What is an IRA?

An Instructionally Related Activity (IRA) is an "out-of-class experience" that provides enrichment to students and enhances their learning at Cal Poly. Funding for recognized IRAs is provided through student fees. All IRA programs/activities are partially sponsored by an academic dean or department and are "integrally related" to a formal instructional program.

General IRA Information

2023-24 Allocations

Call for Proposals

  • Proposals are now being accepted for first-time and continuing IRA recognition for the 2024-25 academic year.

  • Requests for IRA recognition and funding are initiated through faculty or staff advisors who submit the proposals to their college or the VP Student Affairs.  The IRA Advisory Committee reviews all requests for recognition and forwards their recognition recommendations to the campus President. With advice from the College Student Councils, the Deans and VP Student Affairs review funding requests and make funding recommendations for the recognized IRAs within their college/area.  These recommendations are forwarded, via the IRA Advisory Committee, to the campus President for approval.
  • Please bear in mind that the total amount of IRA funding available increases only slightly each year, if at all, and can drop if campus or individual college enrollments drop.  Therefore, recognition as an IRA in no way guarantees funding.  Potential new activities are encouraged to research those IRAs already operating on campus and, if the activities are similar, to contact the existing activity and discuss the possibility of working together.
  • Help with your proposal:
    Please contact Jessica Carson in Academic Programs and Planning (carson@calpoly.edu) for any questions about the proposal forms or the process.
     

    Video: Proposal for a New IRA - Word document form overview 7:12

    Video: Proposal for a New IRA - Excel Budget form overview 8:28  Note that the budget sheet has been streamlined since this training video was recorded; the recording includes a few steps that are no longer relevant.  If you do not see a section on the budget form referred to in the video, simply skip that step. 

    Forms

  • New IRA Recognition Request (Word)
  • New IRA Budget Proposal (Excel)
  • Continuing IRA Recognition Request (Word)
  • Continuing IRA Budget Proposal (Excel)
  • Complete both an IRA Recognition Request and a Budget Proposal form and submit together via Adobesign to your Dean/Associate Dean or, for Student Affairs IRAs, to the Vice President of Student Affairs.  Send to yourself and then, using their Cal Poly email addresses, to your department chair and the additional signer(s)/Approver(s)/Acceptor(s) for your unit - see below and on the Word proposal form for your specific routing based on college/area.  The administrative support staff for your department should be able to help you with Adobesign or please refer to the following link for a tutorial: 

  

Helpful Resources

Important Deadlines to submit forms to your VP or Dean's Office:

Adobesign Routing:
  • The Proposer will sign twice – Word document and Excel sheet
  • The Department Head/Chair/Director/AVP will sign twice – Word document and Excel sheet
  • Any added signers will sign once and be added to the Word document under the Dean/Associate Dean/Vice President signature
  • The College Dean/Associate Dean/Vice President or designee will sign once – Word document
  • Any added signers will sign/initial once and be added to the Word Document in AdobeSign under the Dean/Associate Dean/Vice President signature
  • All signatures are required.  Forms with missing signatures will not be considered by the committee
  • Route forms for signatures through Adobe-sign.  For instructions, see  https://tech.calpoly.edu/services/forms-and-esignature-adobe-sign  and  Send a Document to a Single Signer or Multiple Signers

Routing instructions:

Student Affairs

1. Proposer/Advisor, 2. Department or Division Head/Director/AVP, 3. Rick Salomon (rsalomon) as Approver (initial under Dean signature line), 4. Keith Humphrey (humphrey) as Dean/VP, 5. Jessica Carson as Acceptor (carson)
 

Bailey College of Science and Mathematics

1. Proposer/Advisor, 2. Department Chair, 3. Associate Dean Emily Taylor (etaylor), 4. Emi Youngquist as Acceptor (eyoungqu).  5. Jessica Carson as Acceptor (carson)
 

College of Liberal Arts

1. Proposer/Advisor, 2. Department Chair, 3. Joy Sisler (jsisler) as Approver (sign under Dean signature line), 4. Josh Machamer (jmachame) as Approver (sign under Dean signature line), 5. Dean Phillip J. Williams (pjw), 6. Jessica Carson as Acceptor (carson)
 

Orfalea College of Business

Connect with the college’s internal process for IRA proposals.  If you haven’t already done so, please contact Nicki Fowler at nlfowler@calpoly.edu or 805 756-1385.
 

College of Engineering

1. Proposer/Advisor, 2. Department Chair, 3. Associate Dean Zoe Wood (zwood) 4. Jessica Carson as Acceptor (carson)
 

College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

1. Proposer/Advisor, 2. Department Chair or Area Director, 3. Angie Erb (aerb01) as Acceptor (initial under Dean signature line) 4. Associate Dean Ann De Lay (adelay) 5. Jessica Carson as Acceptor (carson)
 

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

1. Proposer/Advisor, 2. Department Chair, 3.  Mariam Emyan (memyan) as Acceptor (initial under Dean signature line) 4. Associate Dean James Mwangi (jmwangi) 5. Jessica Carson as Acceptor (carson)
 

Non-College Academic Affairs

1. Proposer/Advisor, 2. Department or Division Head/Director/AVP, 3. Jessica Carson (carson) as Approver (initial under Dean signature line)  4. Andrew Morris Interim Director Academic Programs and Planning as Dean (admorris)

Contacts

Need help? Have questions? Contact Jessica Carson, Administrative Analyst, Office of Academic Programs and Planning

Additional Information

Related Content

Office Contact

Academic Programs and Planning 
1 Grand Avenue
Kennedy Library
  (Bldg. 35), Suite 319  
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 

Main Number 
(805) 756-2246

General Email
acadprog@calpoly.edu