Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH) students were welcomed to the spring semester with boxes of Don’s donuts and coffee, handed out by a fresh new face on campus, newly appointed university president Richard Carvajal. On Jan. 20th, his first day in office, he started out his career at CPH by going around to classes with sweet treats, introducing himself.
“It was just my way of letting it be known that I want you to know who the president is,” said Carvajal. “And I would tell the students, when you see me, stop me, remind me I came to your class, and just tell me how you’re doing.”
Carvajal is a first-generation college student who grew up in Humboldt County. He went on to be an educational administrator at various institutions across the United States, most recently at Valdosta State University in Georgia. Carvajal thought he would end his career as the Valdosta State President. But one day, he got a call that would change everything.
The recruiter asked him, “Richard, do you want to come home?’”
He was used to receiving these sorts of calls, but this one stuck out to him because of his personal connection to the area. Cal Poly Humboldt was an institution he dreamed of coming to as a kid. When he called his mom to tell her he was appointed president, “‘She bawled. Just cried her eyes out. And what she said was, ‘You know how much I love Humboldt County?’”
Carvajal emphasizes that Humboldt County is a unique place because of how deeply the community cares about making it a better place and being involved. Carvajal’s first day in office marked only 11 days since arriving back in Humboldt. He made it clear that he didn’t enter the job with a laundry list of priorities after being back for so little time, but emphasized his passion and shared goal to improve Cal Poly Humboldt.
“There are many people that know this place better than me, and that love it at least as much as me, if not more,” said Carvajal.
“And so I have been out trying to ask them, why do they love it? That helps me understand things that we need to protect and enhance. And some things we need to do that we’re not doing yet, or some things that we could do better.”
Already in his short time as president, students have made their demands known. Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State University) has been a hub for activism since the 1960s, from advocating for environmental conservation, anti-Vietnam war efforts, civil rights, and most recently Pro-Palestinian protests.
“One of the things that has made this institution special for a long time is that we have students who are very interested in big issues,” Carvajal said. “I love that.”
On February 20th, 2026 around 30 students participated in a sit-in at Siemen’s Hall, and Students for a Democratic Society released a list of demands for the university to divest all investments and funding for companies that support Israel.
Carvajal emphasizes the fragile balance between free speech and following guidelines set by the California State University (CSU) system to maintain a safe environment for all students.
In 2025, CPH’s new enrollment doubled the new enrollment across the CSU system, which had reported its highest rates of enrollment in the last decade across the board. This surplus of new students is most likely due to CPH becoming the state’s third polytechnic university, which has brought many new programs and growth.
One way that the university is growing is through direct admissions for local students graduating from Arcata High, Fortuna High, Academy of the Redwoods, Six Rivers Academy, Eureka High, and more.
“If they complete the A through J curriculum, they have a 2.5 GPA. Guess what? They get to come to Humboldt. We don’t do that for everybody,” said Carvajal. “But we do it because we focus on this region. We want the people who already love it to stay here.”
For eligible student, the Green & Gold Guarantee that ensures tuition and mandatory fees not covered by financial aid are waived by the University and do not need to be paid back. CPH also offers Humboldt First scholarships for local first-year students.
Spring Preview day is being held for all admitted students on April 18th, for any students interested in learning more about Cal Poly Humboldt. You can learn more and register at this link: https://www.humboldt.edu/admission-aid/events/spring-preview.
“We want to be this community’s, this region’s, institution of choice,” said Carvajal. “We want folks to believe that what is happening is making their lives better every single day. And I want them to know who their president is.”
