Office Contact

Andrew Morris, Ph.D. 

INTERIM Director of Academic Programs and Planning
Accreditation Liaison Officer

As the Interim Director of Academic Programs and Planning (APP), Andrew Morris leads the annual process of academic planning, the development and implementation of academic policies, the development and review of academic programs, and the assessment of student learning. As the Accreditation Liaison Officer, he manages the university’s regional accreditation and serves as the primary point of contact with the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

Andrew served as Faculty Fellow, and later Faculty Director of Program Development, in APP from 2019 to 2022. He was faculty director of the WSCUC Thematic Pathway for Reaffirmation self-study for institutional accreditation, completed in 2022. Andrew also has represented APP on the General Education Governance Board, the Academic Assessment Council, and the Academic Senate Ad Hoc Semester Conversion Committee, co-led APP’s Program Review Learning Community, and is currently team lead for Cal Poly’s cohort in the CSU Certificate Program in Student Success Analytics.

Andrew, who has been on the Cal Poly faculty since 2000, is a Professor of History and past Department Chair of the History Department. His specialty is in modern Chinese and Taiwanese history. He has authored three books and edited two more in these fields, the most recent being Defectors from the PRC to Taiwan, 1960-1989: The Anti-Communist Righteous Warriors (Routledge, 2022). He has also authored more than 25 journal articles and book chapters. Andrew graduated from Harvey Mudd College with a double major in physics and history, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in modern Chinese history are from UC San Diego.

admorris@calpoly.edu | 805-756-2298

Julie Bettergarcia, Ph.D.

Faculty Director of Program Improvement
 

As Faculty Director of Program Improvement, Julie Bettergarcia provides leadership and direction for academic assessment and continuous improvement efforts at the program and institutional levels; works with the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology to provide professional development workshops for faculty and staff; and coordinates the administration of external campuswide assessments.

Julie received a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan.  She then completed a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University before joining Cal Poly's Psychology and Child Development faculty in 2007.  During her time at Cal Poly, she has led numerous assessment efforts. For her department, she served as the Associate Department Chair where she led their yearly program assessment and co-led their 2015-17 program review.  For the university she served as the inaugural Interim Associate Vice President for the Office of University Diversity Equity and Inclusion (OUDI; June 2018-December 2019) where she assisted with university-wide DEI strategic planning and assessment including playing a leadership role in our 2018 campus climate survey.  

From 2019-2022, Julie co-led a Thematic Pathway group for our most recent accreditation. In that role, she led a group of campus-wide leaders to summarize our campus climate challenges, synthesize university-wide strategies to address those challenges, and identify how to continue to increase feelings of belonging on campus.  As part of the WSCUC self-study, she also co-led a qualitative data analysis project that examined the open-ended question on the National Survey of Student Engagement data sets.  

Outside of Cal Poly, as the elected Member at Large for Outreach and Advocacy for the Society of Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP; 2022-2025), Julie leads strategies to increase social and personality psychologists’ ability to translate their research findings to both reach non-academic audiences and inform national and international policy decision-making.   Julie also served as Chair for the Diversity and Climate Committee for SPSP, where she co-led a climate survey for which she was awarded a Service to SPSP Award. 

jgarci31@calpoly.edu | 805-756-1603

Jessica Carson, M.B.A.

Administrative Analyst
Academic Policies, Budget, and Instructionally Related Activities
 

Jessica joined our office in February 2008. She manages the budget, supports Instructionally Related Activities (IRAs), and is the contact for academic policy questions and student academic appeals.  

carson@calpoly.edu | 805-756-2326

Maureen O'Connor

Executive Assistant to the INTERIM Associate Vice Provost and Personnel Analyst
 

Maureen joined our office in January 2018. As Executive Assistant, Maureen is the first point of contact for the Interim Associate Vice Provost. In this capacity, she also assists with human resources and personnel issues in the departments reporting to Academic Innovations and Programs. Maureen also provides the lead support for the process to reaffirm Cal Poly's accreditation by WSCUC.

moconn04@calpoly.edu | 805-756-2228

Angela Standifer 

Program Review and Program Development Coordinator
 

Angela joined our team in September 2019 and comes to us following an extensive career in law. She worked as a senior paralegal handling the management of the defense of public school districts and governmental entities in state and federal court. She attended Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and obtained her paralegal certificate from Ashworth College. She was twice named the Paralegal of the Year by the Indiana Paralegal Association.

Angela coordinates academic program review, providing oversight and project management for all Cal Poly degree programs as they undergo periodic review (a 2-year process). She co-developed a new Program Review Learning Community, helping lead colleagues through professional development related to program review processes and procedures. She also coordinates the program development process as the colleges pursue such things as degree modifications, subprograms, and new degree programs. Further, Angela is responsible for the preparation of our annual Academic Master Plan for submission to the Office of the Chancellor and administers Cal Poly's portion of the CSU Degree Database. She assists with our annual audit and report to WSCUC and manages the WSCUC database. Angela also provides SharePoint site design and website updates for the unit. In addition, she supports the Associate Deans Council.

astandif@calpoly.edu | 805-756-7047

Shannon Sullivan-Danser, M.A. 

SEMESTER CONVERSION, General Education, & Communications coordinator
 

Shannon is the Semester Conversion and General Education Coordinator at California Polytechnic State University. Since joining the office of Academic Programs and Planning in 2018, she has focused on student learning and success, policy research, curriculum development, and semester conversion. She works closely with campus partners, particularly the General Education Governance Board and Academic Assessment Council, as well as the college associate deans, the Academic Senate, and the Registrar, as well as the CSU Chancellor’s Office on matters of shared governance. Shannon also provides website and SharePoint design for the office. Additionally, she supports strategic planning, communication, and accreditation initiatives within the office. She is a double alumna from Cal Poly, earning honors in her MA and BA degrees in English.

ssulliva@calpoly.edu | (805) 756-2247

Jolene Girten, M.B.A.

Program Improvement Coordinator
 

Joining us in Spring 2023, Jolene assists the Office of Academic Programs and Planning in the capacity of Program Improvement Coordinator. Jolene brings with her a wealth of experience, having previously served as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, in addition to a nine-year stint as an officer in the US Army where she developed strong administrative and leadership skills.

Jolene hails from Oregon and is an alumnus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where she earned her B.S. in Kinesiology/Exercise Science. She went on to obtain her MBA from Salve Regina University in Rhode Island and also holds an A.S. in Occupational Therapy Assisting from American Career College in Anaheim, California.

Jolene is well-equipped to make valuable contributions to our office's program improvement initiatives where she handles academic assessment and other projects designed to lead to improved student success.

jgirten@calpoly.edu | (805) 756-7867