#118. Dr. Richard Carvajal: Coming Home to Lead Cal Poly Humboldt

Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, and all those out to sea, it's Scott Hammond and the 100% Humboldt podcast with my new very best friend, Dr. Richard Carvajal. Hey, Richard.

Richard Carvajal: It's great to be here.

Scott Hammond: Good to be with you.

Richard Carvajal: Cool.

Scott Hammond: What is it you do? You got an H- uh, Humboldt thing there.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. You know, I don't know. I got a, I got a job that keeps me busy during the day. Uh, sh- I get to be the new president of Cal Poly Humboldt.

Scott Hammond: Cool. And you got a graduating class it just happened.

Richard Carvajal: We did. Saturday we had a very full day.

Richard Carvajal: We had three separate commencements, which, uh, meant we were there all day. It is my favorite day of every single year.

Richard Carvajal: Um-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Richard Carvajal: … I've done this work for a while. I've gotten to, to lead, uh… Been very blessed and fortunate to get to lead commencements all, you know, at different places, but never at Humboldt, and, uh, that's what I was telling myself as I walked in.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Richard Carvajal: Got a little emotional.

Scott Hammond: That's really cool. I- so that becomes a benchmark then for a successful year.

Richard Carvajal: It is the day that is the manifestation of why we do what we do.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, I, I always say that move-in day is fantastic. You see a lot of happy f- uh, fans. I am the kind of president that'll pick up a micro fridge or box and help somebody

Richard Carvajal: move in.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Richard Carvajal: Those are always fun. Um, but commencement day is the day that, uh, i- it- it's the life-changing day.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, I bet. Yeah. It's, it's the success, uh… Well, it's the cherry on top.

Richard Carvajal: We had about 1,000 graduates walk across the stage, and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … I think folks were surprised that I talked to every single one of them.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: I, I want that to be special. I've always done that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and, uh, and, you know, w- we gotta do it quickly 'cause we're getting 1,000 across, but I want every one of them to have their moment-

Scott Hammond: Special

Richard Carvajal: … 'cause what I try to tell folks is we may have 1,000 walk, but for them, they get one.

Scott Hammond: They have one.

Richard Carvajal: And we want it to be special.

Scott Hammond: That's pretty cool. Yeah, I remember shaking Alistair McCrone's-

Richard Carvajal: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … hand-

Richard Carvajal: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … walking in 1982, and it was great.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It, it's a commemorative moment. So, uh, tell us the Richard story. Where are you from? Who are, who are you anyway?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. Um-

Scott Hammond: You're from, you're from here

Richard Carvajal: … I'm from here.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Uh-

Scott Hammond: 100% Humboldt-

Richard Carvajal: I am

Scott Hammond: … one might, one might say.

Richard Carvajal: So, so I grew up, uh- … in Humboldt. I lived for just a little bit in Eureka, um, but then we moved out

Richard Carvajal: to the little places called Hydesville and Carlotta that-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Richard Carvajal: … uh, you gotta be from Humboldt to know where those are, are from.

Scott Hammond: I'm gonna show you on the map real quick.

Scott Hammond: So-

Richard Carvajal: Everyone here-

Scott Hammond: For those of you-

Richard Carvajal: … knows where they're at, but

Scott Hammond: … so this is my chance where I re- really use my prop, so. Okay, here's the, uh, prop that doesn't work.

Scott Hammond: There it is.

Richard Carvajal: There it is.

Scott Hammond: So Hydesville and Carlotta-

Richard Carvajal: You're right out there

Scott Hammond: … right up by Fortuna.

Richard Carvajal: Uh-huh. So-

Scott Hammond: Is that, Fortuna, is that how you say it?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah, Fortuna. We, uh-

Scott Hammond: Or is it Eureka?

Richard Carvajal: We, we grew up, uh, as Fortuna Husky fans. Don't hate me if you're, uh, if you're for somebody else, but that's what we did on Friday nights. And, uh, uh, so yeah, we, uh, we lived, uh, up on the hilltop in, in Hydesville, and then we moved out to literally the Van Duzer one was my backyard in-

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool

Richard Carvajal: … uh, in Carlotta. Loved it. Um, and, and, and truly, I mean, when the, when your yard is the Redwood Forest, you, you're, you're pretty lucky. And, uh, and I thought it was a great place to live. I thought I always wanted to be here. But looking back, there were four kids and my mom and dad in a one-bedroom cabin out in Carlotta. We, we were struggling.

Richard Carvajal: Uh-

Scott Hammond: I didn't know it

Richard Carvajal: … uh, you know, you-

Scott Hammond: You didn't know that. Yeah, kids never do.

Richard Carvajal: You don't know.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, but, uh, you know, in retrospect, it really shouldn't be that surprising that, uh, I was here through middle school and my dad got what appeared to be a much better financial offer if we would relocate the family to rural Oklahoma, which I don't know how much your listeners know about Oklahoma, but let's just say it doesn't look like Humboldt County.

Scott Hammond: Not at all.

Richard Carvajal: It's a little hotter too, uh, in, in the summer.

Scott Hammond: Where'd you, where'd you go in Oklahoma?

Richard Carvajal: So we went to a little place, no one's heard of it here. It's called Crowder. Uh-

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: Again, another one-stop-sign town.

Richard Carvajal: Uh-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … and, uh-

Scott Hammond: Texas has those too.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, they sure do. They sure do. Uh, Crowder was so small, for instance, that, uh, there was, uh, the gradu- it was a K through 12 school, public school, all in the same

Richard Carvajal: building.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And there were 28 in my graduating class.

Scott Hammond: How small was it? 28.

Richard Carvajal: 28. Uh, so we, uh, we go out there, and unfortunately, the, the better offer that we thought was gonna be there did not materialize.

Scott Hammond: Bummer.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, so things got harder. My parents, I think the stress of the f- financial situation we were in-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … played a role certainly in, in them splitting and divorcing. My mom then tried to keep a roof over the heads of my three siblings and I by cleaning houses-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … un- until that didn't work. And ultimately, when I was in high school, I lived by myself, and I called the backseat of a 1973 Ford Thunderbird my home.

Scott Hammond: Oh, all the way to presidency.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: I love it.

Richard Carvajal: So-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … and, and then people wonder how in the heck did that happen? How do you, how do you go from spending your nights sleeping in that car to the seat I occupy now? And, uh, y- you gotta get really, really lucky.

Richard Carvajal: And-

Scott Hammond: I have… I, I'll take a shot.

Richard Carvajal: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Uh, grit, grit, and God. And faith, and you just keep moving and making good decisions.

Richard Carvajal: And a lot of help.

Scott Hammond: And, and community. Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: You have to want it, for sure.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: But you also gotta get a lot of help. It, it takes both, and I did. I, for whatever reason, I always had a belief that it could get better.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: Um, I, I, I remember… I, I tell folks I don't really know. I think your mind kind of removes from your memory things-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … that are hard.

Richard Carvajal: Um-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … there's been a lot studied about that over the years, but, uh, I don't truly know how long I was there. I just, I, I've never forgotten the first night.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: Um, there was a county park. They wouldn't let you stay there anymore.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: They would cl- clean it out at the end of the night. But back then, there was one, uh, streetlight in the park, and I could stay under it, and there was a little bathroom, uh-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … right there, and that was home. And I sat underneath that stri- streetlight and bawled like a baby-

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Richard Carvajal: … wondering how the heck that had happened, but I don't know. The next morning I was like, "There'll be… It'll get better. I don't know how, but-

Scott Hammond: Gotta go to school

Richard Carvajal: … it's gonna get better." And the way it got better was ultimately a friend I had made at school, his, he went home and told his family about this, uh-

Scott Hammond: Oof

Richard Carvajal: … this friend he'd made who was living down at the park.And they reached out and asked if I wanted to stay with them for a while.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, they became kind of another family to me, and because of them, I stayed in high school.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I was the valedictorian, uh-

Scott Hammond: Whoa

Richard Carvajal: … which you were gonna think was impressive, but you already found out there were only 28 in the class, and four of us tied. Uh, so it really wasn't that impressive.

Scott Hammond: Big fish. Super small pond.

Richard Carvajal: S- super small pond. You know, I'm not a mathematician, but even I know-

Scott Hammond: It's okay

Richard Carvajal: … that's one, one of seven, you know, that, that's not that great. But with it came, with the title came-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … a scholarship.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Oh, cool.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, so I got to go to South Oklahoma's version of Humboldt State-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … which is the school that I had dreamed of going to as a kid. Uh, and yes, I still sometimes call it HSU.

Scott Hammond: What's it, what's it called?

Richard Carvajal: Uh, East Central University.

Scott Hammond: Oh, sure. East Central.

Richard Carvajal: East Central. Yo, if you know it- … from top to bottom, you think about it all the time, of course, right? Uh, but, uh, went there and, and I always say that place didn't just change my life, it saved my life.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and I got there and, and, um, there was a… I was terrified. I thought for sure… Actually, the two valedictorians for the two prior years of my high school had both thunked out of, out of college their freshman year.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: And so I was sure I would be the next.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, so I worked crazy hard-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and then one day I got a message out in the hallway that the vice president of student services wanted to see me, and I thought they had

Richard Carvajal: found me-

Scott Hammond: Ah, sure

Richard Carvajal: … and that they were gonna send me home.

Scott Hammond: Busted.

Richard Carvajal: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Yep. Gotta go.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, instead of that happening, uh, I had-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Richard Carvajal: … he had identified me and put me up, decided to put me up for some kind of national program. I, I-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … uh, and had to talk me into, to going for it. But then for whatever reason, uh, he stayed in my life.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, he would check on me all through that program, and then afterward kept checking on me, became like-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … my second father.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: Still is to this day.

Scott Hammond: Still living?

Richard Carvajal: Uh, still is. Um-

Scott Hammond: It's a beautiful story. I love that

Richard Carvajal: … and, uh, and it's why I do what I do-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … is I wanted to do what he did and-

Scott Hammond: What's his name?

Richard Carvajal: … see if… Dr. Gerald Williamson. I'll tell you-

Scott Hammond: Still teach, still teaching?

Richard Carvajal: He, he retired years ago. He stinks at retirement. I've told him he's great at everything except that. Uh, he just keeps coming back. He's still at that university-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … works in, in advancement there in, in-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … in, uh, in, in, in their development operation. Uh, he was just put up earlier this spring for the latest of, of big honors. He was put into a hall of fame and-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and I had the tremendous pleasure. I was asked to go back and present him for that.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and I'm one of several, quite a few actually, that he has played that kind of role for-

Scott Hammond: He's a real mentor.

Richard Carvajal: Truly. Um-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … truly, I've always said everything I ever have been or ever will be, certainly professionally, in many ways you could say personally-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … I owe to him.

Scott Hammond: That's pretty cool. It's cool to have a mentor.

Richard Carvajal: I… If my story is anything, I've been told this, and they're, everyone who has said it is right. I- if my story is anything, it is truly a story of how you can take somebody with kinda okay ability-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and if mentors just decide for whatever reason to pour into that person-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … then, then some pretty neat things can happen. And in ways that I will never understand, for reasons I will never

Richard Carvajal: understand-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … throughout my life, mentors-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … have poured into me-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … um, and saw something in me that I didn't see in myself.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: He was the, the, maybe I'd say the next of many.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and here I am because of it.

Scott Hammond: I like it.

Scott Hammond: So…

Richard Carvajal: And now Humboldt.

Scott Hammond: And now Humboldt.

Richard Carvajal: Because-

Scott Hammond: And now you can mentor.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah, you know, it, it… Uh, my career evolved the way it did. I was very fortunate. I got to, I was asked to be a, a president, and I did that for 15 years-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … in Georgia's university system. I was their longest serving president.

Scott Hammond: Was that at Valdosta?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. Last nine years was as at, was at Valdosta State University, which was-

Scott Hammond: That's in Georgia.

Richard Carvajal: It's, it is in Georgia, right on the Georgia/Florida border. It's basically the University of South Georgia, um, doctoral granting school of well over 10,000.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, quite frankly, I thought I would just stay there and maybe finish my career there.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I had turned down overtures to look at other spots 'cause I was happy.

Scott Hammond: Nice community there?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. Great people.

Scott Hammond: I bet.

Richard Carvajal: Phenomenal people that so welcomed me in in great ways that I'll always appreciate. But then last June, I got a phone call-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Richard Carvajal: … and, uh, got a, a person who was charged with running this search. I'd gotten those calls in the past. I'd always said, "Hey, I'm flattered. Thanks, but no thanks."

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: But he led with, uh, "Richard, do you wanna come home?"

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: And I, uh-

Scott Hammond: Huh?

Richard Carvajal: … held the phone away from me for a while, and I, uh, uh, "I'm sorry." And starts telling me about Cal Poly Humboldt, and I said… I, I finally cut him off. I said, "I'm sorry, I, I don't know that school. I know Humboldt State."

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Richard Carvajal: Of course, he then told me-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Richard Carvajal: … the full story, and while I had been back, you know, several times over the years to visit, I hadn't been here in a few years-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … and so I didn't know what had happened. I could not believe the story he was telling me.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: That kind of investment just doesn't happen in higher education.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and to ha- to know that it was happening in this place that had made me me was i- incredible. And I went home that night, I sat on the back porch with my wife, who loves Humboldt maybe even more than I do. She's not from here, but she hates the sun, she hates the heat, she loves rain.

Scott Hammond: She's been here?

Richard Carvajal: South Georgia's not great for her. Yeah, she's been here many times with me.

Scott Hammond: So y'all traveled here b- prior to the kid?

Richard Carvajal: Oh, yeah. We, we've been married, uh, it'll be 33 years in two

Richard Carvajal: weeks, and-

Scott Hammond: Congrats

Richard Carvajal: … I think it was 31 years ago the first time I brought her here, and she has, I'd say probably ever since that trip, if you would've asked her, "Hey, there's anywhere in the world you could live, where would it be?" She'd have told you Humboldt

Richard Carvajal: County.

Scott Hammond: Man, oh, man.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and so that night on the back porch, she said, "Okay, set aside how much you know I want to be in Humboldt."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: She goes, "Richard, how many people get an opportunity to go back to the place that made them them-

Scott Hammond: Great story

Richard Carvajal: … at this kind of historic time and be a part of that? You have to do this."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: And here I am.

Scott Hammond: So she's your other mentor.

Richard Carvajal: Oh, absolutely.

Scott Hammond: What's her name?

Richard Carvajal: Cheryl.

Scott Hammond: Hey, Cheryl.

Richard Carvajal: Dr. Cheryl Carvajal.

Scott Hammond: What's up, Cheryl?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. She's the smarter one. She was the first doctor in the family.

Scott Hammond: Oh, nice.

Richard Carvajal: In fact, she made it very clear that I had to finish mine, or the next time we printed checks, it would be Mr. and Dr. Carvajal. Pressure's on

Scott Hammond: The pressure was on.

Richard Carvajal: Babe.

Scott Hammond: I love it. That's a great story, man. I love that, coming back. So you're the, you're the very first president of Cal Poly Humboldt, correct?

Richard Carvajal: Uh, so-

Scott Hammond: Or was there a president-

Richard Carvajal: No, no

Scott Hammond: … for a minute before?

Richard Carvajal: So President Jackson was the pres-

Scott Hammond: So it was Cal Poly

Richard Carvajal: … was the president when, when it was, when the name was changed-

Scott Hammond: Gotcha

Richard Carvajal: … and went through that mission change. Of course, Mike Spagna, many know, got to know Mike in the time that he was here

Richard Carvajal: as an-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … interim for 18 months. He's been a great mentor to me and a great friend. Uh, we've gotten to know each other really well.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Richard Carvajal: He loves this place. He's doing great things, obviously, in his new spot.

Scott Hammond: Where's he at?

Richard Carvajal: He's at Sonoma State-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … um, as their, as their new president. Doing great. Uh, fitting-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Richard Carvajal: … loves that community. He's fitting in well. They've got family there, et cetera.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: But I think a piece of him will always be in Humboldt and, uh, he did great work

Richard Carvajal: here and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … and now we're trying to build upon it.

Scott Hammond: Nice. And you guys have some kids too, right?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. Got a 25-year-old daughter.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, and, uh, she has, uh… I was on the phone with her one night. She's in Valdosta and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … she was standing next to her mom. She had walked into the house and-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … Cheryl said, "You wanna talk to your dad?" And she said, "Sure." And, uh, she gets on and she says, "So yeah, I've decided when mom moves, I'm gonna go ahead and move too. I think I'm coming to Humboldt."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, asked Cheryl when I, when she left, I said, "Did you know about that?" She

Richard Carvajal: said, "Nope-

Scott Hammond: Nope

Richard Carvajal: … just found out." And, uh, so everyone whose parents will understand how you can't, it can't be your idea. It's gotta be theirs, but we're thrilled-

Scott Hammond: That's right

Richard Carvajal: … that it became her idea.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Richard Carvajal: So she'll be joining as well. And then we have a, um, a, well, in a couple of days, 22-year-old son who's a student back where I was president before.

Scott Hammond: Is he coming?

Richard Carvajal: Not yet.

Scott Hammond: He has his-

Richard Carvajal: Not yet.

Scott Hammond: You're waiting. He-

Richard Carvajal: Although, we are getting him to visit this summer and so-

Scott Hammond: It could help, yeah

Richard Carvajal: … but again, can't be our, our idea.

Scott Hammond: No, no. Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Again, you, you get that. Uh-

Scott Hammond: Gotta make sure it's his.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah, it's gotta be his idea.

Scott Hammond: I love that. So g- going back real quick to Cal Poly's transition, um, how, how did that all happen from Humboldt State? So one of the threads and the jokes on the show here is, "Hey, uh, Humboldt State, it'll always be Humboldt State while it's Cal Poly and while it's Humboldt State," and so blah, blah.

Richard Carvajal: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: How, how did that transition happen? How did that funding happen, the vision? Who was behind that? How did that all, uh, uh, snowball down the hill to become today's Cal Poly Humboldt?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. So a- again, I, I'll say, I've said it once, I'll keep saying it, I, I will still occasionally call it Humboldt State too.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and oh, by the way, if, if, you know, those that are watching or listening this, this podcast, if they attended HSC or HSU, you, you're part of the family.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, it-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … it's, it's all-

Scott Hammond: It's still Humboldt

Richard Carvajal: … it's all Humboldt, right? Um, but one of the things that had so identified Humboldt for years was this connection to this one-of-a-kind place that we get to call home.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, the, the world comes here for the specialness of what we

Richard Carvajal: have-

Scott Hammond: Right

Richard Carvajal: … to visit, and sometimes they come here for the specialness of what we have to study, and we have been doing that and bringing people from-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … everywhere for years.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And when they come here, they dive into this place. And so the exper- experiential aspect of the education that has been-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Richard Carvajal: … offered by our faculty at Humboldt-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … I can tell you, having worked at colleges and universities across the country, is just next level.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Richard Carvajal: Um, you, you don't tend to walk into an undergraduate program in most places and, and get the kind of experiential exposure-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … that, that we get here, whether it be in the ocean or in the redwoods or in any of the things we do.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and that whole idea of learning by doing-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … is frankly core to what is a polytechnic. And so, of course, we had two Cal Polys at the time that brand… There's, and there's polytechnics scattered across the country.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, they are, uh, frankly in, from an enrollment perspective, from a demand perspective, uh, they are the pinnacle right now in higher education. It's what everybody often is looking for.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I would tell you schools across America would love to be polytechnics.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and yet there's some expectations that come with that.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: The group that was in leadership here at, uh, if you go back to kind of the ear- well, entering COVID, before, a little bit before COVID, and then ear- in the early days of, of the pandemic, there was an understanding here that, um, what was happening with experiential learning was different, and it really in many ways fit the Cal Poly model. And there was an opportunity potentially for California to invest in this region-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … and to think of doing so in a way that would spur on further economic growth.

Scott Hammond: Cool.

Richard Carvajal: Okay?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And so, uh, a group came together and they started, they put together an idea of could Humboldt become the third Cal Poly in the system, and, um, in so doing, again, maybe over time, the thought was, "Hey, we can do it over the course of a decade," would we become an institution that would train up the work and leadership force for that next generation of economic investment that would-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … frankly, economic, um, uh, businesses today in, in economic development, kind of in that world, businesses today go to where workforce and leadership are.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: That is the commodity that, that in today's economic world folks are most looking for.

Scott Hammond: So we might have ancillary business come to-

Richard Carvajal: That's right

Scott Hammond: … to us.

Richard Carvajal: Used to be you built a spec building-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and industry showed up and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … they compared different spec buildings-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and tax abatement, uh, opportunities-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Richard Carvajal: … et cetera, and that's where they decided to put their next operation.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Really for the last probably decade, it's been, "Where can I find a workforce? Where can I find a leadership force?"

Scott Hammond: Gotcha.

Richard Carvajal: And so the idea of injecting folks in high-demand fields into this area coming out of, of, of, uh, of Humboldt was thought to p- have the potential to be a game pla- changer.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Again, they thought it probably would take a decade to-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Richard Carvajal: … lead that kind of conversion. And, uh, so folks here worked with folks from the California State University system-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … um, and, uh, kind of pitched the idea, and in the middle of COVID started saying, "What might we be-

Scott Hammond: Right

Richard Carvajal: … post-pandemic? What might it look like in the future?"

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Richard Carvajal: And there was some buy-in that, you know, that could make some sense.Ultimately, the idea-

Scott Hammond: I like it

Richard Carvajal: … the idea got pitched to the governor's office.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, I, I'm sure most folks thought that the best they would hear is, "Hey, that's cool."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: "It's kind of a neat idea."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: "We'll think about that for a while."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Um, instead, what happened was, "Hey, could you put together some kinda list of what it would cost to do that?"

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, they did-

Scott Hammond: That's-

Richard Carvajal: … thinking again that probably nothing would come out of it. And, uh, lo and behold, the governor said, "You know what? That investment would, would be perfect." And, uh-

Scott Hammond: Governor Gavin Newsom

Richard Carvajal: … Gavin Newsom.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Richard Carvajal: And so made a nearly half billion dollar

Richard Carvajal: investment-

Scott Hammond: Dang

Richard Carvajal: … with, along with, uh, with our state legislature to, um, make this happen.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And so we dived, the, the group dived in at that time, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … uh, has had, uh, over $400 million of capital construction projects that have been happening.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, we needed housing in order to house the influx of students-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … that likely would come with the Cal Poly brand.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, I can tell you usually that is, that has to be funded through across the country through significant debt service that you'll then pay off over time-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … with those that you're gonna hope are gonna live in, in housing. Um, here, at least with the initial project, that was funded by the

Richard Carvajal: state.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: Um, that just doesn't happen, but it happened here.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And what that's allowing us to do is use the revenue from what we get in housing to now improve all of our housing inventory.

Scott Hammond: That's really cool.

Richard Carvajal: That's special. Uh, we're in the-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … final stages of building a new engineering building that's accompanying, uh, sign- other, uh, multiple new engineering degrees.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, we're doing some renovation to our science spaces, et cetera.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And that will continue. And then there was an investment of ongoing funding as part of, of, of that initial commitment, uh, that has allowed us, as of this fall, we'll have started since the Poly conversion was announced, 17 new degrees, um-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … at, at, at Cal Poly. I can tell you-

Scott Hammond: That's huge

Richard Carvajal: … in that short period of time, nationally, that does not happen.

Scott Hammond: That's beautiful.

Richard Carvajal: It's happening here.

Scott Hammond: Good job.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and we're not done.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: So it's been a lot in the STEM fields, uh, but now it's really kind of the last phase of that is gonna be largely focused on

Richard Carvajal: healthcare.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: 'Cause we know that's another big piece-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … that if you're gonna try to attract industry in, what do you need?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, well, you need great education, and you need access to healthcare. And we know the challenges that we have in terms of access to healthcare-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … physicians, nurses, and the like. We can be a part of that answer-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … working with CR and others, and, uh, and we're gonna do that.

Scott Hammond: That's cool. I like the collaboration with CR too.

Richard Carvajal: Oh, God, as a, as a kid, I snuck into their pool all the time.

Scott Hammond: What a great guy.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, Keith, Keith Slamer and I have become good friends, and what a, what a great leader he's been for this community.

Scott Hammond: He's a great guy. Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Um, I, I joke with Keith that I snuck into the pool. Quite frankly, it was my, my best friend across the street in Hydesville was a- … was a, uh, a teacher at Cal– at, at, uh, CR, and we would go over with him in the summer, and he got us access and, and so-

Scott Hammond: Snuck in there

Richard Carvajal: … you know, some of my earliest memories were spent, um, tromping around that

Richard Carvajal: campus-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … just like some of my earliest memories of living here were-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Richard Carvajal: … quite literally the, the times that I came here to Cal Poly either to watch a football game-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … or, uh, I was that student in middle school that they put on a bus, and they, they took to the campus-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and said, "You know what? Someday you could come here."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And crazy story, I started in January on a Tuesday.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I happened to say in one of my introductions that I had gone to Cuddeback Middle School in, in little Carlotta that you pointed to on the map over there.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, uh, in middle school, they put me on that, on a bus for that kind of trip-

Scott Hammond: That's funny

Richard Carvajal: … that the students were coming to, and I got that opportunity my first week to go welcome them and say, "I know a story of a guy- … who was at your place, and oh, by the way, it's me."

Scott Hammond: I know a guy.

Richard Carvajal: I know a guy. And, uh, it's me.

Scott Hammond: That's a great story. Yeah. No, I love it. I, um, so I came up from San Diego as a hippie feral child.

Richard Carvajal: Okay.

Scott Hammond: My mom raised me in the hood in a-

Richard Carvajal: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … a little town called National City, and, uh, my dad had the chutzpah to bring me up. Uh, he lived in Oceanside. She lived in National City. But we went to the dorms and stayed and did the orientation program-

Richard Carvajal: Yep

Scott Hammond: … and, uh, drank all that Kool-Aid, came back, uh, six weeks later, and got a home in, um,

Scott Hammond: uh, at The Colony Inn and, uh, and did the first year there. And second year, met Joni, met Jesus, met sobriety, and made a degree at Humboldt in liberal arts.

Richard Carvajal: Been here ever since.

Scott Hammond: It's great. '82. Class of '82, baby.

Scott Hammond: And yeah-

Richard Carvajal: Go Jacks

Scott Hammond: … what– Yeah. What, what a great education.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And what a great, still a great place. And that, that alumni, um, buy-in– You know, when they were destroying the campus a couple years ago, um, and, and I'm sure you, you may or may not wanna comment on that. I, I just, you know, it was in my backyard at my university.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And here's the yahoos from, you know, the jerk weeds from wherever and local, uh, doing $2 million plus in damage, and I'm going, "Shit, that's not cool."

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "How is that even okay to, to do that?" So, um, uh, there's my big protest. So, uh, go- You said go Jacks. Are we gonna get Lumberjack, uh, football back? Is, is that, is that ever gonna happen? And you said, "Hey, you never get asked that."

Richard Carvajal: I, I– It's funny. When I, when I got the position, um, I knew that Lumberjack football had, had gone away. I, I, to be totally honest, I just assumed that maybe people had just quit going to games, and it just didn't matter to anybody, and I thought I would-

Scott Hammond: No, it didn't fade quickly

Richard Carvajal: … never hear about it.

Scott Hammond: It never faded quickly at all.

Richard Carvajal: And then I c- So I got hired in September, and my wife and I made a trip in October to look for a place to live and to, you know, meet a bunch of people. And, uh, I was blown away that by far the question I got asked the most was- … was I bringing football back?

Richard Carvajal: Um-

Scott Hammond: Followed by eight– KSJU.

Richard Carvajal: It, it was down the list-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … by a good bit, but it was probably the second most question-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … uh, frequently asked question I got. But with football, um-Yeah, I, I actually, one of my earl- I'm a big, uh, sports fan. I, I love football and, uh, probably one of my earliest, it might even be my first, my earliest football memory was, it wasn't actually a, a Humboldt State game. I went to a Fortuna versus Arcata playoff game-

Scott Hammond: At Humboldt State

Richard Carvajal: … At Humboldt State in the Redwood Bowl.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, uh, there's a… Folks that go to the Redwood Bowl will know this, but there's a, a kind of a concrete ramp that goes, uh-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Richard Carvajal: … from the east side of the stadium down, you, you know-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … down into the stadium, and we were walking down that ramp, and they had held us because the Arcata team, uh, and of course they were the evil empire back then to me-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Richard Carvajal: … as a, as a young Fortuna fan. Uh, but here they come all dressed in black and, and they're right in front of us getting ready to run on. And, uh, whoever was the coach that day, I guess to get them all pumped up, he had them, had them shouting to each other, "Kill, kill,

Richard Carvajal: kill."

Scott Hammond: Kill.

Richard Carvajal: And I thought, "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life." "I am now a football fan." So there you go.

Richard Carvajal: Uh-

Scott Hammond: I love football.

Richard Carvajal: I love football.

Scott Hammond: Football.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and, and but I, again, I thought it had, had just, you know, that the interest had, had, had gone away-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … and then I get here, realize that's, that's not at all the case. And unfortunately, as we've looked into it, uh, and we have, we actually looked into-

Scott Hammond: Oh, good

Richard Carvajal: … did would that make sense, uh, as something for our, you know, our future at some point to come back? And, uh, and folks may not know this, but I don't know if this is what existed when the decision was made, but I can tell you today there really… When, when I was at Valdosta State, that is, if there is such a thing as a, a

Richard Carvajal: Division II in NCAA blue blood, uh, they're one, and, uh, regularly compete for and win national championships-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … in football. And, uh, and so, uh, know that landscape, and when I got here, I thought this might be the case, but we, we studied it. There are only two Division II football programs really west of Colorado. It just, it has-

Scott Hammond: It's gone

Richard Carvajal: … it has dried up. And the two, one's in, in Oregon, one's in

Richard Carvajal: Washington.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I was gonna let you guess, what athletic conference do those two schools

Richard Carvajal: play in?

Scott Hammond: It's not the, it's not the Pac-10.

Richard Carvajal: No.

Scott Hammond: We know that much. Um-

Richard Carvajal: Oh

Scott Hammond: … probably some, it's like, like Mountain State, Montana crazy-

Richard Carvajal: I'll get even crazier.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Richard Carvajal: The Lone Star Conference.

Scott Hammond: With Texas.

Richard Carvajal: They go to Texas to play conference games.

Scott Hammond: Who are the two teams? Is it like s-

Richard Carvajal: It's, uh, Western W- uh, Washington and Central Oregon.

Scott Hammond: Central Oregon.

Richard Carvajal: I'm sorry, Cen-

Scott Hammond: Central Washington

Richard Carvajal: … Western Oregon and Central Washington.

Scott Hammond: Which are where? Uh, uh, they're in, I think Western is in-

Richard Carvajal: No, I said that wrong. Central Washington, Western Oregon-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … are the two schools.

Scott Hammond: So we're on the coast somewhere.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Richard Carvajal: And, and e- and Central Washington is just on the east side of the mountains.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, 'cause Sac State's gone, Davis is gone, Chico is gone.

Richard Carvajal: They're all, they've all quit playing football.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: There's nothing in Southern California?

Richard Carvajal: Nope.

Scott Hammond: Crazy.

Richard Carvajal: There is, there is nobody. So-

Scott Hammond: Huh

Richard Carvajal: … we, we'd have to figure out who we're gonna play, uh-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … obviously, but that doesn't mean we can't have a tremendous athletic program, and I'm, I'm competitive.

Richard Carvajal: Um-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … my friends would say I'm extremely competitive.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh-

Scott Hammond: That's good

Richard Carvajal: … and so I will say, "Go Jacks," a lot. And, and, and I frankly, I say that and I encourage folks, everybody to say that, not just if you're a sports fan. If you love the university, heck, if you love Humboldt-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … then I want you to love all parts of it, and I've told folks that, that our rallying cry together if we love this place should be, "Go

Richard Carvajal: Jacks"-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … no matter what part of the university or community you love.

Scott Hammond: I agree with you.

Richard Carvajal: And so I'll say it a lot.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: I'll say it everywhere I go.

Scott Hammond: Great basketball program.

Richard Carvajal: It is. It is.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And DJ Stack-

Scott Hammond: It's still strong

Richard Carvajal: … is the men's coach. Uh, it's been great to bring, bring a Lumberjack home.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, he loves this place and is building something pretty special. W- uh, honestly, we had a, we had a really good year in athletics this year.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And it is a place that… And I didn't know this, I wasn't sure about this-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … until I came, but I now know that we are a place that is positioned on the higher end of the conference we play in. We can compete here for championships every year.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And once you win a conference championship, guess what? You're in the national dance, and you got a chance to bring big trophies home.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: That's what we're gonna try to do.

Scott Hammond: Women's softball.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah, yeah. And it's, it's indicative of what I hope, and I know I'm not alone in this, it's what I hope for the entire university.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I want us to be really good in all things that we do.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Um, this is a special place. Uh, you know, we, you, you were talking earlier about, you know, your, your love affair and the, the quality of education that you had. Uh, uh, where I was at in Valdosta, the, there's one university system there.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: It, it's pretty much the combination of what in California would be the, the

Richard Carvajal: UC system-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and the CSU system that we're a part of. Valdosta State, for all intents and purposes, if they were equivalent, it would be a UC institution.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: You kind of therefore assume in the to- the kind of natural totem pole of higher ed that it, it, that the research output there is a larger place, et cetera. The, the kind of things that were happening as a doctoral-granting larger institution would be maybe a step, a

Richard Carvajal: notch ahead-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … of what's happening here.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, I love that institution, and I'm sorry if there are any Valdosta listeners

Richard Carvajal: learning-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … but it is not what I have found. I have been blown away by what our faculty do here-

Scott Hammond: Next level

Richard Carvajal: … the kind of exper- It is absolutely next level.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and it's special becau- and they come here because of the specialness of this

Richard Carvajal: place.

Scott Hammond: Mm. Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And they, they know they're lucky to get to live here-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and, and do the kind of research that, that we're doing. And, and the extent to which we involve our students in that is incredible.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: So I say that to say I want us to be that level of great and that level, uh, I want us to pursue excellence at, at that level in all things we do, and I don't think we should be a- apologetic about that.

Scott Hammond: Love it, and I think that's kind of segue into the, the, the community connection, which I think sports is quintessential.

Richard Carvajal: Sure.

Scott Hammond: Um-

Richard Carvajal: It's the front door. It's the front porch, front door, if you will, to, to the campus. The magic will always happen-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … at the kitchen table in any home, right?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: That's, that's where the family lives.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: For us, that's the classroom.

Scott Hammond: Yep.

Richard Carvajal: That's the chemistry lecture.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: You know, that's what's happening in our arts programs.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: That's what's happening in engineering and the like. Uh, but in many ways, the community gets to see what they see from the street. And what do they see from the street? For many, it's our athletic program. So it is a, a, a representation-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … of the quality of the institution-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … and we want it to represent it well.

Scott Hammond: I love it. Uh, and I think, uh, I wanna go trifecta here. KHSU is a piece of that, so that, that-The radio signal co-

Richard Carvajal: Yep

Scott Hammond: … is there Signals? Is there a smaller station too?

Richard Carvajal: There is, yep.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, they come off campus. Uh, a little bit of the Lumberjack, of course-

Richard Carvajal: Yep

Scott Hammond: … and then, um, uh, Center, uh, Arts Center

Scott Hammond: activities.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, you know, historically, you know, Bonnie Raitt and James Brown and all the music, I mean, everybody played at Humboldt in the day. And now, um, I'm very pleased to say for Lumberjack Days, you got Duran Jones- … who is quintessential, like, they had the Beach Boys-

Richard Carvajal: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … like last year even.

Richard Carvajal: Right, right, right.

Scott Hammond: So that's great. But s- you know, and some of the other shows have shifted a little bit, but Center Arts has been a, a… I think they call it something different now, but

Scott Hammond: a key, uh, art and culture, uh, stop. I don't have to go to Oregon or the wine country-

Richard Carvajal: That's right

Scott Hammond: … or Redding, or heaven forbid, the city to go to a show.

Richard Carvajal: One of the things that I got so interested in, beyond just the fact, uh, I knew I loved Humboldt County. I knew this was home to me. I knew I had dreamed of going to Humboldt

Richard Carvajal: State-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … but I hadn't. And so I, I had a lot to learn about the university to fall in love with it-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … at the same level that I already loved this place. And, um, one of the things that as I was exploring and learning about the Cal Poly transformation that I found most intriguing was that the, the, the folks that were involved in that effort at that time of trying to bring it forward and then ultimately the early implementation, was they came up with a concept that I don't know if it exists anywhere else in the country, but it's a comprehensive polytechnic.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Often across the country, if you look at a polytechnic, if they have programs, and they often do outside of the STEM disciplines, they're, they're not what that institution is gonna tout.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: They, they, they have them also-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … but they really do STEM.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: They really do engineering-

Scott Hammond: Define STEM real quick

Richard Carvajal: … sci- science te- engineer- science, technology, engineering, and math.

Scott Hammond: Gotcha.

Richard Carvajal: Okay? And, and so Georgia Tech, in the state that I most recently

Richard Carvajal: came from-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … is a- an example of that. They have a college of business. You can go get an education degree. You can do other things besides science, techn- technology, engineering, and math. But what isn't tech known for? It's known for those things.

Scott Hammond: So names of other polytechnic schools that we would know across the nation.

Richard Carvajal: Cal Poly, Sa- San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona-

Scott Hammond: SlO

Richard Carvajal: … Pomona here, uh, Georgia Tech, MIT, et cetera.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: These are premier institutions-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … across the country, um, where, um, cutting ed-, uh-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … education and research is occurring.

Scott Hammond: Texas Tech? No.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, T- Texas Tech is actually an agricultural and mechanical

Richard Carvajal: institution.

Scott Hammond: Oh, A&M?

Richard Carvajal: A&M, same thing.

Scott Hammond: Same idea.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. Um, and so although frankly, a lot of those institutions are trying to mirror polytechnics-

Scott Hammond: Interesting

Richard Carvajal: … because they are w- what is, what is popular now-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … what is in demand. And, and we very much in higher education have to pa- pay attention, or at least w- I think we, I think we have to, I think we should pay attention to what are the demands of, of, of those who would employ our graduates.

Richard Carvajal: And that's-

Scott Hammond: Amen to that, yeah

Richard Carvajal: … that's where that's at, right? And so, um, so yeah. So w- the group here had come up with this idea of, of a comprehensive polytechnic.

Scott Hammond: Comprehensive, yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And it was, uh, we might not do everything that historically this institution has done.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: We might not offer every degree.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: But we should be more than just science, technology, engineering, and math, and the arts is a big piece of that. There is a tremendous history at Humboldt State-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … of a, an amazing arts program. You know a bunch of the folks that have come through that program. I know a bunch of the folks who have come through that program and-

Scott Hammond: Defi- define arch.

Richard Carvajal: Define arts?

Scott Hammond: Uh, no, you said arts.

Richard Carvajal: Arts.

Scott Hammond: Arts.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and so it's really for us now, we understand if we don't do that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … we are the regional deliverer of the arts.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And you're not gonna hop in your car here and drive to s- to San Francisco to go see something.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Richard Carvajal: Right? Uh, you're not gonna drive to Portland to go see something. You're gonna, you're gonna expose yourself to the arts if we bring them here.

Scott Hammond: And the county's known for arts.

Richard Carvajal: Absolutely.

Scott Hammond: We're artists per capita than everywhere in the world.

Richard Carvajal: Absolutely. One of the members of my search committee, I remember asking him, and he, he is an artist. And, uh, I, I remember asking him, "What do you love about Humboldt?" He says, "I've lived all across the country." In fact, he had gotten his, uh, his doctorate at the University of Georgia, where I was coming from. And, uh, he said, "I love being in a place where I don't have to apologize for, for what, what my passion is."

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. How cool is that, right?

Scott Hammond: I told my dad. He said, "Okay, whatever."

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. So, so we… Yes, it, it will continue to be a special part of w- of what we do because frankly, our community needs that from us.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. So you asked me how I got started podcasting.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: My daughter, Kalea, an arts major from Humboldt State-

Richard Carvajal: Okay

Scott Hammond: … in music.

Richard Carvajal: Yep, yep.

Scott Hammond: Hey, Kalea, what's up? Good to see you. I think you're gonna like the show.

Richard Carvajal: Well, for those that don't know this about me, I, I… So I was a communication major. I, I, uh, thought I was gonna be a sportscaster. I was gonna do this g- I was gonna be behind this microphone all the time. But, uh, at some point, I went to w- my freshman composition instructor, Comp 2, uh, gave extra credit if you would go to a play from the campus theater product, you know, group.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Richard Carvajal: And you had to stay till the end. That was the, the, the catch, and you had to have a member of the cast sign, sign

Richard Carvajal: the program.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Richard Carvajal: And then, and you'd get extra credit. And I was terrified that I was gonna get… You know, somebody was gonna find out again that I wasn't supposed to be there. So I would do any extra credit they would even remotely give us the op- opportunity for. And so I went to the play, and, uh, it, it was Importance of Being Earnest. Some folks, uh, will, will recognize that show. And, uh, at the beginning of the second act, Cecily, one of the main characters, walks on, and I thought, "Who is that? How do I get to meet her?" And, uh, and so w- I figured out the way to meet her was to try out for the next play.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, and theater, I… While I was not a theater major, I never took theater classes, it became my, my social outlet. It became my thing. And oh, by the way, Cecily is, uh, is Cheryl who-

Scott Hammond: Cheryl

Richard Carvajal: … who we've talked about earlier.

Scott Hammond: Hi, Cheryl.

Richard Carvajal: Hi, Cheryl. Uh, and, uh-

Scott Hammond: Good

Richard Carvajal: … she walked on stage, and, and the rest is history.

Scott Hammond: That's a great story. I like that. Hey, uh, it's time for you to, uh, earn a Dick Taylor chocolate bar.

Richard Carvajal: Oh, my word.

Scott Hammond: Have you ever, uh-

Richard Carvajal: Oh, f-

Scott Hammond: … tried this chocolate?

Richard Carvajal: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Scott Hammond: I'm not… Uh, let's see. Let's go with this one.

Richard Carvajal: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Oh, my, one of my favorite. This is Dianna-

Richard Carvajal: So I have that one on my desk-

Scott Hammond: You do

Richard Carvajal: … right now, as a matter of fact.

Scott Hammond: Do you want another one? Do you wanna play for another one?

Richard Carvajal: Uh, since I have that one, let's go roulette here and let's look-

Scott Hammond: Don't be reaching at it. You haven't won this yet.

Richard Carvajal: Oh, okay. All right.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: Well, if, if, if I'm gonna aspire to try to win a chocolate, give me one I haven't

Richard Carvajal: had yet.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Let's do that. Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Okay.

Scott Hammond: That's fair. There's a, uh… Oh, this is delicious. Black-

Richard Carvajal: Oh, yeah

Scott Hammond: … black fig.

Richard Carvajal: I haven't, I haven't tried that, so.

Scott Hammond: Black fig is one of the originals.

Richard Carvajal: All right. There you go.

Scott Hammond: Don't be reaching at it.

Richard Carvajal: No, no, no, no, no.

Scott Hammond: You can't, you can't have this yet.

Richard Carvajal: I'm sitting right here.

Scott Hammond: These are… Yeah. Don't, don't, uh, don't move over there.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Richard Carvajal: Cheryl, if she w- you know, she maybe is watching, but if… She's probably screaming through, uh, whatever, whatever she's watching it on

Richard Carvajal: saying-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah. Win

Richard Carvajal: … "He loves chocolate."

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Richard Carvajal: So you, you, you, you found the right thing to motivate me.

Scott Hammond: Pretty, pretty sure you might wanna save some.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Save one of 'em.

Richard Carvajal: Actually, the, uh, I was joking with somebody earlier today that, uh, sh- she is a dark chocolate, uh, fan. We, we went to, to Dick Taylor's shop when we were here-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Richard Carvajal: … when she was here visiting-

Scott Hammond: Oh, man

Richard Carvajal: … on a previous visit. And, uh, and, and so I have, I've actually got a few of 'em saved up for her every time she comes-

Scott Hammond: Oh, good

Richard Carvajal: … comes to visit. And-

Scott Hammond: Should mail one just for fun

Richard Carvajal: … and then we'll be regulars once, uh, once she's here for, uh-

Scott Hammond: Oh. My wife rides her bike from McKinleyville to-

Richard Carvajal: Does she really?

Scott Hammond: … Dick Taylor.

Richard Carvajal: Okay.

Scott Hammond: And that's her treat. She gets a Mexican mocha and just goes nuts and-

Richard Carvajal: It's a great place

Scott Hammond: … loves it and, and, uh, thanks to those guys. They're, they're good friends and sponsors and just terrific human beings and-

Richard Carvajal: What a great, what a great operation they have. What a great name they are. What a great brand they are for Humboldt County.

Scott Hammond: I wanna say at least one, if not both, are graduates from Humboldt State.

Richard Carvajal: Well, of course they are 'cause-

Scott Hammond: Is, is that true?

Richard Carvajal: … why would you go anywhere else-

Scott Hammond: Do, do you know them?

Richard Carvajal: … and why would you hire anyone else than our folks?

Scott Hammond: This is… Oh, yeah. No, they're… I think it's where we had industrial arts, but I, I could be wrong. Hey, question number one.

Richard Carvajal: Bang.

Scott Hammond: All right. You, uh, and Cheryl get the day off to go anywhere in Humboldt to anything 9:00 to 9:00 PM. Uh, what's your day looking like? What are you, what are you gonna do? What's on the agenda, Mr.

Scott Hammond: Richard?

Richard Carvajal: Well, I, uh, that's… You're picking from so many things, but I'm gonna go ahead and pick one because I've seen it, and she hasn't yet. She's heard all about it. As a kid, I went to the Eureka Zoo, uh-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … on school trips, okay? And, and I had not been there in 40 years. And, uh, about two weeks ago, I went back-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Richard Carvajal: … and the great people there got me up in the Sky Walk. They took me all through the place. I fell in love-

Scott Hammond: That's cool

Richard Carvajal: … and I came home and said, "I cannot wait to take you here" when,

Richard Carvajal: when, when-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Richard Carvajal: … she's got her next visit already planned. And, uh, if, if I hadn't said it, she'll be here at Christmas full-time. We're… She's being mom. We're getting our kids across the stage at graduation, and then, and then, uh, and then she'll be here. She can't wait. But, uh, I s- I… We're gonna pick that since it's the one that's top of mind, and she hasn't done it yet. And I'll tell you what, we have so many things that… I, I just had, uh, a longtime friend of mine, him and his wife came and visited. They had never been to the redwoods.

Scott Hammond: Ooh.

Richard Carvajal: They were here for a week.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: It was so fun putting that itinerary and that menu of options together- … for them of things. And every day it was wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

Richard Carvajal: And-

Scott Hammond: Good

Richard Carvajal: … and I, I remember this was somebody that I'd worked with back in, in Valhalla, and I said, "Now, you're, you're gonna go home, and everyone's gonna be asking you, 'Is Richard okay? Is, is, is he, is he doing fine there?'"

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And he just started chuckling. He said, "Yeah, I think I'm gonna be able to tell them you're just fine."

Scott Hammond: You're doing okay.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Our curator. Yeah. No, that sounds like f- like a good day. So by the way, that, uh, that Sky Walk at Christmas-

Richard Carvajal: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … in the dark-

Richard Carvajal: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … when it's lit, psh,

Scott Hammond: magic.

Richard Carvajal: It, the, that, that we have an old growth redwood forest in the middle of

Richard Carvajal: Eureka.

Scott Hammond: It's trippy, huh?

Richard Carvajal: That's incredible.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And, and, uh, what, what vision folks had for putting that together and, uh, you know, the, uh, our leaders from the zoo told me it has tripled, uh, their, their intake numbers of folks-

Scott Hammond: Big time

Richard Carvajal: … coming to visit. And, and obviously what that means is great for tourism for the entire region. That's, that's, that's heads in beds in hotels and folks sleeping in re- in, you know, sleeping in hotels, going to restaurants and the like. We all play a role in that, right?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: We're all part of trying to make this a better place and, and, uh, job creation, economic development are a piece of it.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. It's a national des- international destination now, the park.

Richard Carvajal: That's right.

Scott Hammond: Did you meet K- Jim Campbell-Spickler?

Richard Carvajal: I did.

Scott Hammond: Yes.

Richard Carvajal: That's who, that's who was taking me around.

Scott Hammond: Cool guy.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Have you seen his podcast with, with me?

Richard Carvajal: I have not.

Scott Hammond: Your host, Scott Hammond.

Richard Carvajal: So we, we had him on a podcast-

Scott Hammond: Oh, dear

Richard Carvajal: … that we do, and he did a great job.

Scott Hammond: He's great.

Richard Carvajal: He actually had a member of his team with him as well.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Richard Carvajal: She was awesome. When we, we were walking around, and we got to the, to the bear enclosure, and just as we turned the corner, um, the male of the two, of the pair decided to jump out of the water, make a dead sprint toward us, and immediately scaled up a redwood tree right in front

Richard Carvajal: of us-

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool

Richard Carvajal: … and then hung out over it. Uh, uh, I, my mouth was on, on the ground.

Scott Hammond: You don't get to see that every-

Richard Carvajal: I, I… Yeah, you don't get to see that every day. I couldn't believe it. You get to do that right here and-

Scott Hammond: So you get a whole day, and you're just gonna go to the zoo? Is that the story?

Richard Carvajal: Well, we're gonna start there.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Richard Carvajal: I mean-

Scott Hammond: You're getting to your answer.

Richard Carvajal: Come on, Scott. You're, you're, you're, you know, you know as well as I do you can go all the way from Orick and north and do incredible things.

Scott Hammond: It's just too much.

Richard Carvajal: And, and, uh, so my wife, uh, I will tell you, she has, has fallen in love with, uh, Lady Bird Johnson Grove.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh-

Scott Hammond: That's fun

Richard Carvajal: … she, she calls it going to church.

Richard Carvajal: You know?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: For her, that's, that's-

Scott Hammond: Oh, it is

Richard Carvajal: … that's just a, an incredibly special place. And then o- obviously, uh, the time I spent down in the Over- Overville growing up, there's so many… This place is dripping with memories for me.

Scott Hammond: That's great.

Richard Carvajal: Everywhere I go. I want the drive-in movie theater back. Can I just go ahead and say that?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: 'Cause as a kid, you know, that's what-

Scott Hammond: The Midways.

Richard Carvajal: Oh, my God, I went there all the time. Uh, it, it, it is so special for me. There's so many things here. I, I, and sometimes I feel for my wife 'cause everywhere I go I'm telling a story from my childhood-

Scott Hammond: Right

Richard Carvajal: … where my dad and I did this, or my mom and I did this, or my brother and I did

Richard Carvajal: this.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and, uh, and now we're gonna get to build those memories together.

Scott Hammond: So she starts making a face going, "Dah."

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "Ah."

Richard Carvajal: She's, she's like, "Okay, I'll-

Scott Hammond: I'm, uh, I, yeah

Richard Carvajal: … I'll let you keep going, but I'm gonna go ahead and think about something else

Richard Carvajal: now."

Scott Hammond: I'm on my f- I'm checking Facebook.

Richard Carvajal: Right. Exactly.

Scott Hammond: That's good. You keep talking, though. So question number two.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: What's life giving for you, and what's, uh, what guts your, your

Scott Hammond: soul?

Richard Carvajal: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: So, y- uh, again, we went through my story at the beginning, uh, and we talked about my mentor and, and what he did for me and what he's done for, for others. Uh, I, I consider myself– I tell our, our faculty and staff at, at Cal Poly Humboldt, uh, and they've already heard me say it a bunch of times in, in the semester I've been here. I, I try to remind myself and them just how lucky we

Richard Carvajal: are-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Richard Carvajal: … to get to go to work every day knowing that our mission that day is to go change somebody's life.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: Huge.

Richard Carvajal: M- m- my life, my story happened because of education.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I, I am the living embodiment of the transformative power of what we do.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: But I don't tell my story because I think it's that special.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I tell it because it gets other people to tell me theirs, and sometimes I'm blown away by theirs that is just so much more incredible than mine.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: But it happens over and over and over again.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And so do I get emotional, and do I feel something special on commencement day? You better believe it.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Because those thousand students are walking across the stage and, yeah, we got a thousand, but it is for them their one and, and I don't always know their story. Sometimes I do. I got some… I had some really fun hugs the other day, and I took some- … people wanted selfies on stage and all sorts of stuff. But, um, the whole family is graduating.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: We are changing family dimensions for-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … forever. And so to get to do that, to know that I get to be a cog in the wheel and a small part of that-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and, and everyone who's involved at our university-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and no matter what role they have. I, I can't tell you the number of times-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Richard Carvajal: … over the years in working in education that I've heard students talk about the custodian that cleaned their building every day who always checked on them and

Richard Carvajal: wa-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … and that's why they made it.

Scott Hammond: Mr. Barker.

Richard Carvajal: There you go. Right?

Scott Hammond: He's a totally cool guy.

Richard Carvajal: There you go. Uh, uh, so no matter the role they play, whether, you know, whether they're an administrator-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Richard Carvajal: … trying to make sure it's all working, whether they're a faculty member where the real magic happens, whether the staff who, you know, the work they do goes right up to the threshold of the classroom, to all those fa- people who support the physical plant and the operation of making it happen.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: We are that blessed and fortunate to get to do what we do-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … and I try to never forget it.

Scott Hammond: That's cool. That's life-giving. Real q- quick comment on that. I, I, um, I'm inspired to, um, ask and ponder about how could we become better mentors and reach out to mentoring and, you know, to, to establish relationships and connections with people who, um, who are that.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Both, both giving as a mentor and, and in receiving and being, and being coachable. I mean, you coach approach, man. You gotta be coachable to be a mentee.

Richard Carvajal: I, I would hope, and, and I'm gonna say this to everyone who is listening to this who has an opportunity to have an influence in it. I would hope that they would think of how can they, uh, dive into what we do.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, I've talked to a lot of people over the years, and when I s- when I talk about the, the incredible gift that we have of doing what we do, and then I say, "Hey, do you wanna be a part of that?"

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: It's very rare that somebody says nah.

Richard Carvajal: Right?

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Richard Carvajal: And so it is now thinking about what can be the part. And, uh, some people will do that with donations of time and

Richard Carvajal: treasure.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: But, but many times what we need, because again, we're gonna dive in even more to learn by doing and to the experiential aspect of, of every degree that we have.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, we need folks to step forward and say, "I will take interns in my

Richard Carvajal: business."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: "I will put them to work while they are here."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And what we understand is, yeah, we had a thousand people walk across the stage on Saturday, and that's a success. I will truly feel like we are being the most successful when m- many of them, if not most of them, wanna stay on the North Coast-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … post-graduation-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and build their life here. And we know, and the data could not be more clear, that if we get them involved out in the community, in internships, in those types of relationships, they build those relationships, they will want to stay.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And so whether it's attending one of our events, whether, again, gifts of time and treasure, creating an internship opportunity-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … saying, um, "Hey, just I'm willing to volunteer. What do you need?"

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Whatever the case may be, we are-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … Northern California's university.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: We are the North Coast University.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: We are most certainly Humboldt County's university.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And so let's, let's live that out and do this together.

Scott Hammond: Love it.

Richard Carvajal: And the more folks we have– I am such a big believer, and my career and my life have taught me this, that if you have a group of people who love place, and you get them moving in the same common direction-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and they're doing it together-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Richard Carvajal: … there's almost nothing they cannot accomplish.

Scott Hammond: Like it. And I think you're, you're the elephant in the community is this giant community heart that is here.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It's in the room. It's in the room here. Hey, Nick, what's up?

Richard Carvajal: People love this place.

Scott Hammond: I'm listening.

Richard Carvajal: They know how special it is.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, it's great to know you.

Scott Hammond: They, they-

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And, and that's been a theme in, in the podcast for three years. It's like, oh, you– What do I love about this place? Natural beauty, yes, but the folks.

Richard Carvajal: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: The people, the connection-

Richard Carvajal: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … the communication, the, the, the community that I'm part of-

Richard Carvajal: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … that I'm, I've bought into.

Scott Hammond: And the– Nobody's ever said ment-mentoring that much, but I think that's a key component. So, uh, hey, part number two of your question before you-

Richard Carvajal: Ding, ding

Scott Hammond: … grab that chocolate bar there.

Scott Hammond: Cheryl is-

Richard Carvajal: Am I, am I still on track to get it?

Scott Hammond: You're still, you're still doing okay, Cheryl.

Richard Carvajal: Okay. Okay.

Scott Hammond: We'll see. We'll, we'll see. My da- my dad used to say, "We'll see." Um, what-

Richard Carvajal: So did we have the same dad? 'Cause I heard that all the time.

Scott Hammond: How about that ice cream? We-we'll, we'll see.

Richard Carvajal: Well, we'll see.

Scott Hammond: Uh, so what's life– What sucks the, the breath out of you and your

Scott Hammond: soul?

Richard Carvajal: Hmm. Honestly, it's from a professional standpoint, um, you know, every one of us has… issues in life we deal with, et cetera. That, that, we all do that, right?

Scott Hammond: Sure do.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, yeah, I, I'm blessed to do this work. I'm blessed to have this role and, and I feel very fortunate to have it, and I know we exist to change lives, and I get to see it all the time. Uh, I, I have in my career worked with enough that didn't make it.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: That didn't take advantage of the opportunity.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: That, that's rough.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, those, those stay with you.

Richard Carvajal: We had a… Years ago, I was working at a place and, and I was, um, I was, I was overseeing student affairs there, which included housing, et cetera.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And we had a, we had a young man that I, I knew his heart was good, or at least I thought it was, and, uh, and he'd, he'd made a mistake.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and it was the kind of mistake that was gonna require that he couldn't live in our housing operation anymore. But, uh, but I knew if I just suspended him and sent him home, uh, he'd probably be in prison or dead within a couple years.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: That's where, that's where home was for him.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: And we gave him an opportunity to live in our garage. We said, "Okay, here's a whole set of rules that you're gonna have to follow."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, "We're gonna make it hard on you, but we care about you, and we're gonna try to give you a chance to earn your way back in."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: Um, my wife's a special person. She didn't balk when I came home and said, "Hey, I did something today."

Scott Hammond: Brought, brought home a puppy.

Richard Carvajal: "I hope you're okay, I hope you're okay with it."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, he didn't, he didn't live up to that.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's hard.

Richard Carvajal: Um, I don't know what happened to him, and yet I do.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: If that makes sense.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And, and I would tell you that every one of us who does this work, I bet that it… You could interview any one of my faculty members, and they could give you a similar

Richard Carvajal: story.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Those that made it, those that did not.

Richard Carvajal: Right.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: We do why, what we do for the ones that make it-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … and we want everybody to get there. And we'll, we'll, we'll work like crazy to try to make that happen.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And yet you never forget about the ones that-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Richard Carvajal: … that, that it didn't work with.

Scott Hammond: You said it earlier, their choice, their journey.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, it's tough. Okay, question number three. This is the hard one.

Richard Carvajal: That was quite the lead in, just those few words. You got me scared now.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. This'll be easy.

Richard Carvajal: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Actually.

Richard Carvajal: Okay.

Scott Hammond: 'Cause you probably… So, uh, you get to take Cheryl out the first night she's back. Where are you guys gonna go eat?

Richard Carvajal: Okay. It, it's not gonna be the answer you expect.

Scott Hammond: You can't say the Jolly Giant.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, okay. So-

Scott Hammond: You can't say the dorms.

Richard Carvajal: No, I'm gonna tell you two things. And they're gonna be as opposite ends of the spectrum as possible.

Scott Hammond: Go. Give me two answers, yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Okay. I'm gonna give you two. I'm gonna cheat. I'm gonna give you two answers.

Scott Hammond: It's still a right answer here.

Richard Carvajal: All right. The first answer is gonna be, um, special for us in, in a lot of ways because of our history. A- again, growing up here with not a lot, uh, I can't tell you the number of times as a could, uh, as a kid, I stood outside the Carson Mansion, and I thought, "Oh…" I, I couldn't even fathom-

Scott Hammond: Right

Richard Carvajal: … what, who got to go there.

Scott Hammond: Who, who's in there?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah, who or whatever get to go there.

Scott Hammond: Who gets to go there?

Richard Carvajal: And, and what is… You know, it just seemed un- seemed like Mars. It seemed untouchable.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And the number of times over the years that my wife and I have stood outside the building and marveled at it and, and-

Scott Hammond: Shot photos.

Richard Carvajal: Oh-

Scott Hammond: Hung out

Richard Carvajal: … so many photos. In fact, uh, my wife does counter cross-stitch, and probably 25 years ago, she counter cross-stitched the Carson Mansion.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool.

Richard Carvajal: And we've had it all these years.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And did the Pink Lady as well.

Richard Carvajal: And-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Richard Carvajal: … they're in my office now.

Richard Carvajal: When-

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's sweet.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. I said, "I probably should hang those up now."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and, uh, a- and so yeah, she's gonna come here. We're, we're gonna, we're gonna go in the mansion and, and, uh-

Scott Hammond: Have a little dinner

Richard Carvajal: … and, and getting, a- and get to experience something that is-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … just a truly special place to-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … to so many that love this, this area and region.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And-

Scott Hammond: It's a great outfit

Richard Carvajal: … she, she'll love that, but she'll love the second night that I'll put together even more.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Richard Carvajal: Which-

Scott Hammond: You thought about this already.

Richard Carvajal: Well.

Scott Hammond: Good.

Richard Carvajal: We're gonna, we're gonna grab some, you know, smoked fish somewhere and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … some local cheese and maybe some local bread, and we're gonna go down and, uh, find some spot where, uh, the, the TV out our front car window is, is the ocean.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and we're gonna feel very fortunate to be in a very special place.

Scott Hammond: Got just the spot for you.

Richard Carvajal: We have, we actually already have a couple.

Scott Hammond: You already… You got any-

Richard Carvajal: But I'm open to other suggestions.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, Huda Point and up that-

Richard Carvajal: Okay

Scott Hammond: … scenic drive is our, uh, COVID date night. We have the van.

Richard Carvajal: That's your spot?

Scott Hammond: We throw the, throw the doors open, Dick Taylor, uh, a little picnic, maybe a little red wine, and the sun is setting, and off comes my shirt. It's pretty-

Richard Carvajal: It's pretty good. It's pretty good.

Scott Hammond: Can't unsee that. No, it's just a magic spot. It's, it looks over the Trinidad Bay, and it's… Uh, why would we think about leaving this place ever? It's like, oh. And, uh, cheap date.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And great date.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: So there's two very different, uh-

Scott Hammond: Those are good

Richard Carvajal: … different spots, but I-

Scott Hammond: I like them both

Richard Carvajal: … I think, uh, I think to folks that love Humboldt, they'll, they'll understand w- why those are the two.

Scott Hammond: Well, Cheryl, he got lucky on the last question.

Richard Carvajal: Yay.

Scott Hammond: You are the new owner of a, a proud new owner of a 72% dark Dick Taylor craft chocolate with, from Tanzania with black fig. Uh, congrats.

Richard Carvajal: Thank you so much.

Scott Hammond: For you, for you, friend.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, I've, uh, I've received se- several, you know, special gifts since I've been here. This is now right at the top of the list.

Scott Hammond: Okay, good. Don't eat, don't eat it all on the way home.

Richard Carvajal: Oh, it's not even making it back. It, it might not make it out of the parking lot, so.

Scott Hammond: Re- remember, small pieces.

Richard Carvajal: It's in small pieces. Thank you.

Scott Hammond: It's fine chocolate. You gotta go, you gotta go slow. So, uh, I'll, I'll kind of wrap with, um, uh, your legacy thus far, and you're, you're a pretty young guy. How old are you?

Richard Carvajal: I am, I'll be 55 in a couple weeks.

Scott Hammond: Attaboy. You're not sporting it, but you gray a little bit.

Richard Carvajal: Eh, it's, it's, it's there. Um, uh, trust me, my body feels, uh, 55.

Scott Hammond: Every morning.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. Uh, it, it, it-

Scott Hammond: Try 66, bro.

Richard Carvajal: Oh.

Scott Hammond: It's painful, dude.

Richard Carvajal: It doesn't… Uh, my, my mother keeps reminding me, it doesn't get better, uh, with time. But, uh-

Scott Hammond: No, no. My dad said getting old is not for sissies, yeah.

Richard Carvajal: But I did have a friend of mine who used to say, and I'll let, I'll let you think about this for a second. He said, "It's far better to be seen than viewed."

Scott Hammond: Ooh.

Scott Hammond: I like that.

Richard Carvajal: I'm still getting seen, so there you go.

Scott Hammond: I wanna, I'm gonna re-quote that. So when we talk about you at the end of your life, uh, uh, your, uh, your funeral, your, your, um, celebration of life, what, what would you like to think that folks might say?And then the, the tombstone inscription,

Scott Hammond: of course.

Richard Carvajal: Well, f- like everybody, the first and foremost thing you hope for is that they say you were, um, you were a good dad, you were a good husband.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Right?

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and so, uh, of all the jobs I have, those, those, those are the most important.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and they're the ones maybe I'm most critical of myself on.

Scott Hammond: Sure. And grandpa coming up your way.

Richard Carvajal: Ah. We'll see.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, yeah-

Richard Carvajal: We'll see. Yeah

Scott Hammond: … d- now you sound like your dad.

Richard Carvajal: Well, they… Yeah, exactly.

Scott Hammond: We'll see.

Richard Carvajal: We'll see.

Scott Hammond: I don't know. Might happen.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, it might, and, and we'll be thrilled. And we have, uh, Cheryl has a, a niece that is like a daughter to us-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Richard Carvajal: … and, and she has two children-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and so we, we kinda get to play grand- grandparents with them.

Scott Hammond: Good.

Richard Carvajal: And, and, uh, and so, yeah, we're, we're, we're excited about tho- those next phases.

Richard Carvajal: But-

Scott Hammond: Are they coming to Humboldt too?

Richard Carvajal: They're coming to visit.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, of course.

Richard Carvajal: So we've already been, we've already been plotting that visit out, but, um, they wa- they've never seen the redwoods, so. They live in Texas. There's no redwoods in Texas.

Scott Hammond: Not a one.

Richard Carvajal: And, and so, uh-

Scott Hammond: What part of Texas?

Richard Carvajal: Uh, they're McKinney, Texas, if, uh, which is a suburb of Dallas.

Scott Hammond: Yep.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. So we're excited to get them o- out here and, and, uh, have that experience. But yeah, that's, that's the first thing. I hope folks would, I hope my family, frankly-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … would, would s- think I did okay-

Scott Hammond: Good word

Richard Carvajal: … on that.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Um, and then quite frankly, in, on the professional side, I've always had really only one goal with every job I've ever had, and I've actually encouraged every leader with whom I've worked to have the same goal.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And it's, that's to leave it better than you found it.

Scott Hammond: Like that.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, leadership is finite.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I am a big believer of that. Uh, it, it, it didn't start with me, it won't end with me.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: There were great, great people. You've mentioned a couple in our time here today who, you know, who had this role over time, and, uh, the role that I'm fortunate enough to occupy, and others who had all kinds of roles at, at HSC, HSU, and then-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and then ultimately Cal Poly. And, uh, and, and now it's just my turn.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, we're gonna try to build. I always tell folks we're not building the house. The house is fantastic.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: We are gonna try to add a room or two.

Scott Hammond: Cool.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and then at some point, it will be time for me to turn it over to the next one-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and I hope that I've left it better than I found it, and I hope that they can take it and, and, and make it even better than that.

Scott Hammond: I think it's stewardship, the word.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Being the steward. I'm just here for a time.

Richard Carvajal: I'm here for a time.

Scott Hammond: Yep. We're gonna make it better than we found it.

Richard Carvajal: And I feel oh so fortunate-

Scott Hammond: That's great

Richard Carvajal: … to be here for a time.

Scott Hammond: I like that. What's it gonna say on your tombstone then? Maybe, "Left it better than I found it."

Richard Carvajal: I'll let somebody else write that. Hopefully it says-

Scott Hammond: It'll be somebody else's job

Richard Carvajal: … hope- hopefully it says, "Beloved father, dad," and then we'll figure out the

Richard Carvajal: rest.

Scott Hammond: The, the rest. Okay. Good word. Well, thanks for coming. Appreciate you being here.

Richard Carvajal: It's been an honor.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah, really solid, man.

Richard Carvajal: I, I love that this is, uh, a podcast that just loves this community, that dives into this community and highlights it. You've had all the episodes that you've had 'cause there's a whole lot to highlight.

Scott Hammond: There is, and there's more to come.

Richard Carvajal: There's more to come.

Scott Hammond: There's way more to come. Uh, hey, Nick, are we close to 60 minutes?

Nick Flores (possible brief time-check only): I think we're, like, five shy.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Hey, I'm just gonna fill some time then for five-

Richard Carvajal: Let's go for it then. Let's keep going.

Scott Hammond: Let's talk about Melissa. Hey, Melissa.

Richard Carvajal: So-

Scott Hammond: Melissa's here.

Richard Carvajal: So we got, I got-

Scott Hammond: Nick's here

Richard Carvajal: … I got amazing members of my team. I say all the time, I just do what they tell me to do, and it seems to work out.

Scott Hammond: Do the shout-out. Let's talk about Dronkers for a minute.

Richard Carvajal: So, so, so Dronkers is one of them.

Richard Carvajal: I-

Scott Hammond: What's up, Mike?

Richard Carvajal: Uh, hi, Mike. Uh, so m- uh, your listeners, I'm sure, often have dived into his podcast as well. We've had a great time, in much the same way, going around and talking about the great stories of Humboldt County and this region.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And in giving people a, a taste of what it's like to do all of these different jobs.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Right? I have learned so much. Uh, uh, uh, uh, Keith Flamer and I, again, we, we mentioned Dr. Flamer before, President Flamer.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: And he's become a great friend. He's, he's taught me so much.

Richard Carvajal: Uh-

Scott Hammond: What a great guy.

Richard Carvajal: Oh, he's phenomenal.

Scott Hammond: Nice man.

Richard Carvajal: He's been such a difference maker for this community.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: But we've had a ball diving into various aspects that we've seen, and, uh, you know, we were out with a, an oyster farmer the other day. Uh, we, uh, we talked about folks that are, are studying, uh, birds and how they impact highway projects. We've-

Scott Hammond: Whoa

Richard Carvajal: … uh, the list just goes on and on. I, I went to, uh, uh, to, uh, Humboldt County's favorite

Richard Carvajal: bagel shop.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and, and got, uh-

Scott Hammond: Which one is that?

Richard Carvajal: Oh, I… Y- come on, you know.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: And I got, I got ch-

Scott Hammond: It's-

Richard Carvajal: I got-

Scott Hammond: … 8:30 today

Richard Carvajal: … and I got challenged for why I hadn't been in more. And, and, and you know what? That's okay.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: I should get challenged for why I haven't been in more. We all should make sure we take advantage of the things that make-

Scott Hammond: That's right

Richard Carvajal: … make this place special. I love that I'm getting to play a role with Mike and, and with Dr. Flamer in telling those stories just like you're doing.

Scott Hammond: That's cool. Yeah. Yeah, Mike's a le- kind of legend.

Richard Carvajal: Uh, you know, he's, he's a musician too.

Scott Hammond: Oh, really?

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's right.

Richard Carvajal: He plays, plays in a local band.

Scott Hammond: He's in a b- he's in a band.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: We didn't even touch on that part of the arts much 'cause there's so much music

Scott Hammond: here.

Richard Carvajal: The music scene here is pretty incredible.

Scott Hammond: It's pretty cool.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah. And, uh, and the live music scene, o- one of the stops we made for, for our podcast was diving into the independent radio, uh-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Richard Carvajal: … kinda scene here and, uh, getting to tell some of those stories. We have awesome people doing really cool things.

Scott Hammond: Let's tell the Ol- OLLI story real quick. The, the, the learning institute for older folks like me.

Richard Carvajal: Okay.

Scott Hammond: I think that's such a great, um, ancillary… And not everybody has an OLLI program, so it's, that's, there's that.

Richard Carvajal: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's amazing. And then, uh, the arts and the music thing and, um, and then you got all the chamber music and all the people from the music department that do concerts at Fulkerson Recital Hall.

Scott Hammond: And-

Richard Carvajal: In, in so many ways it fits into-

Scott Hammond: Hi, Julie

Richard Carvajal: … whether it's OLLI or any of the pieces, it fits into this idea of we are the community's, the region's university.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Right? That it, what does, what does Humboldt County, what does the North

Richard Carvajal: Coast-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Richard Carvajal: … what does Northern California need from us? It's why we have the arts. It's why we're comprehensive.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: It's why we're doing th- uh, a whole series of opportunities with our seniors. It's why we're doing research.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Our, our research that we engage is, is to answer questions

Richard Carvajal: from here-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … that impact here, right? Um, it's why I want our graduates to stay here and build their careers, et

Richard Carvajal: cetera.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Richard Carvajal: It all ties into are we making this place better?I go back to that sitting, you know, the night that I got the phone call of, "Rich, would you like to come home?" And, and sitting out there on the back porch with, with my wife and, and, and, and the things that she said.

Richard Carvajal: It was, "Richard, you have this just unheard of opportunity-"

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Richard Carvajal: " potentially to go back to the place that you have always said made you,

Richard Carvajal: you-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … and to work with other people at this historic time to transform it for the better.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: To transform something that has always been great and turn it into something that's truly exceptional."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Richard Carvajal: Um, that's what we're getting to do right now.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And it will impact everybody who is getting to watch or listen to this because we're your institution.

Scott Hammond: Love it.

Richard Carvajal: And, uh, and so let's keep it going.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Richard Carvajal: Let's get people involved. Let's, let's hear… I, I, I wanna be very clear. When I, when I came in, I, I said from day one, "I'm not the kind of person that says even though… Have I done this other places? Have I been experienced? Yes, I've had a very fortunate… I feel truly fortunate for the career I've had."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: I, I have never in any of those jobs walked in and said, "I have all the answers. Get on my back and I'll get you there."

Scott Hammond: Right.

Richard Carvajal: It's not how I lead.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Richard Carvajal: It is much more for me about asking people who already know and love this place, what do they think

Richard Carvajal: that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … they want us to be, need us to be going forward? And when I hear the same answers repeatedly multiple times-

Scott Hammond: Maybe that's the path

Richard Carvajal: … that might be the path. And-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Richard Carvajal: … and that's the one we dig into.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: And if we can get everybody moving, we can't do everything.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Richard Carvajal: We can't do a thousand different things, but if we pick a few and we put all of our collective energies-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: … around those things and say, "We're gonna get better at this, this, and this-"

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Richard Carvajal: "… then guess what? We will."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Richard Carvajal: Because historically, again, when I've seen that, uh, there's really just not much that can't get accomplished when you, when you have everyone, uh, going in that same

Richard Carvajal: direction.

Scott Hammond: Amen, man. I, I love it. Hey, sounds like you're the right guy for the right job at the right place.

Richard Carvajal: I'm just the luckiest person most people have ever met.

Scott Hammond: I love your attitude. It's awesome, dude. Well, hey, thanks for being here.

Richard Carvajal: It's a pleasure. Real honor.

Scott Hammond: I think, I think we'll be seeing you again.

Scott Hammond: Um-

Richard Carvajal: I hope your, I hope your folks here see me all over the place.

Scott Hammond: That's the hope I do.

Richard Carvajal: I have tried to get out and about. I've tried to be at everything. If I haven't seen you yet, that's on me. I'm sorry. I'm gonna keep going out. We're, I, I, I want, I wanna go where people at. And when you see me, come tell me s- hi and, and, and give me your ideas for how we can get better and do it together.

Scott Hammond: Nice. Yeah, approachable. I love it. Well, folks, uh, that's me. That's a wrap. Scott Hammond, 100% Humboldt podcast with my new best friend, Dr. Richard. And, uh, Melissa's here too. And, uh, Nick, thank you for all you do.

Richard Carvajal: Go Jacks.

Scott Hammond: And go Jacks. And, uh, like us, love us, send us money and, and gifts on, uh, on all the podcast, uh, platform. Our new website, 100, 100humboldt.com. New revised. It looks amazing. Thanks, Nick. And, um, uh, make some comments and I think, uh, this, this one will probably pretty much go viral, so we're looking forward to that. Again, thanks for coming. See you next week.