Cal Poly will welcome astronaut and alumnus Victor Glover back to campus this June, days after he returned from the farthest crewed trip in human history. The June 15 appearance will give students and the public a rare chance to hear directly from the pilot of Artemis II about what the mission revealed and why it matters for science and education today.
Glover, who earned an engineering degree from Cal Poly in 1999, served as pilot on the Artemis II crew that traveled more than 250,000 miles from Earth. At the campus event he is expected to reflect on how seeing Earth from that distance reshaped his perspective and to discuss how his university training informed his career at NASA.
Event at a glance
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| What | “Mustangs to the Moon and Back” — Victor Glover in conversation |
|---|---|
| When | June 15, 7:30 p.m. |
| Where | Cal Poly Performing Arts Center |
| Admission | Free; advanced registration required |
| Presented by | The Baker Forum (honoring former president Warren J. Baker) |
The appearance is organized by the Baker Forum, a long-standing campus program created to promote discussion about higher education and public policy in honor of former Cal Poly president Warren J. Baker. Glover’s return ties that mission to a high-profile example of how university training can lead to national and international leadership in science and technology.
Attendees can expect a first-person account of the Artemis II mission, insight into the practical and intellectual steps that led Glover from San Luis Obispo to NASA, and commentary on the broader implications of returning humans to deep space. He will also speak about what seeing Earth from deep space means for thinking about climate, cooperation and long-term planning.
- Mission perspective: firsthand reflections from the pilot of the farthest crewed journey to date
- Career path: how an engineering education translated into a NASA role
- Bigger picture: implications for science, education and global stewardship
Update, May 22: Within two hours of priority registration opening for students and campus members, the event page was updated to indicate that tickets had sold out.
Glover’s talk arrives as the Artemis program and public interest in crewed lunar missions remain central to U.S. space policy and STEM education efforts. For Cal Poly, the visit underscores the university’s role in preparing graduates for high-impact careers and offers a moment of local engagement with an event that carried global attention.
