If you are going to stir up a bit of controversy, you’re going to get some heat.

That’s why I was flattered when Susan Opava, dean of research and graduate programs at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, called me out on a recent column that criticized the university for not doing enough to develop the San Luis Obispo County economy.

But her comments, made at an April 9 Business Times event honoring top women executives in the region, did have a point. Although it’s perhaps escaped the notice of pundits like me, Cal Poly has been a player in the region’s economic evolution.

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