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Growing enrollment drives university's expansion
That was the message Richard Rush, the university's president, delivered to the city's business community during the annual state of the university speech hosted by the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce. "California State University, Channel Islands is the most important force in the economic and cultural future of Camarillo," said Chamber President Tom Kelley. Although the possibility of a statewide strike by university faculty members continues to plague the California State University system, Rush said he's heard very little talk of discontent from professors on his campus. "There hasn't been much interest, as far as I can tell, among our tenure and tenure-track faculty at Cal State Channel Islands," Rush said in the luncheon speech held Tuesday at Spanish Hills Country Club. "Certainly you can ask faculty members yourselves, but I don't see this as a major issue on our campus." Accreditation In two weeks, Rush said, a panel of delegates from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges is expected to tour the campus before the university receives its official accreditation. Rush said earlier visits by the accreditation panel have gone well, and that the university's faculty has received high marks since the start of the process. "They said . . . that if they were going to give this group of people a grade for their efforts, they would give us an A-plus," Rush said. Rapid growth Rush said CSUCI is the second fastest growing campus in the CSU system. The number of this year's freshman applicants is up 15 percent from last year, and the university's overall number of applicants for enrollment has jumped 19 percent since early 2006. To accommodate the growing population, nearly 450 new units of student housing are expected to be completed by next fall. Once the units are built, Rush said, more than 900 students will live on campus. A third phase of the student housing plan will get underway shortly. "The thing that's most on our minds is getting enough space ready fast enough for the growth of our programs," Rush said. To help ease overcrowding, Rush said the university benefited from Proposition 1D, the measure voters passed in November allowing the state to sell $10.4 billion in bonds to finance infrastructure projects at public schools and universities. Of the $690 million allotted to the CSU system, Rush said the university received $62 million. The money will be used to improve the school's aging buildings. "We're going to take 1930s infrastructure and bring it right up to date," Rush said. The funds will also be used to help finance the John Spoor Broome Digital Teaching Library- a $50 million facility designed by worldrenowned architect Sir Norman Foster. The university will use $3.2 million of state money on the 173,000-square-foot digital teaching library that will be completed in November- three months ahead of schedule. "It will give us instant international recognition," Rush said. Additional colleges Rush said the university began its new performing arts program to take advantage of the school's proximity to Hollywood. Although the university's nursing school hasn't yet received state funding, Rush said, it continues to grow, nurtured by funding from local hospitals, private healthcare providers and federal grants to help address the nursing shortage throughout the state. New programs include Chicano studies, early childhood education, communications and political science. Faculty According to Rush, since the university opened its doors six years ago, there have been more than 10,000 applicants for faculty positions. Of the more than 400 people interviewed, Rush said the university hired only 73. "That's less than 1 percent of all the applicants," Rush said. The university interviewed only 71 of the 1,600 applicants who applied for 22 new faculty positions that are slated to be filled this year. "At the very core of the university is the faculty," Rush said. "What they create with their talent and their vision is the magnetic attraction that draws students to this particular university for their education rather than to another location." Sports program Plans have already gotten underway to start an athletics program at the university, Rush said. Former NCAA president Cedric Dempsey was hired last year to help the university establish its first teams. Rush said they will likely include golf, cross country and soccer. Additional sports offerings are anticipated in the future, but Rush said the university will not have a football team. "It just isn't economically viable in the 21st century for a university to start a football program," he said. University officials are working to hire a new athletic director by next spring and hope to begin putting together a coaching staff by next year. Rush said the university will probably begin recruiting athletes by 2008 and will compete at the NCAA Division II level. "In athletics, as in everything else that we are doing, if we're going to do it, we're going to do it well, and we're going to do it right so that you won't have to worry about scandals in our programs," Rush said. Audience reaction to Rush's speech seemed to be positive. "We will, without any doubt, be the No. 1 CSU school if Dr. Rush stays at our helm," said Chamber Chairman Bob Taylor. Jessica Laroe, a senior and the university's student body president, said Rush has helped shape a university that she loves. "I think it's been the best opportunity I could have taken," Laroe said. "I had the opportunity to attend several universities throughout California, and I am so thankful I chose Channel Islands." A member of the university's inaugural freshman class and a resident of Sacramento, Laroe said she plans to stay in Ventura County after she graduates in May. "If all goes well, I'd love to continue working here . . . as well as getting my MBA with the university," she said. | |||||
