Budget cuts force CSUCI to slow its enrollment

Rush State budget woes have forced California State University Channel Islands to limit student enrollment this year but not halt plans to construct new classrooms and a campus entrance.

Speaking at the ninth annual CSUCI Connection Luncheon on Feb. 25, President Richard Rush said the university received 10,000 applicants for this fall but could only admit 900 to 1,200 students.

Rush told university students and business leaders at Spanish Hills Country Club they face competition not from neighboring states but from other countries, such as China and Hungary.

“Higher education is a public good,” Rush said, “because we need to have people at the cutting edge.”

The university recently received half of the $20 million promised by Proposition 1D to build a new entrance road to the eight-year-old campus. Voters approved the 2006 initiative to provide millions in bond money to build and renovate infrastructure on state university campuses. Rush said construction on the entrance could begin in the summer.

In addition, the university plans to build new classrooms, faculty offices and a laboratory in North Hall.

Nancy Gill, a university spokesperson, did not comment as to the cost or construction timeline for the building remodel.

Later this month, the university will open its new $11-million student union building, Rush said.

Camarillo and the rest of Ventura County benefit when student enrollment increases, he said, adding that for every state dollar invested in the university, $4 is spent in the community.

The university’s business and nursing degree programs remain popular. About 1,000 students have expressed interest in the nursing program, but because of state cuts admission is limited to far fewer students. The university press office did not divulge the number of new nursing students that CSUCI plans to enroll next year.

Rush said the university plans to eventually offer a Master of Arts program for entertainment studies that could become a national model.

Rush said it’s “terrible” that state budget cuts have held back the campus from hiring more faculty. “We need them,” he said. “We really need them.”

Provost Dawn Neuman said she appreciated how throughout his speech Rush referred to CSUCI as “your university,” indicating the importance of the community’s involvement with the local university.

“He means it with all his heart,” she said.

Mel Sheeler, owner of Sheeler Moving and Storage in Ventura, called Rush’s speech inspiring.

“We’ve got the crown jewel here,” Sheeler said of CSUCI. “All of us need to do everything we can to promote the university.”