CSUS President Donald Gerth announced plans today to build a satellite campus in south Placer County.

He dubbed it a “historic moment” for both CSUS and Placer County and outlined plans for the extension located on a 250 acre piece of land in the planned Placer Ranch development.

The land would be a donation from Placer Ranch owner and educational philanthropist Eli Broad.

“It is his potential gift that brings us together today,” Gerth said to reporters in a press conference.

The CSU Board of Trustees will vote on the acceptance of the land donation in their March meeting.

The new facility would accommodate some 500 to 600 full-time students initially, with capabilities to enroll more later.

Gerth said the extension would better serve students as the main campus reaches its capacity, around 35,000 students, in the next five to seven years. Current enrollment is at 28,500.

Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt likened the plans to the Gold Rush, the construction of Interstate 80, and the arrival of Hewlett Packard, all events that affected Placer County.

“Those things change potentially your future forever,” Weygandt said.

Weygandt said support for the CSUS extension was high among residents and businesses in Placer County, citing studies done by the Board of Supervisors.

The new campus would provide upper division and graduate courses. Gerth said that Sierra College, a two-year institution in nearby Rocklin, is doing a “fine job” of supplying lower-division education and would continue to do so once the new campus is complete.

Sierra College students would be able to transfer to the satellite campus. Two-thousand students transfer from Sierra each semester. Six percent of CSUS students live in Placer County.

Academic programs likely to be offered are information technology, communications, computer science, computer engineering and education.

“Faculty will be heavily involved, as they should be, with the academic development of this campus,” Gerth said.

Other branch campuses in the CSU system include those in Stockton, Concord, Palm Desert, Irvine and Imperial Valley.

“We (Sac State) are on a campus bounded by the American River, a set of railroad tracks, Highway 50, and River Park. Our opportunities for expansion on that site are obviously limited,” Gerth said.

The donated land is located on Fiddyment Road before West Sunset Boulevard in South Placer County’s industrial district. The land is part of the 2,200 acre proposed development of Placer Ranch.

The campus will likely begin offering courses in fall 2006.

The first building will cost $10 to $12 million, Gerth said.

Despite budget problems, Gerth said there was never any intention to eliminate plans for the extension campus.

“I’ve lived through three others (budget cuts) and we will come out of it in good health. We would be foolish to let this opportunity pass by,” Gerth said.

One possible name for the new campus would be California State University, Sacramento in Placer County, said Gerth.

After this semester, Gerth will be stepping down from his office as President that he’s held since 1984.

He said that solidifying a set of options now would help the next administrator come into the situation with a road map for construction of the campus.

“This is just one of the many things I’ve had the pleasant opportunity to work with,” he said.