Students and faculty look forward to expansion following President Gerth’s announcement last week that CSUS plans to build a satellite campus in south Placer County.

Gerth 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 told reporters in a press conference Thursday.

The CSU Board of Trustees will vote on 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.

The campus will likely begin offering courses in fall 2006.

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.

Bryan Siat, a junior majoring in business, thought the new campus would improve students’ commutes.

“It would ease the hassle of having to wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning just to come to school,” he said. “I know people who come down from that area so I know what they go through every morning.”

Six percent of CSUS students live in Placer County.

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 to CSUS from Sierra each semester.

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.

Dean of Faculty and Staff Affairs David Wagner said he looks forward to faculty members developing an academic program on the new campus.

But any talk of how to staff the extension campus is premature until an academic curriculum is set up, he said.The new campus would provide an opportunity for faculty to teach part of their course load on an off-campus site, an idea he said would appeal to faculty.

“Some (faculty) might find it a welcomed addition in terms of providing some diversity. It might be beneficial in terms of their commute,” he said.

He said that anticipating the relationship between the home and branch campuses would be important. “It’s anticipating issues so they don’t become problems,” he said.

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

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.

“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 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.

Junior Susan Lee said the extension campus was a good move for the university and students.

“It’s a good idea that Sac State is using its money to build another college. It would encourage more students to go to school,” said Lee, a liberal studies major.

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 as President, an office 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.