The proposed 250 acre extension of Sacramento State in Placer County is on hold, but is not forgotten.

Classes for the new facility were scheduled to begin in fall semester of 2006, but with the recent state budget problems that date could be pushed back further.

In February real estate developer Eli Broad donated 250 acres of land to Sac State in hopes of building an extension of the university in south Placer County. University President Alexander Gonzalez said he still wants to go through with the project but said it is still conceptual.

“We are very interested in this and are committed to it but it’s still in the conceptual stages,” Gonzalez said.

The proposed Sac State satellite campus in Placer County would offer upper division and graduate classes. Most likely they would be in the computer and information science fields.

The proposed campus expansion is not detailed in the Sac State master plan for construction. Such projects in that plan are Parking Structure III and Modoc Hall.

The California legislature told the California State University Board of Trustees in late summer that growth in the CSU had to be reduced this school year to 4.3 percent versus the usual 7 percent. Next year no growth will be allotted in the state budget.

Despite the fiscal problems with the state and the student fee increases Sac State is still interested in expanding to south Placer County.

“Even though we are told there will be no allotment for growth we still have to anticipate for growth,” Gonzalez said. “We still have to be prepared to deal with students when this budget problem blows over.”Former Sac State President Gerth said in February that the first buildings on the campus would cost $10 to $12 million.

Gonzalez said that the buildings on the proposed campus would not only come out of state funds, but also out of bond measures and possibly donations from corporations.

During the May meeting of the CSU Board of Trustees, Gerth informed the committee that the campus is at the front end of planning and development and is involved with the community on the issue. The trustees discussed the measure and decided to bring it up for further discussion at a future meeting.

The land that was donated to Sac State and the area around it remains undeveloped. University officials are still waiting for the environmental impact report from Placer County which would determine the ramifications the project would have on the land and its environment.

The proposed campus would not draw students away from Sierra College, a community college in Rocklin, since it would only offer upper division and graduate courses.

Roughly two-thousand students transfer from Sierra College to Sac State annually.