No CSU for Stockton, trustees say

A California State University is not coming to Stockton or any of the other four cities vying for a public four-year university.

The California State University Board of Trustees this week released a report stating that projected 2035 enrollment demand alone does not justify the development of a new 7,500 full-time equivalent student campus at any of the potential sites.

The other locations seeking a school are: Concord, Palm Desert, Chula Vista and San Mateo County.

According to the report, projected enrollment over the next 15 years does not justify the estimated $2 billion to $4 billion cost of a new campus.

“Projected 2035 enrollment demand alone does not justify the development of a new 7,000 fulltime equivalent CSU campus at any of the five evaluated locations,” according to the report.

The news presents another roadblock for the local lawmakers, business leaders and educators, who have pushed for a full four-year university in Stockton.

In March, Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, and Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs announced the formation of a new committee dedicated to helping Stockton land a new fouryear-university. Gov. Gavin Newsom included $2 million in the 201920state budget to explore the potential of a new California State University in San Joaquin County, with the most likely location site being in Stockton.

Eggman has been working on what she has called “Stockton State” since 2015. Stockton has a satellite center of CSU Stanislaus.

The CSU-Stockton Community Committee is made up of more than 60 public officials and academic, business and labor leaders and “demonstrates the very broad support that civic leaders and community stakeholders share for this effort,” according to a statement the Stockton mayor’s office.

Leading up to the Great Recession, enrollment across the CSU system grew by about 2 percent a year, a trend that coincided with growth in state funding. However, between 2008 and 2009, enrollment dropped by 1 percent and then by 5 percent the following academic year due to restrictions in funding, according to the CSU report.

The aggregate planned capacity for the existing 23 campuses is sufficient to accommodate the 2035 enrollment demand, the report said.