Sac_State
01-29-2004, 06:48 PM
Gonzalez's CSUS face-lift plan gets trustees' approval
By Lesli A. Maxwell -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Wednesday, January 28, 2004
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Higher education officials on Tuesday approved President Alexander Gonzalez's bid to turn an aging California State University, Sacramento, into a modern university with a vibrant, on-campus life.
The California State University board of trustees' endorsement of the revised master plan for CSUS was an easy step in what will be an expensive and arduous process of transforming the 51-year-old campus into the one Gonzalez envisions.
By 2010, Gonzalez wants 5,000 students living on campus in high-rise apartments. Now, 1,100 students are living in decades-old dormitories -- a number that is dwarfed by the roughly 27,000 who commute to campus for classes. He wants a revitalized athletics program and an 8,000-seat arena to host games, concerts and graduation ceremonies, and he wants a medium-sized performing arts center that would lure community members to the campus.
Gonzalez, who took over as CSUS' leader in July, also will push to tear down 18 buildings at the center of campus and replace them with new high-rise ones.
Some parts of the ambitious blueprint -- like several classroom buildings and converting the concrete center of campus into a park -- have been circulating for more than a decade, but have mostly stalled.
Gonzalez has pledged to launch an aggressive fund-raising campaign to collect private and corporate donations to help pay for many of the projects.
So far, no CSUS officials have said what the cost would be, but the price tag likely would reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. State dollars for higher education are scarce, and voter support for a $12 billion school construction bond measure in March is uncertain.
The president told a small group of supporters and potential donors last Friday that "inertia ... and people saying that this can't be done" will be the biggest challenge.
But his audience of trustees Tuesday was an easy one. No one expressed dissent or asked how such a dramatic face-lift will be paid for.
"As someone who lives in the region, I know the entire community is in support," said Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, a trustee and son of prominent Sacramento developer Angelo Tsakopoulos.
With CSU's official blessing, CSUS officials can now begin more detailed planning that includes tallying up how much it will cost. One of Gonzalez's priorities will be to hire a new vice president in charge of fund raising.
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About the Writer
---------------------------
The Bee's Lesli A. Maxwell can be reached at (916) 321-1048 or lmaxwell@sacbee.com.
;)
By Lesli A. Maxwell -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.
Higher education officials on Tuesday approved President Alexander Gonzalez's bid to turn an aging California State University, Sacramento, into a modern university with a vibrant, on-campus life.
The California State University board of trustees' endorsement of the revised master plan for CSUS was an easy step in what will be an expensive and arduous process of transforming the 51-year-old campus into the one Gonzalez envisions.
By 2010, Gonzalez wants 5,000 students living on campus in high-rise apartments. Now, 1,100 students are living in decades-old dormitories -- a number that is dwarfed by the roughly 27,000 who commute to campus for classes. He wants a revitalized athletics program and an 8,000-seat arena to host games, concerts and graduation ceremonies, and he wants a medium-sized performing arts center that would lure community members to the campus.
Gonzalez, who took over as CSUS' leader in July, also will push to tear down 18 buildings at the center of campus and replace them with new high-rise ones.
Some parts of the ambitious blueprint -- like several classroom buildings and converting the concrete center of campus into a park -- have been circulating for more than a decade, but have mostly stalled.
Gonzalez has pledged to launch an aggressive fund-raising campaign to collect private and corporate donations to help pay for many of the projects.
So far, no CSUS officials have said what the cost would be, but the price tag likely would reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. State dollars for higher education are scarce, and voter support for a $12 billion school construction bond measure in March is uncertain.
The president told a small group of supporters and potential donors last Friday that "inertia ... and people saying that this can't be done" will be the biggest challenge.
But his audience of trustees Tuesday was an easy one. No one expressed dissent or asked how such a dramatic face-lift will be paid for.
"As someone who lives in the region, I know the entire community is in support," said Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, a trustee and son of prominent Sacramento developer Angelo Tsakopoulos.
With CSU's official blessing, CSUS officials can now begin more detailed planning that includes tallying up how much it will cost. One of Gonzalez's priorities will be to hire a new vice president in charge of fund raising.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Writer
---------------------------
The Bee's Lesli A. Maxwell can be reached at (916) 321-1048 or lmaxwell@sacbee.com.
;)