Another Milestone for Extended Learning Building
By Eric Breier
Construction of Cal State San Marcos’ Extended Learning building reached another important milestone earlier this month during a “topping out” ceremony.
A topping out is typically observed when the last beam is placed on top of a new building. Everyone involved in the CSUSM project signed a ceremonial beam during the Nov. 16 ceremony. The beam will be placed in the lobby of the finished building.
“It’s hard to believe that it was only six months ago that we stood here and put shovels into the ground for a ceremonial groundbreaking for this project,” CSUSM President Karen Haynes said. “This milestone marks another sign of our University’s growth as this structure continues to take shape.”
Part of a public-private partnership, the project on the northwest corner of Campus Way and Barham Drive includes a 135,000 square foot, six-story building, an accompanying 709-space parking garage and a pedestrian bridge over Barham Drive.
The building's concrete structure is complete and work is concentrating on the interior framing and installation of the mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. The tower crane will be removed on Dec. 7. The building is expected to open in time for the fall 2019 semester.
The project will add a two-acre footprint to the CSUSM campus, becoming the largest academic building at the University. In addition to being the new home of CSUSM’s Extended Learning program, the building will include 14,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, six labs, 14 conference/study spaces, community clinic education and research space, academic support centers and the offices of CSUSM’s Public Health, Social Work and Speech-Language Pathology programs.
CSUSM’s North City partners on the $81.9 million project include Sea Breeze Properties, Turner Construction, Brookhurst, Urban Villages San Marcos, EvCon Associates and Safdie Rabines Architects.
“This public-private partnership is a testament to our innovative, creative and entrepreneurial spirit as we seek new ways to serve our campus and our community,” Haynes said. “With a continued shortage of funds for new buildings, an increasing demand from our region to serve more students, it is an understatement that our North City partners were critical to making this project a reality.”
CSUSM Extended Learning offers accredited degrees, certificates and customized training programs designed to accelerate professional development. It is continually adding new and relevant programs to its offerings in response to the changing economic needs of the region.
Extended Learning functions as a financially self-supporting unit within the University, which means it receives no funding from the state and relies solely on revenues generated from its various programs to operate.
“This Extended Learning building is the result of a unique public-private partnership that reimagines how we build communities,” said Mike Schroder, dean of Extended Learning. “In extending our campus into North City, we blend purpose and transform expectation. We have always served the community. We have always partnered within the community. We now stand among the community as well.”
Media Contact
Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314