New Extended Learning Building to Open for Fall 2019
By Eric Breier
Construction has officially begun on Cal State San Marcos’ new Extended Learning building.
Part of a public-private partnership, the project includes a 135,000 square foot, six-story building, an accompanying 709-space parking garage and a pedestrian bridge over Barham Drive. The project is expected to be completed in time for the fall 2019 semester.
“This public-private partnership is another example of our innovative, creative and entrepreneurial spirit as we seek new ways to serve our campus and our community,” said CSUSM President Karen Haynes during a ceremonial groundbreaking on Tuesday.
The project will add a two-acre footprint to the CSUSM campus. 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.
“With an ongoing budget crisis plaguing public higher education, our North City partners were critical to making this project a reality,” Haynes said.
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.
“From the beginning, Extended Learning has placed great value on creating partnerships across academic divisions and throughout the business community so we can continually develop programs that meet the evolving needs of the region,” said Mike Schroder, dean of Extended Learning.
“The Extended Learning building that will soon fill these two acres is symbolic of these relationships that we value. Not only will we be situated next to our North City partners who have joined us in this innovative venture, but we will share this new education space with our academic partners.”
Media Contact
Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314