The groundbreaking ceremony for the University Village Student Success Housing and Dining Project took place in the parking lot of University Village Apartments, one of three existing housing facilities at CSUSM. Over the next 2½ years, the site will be transformed into a complex that features space for 550 additional student residents and a 10,000-square-foot dining hall that will provide affordable meal plans for students.

“We all try every day to remove obstacles our students face in their pursuit of higher education, because worrying about rising rent costs or not knowing where your next meal may come from has an impact on a student’s academic and personal success,” President Ellen Neufeldt said during the event. “Here at CSUSM, we are dedicated to meeting those basic needs for all our students, and this project is a testament to that commitment.

“Given the rising costs of living across our region, the University Village Student Success Housing and Dining Project is vital to ensuring the success of our first-year students as they get acclimated to college life and living on their own. Research has shown that students are more likely to succeed if they are living on campus, but we must make sure cost-effective opportunities are available to students who need it most.”

Neufeldt was joined at the event Friday by other CSUSM administrators; Moy Valdez, president of Associated Students, Inc.; and numerous public officials and their representatives.

The ceremony began with a traditional tribal blessing by Chris Devers of the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians.

The groundbreaking comes a little over a year after CSUSM opened North Commons, its third housing facility, and Campus Way Cafe, its first dining hall. The new University Village project, scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2026, will increase the student housing capacity on campus to more than 2,500.

The project is being funded in part by $91 million that CSUSM received from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature in their 2022-23 budget. Of the $497 million allocated for student housing projects on nine California State University campuses, CSUSM was given the second-highest amount.

Valdez said he was inspired to join ASI because of CSUSM’s commitment to the on-campus experience for students, which he believes will be amplified by the new housing and dining project.

“Everyone at ASI has put so much time and effort into new housing projects, such as this one, as we see it as a new avenue for students to come onto campus, get connected with the established student life, and hopefully one day find the passion to represent future students as we did,” Valdez said.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306