By Joseph Baroud, Contributing Writer, and Matthew Alford, Staff Reporter
CSUDH is in its biggest new building boom in more than 40 years, with finishing touches being made on one building and contruction on two others in full swing. But CSUDH President Thomas Parham won’t stop talking about on thing:
This is just the beginning.
The language is much more refined and substantive, but in essence that’s been Parham’s mantra the past two months. He said it to neighboring residents, Carson city officials, the CSUDH Academic Senate, and anyone else impacted by the current and planned growth of the campus. And, yes, that includes students, including those who were at two events last week: Wednesday’s Pizza with the President, and Thursday’s beam signing ceremony for the Instruction and Innovation Building.
At Wednesday’s informal event, flanked by members of his cabinet and representatives from ASI, Parham addressed the opportunities and challenges that come with CSUDH’s transformation from a relatively under-the-radar commuter college into a fully-fledged 21st century university. The opportunities are outlined in the university’s 2018 update of its Master Plan, which was approved in concept by the CSU Board of Trustees in late September. A combination road map and wish list for the university over the next 15-20 years, the details of the plan are affected by many variables, including student enrollment. But if fully realized, the plan calls for 12 new academic buildings, a performing arts facility and student recreation center, new student and faculty housing the east and south portion of the campus, parking structures, an expanded LSU, ground-floor retail and a business park.
The challenges are ones that every CSUDH student is feeling now.
“There is currently no more room on our campus,” Parham said, Wednesday.
But, the possibiliy for more room exists, through renovating or replaceing older buildings or building new ones on currently unoccupied land on the east part of the campus. But that raises the biggest challenge of all: the money to pay for it.
For more details, see “To Grow, Money Matters,” by Jordan Darling.
