Local News in Brief : Governor OKs Study of University Center
Gov. George Deukmejian has signed into law a bill directing state education officials to study the feasibility of expanding the University Center in Ventura and finding a permanent campus for the extension program.
The bill, SB-1103, by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) has strong backing from Ventura County officials who long have pushed for a four-year state college in the county.
The University Center, which operates out of rented space in downtown Ventura, is jointly run by California State University, Northridge, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
It has 600 students, most of whom work during the day and attend classes at night, center director Joyce Kennedy said.
Courses are offered in 20 subject areas. Only juniors and seniors and graduate students are allowed to attend.
The bill earmarks $250,000 for studying both the proposed expansion and selection of a permanent campus.
Several local officials, including Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), have expressed the hope that after securing a permanent campus for the University Center, they will then be in a position to successfully lobby to transform the center into a campus of the California State University.
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