THOUSAND OAKS : College Weighs Start of Satellite Campus
Community college officials are attempting to establish a satellite campus of Moorpark College in Thousand Oaks in the next five years.
“I think we need to bring these educational services closer to Conejo Valley residents,” said Ventura Community College District Trustee Gregory Cole, who has been advocating an off-campus site for several months.
Last week, the Ventura County Grand Jury stated in its annual report that the college district should consider establishing a satellite college. “In part, we want to start up the campus to better serve Conejo residents,” said Jack Fleming, director of continuing education.
“But the real motive is that we’re flat out of room at Moorpark College.”
About 45% of the college’s 11,000 students this spring were Conejo Valley residents, and more than 700 were from the Agoura Hills and Calabasas areas, college spokesman Gerry Olsen said.
The college has been offering night classes at local high schools for more than 19 years, leasing the space from the Conejo Valley Unified School District for about $45,000 per year, Fleming said. Neither he nor Cole had an estimate of how much the proposed expansion would cost.
“What we need now is more autonomy and a facility that we can use from 7 in the morning to 10 at night,” Fleming said.
Officials will meet July 18 to discuss state requirements, footage, funding and location of the proposed satellite, Cole said.
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