Community College Being Considered for Thousand Oaks

Ventura County community college officials may build a fourth campus in Thousand Oaks to accommodate the increasing number of students at Moorpark College, which is approaching maximum enrollment, according to a college district report released Wednesday.

Under the proposal, the fourth college might be a full-fledged campus, but district officials say they are also considering a college center, which would be housed in an industrial area of Newbury Park near the Ventura Freeway.

While offering a full range of classes, the center would lack the athletic facilities of the district’s three other campuses in Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura.

“We’re looking for long-term (options) for the future years,” said Gregory P. Cole, president of Ventura County Community College District board. “We need to plan for what’s going to happen to Ventura County when it comes out of the recession.”

Officials are also considering moving the district’s headquarters from Ventura to the more centrally located Camarillo Airport, where the district is part owner of a 50-acre parcel.

In the last two years, district officials have gone on campus-hunting expeditions, examining buildings and sites from Westlake to Camarillo, said Jeff Marsee, vice chancellor for administrative services.

The Newbury Park industrial area--a sprawling neighborhood of business and industrial buildings between the Ventu Park Road and Wendy Drive freeway exits--has emerged as the most attractive option for a new college center because of its affordability and range of sites, officials said.

Although a full campus is among the options under consideration, a center may be sufficient to meet the demands of east county residents for community college classes, officials said.

The center would probably offer a range of courses similar to that of the existing campuses, but students would have to go to Moorpark College for athletic facilities.

District officials said they have discussed gearing the center’s offerings toward the needs of companies in the area. Classes at a Newbury Park site, for example, might take advantage of the proximity of Amgen, the biotechnology giant that has its headquarters in the industrial center, Marsee said.

A 17-member committee made up of college district officials and community leaders will meet for the first time Friday to discuss the district’s growth needs and options.

District enrollment has declined by 12% this fall compared to last year, a drop district officials attribute to the combination of the stagnant economy, a state funding crisis that forced the district to cut classes at all three campuses and a fee hike. Last fall, all students paid $6 per credit unit. Now, students without bachelor’s degrees must pay $13 per unit; students with bachelor’s degrees are charged $50 per unit.

Despite this year’s enrollment decrease, college officials project an eventual, steady rise in the number of students because the birth rate and number of immigrants moving to Ventura County are outpacing the rate of residents departing, the district study showed.

According to district projections, Moorpark College will have the largest increase of the three colleges and reach its 15,000-student capacity by the year 2000. Between 1986 and 1992--before this year’s decline--enrollment at the college increased by 20%.

Moorpark College’s enrollment will continue to increase as more San Fernando Valley residents move to eastern Ventura County, Marsee said.

Although the district could choose to expand the college at its present site on Campus Road, officials said that option is not at the top of their list because students benefit from more intimate classes and personal attention at smaller campuses.

Officials do not yet know how they will fund a new campus.

Marsee said the district would probably have to apply to the state for bond money, a process that could take years. However, Cole said, the district is negotiating with the city of Thousand Oaks to use redevelopment funds to help finance the purchase.

City Manager Grant Brimhall confirmed that Thousand Oaks is negotiating with the college district over the possible use of redevelopment money.

“It would be a significant benefit to our seniors, to some of our high school-age students and especially to young professionals who want to work at high-tech jobs in the community,” Brimhall said.