'We need to get a four-year school here,' Visalia City Council pushes for COS Measure C approval
Visalia City Council members unanimously endorsed Measure C – an item community members will have the opportunity to vote on in November.
The $95 million bond would fund a University Center, allowing the College of the Sequoias to establish partnerships with four-year universities and provide students with more Bachelor's and Master's Degree programs.
“We need to get a four-year school here,” Councilmember Greg Collins said. “It is nice to potentially have those degrees in our backyard... I am on board.”
Tulare County is the second-largest county in the state without a four-year university and is ranked as the second lowest region in the state for Bachelor's Degree attainment of individuals over 25, around 15%, according to the American Community Survey 2020 data.
"We have had 25 years of relative inactivity, and not from a lack of trying,” COS President Brent Calvin said. “We feel there is enough information to know there is a great demand.”
The University Center – a project estimated to take more than five years to complete – would cater to students who received a two-year degree through local community colleges who then stay in the region to complete their Bachelor’s degree.
It also allows the college to expand on its $5 million investment to "improve and expand access to affordable, quality education and job training" within the community.
Grand Canyon University, Arizona State University and Vanguard University were all mentioned as possible partnership schools. Ultimately, Calvin said the college would like to offer 12-13 different degree programs for COS students to choose from.
“Our students are (currently) going to work somewhere else,” Calvin said. “Somebody in this region needs to step up and get this done.”
COS has already taken steps to try and address the fleeing student population.
For example, the college currently has a partnership with Fresno State and will soon open its Fresno State South Valley Campus in Visalia, near South Mooney Boulevard and Tulare Avenue on the southeast corner of campus.
The repurposed building, once a child development center, will provide COS students with five bachelor's degree and two master’s degree programs across multiple majors, including Business, Integrated Teacher Education, Nursing, Criminology, and Ag Business, starting in Fall 2023.
"An important goal of the (Fresno State South Valley Campus) is to support highly motivated students who do not have the means or time to relocate or commute to the main campus to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees," Fresno State's website reads.
If voters approve Measure C, the bond will cost School Facility Improvement District 2 (Visalia, Cutler-Orosi, Farmersville, Exeter and Woodlake Unified School Districts) property owners around $13 each year per $100,000 of assessed value.
Community members can learn more about Measure C during two informational events the College of the Sequoias is hosting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 and Nov. 2.
“This partnership will lead to something bigger,” Calvin said. “In fact, I think it is our opportunity to have a mini-CSU (California State University) here in our county.”
Lauren Jennings covers education and news for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow her on Twitter @lolojennings. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Visalia City Council pushes Measure C approval
