SACRAMENTO, California (Press Release) — Assemblymember Steve Fox (D-Palmdale) announced that Assembly Bill (AB) 736, a measure which could eventually pave the way for a new California State University Campus in the Antelope Valley, received unanimous approval from the Senate Education Committee. The bill now will move to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
“Our region is home to many aerospace companies where engineers, computer experts, and technicians are in high demand,” Fox said. “Having a CSU in the Antelope Valley will allow us to educate and retain our people and fuel our local economy.”
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Since 2000, the population of the Antelope Valley has grown by 85 percent. Students in the Antelope Valley graduate high school, attempt college and complete their associates degree at a higher rate than the rest of their peers in California. However, because students in the Antelope Valley do not have the same access to a public four-year university, they fall behind the rest of California when completing a four year degree and obtaining a graduate degree.
AB 736 authorizes leaders of the California State University system to study the need for a four-year university in the Antelope Valley. The bill would require the Chancellor of the CSU system to conduct a feasibility study to determine the necessity for an Antelope Valley campus. The study will include elements such as enrollment projections, regional workforce needs, the potential for job creation in the region, and the effects of a new campus on other local educational institutions.
It will not be funded at taxpayer expense.
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Preceding provided by Assemblyman Steve Fox