Assemblywoman: Stockton, San Joaquin County Underserved In Higher Education
STOCKTON (CBS13) — San Joaquin County is growing fast enough that one state lawmaker says an education gap is growing.
Assemblywoman Susan Eggman has written a bill to have the state look into the need for a new California State University campus in Stockton.
Currently, San Joaquin Delta College is a commuter junior college where students get two years of higher education. If they want to finish their degrees, they'll have to go somewhere else.
"I think that Stockton actually needs more colleges," said student Michael Gordon. "Delta College and UOP, but there's really nothing else."
University of the Pacific is nearby, but costs more than $40,000 for two semesters.
"The average kid can't afford to go to UOP," Gordon said.
Stockton-area students have limited choices when it comes to higher-education. From the city center, UOP is less than three miles away and Delta College is less than four years away. But CSU Stanislaus in Turlock is 41 miles away, while UC Davis and UC Merced are both more than an hour away from Stockton.
CSU Stanislaus also has a small Stockton campus on Magnolia Street, but only third- and fourth-year students can attend.
Eggman wants a CSU campus in San Joaquin County, saying it's been underserved in higher education for too long.
But there are roadblocks to expanding the current CSU Stanislaus campus. With renovations, the dean says it can accommodate 2,000 students, but the building is an old state mental hospital that is a historic building. That means the university can't make any changes, including removing bars on the windows.
The state will have to determine if CSU can expand in its current location, or find another campus in Stockton.
Creating a new campus could take at least 10 years, Eggman's office said.
