By snoadmin
Cal State Long Beach is considering purchasing the land currently occupied by Brooks College, located on Pacific Coast Highway about two miles from campus, and using it to build more student housing, according to Rick Gloady, director of media relations.
Brooks College, a two-year design school with a student population of 500 to 1000, announced on June 28 that it will not be enrolling any new students and will close after its current students complete their degrees. The school was put up for sale last year but its parent company, Career Education Corporation was unable to find an appropriate buyer.
An article on Inside Higher Ed’s Web site said that Brooks College had spent $3 million to upgrade its facilities after it was the subject of an exposé on “60 Minutes” in 2005, where the school had been accused of misrepresentation in recruiting and having inadequate facilities. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges also placed Brooks College on probation in 2004.
Since the announcement of the school’s closure, CSULB representatives have visited the site with the idea of using it for more student housing.
“Student housing on campus is at capacity and has been for a number of years,” said Gloady. “CSULB President King Alexander has made no secret of the fact that he believes the campus should have more university-run housing for students. This site could help fill part of that need.”
Gloady also mentioned that there are a number of CSULB students already living in the Brooks College dormitories. The Housing & Residential Life website lists Brooks College as an alternative to on-campus housing and mentions that a free shuttle van is also available to transport students to and from the CSULB campus.
Brooks College covers 6.5 acres. It currently leases the property owned by Tilley Development Corporation.
Currently, CSULB is in a phase called “due diligence,” where campus representatives and a team of professional advisers look over the site and complete an assessment of the mechanical and electrical systems, as well as a structural review of the facilities on the property, according to Gloady. He said that after this 120-day process has been completed, the university will then make its decision whether or not to purchase the property.
The closing date of this phase is Aug. 15.
While the decision may come this fall, because current students at Brooks College are permitted to finish their programs at the school, the campus will not close until March of 2009. If CSULB does decide to buy the property, construction would not begin for at least another two years.
