I think more infill projects on existing campuses is happening right now, given governmental regulation(s). Maybe a new campus somewhere, like up north on the coast.
But UC Merced only has about 8,000 UG’s right now. I’m thinking if they made UC Merced’s tuition, pick a number, say $7,000, instead of $14,000, then maybe they’ll increase their numbers and families would forget about “prestige.”
With every UC’s tuition about $14,000, UC Merced “needs” to discount in order to increase volume. Or just build some amazing amenities like free laundry service, pools, free golf and tennis, etc. Heck, while they’re at it, bring in the chef from French Laundry and/or Chez Panisse and have the best food in the state for students.
Location cannot be improved, sadly. It’s in the middle of nowhere and far from the ocean and its mild climate. I agree that they need to make it attractive in other ways. The problem again is that the more attractive campuses have more financial resources, so how can the less appealing campuses be competitive?
Even UCSC somehow got a new on campus housing development approved, so anything is possible, though it may take years.
The other thing to think about is that I read here that, in a few years, the population of HS students will be decreasing and that may reduce the pressure quite a bit as well. Maybe the demographers here can chime in. Unfortunately, for those kids applying during these last few years, like my two, there’s just too many great students right now.
Redding is in the “local area” of CSU Chico, even though CSU Chico is something like 70+ miles away. Humboldt State (or “Cal Poly Humboldt” that it wants to be) and a theoretical CSU or UC in Yreka would be further from Redding than CSU Chico.
Serving Redding better with a local four year school would mean putting one in Redding or adjacent to it.
What if the two flagships would extend their brand to other UC campuses by redistributing some part of their operations among 2 campuses, for example UC Santa Cruz becomes UC-Berkeley’s Residential College or UCSB comes UCLA Residential College.
