Why this matters
Chula Vista stakeholders suggest building a university will increase academic attainment for people in South County, especially Latinos.
The city of Chula Vista is now accepting applications to be part of a task force meant to shape the future creation of a university in the city.
U.S. Assemblymember David Alvarez, D-San Diego, announced the city’s application process on Monday. The new South County Higher Education Task Force will examine what is required to establish the university, including governance structures, funding models and other key factors.
The group will need to consist of at least one member of the public from Chula Vista.
“Your expertise and voices are essential as we work together to expand educational access, strengthen our binational economy, and deliver the university that South County students and families have long deserved,” Alvarez said in a statement.
Chula Vista will later seek at least one city official to be part of the task force. Other members will come from San Diego State, Southwestern College, UC San Diego, the Sweetwater Union High School District, the speaker of the assembly, and president pro tempore of the senate.
The task force has been greenlit thanks to the passage of Alvarez’s bill, Assembly Bill 662, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in October.
Chula Vista is the second-largest city in San Diego County and the largest city in the state without a public university offering bachelor’s degree programs. Alvarez’s office has described the area as a “college desert,” citing the nearly 600,000 residents in South County without access to these degrees.
Chula Vista leaders have long envisioned a public university and have set aside more than 380 acres of city-owned land on the east side of the city. The site is south of Hunte Parkway near the Millenia neighborhood and other new residential developments expected to yield hundreds of homes.
Leaders of the project seek a binational, multi-institutional district in partnership with other state university and college systems. Its primary goal is to streamline education into employment for the region’s workforce demands.
Once created, the newly formed task force will report recommendations to the Legislature by July 1, 2027, on how to move forward with creating Chula Vista’s university.
The public must submit their applications by Jan. 9 at this link.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
