The Placer University Project

Yesterday, in a unanimous vote the Placer County Board of Supervisors gave preliminary final approval to a development plan for a new private university in the county. This has been a long time coming. I started to work on the project in 2000, with one of the donors. The first hearing before the board was in October 2003, only one of the supervisors serving now was on the board then. The process of getting this approved has been long and complex with a lot of fits and starts. One would think that it would not be hard to accept a gift of 1100 acres to create a new resource for the community. But the ultimate work of the county staff has resulted in a proposal which I think is better than when it was originally proposed.

For me, one of the highlights of this entire process, besides the enthusiasm of the major donor, Angelo Tsakopoulos, was getting to know one supervisor who was an early supporter but did not live to see its final approval. Bill Santucci was a down to earth guy who understood the potential for the region to have a major new university. He retired from his position on the board, and then unfortunately had a heart attack before the proposal came to conclusion. But during the process he taught me a lot about how to advance an idea with principle and without rancor.

Assuming the board takes it final final action on December 9, we will then have five years for Drexel University to decide whether the opportunity to build a new campus from scratch fits within its long term plans. Drexel is a wonderful match for the region. It was a pleasure to be a small part of the effort to get this resource committed to our area.