UC Davis Chancellor Proposes Adding 5,000 New Students
DAVIS (CBS13) -- A proposal to greatly expand the UC Davis campus would generate more revenue for the cash-strapped school and make the university the second largest university in California, according to administrators.
UC Davis chancellor Linda Katehi unveiled a plan Wednesday that would increase the undergraduate population -- currently just under 25,000 -- by 5,000 additional students, many of whom would be out-of-state students who would need to pay higher tuition costs than California residents.
"We have not necessarily defined those numbers yet but I was thinking out of 5,000 students it could be 50-50 or it could be 60-40," Katehi said.
Out-of-state students pay roughly $30,000 a year in tuition, compared to about $10,000 for in-state students. Budget battles over the past four years have led to a 40 percent drop in funding to the campus, officials said.
Some current students said they are concerned that the increased numbers would make it even more difficult to sign up for crowded classes, but Katehi said the college has plenty of room to expand on its 6,000-acre campus.
At least 4,000 beds are already being added in the ongoing development of the UC Davis West Village, and other proposals would replace older, vacant dorms with bigger, modern buildings.
The increased revenue would also allow the university to hire at least 300 tenure-track professors.
"We will try to start slow, so we will have enough time to create whatever infrastructure or classroom space or bring faculty or TA's or lecturers to be ready for the new students," Katehi said.
The long-term goal for UC Davis is to become one of the top five universities in the country, Katehi added.
The proposal is still in its early stages and no dates have been defined yet.
