October 30, 2009
University of Phoenix Breaks Ground on New Campus Here
Elected officials and local business leaders break ground on a new facility for the University of Phoenix.
College students in Imperial Valley will soon have one more option to consider when picking a school to attend.
In a ceremony yesterday, county officials and representatives from the University of Phoenix and the YK Group broke ground on a new campus in Imperial County. The move brought in nine new owners from China and Taiwan. The new campus will consist of a 20,000-foot university building on a 29-acre site.
University of Phoenix officials hope to open the facility in June.The new campus may be home to as many as 1,000 students according to Carlyn Lindsten, the Director of Enrollment for the University of Phoenix.
She said the new campus is needed because of school's increase in enrollment here in Imperial County.
“It's been phenomenal, the growth we've seen here year after year. Especially over the last five years, we've had at least 25 percent growth each year,” said Lindsten.
The new campus will be located just north of where the Target and Lowe's stores are located in north El Centro. Linsten said University of Phoenix officials hope to open the facility in June.
In a prepared statement, El Centro mayor Ben Solomon said the construction of the University of Phoenix will also create 147 jobs and bring in other neighboring goods and services, making a positive and significant impact in the area.
University of Phoenix students throughout North America number almost 10 million, while more than 100 professional degrees are awarded. The school is North America's largest online university.
The school and the site are benefiting from an investment by a Chinese company called YK group. Attracting overseas investment, particularly from China, has been a goal of Imperial County economic development officials.
David Lu, founder of YK Group, said investment in construction of a university building is not only the new direction of Chinese investment, but added in a prepared statement that he feels the move will also be a positive addition to the Chinese investment portfolio, which has featured a heavy emphasis on stocks, bonds, and other financial products
To view the University of Phoenix Web site, click HERE