City of Palm Desert pledges $4.5 million to CSUSB Palm Desert Campus

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PALM DESERT, Calif. – The city of Palm Desert has again stepped up to the plate to support the growing Palm Desert Campus of California State University, San Bernardino.

Its City Council recently unanimously voted to give $4.5 million over three years toward construction of the third and final Phase I building, which will house nursing instruction and allied health sciences programs.

Together with gifts from other local cities, including Rancho Mirage, Indio, La Quinta and Coachella, and the Desert Healthcare District, as well as other gifts from individuals and foundations, the campus has now accounted for nearly $9 million of the $12 million cost of the building, said Fred Jandt, dean of the Palm Desert Campus.

“This is a tremendous vote of confidence on the part of Palm Desert, which has already supported construction of our existing buildings and provided the 200-acre reserve for creation of our campus on Cook Street,” Jandt said.

Cal State San Bernardino President Albert K. Karnig said the vote was a shot in the arm for the construction.

“We’re all pleased that local governments are willing to support an investment in the future of our youth, and from its initial donation of land to its recent $4.5 million gift, the Palm Desert City Council has been a beacon lighting the way for higher education in the Valley,” he said.

The health sciences complex will be built immediately to the south of the Indian Wells Center for Educational Excellence, which opened last year. The two buildings complement the Mary Stuart Rodgers Gateway Building, the campus’s first structure.

All of the construction is financed through a public-private partnership in which the community – including cities, agencies, foundations and individuals – is donating to the nearly $40-million total cost.

For more information on the Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus, visit its Web site at http://pdc.csusb.edu.

Also visit the university’s news Web site at http://news.csusb.edu. More information is also available from the CSUSB public affairs office at (909) 537-5007.

The Palm Desert City Council recently unanimously voted to give $4.5 million over three years toward construction of the third and final Phase I building, which will house nursing instruction and allied health sciences programs.