Supervisors May Travel to UK to Discuss Placer County University

Placer County Board of Supervisors may approve a five-day trip to the United Kingdom to discuss possible plans that could bring a university to Placer County.
 
If approved, Supervisors Kirk Uhler and Robert Weygandt and County Executive Officer David Boesch, as well as City of Roseville representatives, would meet with representatives of the University of Warwick. University representatives have been in contact with the Regional University Project staff, according to county officials. 

SACTO, Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization, would fund the trip, according to a press release. 

County and city staff have been working together for years now in hopes of attracting a university to Roseville or Placer County. 

What do you think? Should staff travel to the UK to continue the discussion? Tell us below. 

Read more about the trip and university plans from Placer County below:

The Board of Supervisors will be asked at their Tuesday meeting to approve a trip to the United Kingdom for Supervisors Kirk Uhler and Robert Weygandt and County Executive Officer David Boesch to meet with representatives of the University Of Warwick. The meeting is another step in continuing efforts to bring a high-profile university to Placer County.

In 2008, the Board approved the Regional University Specific Plan which designates 1,157 acres of land in unincorporated western Placer County for mixed use. The Plan includes a 600-acre university campus and an adjacent 557 acres for development. Drexel University was identified at the time as the proposed university for the site. However, the recession delayed progress on the project and in 2011 Drexel notified the county that it would no longer pursue the project.

Despite the setback, the property owners have continued their search to bring a university to the site and have partnered with the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization (SACTO) to search for and recruit a suitable university. Bringing a major university to the region has been a priority of SACTO and it has been in contact with numerous universities, including the University of Warwick. The university, with a 23,000-student campus in Coventry, has been in discussions with the Regional University Project.

In light of those discussions, SACTO has arranged a trip to the UK for the two supervisors and the executive officer, in addition to representatives from the City of Roseville and the property owners. The trip is scheduled for Nov. 17 through Nov. 21, 2013.  Travel arrangements and costs will be handled by SACTO and the trip will have minimal cost to the county, other than incidental travel expenses. However, to proceed with overseas travel, the Board’s approval is needed.

The Board of Supervisors will meet on Tue., Oct 8, 2013 in Board Chambers, 175 Fulweiler Ave., Auburn. The meeting begins at 9 a.m.The meeting agenda can be seen by clicking this link: AGENDA.