With a new report showing that California State University, Sacramento, is a $743 million economic powerhouse in the region, President Alexander Gonzalez intends to market the information to raise millions of dollars to transform the 56-year-old campus.

Gonzalez, in charge of CSUS for less than six months, commissioned the nine-page "Golden Asset" report to prove the university is not just an academic and cultural hub, but a broad-based institution that pumps major intellectual, social and economic capital into the region.

The results, released last month, have Gonzalez confident he can make a powerful pitch this spring when he kicks off efforts to persuade local and regional business leaders to invest in the growing, four-year university that serves nearly 30,000 students.
"We needed to demonstrate to the community that CSUS is vital and does more than just exist as an educational institution," Gonzalez said. "Many residents know about the university, but they don't know what it does other than provide academic degrees."

Using data from 2001-2002, economist Robert Fountain found that the university cranked more than $740 million into the six-county Sacramento region that year, with more than half coming directly from expenditures to run the campus and pay for construction projects, and a growing student body that spends money at local businesses.

The report can be found at www.csus.edu/impact.

"I'm not surprised at all by the size of the campus's contribution," said Matt Mahood, president and chief executive of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce. "But I think it's typical that a campus like Sac State is an often-overlooked driver of the local economy."

The university provided nearly 16,000 jobs -- most of them on campus or in services directly related to its operations. The study also looked at non-economic benefits the campus provides, many derived from research conducted by CSUS faculty and students for local industry and government agencies.

And the school's biggest contribution -- its graduates -- is substantial.

One in 26 residents of Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Yuba and Sutter counties are alumni; roughly 78,000 graduates live in the six counties.

"This study shows just how critical we are and how much potential we have to be even bigger," Gonzalez said.

So far, the data showing CSUS' impact have not circulated widely among the business and industry leaders whom Gonzalez hopes to reach, but some say they expect the new president's ambitions for the university will be well-received.

"You never get anywhere in this world if you don't ask," said Sacramento County supervisor and businessman Roger Niello. "You will always get help if you have a good story to tell, and I think this campus has a great story to tell."

Gonzalez has big plans for the university -- some born in the administration of his predecessor Donald Gerth; others his own.

Among them: turning the car-clogged commuter campus into a more traditional, residential one. Gonzalez is pushing to quadruple on-campus housing from space for 1,100 students to space for 5,000. In the coming weeks, university officials will solicit design ideas for new residence halls, Gonzalez said.

Also in the works are plans to build a major event and recreation center for the campus, a project that will require the university to raise more than $40 million in nonpublic funds. And Gonzalez wants to expand the campus's research capabilities -- through grants and donations -- to make CSUS faculty and students a primary destination for local and state government officials in need of policy help and problem-solving.

As public funding for higher education continues to shrink in California, Gonzalez says money from corporate and other private sources will be the only way to keep plans for transforming the university from stalling while the state budget crisis persists.

Some are small-scale endeavors that will raise the school's profile, but still cost money. One such event is coming soon, as the campus' symphonic wind ensemble prepares for a New York City Carnegie Hall performance in April that will cost $100,000 in travel expenses. Other fund-raising needs, such as academic scholarships, will be critical to help students pay for their education because fees have risen 40 percent in less than a year.

Mahood, who has heard Gonzalez talk about making the university a higher-profile player in the region, says the president will have to work hard to turn up dollars in a local economy strongly influenced by government.

"I think the difficulty he will have, like any other nonprofit has here, is there are not a lot of headquartered businesses in the region," Mahood said. "The largest employer is the state of California, and that is always an obstacle for fund raising here. Still, I think there will be companies of all sizes that will be very receptive to his overtures, especially those in need of an educated labor force."

Niello, a former president of the Sacramento Metro Chamber who visited similar-sized cities eight years ago, said he was most impressed with the economies and quality of life in Austin, Texas, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, where vibrant universities were closely linked to their communities.

"There you saw intimate engagement between the universities and civic life," he said.

Mahood points to two areas where he sees potential for CSUS to elevate its leadership: arts and culture and public policy solutions.

"I think there are many ways they can become a more engaged partner in the region's civic landscape," Mahood said.

Sacramento real estate developer Mohammad Mohanna believes business leaders should support Gonzalez and the campus.

"I'm in real estate and have some of the most expensive properties in Sacramento," Mohanna said, "but my best investments have been those made in people and their education."