The other collision course at CSUSM

North County Times 4/23/07

By Dennis M. Clausen

So much gets lost in heated rhetoric whenever academic issues become publicly controversial. Such was the case at Cal State San Marcos. However, the real collision course was not so much between the faculty and the administration. It was between anticipated campus growth and uncompetitive salaries that made this growth unsustainable.

There are several certainties facing Cal State San Marcos and the North County. The first is that the university is already an economic Goliath in our area. A 2005 study, available by Googling "Cal State San Marcos Economic Impact," reveals, "Annual spending related to Cal State San Marcos in the San Diego region (161 million) generates a total impact of $307 million on the regional economy. This impact sustains more than 5,000 jobs in the region, and generates $16 million per year in tax revenue." Furthermore, "$103 million of the earnings by alumni from Cal State San Marcos are attributable to their CSU degrees." (These figures do not reflect research and entrepreneurial contributions to the regional economy.)

The second certainty is that Cal State San Marcos is attracting more area students than any other college or university. As a result, area businesses will become even more dependent on the university for their labor force.

The third certainty is that enrollments at Cal State San Marcos are expected to double in the next decade from the current 9,000 students to 20,000 students. As student enrollments increase, the university's economic impact on the regional economy will become even more significant. Many businesses and individuals will become financially dependent on the university for their survival.

The fourth certainty is that Cal State San Marcos is no longer in a competitive position for recruiting and retaining faculty. There was a time when many professors accepted lower salaries to live in a county that offered so much sunshine and other fringe benefits. For anyone who has participated in a recent faculty search, as I have, those are fading memories. San Diego County still has much to offer, but recruiting efforts are often stymied by the high cost of living. These factors are huge disincentives for faculty who are debating job offers here and elsewhere.

The average faculty salary at Cal State San Marcos would probably not even qualify a professor for a modestly priced home in the North County. In small college towns, however, the same salary would enable professors to purchase one of the nicer homes. The choice for many new professors, who have accumulated huge debts to earn a doctorate, is between an area that will force their families to be permanent renters or other areas where they can live in upscale homes. Faced with this choice, even established professors leave San Diego County to avoid the high cost of living.

At a time when North County's economy is becoming increasingly dependent on anticipated growth and educational opportunities at Cal State San Marcos, the university was at a huge disadvantage in recruiting new faculty and retaining established faculty.

That was the other collision course at Cal State San Marcos.