UC San Diego Chancellor: A South Bay University May Be Important to Region's Growth

The South County Economic Development Council (South County EDC) hosted a reception for more than 150 business leaders, community members and elected officials at Southwestern College on Thursday, January 24 to welcome UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla to the South Bay region.

Chancellor Khosla was on hand to learn about opportunities and developments in San Diego’s South County region, and he spoke to attendees about the importance of higher education in communities.

When speaking to guests, Chancellor Khosla stressed the importance of having access to higher education, citing the university system as a major key to the success of the United States over the past 50 years.

“The existence of a university is really significant for the economic development of a community,” Chancellor Khosla said. “I think the ambitions and aspirations of South County, in terms of developing educational opportunities to augment the existing higher education structure, are important to our region’s success.”

Chancellor Khosla also said he saw South County as growth opportunity for the San Diego region and shared he would be spending time in Tijuana and Baja in coming weeks to examine how to work more effectively across the border.

South County EDC is looking to strengthen ties with the major universities in the region as South County pursues efforts to bring a four-year university to the area. “It’s important that we are preparing the workforce of tomorrow,” said Cindy Gommper-Graves, President and CEO of South County EDC. “A huge part of that preparation relies heavily on quality education. We’re fortunate to have Southwestern College in the region, and we know having a four-year university in the South Bay will further drive economic growth for our cities.”

Khosla began his work as UC San Diego Chancellor on August 1, 2012. As Chancellor, some of Khosla’s priorities include increased fundraising efforts, strengthening the campus' ties to the local business community and continuing to diversify the student body. UC San Diego is currently conducting a strategic planning initiative to develop shared goals and a unifying vision for the future of the university.

UC San Diego will be hosting a strategic planning meeting in the South Bay region to get feedback from community members on February 7 at 6p.m. The meeting will be held at the South County Regional Education Center, located at 800 National City Boulevard, National City 91950. Please RSVP to ccr@ucsd.edu.

- South County Economic Development Council