Benedictine University eyes Arizona campus

By Susan Frick Carlman scarlman@stmedianetwork.com January 6, 2012 1:00PM

Updated: January 8, 2012 2:43AM

Benedictine University may be headed west.

While the Lisle institution has no plans to leave town, a proposal up for approval this week could result in the private Catholic nonprofit school establishing a campus in Mesa, Ariz.

Phil Brozynski, Benedictine?s public relations manager, said the plan was initiated by Mesa officials, who last March expressed interest in learning more about BU.

?They?re looking to bring an array of colleges and universities to their area,? which now has relatively few options for higher learning, Brozynski said Friday.

The Mesa City Council is scheduled to vote on a memorandum of understanding Monday evening that would clear the way for Benedictine to lease city-owned campus space downtown.

Brozynski said details about the size of the leased space and other particulars are limited at this point, so it?s hard to gauge how extensive the academic programming will be if the proposal earns a thumbs-up from the council. However, planners aim to build the urban site?s enrollment to 1,500 students within a decade.

?Obviously there would be a fair amount of space involved,? said Brozynski, who noted that Mesa has a substantial Catholic community.

The move is part of an initiative launched by Mesa to build the inventory of higher education options there, expand the presence of students in the downtown area and increase the segment of the local population comprised of highly skilled workers with college degrees.

Home to some 440,000 residents, Mesa is the third-largest metropolitan hub in Arizona. More than 37 percent of the city?s population is younger than 25, and the number of students age 18 to 24 is on the rise, according to a news release from Benedictine.

Once the plan garners the endorsement of Mesa?s governing body, Benedictine will need the blessing of its accrediting entity, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Licensure from the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education also will be required. Conversations with officials of the Diocese of Phoenix are in the university?s plans as well.

In addition to its Springfield campus and satellite sites in Bellwood, Rockford and Peoria, Benedictine has dozens of public and private partners that enable its reach to extend nationwide and overseas. If approved, the accord will establish its most remote brick-and-mortar branch so far.

?We have programs in Vietnam and Asia, so this is actually a lot closer,? Brozynski said. ?But I think the opportunity was so good, so difficult to pass up, that there was just a feeling among the administration and board that ... it is an untapped opportunity.?

Source: http://napervillesun.suntimes.com/9849065-418/benedictine-university-eyes-arizona-campus.html

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