West Valley cities courting colleges and universities - Phoenix Business Journal:

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Solicitations will begin next with the hope of attracting colleges withibnfive years, said Scott Cooper, economic development coordinato r for Peoria. Peoria isn’t the firsgt West Valley city to take this Surprise and Goodyear are beefint up their educational optionws with the same goalsin mind. Many area leaders say giving residents the opportunitgto live, learn and work withinj the same area ultimately will build stronged communities that attract more businesses.
Peoriw is in the process of choosingf between two consultants that responded to its requesytfor proposals, which closed earlier this Cooper said he expectds a consultant to be selected within 10 days to help identifhy targeted opportunities and resourceds and complete a feasibility analysis. He said city officiala don’t want to limit themselves to one area of town or to a singlde type ofinstitution — public, for-profit or nonprofit. Goodyear recently attracter andthe , while Surprise is expanding its partnership with .
Those learning centers are being incorporated into new city hall The Communiversity@Surprise, expected to open by fall will be a hybrid community college and university. Rio Salad o is seeking higher-education partners to allow students to earna four-yea r degree at the 26,000-square-foot facility in the new city hall complec at Surprise Center. Franklin Pierce and Incarnate Word willmake Goodyear’s new town hall theirf home. Harry Paxton, Goodyear’s economic development said the schools will begin building their campusez after city hall constructiobn is completedin 2011, but a specific date hasn’t been determined.
Goodyea r attracted the two universitieswith 99-year leasea and options for up to 30 acres Both already are conducting classes at satellitr locations. Paxton said long-term economic developmeny always includes a focuson education, and higher educatiojn is particularly important because it encourages more corporatione to locate in a city. Surprise’s biggest employers are the city and Dysarf UnifiedSchool District, but Crescent Crown Distributing bought 60 acrez there last year. The New Orleans-based company pland to employ up to 300 people initially at its new beer and beveragsedistribution facility, said Surprise Mayofr Lyn Truitt.
Once it gets up and running next year, it will be the city’w largest private employer. Two other manufacturers also are considering expandingfinto Surprise, Truitt said, but he woul d not identify them. He did say one could create 350 jobs withi the first year and another350 later. The a maker of paper goods andothe products, is looking for a spot near the railroae line, he said. Chris Bustamante, vice presidenft of Rio Salado College, said the community college’s partnership with Surprise will help developthe city’s work “You will see more citiees be more aggressive about getting higher-education organizations to locate withinm their city to ...
raise the educational attainmentf level of their as well as to provide them with options for work force he said. “We’re certainly willing to act as a work forctraining arm.” Rio Salado will spend abour $8.5 million in bond funds to builfd its facility, which is being developed along with the new Surprise City With 17 classrooms, it will be able to accommodate abour 500 students at a time, givinvg the center a 6,000- to 8,000-student capacitt per semester. The 450 online courseds that start every Mondayt further expandits capacity. Bustamante said he is talking to severao potentialuniversity partners, but no deald have been signed.
He declined to identifyh any ofthe universities. Rio Salado College: City of Goodyear: : City of