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University of San Francisco's Pleasanton campus is in its final months before being slated for closure after just under a decade at the Stoneridge Mall Road facility that became the home of the university's Tri-Valley satellite that was first established in San Ramon in 1986.
After initially announcing the university would let its lease run out at Stoneridge Corporate Commons in March, USF officials extended the lease for its only Tri-Valley location through May to continue to teach classes in its Masters of Arts in Teaching program through the end of the term.
"It is not closed yet, but given the recent success of the partnerships USF has developed in the North Bay at Santa Rosa Junior College and in the South Bay at De Anza College, the President's Cabinet has decided not to renew the university's lease of the Pleasanton space when it expires and to transition the campus' academic programs over the remainder of this calendar year," a USF spokesperson told the Weekly.
They added that all students who were enrolled in programs offered at the university's Pleasanton campus — which consisted of a Masters in Nursing for registered nurses and Bachelors of Science in management, in addition to the teaching degree — have already completed their programs.
The end of operations in Pleasanton will mark the end of the private Jesuit university's more than 35-year presence in the Tri-Valley, which began in San Ramon in 1986.
The campus was relocated to Pleasanton in 2010, with the small campus boasting six high tech classrooms, audio visual capacities, and a staffed library and computer lab near the West Dublin-Pleasanton BART Station. Curriculum consisted of undergraduate degree completion options and graduate programs through the university's schools of nursing, management and education prior to shutting its doors during the pandemic.
On May 10, 2021, an announcement from Jeff Hamrick, vice provost for institutional budget, planning and analytics, about a transition plan for the Pleasanton campus said that the university would not renew its lease, which was set to expire this month, and cease operations in Pleasanton.
Hamrick cited declining enrollment at the Pleasanton campus, as well as the success of housing programs offered there in their newer Santa Rosa and San Jose locations, houses on community college campuses.
"Over the course of the past year, the President's Cabinet and the Council of Deans have held extensive conversations about the future of the university's commercial office space lease at 6120 Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton, which serves as our Pleasanton Campus," Hamrick said in last year's announcement.
"These discussions have focused on the challenges to higher education posed by the pandemic, the history of USF's educational commitments in the region, possible future emphasis on hybrid or HyFlex instruction, and plans for new academic programs outside of San Francisco," he added.
While it's unclear what made officials decide to extend the lease for an additional two months, through May, the extra time means that students in the Master of Arts in Teaching classes that are currently in progress will be able have a full semester, rather than seeing the campus close ahead of midterms and spring break.
Last year's announcement said that alternative pathways would be found to accommodate the then-approximately 150 students enrolled at the Pleasanton campus, whose programs will continue to be offered at the university's North Bay and South Bay outposts. According to the university's spokesperson last month, all students besides those currently enrolled in the teaching were able to complete their degrees.
"Students in all programs offered at the Pleasanton location, except the MA Teaching program, which is delivered by the School of Education, have completed their programs," USF's spokesperson said. "The MA Teaching program will partner with a local educational institution or other nonprofit and continue to matriculate and graduate students."
While both locations, as well as the main campus in San Francisco, offer graduate degrees in teaching and education, USF's spokesperson said that there were plans to continue the Masters in Teaching program in partnership with an unspecified local education institution or nonprofit.
