Smith was a driving force in establishing the new CSU campus here in the 1980s. Students have been drawn to Cal State San Marcos by small classes and the emphasis on technology. Enrollment has been growing steadily. Projections are that its student body will double to 12,000 before the decade ends. University founders set out to make the campus a leader in diversity and technology, and they envisioned how it should look.
Officials say they have worked to achieve that look.
Next on deck is a new building for the college of business. Unlike a human adolescent, Cal State officials emphasize, the growth at the university depends less on nature and more on the kindness of voters and the Legislature in passing construction bonds and funding. The new business building and the planned classroom wings depend on the success of a future statewide bond issue. The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice. In a recent speech to a civic group, Gonzalez advocated better managed growth for the region, and criticized the concept of growth for growth's sake.