Grand Canyon University Looking To Build Satellite Campus In The East Valley

University invites five East Valley municipalities to submit proposals to determine the location for the new 75- to 150-acre campus.

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Grand Canyon University

Dec 20, 2012, 02:04 ET

PHOENIX, Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Grand Canyon University delivered a Request for Proposal (RFP) to Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek today as a first step toward building a second campus that eventually will serve as many as 6,000 traditional students and 1,500 adult students.

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The satellite campus will cater to commuter students, featuring a student union, food service, a recreation center, a bookstore and a library on 75-150 acres of land.

"We are excited to bring our model of affordable, private, Christian higher education to even more students in the Valley," said Brian Mueller, Grand Canyon University President & CEO. "This campus will enable us to better serve our growing student base in the East Valley."

The municipalities are being asked to submit initial notices of intent by Jan. 7 and full proposals by Feb. 15. University leaders expect to make a decision on the final location by May; the first phase of construction would be completed in time to open the campus to 1,000 students in the fall of 2014.

The remainder of the campus would be completed in phases and will employ as many as 2,000 faculty and staff by 2020. The entire project is expected to cost between $75 million and $100 million.

Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian university. GCU is regionally accredited and emphasizes individual attention for both traditional undergraduate students and the working professional in seven colleges: the Ken Blanchard College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Theology, the College of Fine Arts and Production, and the College of Doctoral Studies. GCU offers traditional programs on its growing campus, as well as online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. The University's curriculum fuses academic and clinical rigor with Christian values to prepare its students to be skilled, caring professionals. For more information about GCU, visit www.gcu.edu.

SOURCE Grand Canyon University