Touro to begin undergrad program this fall

Touro to begin undergrad program this fall
By Sarah Rohrs
Posted: 04/25/2009

After nearly two years of preparation, Touro University's undergraduate program will be in place this fall, school officials said Friday.

The New York-based Touro University now offers training for graduate students on its Vallejo Mare Island campus. Now it is on course to branch off into undergraduate programs, said Harvey Kaye, Touro dean of the college of undergraduate studies.

"We're just on the cusp of that," Kaye said of the new undergraduate programs. "What we plan to do is nurture our relationships with local community colleges.

"It's a win-win situation."

Touro issued a press release Friday announcing the new undergraduate program, outlining plans to buy the property on which the campus sits and re-emphasizing recent assurances that the university is committed to Vallejo.

The new undergraduate program is just one way Touro University hopes to show it is committed to Vallejo and its Mare Island location. In late March, Touro suspended its plans to develop Mare Island's north end, including construction of a state-of-the-art cancer treatment center.

Michael Harter, Touro western division senior provost and CEO, said comments about Touro leaving Vallejo are not true.

"It's been our home for 10 years and we're going to stay there," Harter said. "We've invested a lot of money in that property even though we didn't own it and you just don't walk away from $20 million in investments."

The Vallejo Planning Commission earlier this month endorsed Lennar Mare Island's plan to make the land under Touro University available for sale to the school.

To launch the undergraduate program, Touro received accreditation through Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in March to offer bachelor degrees in business and management.

To qualify for the new business program, students must have already graduated from a community college with associate degrees, Kaye said.

At Touro, these college juniors and seniors will be able to secure a bachelor of science in business and management with concentrations in global business and strategy management, security and risk management or health care management.

This summer, Touro will hold public informational sessions to introduce the undergraduate program to prospective students.

For more details on the undergraduate program, call (707) 638-5446, or 1-888-652-7580.