To meet what is seen as a “huge need,” a group of lay parents expects to open another Catholic university in the fall of 2005 with state approval. Temporarily called New Catholic University, the school plans to open between Escondido and Oceanside with 60 students the first year and grow incrementally to 1,000 students, says Derry Connolly, acting president.

Until the state has approved the university, students cannot be openly recruited. The new university would complement the existing University of San Diego, Connolly says, by offering degrees in technology; which would include computer engineering and sciences; media, including film and journalism; and business.

“We will be a residential school and we expect to lease for six to 10 years before building,” says Connolly. To attract attention in the community, planners sponsored an inaugural fund-raising dinner.

Founders are Connolly, director of CCAT at UCSD Connect and associate dean of continuing education at UCSD Extension; Philippe Daradaine, owner of La Provence Bakery in San Marcos; Wes Fatch, senior legal counsel and secretary of SICOR Inc. in Irvine; Scott McKenna, owner of Gardner Pool Plastering, El Cajon; and Ed Snow, principal, TTM Engineering in San Diego.

For more, go to newcatholicuniversity.com.