With Cal State San Marcos growing by leaps and bounds, the university’s business school is looking for more ways to connect with North County’s business community.

Dennis Guseman, dean of CSUSM’s College of Business Administration, says the university projects growth of 1,000 students per year over the next 15 years, which would increase enrollment from the current 8,000 students to some 23,000 students. The business school has 1,800 undergraduate students and 140 students in its MBA program.

“We are experiencing a tremendous amount of growth,” says Guseman, who has held the post for the past four years.

That growth in student population comes as North County’s economy matures into an economic force, says Guseman.

As examples, Guseman cited the increase in biotech firms locating in North County, and the predominance of sporting goods companies, from golf to skateboarding. “You can almost say North County is the capital for extreme sports,” he says, due to the clothing and equipment manufacturers established in the area.

A lot of new businesses also are springing up, he says, and many CSUSM alums are in on the action, starting companies in such areas as electronics, communications and retail.

Cal State’s business school has two overarching goals, Guseman says: training San Diego’s future business leaders and managers, and serving as a resource for existing businesses in the area.

The first part of that mission comes from necessity. Local businesses complain about the difficulty of recruiting workers from outside the region because of San Diego County’s high cost of living. “We have to grow our own,” he says. “It’s very important for (CSUSM) to be able to supply that educated work force that we need.”

As for the second goal, he says, the business school has a number of programs that aim to strengthen ties between local companies and the school. They range from the “Senior Experience Program,” in which teams of students help local businesses solve pressing problems, to “In the Executive Chair,” a lecture series in which top business leaders are brought in to share their experiences with students.

Students conduct research on the speakers before they come in, says Guseman, so they can be prepared with detailed questions. The speakers, he says, are very open and willing to discuss both good and bad decisions they have made. Recently, banker Murray Galinson spoke to students, and an upcoming lecture will feature Gateway Computers founder Ted Waite.

“We just have really good people that come in, students have the opportunity to learn from both the positive and the negative from people,” Guseman says.

Cal State’s College of Business Administration has ties with seven North County chambers of commerce, which helps the school get out the word about its programs to businesses.

The college offers its meeting rooms and other facilities for use by business groups, such as the San Marcos Chamber, which recently held a “sundowner” gathering at the campus. Groups such as the San Diego North Economic Development Council are scheduled to hold meetings and conferences in the school’s new $28 million business building, which will have a grand opening on the 27th of this month.

The building bears the name of Ken and Carole Markstein, of Markstein Beverages, who donated $5 million toward its construction. Other companies supportive of the business school in recent years include Hunter Industries and PennySaver, Guseman says.

The business school is launching a mentoring program that will put students in one-on-one contact with experienced business managers. Eventually, Guseman says, he would like nearly all of the school’s business students to have a mentor. “We are always looking for ways to bring businesses in” and be involved with the school, he says.