CSUCI HOPEFUL IMPRESSED BY CAMPUS.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer

CAMARILLO - After touring California State University Channel Islands, where she hopes to be named campus president, Vicky Carwein said Wednesday the former state hospital campus exceeded her expectations.

``There's a lot more foundation here than was my impression,'' said Carwein, who is currently chancellor and dean of the University of Washington at Tacoma. ``It's bigger and better.''

Carwein was the second of three presidential finalists to tour the campus, which will open as a fully independent university in the fall of 2002. One of the three will be named in March to succeed J. Handel Evans, who has served as interim president.

As part of her tour, Carwein checked out campus buildings, visited with staff members and took a ride to Santa Monica, Malibu and Pepperdine University. She also was scheduled to meet Wednesday night with parent groups and other supporters of the campus, which is currently a satellite of California State University, Northridge.

Carwein said she was extremely impressed with the amount of support that the budding campus has already received.

``What a great position for a president to walk into,'' Carwein said. ``I want to build on that support.''

Before joining the University of Washington, Carwein was dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and studied nursing while in college.

Carwein began her career at Tacoma when the university was just 5 years old. She has been praised for helping build the college's academic programs and creating several public-private partnerships that allowed facilities to be built on the campus.

``Flexibility is a key to these types of success,'' Carwein said. ``You need vision and a mission, but you may take a detour if it gets the job done.''

Michael Oritz, provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Fresno, toured the campus Tuesday and Richard Rush, president of Minnesota State University at Mankato, will visit the campus today.

Rush formerly was executive vice president at California State University, San Marcos when it was founded in 1989. He served as dean and director of what was then the San Diego State University North Campus in 1984-1989.

Ortiz, 53, was appointed to his present position after serving two years in an interim job. He served as dean, associate provost and interim provost at the University of Southern Colorado.