Berkeley Suspends Its ‘Global Campus’ Because of Budget Deficit

The University of California at Berkeley has indefinitely suspended its proposed “global campus” because of its budget deficit, the East Bay Times reported on Friday, even though the Berkeley chancellor said earlier this year that the project would be off-limits to budget cuts.

The chancellor, Nicholas B. Dirks, said in an open letter to the campus in February that although Berkeley was considering cuts to close a $150-million deficit, the planned global campus would be “entirely supported by philanthropy and external partnerships.”

The global campus, which Berkeley proposed in January 2015, was supposed to be built in Richmond Bay, just 10 miles from the university’s main campus. The project was pitched as a research hub at which partner universities from around the world would offer programs for students both from the United States and abroad.

But Mr. Dirks, who this month said he would resign as chancellor, announced the suspension of the global campus on Thursday night, during a closed-door meeting with Richmond city officials and residents, the Times reported.

“The university will, however, continue to explore options for the site that reflect new priorities for the campus around enrollment growth and housing in the near future,” Berkeley said in a statement.