Within minutes Tuesday, Placer County supervisors gave their stamp of approval to a plan – in the works for seven years – for the Sacramento region's first major private university.

With little discussion and a series of quick votes, the supervisors gave Drexel University of Philadelphia the green light to establish a university on 1,150 acres of farmland west of Roseville.

University project manager Julie Hanson said Tuesday that the donors – who include William and Claudia Cummings, the Wayne L. Prim Family and their partners – were thrilled by Placer County's support.

"This is a historic vote and a historic opportunity for Placer County and the region," she said. "Our next goal will be to help Drexel be successful here."

Supervisors had unanimously endorsed the concept last month after a lengthy public hearing.

The plan allows a group of developers led by the Angelo K. Tsakopoulos family to donate 1,157 acres – south of Pleasant Grove Creek and north of Base Line Road – to Drexel.

About 600 acres of the land would be used for the university campus, including faculty housing, sports facilities and open space.

The rest of the land would be sold for development of more than 3,200 residences, 1,155 university dwellings and 22 acres of commercial space, along with 220 acres of park, open space and public land.

All proceeds from the sale of the adjoining land would go to the university.

Drexel has five years to act on the offer, which could be made to another university if the Philadelphia institution declines.

The long-range vision is a university with some 6,000 students, 2,000 jobs and a potential economic impact – according to a 2004 study by the Sacramento Regional Research Institute – of more than $105 million a year.

Opponents, including the Sierra Club and others, argued that the deal would convert valuable farmland into an urban island that is far from existing population and transit centers. They also said the donors would profit hugely by selling adjacent farmland for more development.

Sierra Club spokeswoman Marilyn Jasper said Tuesday's vote was not the end of the lingering controversy.

"It's not over yet," she said, declining to elaborate.

In January, the 117-year-old Philadelphia university will begin offering five master's programs at the $10 million Drexel Center for Graduate Studies in downtown Sacramento.

Carl "Tobey" Oxholm III, Drexel's executive vice president and second-ranking official, said the downtown center also is a way to begin answering the $200 million-plus question that Drexel faces:

"Is Northern California an open and welcoming market for the kind of distinctive approach to a top-tier education that Drexel provides?" he said.

Oxholm stressed that there is no time line for a decision.

"The donors have come up with a truly magnificent plan," he said earlier. "But most universities in the United States, if you want their product, you go where they are.

"There are not many models of creating new campuses in different states, much less different time zones and different coasts. It's a pretty big leap."

Drexel offers intense "co-op education" programs that balance classroom and field experience, Oxholm said. Most students take five years to complete the program and spend their middle three years split 50-50 between the classroom and working in the fields of their majors.

"They come out with three real jobs on their résumés," he said Tuesday.

The only traditional private university now based in the capital region is William Jessup, which has about 550 students in Rocklin and plans to grow to 800-1,000 students within five years. Jessup's long-range goal – probably decades away, officials said – is to have up to 5,000 students on its 125-acre campus.

Call The Bee's Bob Walter, (916) 478-2860.