Amid an influx of interest in San Francisco from universities around the country, Howard University is considering a Bay Area expansion, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The Trans Pacific Centre building in Oakland
A spokesperson for the D.C.-based Howard confirmed the search to the newspaper but didn’t discuss specific plans.
Properties in contention include the Trans Pacific Centre, where the university is considering a 60K SF space, the Chronicle reported. Initial tours took place over the summer, but further details remain under wraps.
The move would be a boon for Oakland’s struggling downtown, where development remains largely stalled after the pandemic emptied the area’s businesses. Uptown Oakland has fared better, driven by stronger amenities, a better perception of public safety and higher-quality office product.
Universities around the country have set their sights on the Bay Area, primarily San Francisco, to establish satellite campuses that take advantage of the city’s booming artificial intelligence industry.
Vanderbilt University entered talks with the city this year about a potential downtown San Francisco campus. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business announced it was considering a relocation in April. It launched an AI MBA program for the fall 2025 semester.
Mayor Daniel Lurie launched an initiative designed to juice San Francisco’s economic recovery. The Heart of the City directive aims to attract universities to downtown as part of an effort to revitalize the neighborhood. The city closed the third quarter with an overall office vacancy rate of 34.4%, according to CBRE. Lurie’s plan aims to expand options for repurposing that space.
In May 2024, then-Mayor London Breed issued a call for historically Black colleges and universities to consider satellite campuses in the city as part of her “30 x 30” initiative to bring 30,000 students and residents to the area by 2030.
Howard University is the second-largest HBCU in the country by enrollment and is one of the most prestigious, serving as a “cultural heartbeat of Black excellence,” according to HBCU Lifestyle. Its main campus in D.C. has helped spur development and economic activity in the surrounding Shaw neighborhood over the last two decades.
Oakland already has ties to Howard. Mayor Barbara Lee received an honorary degree from Howard in May, and former Vice President Kamala Harris is both an Oakland native and an alumna.