(Photo by Matthew Casey, KJZZ)

Ottawa University President Kevin Eichner

(Photo by Matthew Casey, KJZZ)

Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott

(Photo by Matthew Casey, KJZZ)

Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott and Ottawa University President Kevin Eichner shake hands during a ceremony announcing plans for Ottawa University to build a residential campus in the northwest Valley.

Ottawa University announced plans Friday to build a residential campus and launch 19 athletic teams in Surprise. 

The private, Christian, Kansas-based school has been in the Valley for decades, but has mostly catered to non-traditional students.

The residential campus in Surprise will open this fall. Officials expect to have about 250 students and grow to between 2,000 and 3,000 over the next decade.

Ottawa’s tuition is about $26,000 a year, not including room and board. Scholarships make the university an affordable option for people in the West Valley, said University President Kevin Eichner.

“I would be surprised if most of our students are paying anything more than $15,000 a year, in terms of the actual tuition, after their scholarships from Ottawa,” Eichner said. “And then of course, some of them will be eligible for additional financial aid from the federal government and from other sources.”

The new Ottawa University campus will be on 35 acres leased from the city, Eichner said.

Terms of the deal have not been finalized, according to city officials. Surprise is also willing to provide financial support to the university, though the amount has not yet been identified or approved.

The Goldwater Institute sued neighboring Peoria in 2016 for giving millions in subsidies to Huntington University, and its landlord.

Surprise has cautiously planned to make sure that any potential investment will have a return for taxpayers, said Mayor Sharon Wolcott.

“That’s what, I think, makes our arrangement with Ottawa University palatable," Wolcott said. "And it’s what makes it conform to the Constitution and the law.”

Editor’s note: KJZZ is licensed to the Maricopa Community College District, which leases property to Ottawa University in Surprise.