University of Central Florida President John Hitt formally has asked the community for its support in building a downtown Orlando campus.
"The governor, state legislators and members of the Board of Governors have told us that if this project is so important, the community needs to match the state's investment," Hitt said. "That's $20 million, and helping to raise that amount is how you can help."
Hitt asked for community support on Dec. 9 at the Ballroom on Church Street during a breakfast hosted by the university, which focused on UCF's innovation.
UCF Downtown includes a new academic building, student apartment complex, parking garage and renovations to the existing Center for Emerging Media to accommodate about 7,500 students. The academic building is estimated to cost $60 million, and the university has proposed funding it in a divided manner: $20 million from UCF, $20 million from donations and $20 million from the state.
The campus will be built at the corner of Parramore Avenue and Livingston Street. In order to open by fall 2018, UCF needs to break ground in spring 2017. The university estimates construction could begin in March 2017 with a completion date of May 2018 — leaving plenty of time for faculty and staff to move over to the new campus before classes begin in August. Because of that timeline, the university is hopeful to receive funding support this upcoming legislative session that will decide the 2016-17 state budget.
"We are absolutely certain of the value of a downtown campus to our students and to our Orlando city-state. We have carefully chosen programs to move downtown that will be stronger by locating there," Hitt said.
The campus is estimated to have an annual economic impact of $205 million, with $90 million of it in wages and salaries from 2,000 new jobs, Dale Whittaker, university provost, said. Programs slated to move downtown include health care informatics, communications, social work, digital media, health services administration and legal studies, Hitt said.