The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee has begun construction of the first-ever student center and residence hall on campus.
The university says the six-story, 100,000-square-foot building is scheduled to open in fall 2024 and will provide living space for as many as 200 students.
“This project represents a significant milestone in the University of South Florida’s history and signals our commitment to the expansion of the Sarasota-Manatee campus,” University of South Florida President Rhea Law said. “We’ve made it a priority to increase student housing at USF because we know that living on campus can raise academic performance, support student retention and create a stronger sense of community.”
Highlights of the approximately $42 million building:
- The first two floors will have a ballroom, dining facilities, a bookstore, lounges, meeting space and offices for USF World, student government and other organizations.
- Architectural features in the student center will include large windows so that students and visitors to look out toward Sarasota Bay and Longboat Key.
- The top four floors will include residences in various configurations.
The USF Board of Trustees and the State University System of Florida Board of Governors approved construction of the new building last year.
The new dining hall will be considerably larger than the existing café, which will soon be renovated into a teaching kitchen for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Likewise, the first-floor ballroom in the new building will be a much larger, more formal location for events than the Selby Auditorium or the FCCI Rotunda.
The University of South Florida’s presence in Sarasota-Manatee started in the early 1970s with night classes at local high schools. The university shared space with New College of Florida on its Sarasota campus from 1975 to 2006, when USF moved its local campus to the Crosley Campus Center, across Tamiami Trail from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.
A second campus expansion project now in development is a $62 million Nursing/STEM building being planned and designed for a spot across the campus courtyard from the student center and residence hall.
