Add as a preferred source on Google

USF Sarasota-Manatee Breaks Ground on First Residence Hall

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/02/23

The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Campus, located in Sarasota, Fla., recently broke ground on its first residence hall and student center, according to a university news release. The building will measure in at 100,000 square feet, stand six stories tall, and will have capacity for 200 students. The $42-million facility is scheduled for completion in fall 2024.

“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,” said USF President Rhea Law at the groundbreaking ceremony on March 1. “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. This new facility will transform the student experience by providing more opportunities to get involved, connect with peers, and build long-lasting relationships.”

The bottom two stories will play home to a student center with amenities like dining facilities, a bookstore, lounges and meeting spaces, a ballroom, and offices for campus organizations including student government. For the first time in university history, the wide variety of student services will be centralized beneath a single roof. The new dining hall will replace the university’s existing café, which will be converted into a teaching kitchen for the university’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The top four floors will play home to student residences in a variety of configurations, according to the news release.

“The student center and residence hall will help recruit and retain students, and infuse students’ college experience with a new vibrancy that will allow the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus to forever shed the moniker of being a ‘commuter college,’” said Sarasota-Manatee campus Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • University of Rhode Island, Gilbane Partner for Three New Residence Halls

    The University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I., recently announced a public-private partnership with construction development firm Gilbane, according to a news release. Gilbane will soon start construction on three new residence halls with a total of 1,100 beds: two with apartment-style suites in northwest campus, and a reconstruction of the Graduate Village Apartments for graduate students.

  • Construction Begins on East Austin CTE-Focused High School

    The Del Valle Independent School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new CTE-focused high school in Austin, Texas, according to a news release. Del Valle High School will measure in at 473,338 square feet and have the capacity for 2,400 students.

Digital Edition