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UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/23/26

Key Takeaways

  • The University of Tampa has begun construction on the 153,000-square-foot Dickey Science Innovation Center, a major new STEM facility set to open in fall 2028.
  • The five-story building will house multiple science departments and interdisciplinary research spaces designed to foster collaboration across fields like biology, chemistry, marine science, and allied health.
  • Funded in part by a significant gift from the Dickey family, the center is intended to elevate the university’s research capabilities and will be among its LEED-certified campus buildings.

The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028. The five-story facility will feature teaching and research lab space for a wide variety of STEM disciplines.

It will play home to the university’s departments of biology, chemistry, and biochemistry, as well as resources and programs in marine science, forensic science, allied health, and environmental science. Its labs and research spaces were designed to support interdisciplinary collaboration and discovery, the news release reports.

University President Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg said that the facility will serve as the “centerpiece and catalyst in the University’s growing prominence in science education and research,” the news release reports. She also described the complexities of installing the specialized equipment necessary for modern research, including sophisticated instrumentation, aquariums, and labs that will house “sea horses, algae, sea slugs, cell cultures, crabs, and zebra fish.”

The building is named in honor of Dr. Stephen F. and Marsha Dickey, who also provided what Marsha Dickey called a “family generational gift” toward the facility’s construction. The existing Dickey Health Center on campus is also named after them.

The university gathered input from faculty, students, and donors during the building’s design, according to Scott Gossen, assistant vice president of design, construction, and facilities. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will also be the twelfth building on campus to achieve LEED certification.

About the Author

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

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