Business students can expect a new home for their college on the 2.5-acre site occupied by the Piano Man building by fall 2015.
Funding for the three-story, 66,000-square-foot building — unofficially priced at $25 million — has yet to be secured, but interim Regional Chancellor Bill Hogarth has plans to break ground this year.
Hogarth said the school is “working extremely hard with the delegation in Tallahassee” to secure funds.
Students who traveled to the capitol last month to lobby for funding received a few verbal commitments, but Senate President Don Gaetz told students the new building was “absolutely not going to happen.”
Gaetz explained that funding typically used for school construction projects, which comes from taxes on telephones and other utilities, has been depleted.
Despite the adversity, Hogarth said he feels “confident” he will find money for construction. After breaking ground, he expects to receive donors, which will fund the building’s completion over the next few years.
The building has support of the City Chamber of Commerce and the Campus Board. The next step is gaining approval from the USF Board of Trustees.
After what Hogarth called an “exhaustive review” of more than eight potential sites, the Piano Man site came out as the most practical and cost efficient option.
Parking Lot Two was also a top contender until it was decided that construction would hinder future expansion of the Science and Technology building and decrease parking space.
The Piano Man site will keep business as an integral part of the campus, Hogarth said, adding that its accessibility to local hospitals will allow students to service both the school and the community. The site also provides ample room for growth.
Harvard Jolly, the architecture firm hired to construct the building, is in the process of examining the site to determine what can be used of the current structure and what must be demolished. The firm has found minor construction concerns, such as a few trees standing in the way and a biology lab that will have to be relocated.
Hogarth said the College of Business’s 1,800 undergraduate and 200 graduate students need their own building to facilitate dialogue, explaining that knowledge is often gained through peer-to-peer and student-to-professor exchange.
With only a few months left as chancellor, Hogarth said he is doing everything he can to get the money before he leaves.
