Construction has officially begun on the first student housing complex of USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus.
Courtesy of USF
By Aubrey Carr
Nearly fifty years after its founding, construction for the first student housing of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus is underway.
Approved by the USF Board of Trustees and the State University System’s Board of Governors last year, the building is scheduled to open Fall 2024.
Like the St. Petersburg campus’ University Student Center, the building will act as both housing for students and a meeting place for community members. The site is planned to be six stories, 100 square feet and house as many as 200 students.
The official groundbreaking ceremony brought university leaders to the campus in celebration of the development.
“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,” USF President Rhea Law said at the event.
“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,” she said.
Courtesy of USF
Karen Holbrook, chancellor of the campus, shared similar sentiments, emphasizing the student advancements to come from the development.
“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,’” Holbrook said.
The first two floors of the $45 million building will feature a bookstore, ballroom, dining facilities lounges, meeting space and offices for student organizations. The remaining four floors will be reserved for student residencies of various configurations.
Older spaces, such as the previous bookstore, dining hall and student government offices, will be replaced to meet the changing needs of the campus.
According to a press release, the current dining hall will be upgraded into a teaching kitchen for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
With over 1,000 students, community members are excited for the sense of community to come from the building’s erection.
“We’re excited that we will finally have a dedicated student center, just for the students, because education goes beyond the classroom,” said Student Government Gov. Evelyn De Oliviera. “We are honored to have been involved in the planning of the building and to see what the future students will have access to.”
