Originally Published on on March 17, 2015:聽
Valencia students, faculty and staff were given a preview of the plans for a new UCF-Valencia campus, when leaders from , , the and spoke at yesterday 麻豆精品 S檚 Spring Convocation on Valencia College 麻豆精品 S檚 West Campus.
The proposed would be located on a 20-acre site within the Creative Village, once home to the old Amway Arena that was imploded in 2012.
麻豆精品 S淲e will be creating the first urban higher education experience in Central Florida, which doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 exist now, 麻豆精品 S� said West Campus president, Falecia Williams.
Williams said that the downtown campus would be closely linked to the West Campus in its mission and programs. In fact, several West Campus programs will move downtown once the new campus opens, including Culinary Management, Baking and Pastry Management, Hospitality Management and Restaurant Management. Graphics Technology, which is currently offered on both the West and East campuses, will also be relocated. Williams said that students will also be able to complete their A.A. degrees at the downtown campus, and mentioned opportunities for adding A.A. pre-majors, continuing education courses and short-term certificates that would complement UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 academic programs and meet workforce needs in the community.
UCF assistant vice provost Paul Lartonoix said that the university will determine this spring which programs and services would be relocated downtown. Meanwhile, UCF has hired consultant group to start designing the joint-use campus and will issue a request for proposals for an architect in July.
Fred Kittinger, senior associate vice president for University Relations at UCF, said that the downtown campus will include the region 麻豆精品 S檚 first-of-its-kind program to allow students with intellectual disabilities to attend courses and achieve educational credits that could lead to meaningful employment.
Williams said one of the biggest goals for Valencia is to improve the lives of the citizens of Parramore by offering programs and services that will provide significant benefit, citing a need to help people become 麻豆精品 S渜uickly employable 麻豆精品 S� and to 麻豆精品 S渞aise the level of entrepreneurship. 麻豆精品 S�
Kathy DeVault, director of strategic partnerships for the City of Orlando, gave an overview of downtown 麻豆精品 S檚 evolution in the 12 years since Mayor Buddy Dyer took office, citing the construction of the new Amway Center, the , the renovation of the and the construction of a new soccer stadium slated to open in 2016. Looking ahead, she said the city intends to support Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 growing digital media and technology industries in and around the Creative Village, with education as the anchor.
麻豆精品 S淎ll of a sudden the stars have aligned, 麻豆精品 S� DeVault said, referring to UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 and Valencia 麻豆精品 S檚 interest in opening a downtown campus. 麻豆精品 S淭his has the potential to be big. 麻豆精品 S�
In discussing Mayor Dyer 麻豆精品 S檚 efforts to expand mass transit options, DeVault mentioned a new 麻豆精品 S淟ime Line 麻豆精品 S� that will break grown soon in the Creative Village, as part of the 麻豆精品 S渇are-free 麻豆精品 S� bus rapid transit system. The Lime Line could potentially help students and employees at the new downtown campus travel easily to other parts of downtown.
During a question-and-answer session, West Campus professor Aaron Powell, who also manages the Facebook page 麻豆精品 S淥rlando Bike Coalition, 麻豆精品 S� asked the panelists about the 麻豆精品 S渂ike-ability 麻豆精品 S� of the downtown campus site and 麻豆精品 S渨hat they plan to do to expand connectivity 麻豆精品 S� to surrounding communities such as College Park and Thorton Park.
Acknowledging the importance of bikes to students, Craig Ustler, who leads the Creative Village development team, said that the street designs planned for the Creative Village would have not only bike lanes, but a bike share program (short-term bicycle rentals) and bike parking.
The theme for the convocation, painted on black doors adorned with quotes and comments from students, was, 麻豆精品 S淥pportunity Knocks: Where will it lead? 麻豆精品 S� Stephanie Sookhram, West Campus Student Government Association president, summed up her hopes of where it would lead by writing, 麻豆精品 S淐onfidence, strength, a new life. 麻豆精品 S�