Take a look at the first student dorms coming to USF Sarasota-Manatee’s campus
Established in 1975 as a regional campus of the University of South Florida, the Sarasota-Manatee campus is about to get its first student housing.
Officials threw the first shovels of sand at a groundbreaking Wednesday afternoon for the project.
It is the first expansion of the campus since 2006, when it relocated from next door to New College in Sarasota County to 8350 N. Tamiami Trail in southern Manatee County.
Evelyn de Oliviera, the student governor of the campus, and Madison Sosa, the student lieutenant governor, will both graduate in spring 2023, but said that the new complex will be transformative for the campus and student life when it opens in 2024.
“Thank you for listening to our voices,” the students said.
USF President Rhea Law and Sarasota-Manatee campus Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook also said campus expansion marks a turning point.
“This is really a special day. This signifies a new era,” Holbrook said.
Law said that USF Sarasota-Manatee has come a long way with its one existing building.
“Imagine what we can do with more space,” Law said.
Six-story, 100,000-square-foot complex
At completion for the fall 2024 semester, as many as 200 students will be able to live on the campus for the first time.
The six-story, 100,000-square-foot complex is expected to help recruit and retain students, elevate the campus experience and help shed the “commuter college” tag.
The $42 million building was approved last year by the Florida Board of Governors and the USF Board Trustees.
Plan highlights:
▪ Construction will be along Seagate Drive on the south side of the campus, west of Selby Auditorium and Crosley Campus Center.
▪ The bottom two floors will include a ballroom, dining facilities, a bookstore, lounges and offices and meeting space for USF World, student government and other organizations.
▪ Architectural features in the student center portion will include large windows allowing students and visitors to look out toward Sarasota Bay and Longboat Key.
▪ The top four floors will include residences in various configurations.
The student center and residential housing complex represent half of plans to more than double the size of the campus.
Also planned in the future: construction of a $62 million, 75,000-square-foot Nursing/STEM building, that will enable USF to expand its academic offerings in nursing, engineering, the health sciences, the arts and other fields on the campus.
For more information about expansion plans for the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus, visit https://www.sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 9:38 AM.
