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The University of Central Florida has named Allen Bottorff as the director of facilities for its new downtown campus.

Bottorff will begin his new role on Oct. 17. He joins UCF from Valencia College, where he served as the assistant vice president for facilities planning and real estate development.

In this new position, Bottorff will be responsible for the oversight, management and strategic direction of facilities planning, as well as construction, operations and maintenance, landscape and utilities services at the campus, which will be shared with UCF and Valencia.

His first responsibility as director of facilities will be to work with other campus leadership to coordinate and oversee planning and design of the new academic building. A team made of SchenkelShultz Architecture, Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Skanska USA was selected this summer.

“UCF Downtown will be a critical connector where creative thought, innovative research, significant public service initiatives and the rich, vibrant culture of our community can come together and flourish,” Bottorff said. “I look forward to lending my experiences and perspective to the wealth of talent already engaged in this project, and to help shepherd our collective vision to build a world-class campus downtown.”

When the campus opens in Fall 2019, UCF Downtown will bring about 7,700 students from UCF and Valencia to study and work just west of Interstate 4, as the academic heart of Creative Village, the city’s $1 billion private-public partnership.

The campus will focus on programs such as communication, digital media, public service and health-related technology, where students will study within walking distance of a wide array of internship and job opportunities in these same fields.

Additionally, Valencia will offer programs in digital media, health information technology and culinary and hospitality, including workforce training and other certificates to increase access to education in the immediate downtown area.

“We’re fortunate to have dedicated and forward-thinking leaders on this project to change the educational ecosystem in our community,” said Thad Seymour, Jr., vice provost for UCF Downtown. “Allen’s experience and his knowledge of Valencia and UCF will help bring our teams together to build a 21st-century campus that will change the face of Orlando for decades to come.”