Valencia College will contribute $2 million to the University of Central Florida\u2019s proposed downtown campus, according to plans outlined at the Oct. 21 Valencia College board of trustees meeting.<\/p>\n
The UCF downtown campus is a joint project for Valencia College and UCF, though UCF is securing the bulk of the funding for the campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as UCF has invested in our joint-use facilities on West Campus and Osceola Campus, we are going to invest in their campus\u2019s joint-use facility,\u201d said Sandy Shugart, Valencia College president. \u201cWe will be seeking $2 million from the legislature for this purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale Whittaker, UCF\u2019s provost and executive vice president, and Falecia Williams, president of Valencia\u2019s West Campus, outlined the latest proposal for the downtown campus in a briefing for Valencia College\u2019s trustees. Under the new plan, Valencia would provide most of the first- and second-year classes at the downtown campus. For students who attend the downtown campus, the cost of a bachelor\u2019s degree would drop from $24,650 (the cost of 120 credits at a Florida university) to $18,920 \u2014 the cost of two years at Valencia and two years at UCF.<\/p>\n
UCF plans to move a number of programs to the downtown campus, including its digital media, emerging media (character animation), health informatics, health services administration , legal studies, communications and social work programs, as well as several master\u2019s degree programs. When the campus opens, UCF officials estimate that about 5,395 UCF students will be enrolled in programs housed at the downtown campus.<\/p>\n
Valencia College plans to move its culinary and hospitality programs from the West Campus to downtown, as well as part of its digital media program and the college\u2019s health-information technology program. Valencia will also offer the classes needed to earn an Associate in Arts degree, which is the general education degree required for transferring to a four-year college or university. Valencia programs are estimated to bring about 2,300 students to the campus when it opens.<\/p>\n