Florida Hospital announced its commitment to UCF's planned downtown campus today, pledging $1.5 million toward the project.
Florida Hospital's gift will help fund construction of a new academic building that will be the centerpiece of the UCF Downtown campus serving about 7,700 UCF and Valencia College students.
Florida Hospital leaders say they will explore ways to integrate learning and work experiences for health information technology and health care administration students studying downtown, in addition to working with UCF on community health initiatives in surrounding neighborhoods.
The downtown campus will also create opportunities to explore joint programs between UCF and Florida Hospital's Adventist University of Health Sciences. ADU offers associate of science degrees in Nursing, Practical Nursing, Radiography and Sonography, as well as baccalaureate degrees in Health Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, and Nuclear Medicine and online-learning baccalaureate degrees in Radiologic Sciences, Diagnostic Medical Science and Nursing.
UCF Downtown will be one SunRail stop away from ADU at the Florida Hospital Health Village station.
One-third of the new $60 million downtown academic building will be funded through community support. The university also is contributing $20 million from its resources and asking the state for an additional $20 million.
Pending approvals, the campus will open in fall 2018.
