Valencia College held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a $27 million satellite campus in Poinciana, Fla.
Officials of the college, based in Orlando, say the Poinciana Campus will be more accessible to students who would have difficulty attending classes at the college’s Osceola Campus.
When the 65,000-square-foot building opens in 2017, the Poinciana campus will serve 2,500 degree-seeking students, as well an additional 1,000 students seeking job training.
“We believe this campus will make college possible for more Poinciana students,” says Kathleen Plinske, president of Valencia’s Poinciana, Osceola and Lake Nona campuses.
The number of high school graduates who go on to college is far lower in Osceola than in neighboring counties, and the rate of college attendance is lowest for Liberty and Poinciana high schools.
Construction on the project already has begun. The facility will consist of 11 classrooms, two computer labs, a science lab and a culinary teaching kitchen. Other features in the building: an indoor/outdoor cafe area; native landscaping including Poinciana trees; and a two-story campus library with multiple settings for studying, group collaboration and tutoring.
The architect is DLR Group, and the construction manager is Clancy & Theys.