Valencia College will contribute $2 million to the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs proposed downtown campus, according to plans outlined at the Oct. 21 Valencia College board of trustees meeting.
The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ downtown campus is a joint project for Valencia College and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, though ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is securing the bulk of the funding for the campus.
βJust as ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has invested in our joint-use facilities on West Campus and Osceola Campus, we are going to invest in their campusβs joint-use facility,β said Sandy Shugart, Valencia College president. βWe will be seeking $2 million from the legislature for this purpose.β
Dale Whittaker, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs provost and executive vice president, and Falecia Williams, president of Valenciaβs West Campus, outlined the latest proposal for the downtown campus in a briefing for Valencia Collegeβs 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 bachelorβs degree would drop from $24,650 (the cost of 120 credits at a Florida university) to $18,920 β the cost of two years at Valencia and two years at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ 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 masterβs degree programs. When the campus opens, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ officials estimate that about 5,395 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ students will be enrolled in programs housed at the downtown campus.
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 collegeβs 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.
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