Years of talk on the addition of a new student-athlete academic center came to fruition on Friday, as UCF officials broke ground on the $6.5 million center that will be built on the east side of Bright House Networks Stadium.
After gaining final approval from the Florida Board of Governors to build the multimillion-dollar structure earlier this month, UCF President John Hitt and Wayne Densch CEO Leonard Williams, among others, were of the first to break ground on this facility.
Citing UCF’s student-athlete graduation rates, the highest of all public universities in the nation, UCF President John Hitt expressed how the addition of this center will impact student-athletes in the coming years.
“I’m very proud we’re going to have it, it’s going to be a competitive advantage for us as were recruiting the kind of student-athlete we want. That is a young woman or young man who is going to excel on the field, on the court, as well as in the classroom and life beyond that,” said President Hitt.
Various programs will be housed that aim to support current and former players in preparation for life after graduation. Local industry leaders will pair with program developers to ensure that student-athletes gain the experience vital to their success, providing athletes with a potential job after graduating and industries up to four years to determine the best candidate for that job.
Wayne-Densch CEO Leonard Williams, and his wife, Marjorie Williams, proved to be a key component in the construction of the 22,000 square foot building, after he and his trust fund donated a collective $5 million to the project this year. The donations come from Williams’ emphasis on competitive, personal development that must foster within student-athletes, development that the new academic center will provide.
Construction of the Center will begin in January, with completion of the project to follow in Fall of 2015.
