On Thursday, March 16, 2017, the Board of Trustees at the University of Central Florida approved the naming of the UCF Downtown Campus Academic Building.
To be named Dr. Phillips Academic Commons, the campus’ first new facility will be part of a 21st-century Downtown Orlando community.
At 148,000 square-feet, the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons will be the “heart” of the campus that UCF will share with Valencia College. The new facility will join a renovated UCF Center for Emerging Media to 7,700 UCF and Valencia students when the campus opens in Fall 2019, according to UCF. The campus plans to provide a 600-space parking garage – about half the size of Garage B – and power generation facility.
“From the start, we knew Dr. Phillips would support this transformational project for Downtown Orlando,” Dr. Phillips Charities CEO Kenneth Robinson said.
“We are so pleased to see it come to life and to celebrate our shared mission of improving lives through the power of education.”
On February 23, 2016, Dr. Phillips, Inc. made a charitable commitment of $7.5 million, including $7 million towards the construction of the UCF Downtown Campus Academic Building. This gift met and exceeded a $20 million community support milestone set by the university for its downtown campus.
“Dr. Phillips has a long-standing partnership with UCF, including contributions to the College of Medicine, the College of Business Administration, and the Dr. P. Phillips School of Real Estate,” the Board of Trustees said.
“In recognition of [Dr. Phillips’] contributions to the University of Central Florida, the university will name the new UCF Downtown Campus Academic Building in honor of Dr. Phillips.”
A ceremonial groundbreaking and community event has been anticipated for May 11 at the site, where construction begins Summer 2017.
