A new joint downtown campus of the University of Central Florida and Valencia College is scheduled to open in August.
The campus will open August 26th to some 7,700 students who will be able to choose from 20 academic programs.
Executive Dean of Valencia College’s downtown campus Eugene Jones says, for example, some students will earn an associates degree in baking or culinary management.
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Members of the tour group gaze out the window at downtown Orlando. Photo: Easton Underdahl[/caption]
He says students in these programs will learn:
“Everything from mixology to baking to pasty to...we even have a stone fire pizza oven that we will have in this building also.”
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UCF Downtown Assistant Vice President Mike Kilbride says the graduates will be able to apply these skills at Orlando restaurants, benefiting the local foodie economy.
But Kilbride says students in any of the campuses' programs will benefit from the unique professional and cultural opportunities that come from living and working downtown.
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UCF Downtown's Culinary Department, almost finished with construction. Photo: Easton Underdahl[/caption]
“They can walk to their internships in these majors as well as have access to a rich environment downtown. Events at the Dr. Phillips Center. When you think of everything’s that’s going on at Lake Eola. Those will be value adds for the students on this campus.”
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On-campus student housing will be available for 640 students and offers a health clinic, recreational center, and restaurants.
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UnionWest at Creative Village is still under construction, but plans to open its doors in August. Photo: Easton Underdahl[/caption]
The campus is a part of the $1 billion dollar Creative Village development project
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