Approximately 850 students will live in the two new residence halls, with three more halls in the complex expected to open in fall 2018.
TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 14, 2017) – Hundreds of University of South Florida students have the unique opportunity to be among the first group to live in a new on-campus housing complex, named The Village, as it opens for upcoming fall semester. Primarily first-year and other undergraduate students will reside in the two six-story facilities, named Beacon and Summit Halls, which include a variety of suite-style and traditional rooms.
Photo/video opportunities will be available with students and their families moving in, as well as student volunteers helping transport new students’ belongings to their rooms. USF Housing staff will be on-site Thursday morning for interviews. Media crews should plan to meet just east of the corner of USF Laurel Drive and USF Palm Drive, where nearby parking will be reserved. A campus map can be found here.
In addition to the two residence halls, The Village’s new dining facility, named The Hub, will open on Aug. 17, while its new wellness center, The Fit, will open in early October. The Hub features nearly 500 indoor and outdoor seats, a coffee shop and registered dietician onsite to provide free nutritional counseling for meal plan holders. The Fit is a state-of-the-art, 19,000 square foot facility offering cardio and weight training equipment, an outdoor swimming pool and numerous other amenities.
The new buildings are all part of The Village, a public-private partnership with Capstone-Harrison Street, LLC and the largest student housing complex ever approved by the Florida Board of Governors. Three more residence halls will open in fall 2018, bringing the total number of students living in The Village to nearly 2,000 and increasing the student housing capacity at USF to approximately 6,500 beds.
The project supports USF’s focus on student success, cultivating a culture of on-campus engagement. Studies have shown that active on-campus life has a direct impact on improving students’ academic performance, as well as helping them build stronger connections with their peers.
Campus-wide, more than 3,000 students will move into 36 residence halls on Thursday, launching the university’s annual Week of Welcome (WOW). WOW features dozens of activities for students, including:
-Class photo with students lined up to form the letters U-S-F at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18 at the USF Sun Dome.
-Community service event, with students volunteering at sites throughout Hillsborough County from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19.
For more information on additional activities, visit the Week of Welcome website.
About the University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, established in 1956 and located in Tampa, is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three, separately accredited institutions: USF; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Serving more than 49,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.6 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. USF is ranked in the top 30 nationally for research expenditures among public universities, according to the National Science Foundation. In 2016, the Florida Legislature designated USF as “Emerging Preeminent,” placing USF in an elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference.