Florida Polytechnic University is in for some big changes. It was announced on Monday, Oct. 2 that the school would construct a third academic building. Construction on the Gary C. Wendt Engineering Building is slated to start in the spring of 2024 and last until the summer of 2025.
With a price tag of $15 million, the 40,000-sqft building will include research + development labs, faculty offices, conference and collaboration spaces, as well as an exterior courtyard.
The courtyard will connect the building to the Barnett Applied Research Center, which was recently renamed for the Barnett family’s contributions. The new engineering building itself derives its name from Gary C. Wendt, who has been on the Board of Trustees since 2017 and contributed $2 million last year for student initiatives.
Florida Poly has seen much growth since its founding in 2012, and there’s more to come soon. One of the biggest changes is coming to the faculty office. The school is seeking a new president after Dr. Randy K. Avent announced his plans to retire at the end of the academic year.
The Citrus Innovation Center is set to open in the spring.
Rendering provided by Ryan Companies US, Inc.
Aside from the new academic center, Florida Poly is currently building another residence hall to accommodate more students. The Citrus Innovation Center is expected to open this spring, where students can learn alongside International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. on citrus research.
All these updates seem to be changing the school for the better — U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the university as the No. 1 public college in the Southeast for the third year in a row.