The University of North Florida held an event on Thursday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new student success center.
The Student Success Center will be a three-story building offering different supports for students. The $40 million project will house academic advising, student success, career services, tutoring, supplemental instruction, help centers such as the writing and math labs, collaborative study spaces, lounge areas and a full-sized Chick-fil-A.
UNF trustee Steve Moore opened the ceremony, thanked community members and discussed the vision for the new building.
“It will be a vibrant hub of academic excellence, collaboration, and support designed to empower every Osprey to soar,” Moore said.
UNF President Moez Limayem also spoke during the event, asking members of the audience to close their eyes and envision the center.
“Imagine a beautiful, three-floor, state-of-the-art building where students will go there for every single service they need,” Limayem said. “It will be an amazing place where they can hang out, an incredible place where they can study. And yes, students, you will have a state-of-the-art, technology-enabled, full-fledged Chick-fil-A.”
Sam Garrison, member of the Florida House of Representatives and an honorary UNF alum, closed out the ceremony, speaking about the success of UNF and the region. During his speech, he joked about Limayem’s possible departure from UNF following the USF presidential search, in which Limayem is the sole finalist.
“Once we get you here, you ain’t leaving. We believe that about Jacksonville,” Garrison said. He then turned to Limayem and said, “I mean, with one exception.”
Garrison then jokingly asked the crowd, “Too soon?”
About the Building
According to a UNF spokesperson, the building is projected to open in mid-2027. The building will be three stories and 60,000 square feet.
Inside, it will hold multiple services, including academic advising, student success, career services, tutoring, supplemental instruction, help centers such as the Writing and Math labs, collaborative study spaces, lounge areas and a full-sized Chick-fil-A. The current locations of these services will be repurposed, according to a UNF spokesperson.
The building’s designer is Schenkel Shultz, an architectural and interior design studio located in Central Florida. The building is to be built by Ajax Building Company, the same company that built the new Osprey Ridge residence hall.
The project was funded through the Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) program from the state legislature.
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