EFSC GROWTH CONTINUES
With Major New Investments
THE FIRST HALF of 2022 brought great success to Eastern Florida State College .
The college announced a 10-year , $ 87 million investment in the Cocoa Campus that includes new academic buildings , students housing and upgraded grounds . Plans to complete the Melbourne Campus expansion and expand facilities on the Titusville Campus also met with success in the Florida Legislature .
EFSC President Dr . Jim Richey took a few minutes to answer some of our questions and share more about the accomplishments and his hopes for the future .
Dr . Richey , the vision for the college that you presented 10 years ago continues to come to life . You must be excited to see it happening , considering the recent groundbreaking for a second student housing building and funding approval from the Legislature for the last new academic building on the Melbourne Campus , called the Center for Innovative Technology
Education ( CITE ).
Yes , it ’ s gratifying to see a plan come to life . Since our first residence hall opened its doors two years ago on the Melbourne Campus , we ’ ve had a long waiting list for students who want to move in . There is a lot of excitement about being able to live on campus and have a true collegiate experience . That will be the case on the Cocoa Campus too with student housing planned there .
The funding announcement from the Legislature was very important for EFSC and our entire community , and we appreciate the foresight reflected in its approval by Govenor Ron DeSantis . We are especially grateful to Senator Debbie Mayfield and Representative Tyler Sirois for their efforts in securing funding for The Center for Innovative Technology Education ( CITE ) on the Melbourne Campus , and to Senator Tom Wright , Representative Rene Plasencia and Representative Thad Altman for their work supporting the Aerospace Center for Excellence ( ACE ) on the Titusville Campus .
The timing is perfect for these projects . High-tech firms are increasingly looking to EFSC to increase their employee ranks . The growing commercial space sector at Kennedy Space Center is a perfect example .
Together , the two new facilities will further strengthen the college ’ s leading role in providing a pipeline of highly skilled employees to aerospace , defense and a wide range of other high-tech companies along the Space Coast .
What is the significance of the CITE Building on the Melbourne Campus ?
CITE is designed to meet the urgent need for more technical support staff for rapidly growing and changing industries . The facility will feature labs that can be easily configured to provide students with the access to software used by high-tech employers .
The approach will bring together cutting-edge equipment , course work and students working in teams to simulate working environments and the best practices used by industry . Importantly , training can be tailored to the specific needs of individual
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