Campus Life

UWF hosts grand opening of University Park Center as part of Founders Week

Today, the University of West Florida celebrated the grand opening of University Park Center, a multi-use facility located at Pen Air Field on the Pensacola campus.

“Today’s opening of University Park Center not only provides additional space for our growing healthcare and athletic programs, it also brings Florida State University to our campus,” said President Martha D. Saunders. “Our collaboration with the FSU College of Medicine is a great example of how we can work together to improve the health of our community by providing highly trained medical professionals.”

University Park Center is a $7 million, 32,700-square-foot facility serving UWF Intercollegiate Athletics; UWF Usha Kundu, MD College of Health; and the Florida State University College of Medicine. The first floor houses a customized state-of-the-art weight room for all UWF student-athletes, as well as a football locker room with 115 custom player lockers and laundry facilities.

The second floor provides office space for UWF Usha Kundu, MD College of Health and FSU College of Medicine, along with a multi-purpose room. The space will foster further integration between the two universities. Since 2003, FSU medical students have completed clinical rotations in Pensacola. Several UWF graduates have gone on to attend medical school at FSU.

“We’re fortunate to have outstanding physicians in the Pensacola area who teach our students in the clinical setting,” said Paul McLeod, dean of the FSU College of Medicine’s Pensacola Regional Campus. “Now we’re excited to be part of a great facility that will serve as our home base as we prepare future physicians and physician assistants, many of whom will choose to one day care for patients in this community.”

University Park Center was designed by Caldwell Associates Architects Inc., located in Pensacola, with construction management by Childers’ Construction Inc., located in Tallahassee, Florida. The building will seek LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The event is part of UWF’s inaugural Founders week, beginning April 16. Founders Week is a weeklong celebration that serves as an opportunity to bring the UWF family together, welcome alumni and visitors to campus and give back to the community. For more information about Founders Week, visit uwf.edu/foundersweek.

To learn more about University Park Center, visit uwf.edu/universitypark.