EFSC Breaks Ground on First Residence Hall

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Eastern Florida State College broke ground Monday on the first student housing in its history, giving students a chance to live and study on campus.

College and community leaders celebrated the event during a ceremony on the Melbourne campus where the 96-bed Residence Hall will be built.

Construction is scheduled for completion next summer with students moving in for the start of Fall Term classes in August 2020.

“This is another great day for the college, one we have been working toward for several years,” said college President Dr. Jim Richey.

“Students have been telling us since we became a state college in 2013 that they want the option of living on campus, and this Residence Hall gives them that opportunity.”

Richey called the housing “a perfect fit” for the Melbourne campus because students can participate in a wide range of activities there, including clubs and sporting events.

A new Student Union that opened in January and that is the centerpiece of EFSC student life is also a short walk away.

Students greeted the housing with excitement, calling living on campus a major plus.

“It’s awesome, something we definitely can use. This will be a huge benefit and I recommend anyone looking at this college to take advantage of it,” said Jessica Frederick.

Said Taylor Ignacio: “This will just make everything easier because you wouldn’t have to drive. It means a lot and I would definitely be interested in living there.”

The three-story building will consist of 24 suites that each contain four individual bedrooms, two bathrooms, a shared kitchen and common living area. Parking and security will be provided.

The housing will be available to all full-time students with housing rules governed by the college’s Student Code of Conduct. Rental costs have not been finalized.

Students interested in more information on the Residence Hall can contact Lena Copeland, Director of Support Services, at copelandl@easternflorida.edu or (321) 433-5631.

The project is the latest in a series of major firsts for the college in recent years.

Among them are launching 24 highly popular Bachelor Degree tracks, opening a new Health Sciences Institute and starting more than 60 new academic programs.

The housing is also the next step in a Melbourne Campus expansion plan that was unveiled in 2014 and that has seen significant progress.

The college has constructed a new Public Safety Institute, new Health Sciences Institute and new Student Union with more buildings planned.

Other EFSC campuses are also experiencing noteworthy growth.

For instance, a new state-of-the-art Robotics Lab is opening this Fall Term on the Palm Bay Campus, which will also be home to a new Cyber Security Center.

On the Cocoa campus, a new Mechatronics Lab will open in January on the heels of a new Advanced Manufacturing Center with more improvements also planned.

The $6.3 million Residence Hall is financed through a 20-year loan agreement with Center State Bank.

The building will be constructed by M. H. Williams Construction Group of Melbourne and was designed by Design Styles Architecture of Tampa.

The site has room for the addition of more Residence Hall buildings in the future.

In constructing the building, EFSC joins seven other members of the Florida College System that have residence halls as more students seek on-campus residency to pursue their degrees.

They are the College of Central Florida, Indian River State College, Florida Southwestern State College, South Florida State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Florida Keys Community College and Hillsborough Community College.