UF breaks ground for new building on East Campus

November 29, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida broke ground today for a new data center on its East Campus today and marked the progress that has taken place at the site over the past six years.

The 15,000-square-foot building will provide a second site for Enterprise Systems, a unit of UF Information Technology, including human resources, finance, portal, student records and eLearning systems.

The center will include a new, dedicated, High Performance Computing Center, providing improved support for Academic Research Computing. A 160-space parking lot is also being added.

The groundbreaking was part of an event celebrating the success of the East Campus. UF President Bernie Machen, Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe and members of the city and county commissions delivered remarks at the event.

UF’s presence in East Gainesville has helped spur development in the area, and the event will highlight UF’s commitment to the community, said Ed Poppell, UF’s vice president for business affairs and economic development.

“The University of Florida continues to expand its East campus, and we are so proud of the presence we now have in East Gainesville,” Poppell said. “It’s been an honor to watch this project progress over time, and I think the growth of the East Campus is a great example of the partnership UF shares with the community.”

With growing space constraints on UF’s main campus, the East Campus was established in 2005 and now houses many administrative offices and programs, including Computing and Networking Services, the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and UF’s hurricane research facility. More than 400 employees work on the East Campus.

“Historically, East Gainesville has lagged behind much of our community economically,” said Susan Crowley, UF’s assistant vice president for community relations. “UF has the ability to create economic development, and we are committed to focusing efforts on the east side.”

Crowley said that by housing university buildings in East Gainesville, UF employees are encouraged to visit the business in the area and support the community’s economy.

At the ceremony, UF officials also announced that the East Campus Office Building has received LEED-gold certification for its sustainability features. For example, 30 percent of its building materials have recycled content, and nearly 97 percent of on-site construction waste was recycled.