The Florida State University System’s Board of Governors will discuss a proposal by the University of Central Florida to close down three of its campuses during a Wednesday meeting.
According to state officials, the proposal would close the university’s South Orlando, Leesburg and Palm Bay campuses.
The proposal states the Leesburg campus has offered instruction for elementary education bachelor’s programs, though that instruction has been discontinued due to a lack of demand, prompting the board to consider shutting it down.
Likewise, the Palm Bay campus has discontinued instruction due to course relocations and the expansion of online programs, and the South Orlando location was used exclusively for testing until UCF moved testing sites over to more modern facilities, board documents show.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
UCF officials signed a 50-year sublease with Orange County in 2019 for the South Orlando campus, which allows the county to set up a public park and recreational facility on the property, state documents show.
A presentation slated for Wednesday’s meeting shows that closing down the three campuses will have no impact on students or faculty.
Besides those three campuses, the board will also determine whether to reclassify UCF’s Ocala campus as a Special Purpose Site, which provides educational services outside of postsecondary degree programs.
According to the university’s proposal, UCF’s Board of Trustees has already approved the closures and reclassification.
The Board of Governors meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Wednesday via Zoom. Public comment forms can be obtained by emailing generalcounsel@flbog.edu or by calling 850-245-0466. For additional information, click here.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: