University of Tampa breaks ground on new innovation center, focused on health and science fields

UTampa's science center groundbreaking

The University of Tampa broke ground on its most expensive building to date, the Dickey Science Innovation Center. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa broke ground on the largest investment in its 94-year history.

The backstory:

The school is building the Dickey Science Innovation Center, overlooking the Hillsborough River.

The university says the 153,000-square foot science center will house all the science departments on campus.

Courtesy: University of Tampa

"It's five stories with a six-floor, kind of, mechanical area up on top of it," Scott Gossen, the associate vice president of design and construction facilities, said.

Right now, most science classes are in Plant Hall, which is an old, outdated building on campus. 

Other classes are spread out among other classroom buildings.

 "I had my chemistry lab in there last semester, and it wasn't the best," freshman nursing major Siena Webb said. "It was like, it's always hot and there's a lot of stairs and not a lot of electricity."

Dig deeper:

The building will serve as a hub for these departments, with advanced technology and ample lab space for a growing field of students at the university.

The land used to be home to the boathouse, which housed about a dozen students every year, according to university staff.

Although they say that land, which is prime real estate, wasn't being used as effectively as it could've been used.

Big picture view:

University leaders say this project will keep up with the evolving health and science fields.

"The sciences and health care have been a huge growth area at the University of Tampa, and it's a huge area in workforce need in the Tampa Bay region," the University of Tampa's President, Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg said.

What they're saying:

Officials say they went through a number of different safety studies and other discussions in order to build just a few feet away from the water.

"Building on the river, you've got to be careful about sustainability, resiliency," Gossen said. "We just went through those hurricanes back in 2024. So, the building is actually elevated up 17 feet above the river."

There will still be space below the raised building for students to gather down by the water.

The university is known for its business school, but some students hope this project will also build a legacy in health and sciences.

"I think it's definitely important, not even to just have, like, the tools, but to have, like, an environment where we can all be like, in the same area, learning the same things, because I feel like everyone's so like, split about where they're going to class and taking it," Webb said.

What's next:

The university hopes to finish construction on the Dickey Science Innovation Center in the fall of 2028 and open the building to students in the spring of 2029.