Project: USFSP Kate Tiedemann College of Business building

From the green benches of "God's Waiting Room" to the green and gold of the USF Bulls, USF St.Petersburg (USFSP) seems poised to expand it's role on downtown. Over the past few years there has been a lot of change on the small bay front campus including the addition of on-campus housing, a newly constructed student center, and the creation of new campus green space.

But don't expect the projects to stop there. If newly hired Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska has her way USFSP could double its enrollment to 10,000 students by 2024.

With its first residence hall opening in 2006, and its second in 2012, USFSP currently has about 600 students living on campus. And if Chancellor Wisniewska's vision comes into fruition I'd expect that number to double or even triple. A recent Tampa Bay Times article stated USFSP might look forge "partnerships with local developers who would lease rooms to students", if they did that I'd expect to see something like Urban Style Flats- a no frills, affordable apartment complex geared toward young people. Having more students downtown means more people walking the streets, more activity during the day, and more money being spent at local shops and restaurants. It's exciting prospect for downtown as it will benefit everyone.

This month, USF St.Pete broke ground on the new Kate Tiedemann College of Business building, a state-of-the-art 68,000 square foot facility spread over 4 floors that will consolidate USFSP's business program. Located at the old Piano Man building at 701 3rd Street S, the project, designed by local firm Harvard Jolly and IKON 5, will include a Bloomberg trading room, instructional space, and a 200-seat amphitheater. Currently USFSP's College of Business is scattered throughout campus, but the construction of the Kate Tiedemann College of Business building will bring it all under one roof.

The building is a result of the work of many people including the City of St.Petersburg, the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, and State Senator Jeff Brandes among many others.

The future is bright for USF St.Pete, and the Kate Tiedemann College of Business building will help increase the academic clout of the USF System and its impact on Downtown St.Petersburg.

For more renders of the Kate Tiedemann College of Business building, keep reading...

Read more from the USFSP Kate Tiedemann College of Building groundbreaking ceremony here.