On Friday, July 22, 2011, Full Sail University held a groundbreaking event to celebrate the start of construction on the university’s latest on-campus facility, an 86,000+ square foot design-build project. Full Sail President Garry Jones was joined on stage by Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, and also in attendance were Florida State Senator Thad Altman, City of Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley, Winter Park City Commissioner Steve Leary and representatives from the firms involved in the project’s design and execution.

The modern, two-story educational complex will house 475 faculty and staff as well as add additional film/television soundstages and classrooms to the university’s 191+ acre, 110+ studio campus. With an expected completion date of Spring 2012, the facility will complement the university’s January 2011 expansion into the Gateway Center in downtown Orlando where 200+ Full Sail online administration and support team members occupy the building’s tenth floor.

“I’m amazed at how Full Sail has blossomed over the past 30 years to become an education Mecca where students from all over the world turn their passion for entertainment media into a career,” said Mayor Jacobs.

Through a design-build process, Full Sail collaborated with LAMM & Company Partners and Blankenship Architects, Inc. to renovate and expand a former Albertson’s grocery store, left vacant during Albertson’s 2009 downsizing. Included in the $10+ million dollar project is the renovation of the building’s façade that will feature 309 linear feet of blue glass which, according to Stella Posada, Full Sail’s Senior Vice President of Image, Design and Development, will “merge the cohesive color palette that is found throughout the campus.”

“I congratulate Full Sail on the kickoff to their new construction project and commend the institution’s leadership for their $10+ million investment in this facility,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott.

“The ability for one of Florida’s finest institutions to expand is a direct result of student demand for leading post-secondary education such as the type offered by Full Sail. As a result of that demand, the institution has hired nearly 450 faculty and staff since January 2010 and their additional projected need for 550 employees over the next 18 months is impressive from an economic development standpoint for Florida; and, it is a testament to the institution’s international brand and appeal,” added Governor Scott.

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About Full Sail University:

Full Sail University is an award-winning educational leader for those pursuing careers in the entertainment and media industry. Founded in 1979, Full Sail has been recognized as one of the Top Five Game Degree Programs by Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the Best Music Programs by Rolling Stone Magazine, and one of the Best Film Programs by UNleashed Magazine. In 2011, Full Sail received the “21st Century Best Practices in Distance Learning Award” from the United States Distance Learning Association, was named the “School/College of the Year” by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges, and was recognized as one of the Top 100 Social Media Colleges by Studentadvisor.com.

Full Sail offers Master, Bachelor, and Associate campus and online degree programs in areas related to animation, art, business, education, graphic design, film, marketing, web development, music, recording arts, sports, and video games. Full Sail graduate credits include work on OSCAR^®, Emmy^®, GRAMMY^®, ADDY^®, MTV Video Music Award, and Spike Video Game Award nominated and winning projects.

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