Polytechnic University Expands Horizons Abroad

The Polytechnic University inaugurates new campus in the city of Orlando

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, May 2, 2011 – As part of the celebration of the Forty-Fifth Anniversary of the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR), President Ernesto Vazquez Barquet officially announced the opening of the new facilities at the Orlando Campus of said institution.

“Today we expand horizons,” said Vazquez Barquet. “I am proud to announce that we have begun operations in our new academic campus in the City of Orlando, Florida,” he said. The new 40,000 square feet campus is located at 550 North Econlockhatchee Trail in East Orlando. It has 16 classrooms, new laboratories for studies in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Chemical Engineering, plus a gym and a soccer field; a product of a $ 2.9 million investment.

Currently the Orlando Campus has about 250 students enrolled in their Bachelor and Masters Degree programs in Engineering and Business Administration. In addition, this institution has an articulation agreement with Valencia Community College, through which students enrolled in Engineering programs can transfer all their credits to the PUPR after completing their Associate Degree in order to obtain a Bachelors Degree. It also has internship programs with renowned international companies and agencies such as General Electric and NASA, and is currently in the process of establishing exchange programs in cities like Colombia and Antioquia. “This is the first step we take towards a new Polytechnic University Orlando Campus,” said Eng. José O. Rivera, Director of the Campuses in Florida and Dean School of Management in San Juan Campus. “We plan to continue to grow and evolve with more classroom, online and hybrid courses, as well as new academic programs in other areas of knowledge such as Architecture and Mechanical Engineering,” he said.

A new San Juan Campus as well

President Vazquez Barquet also announced the official kick-off of the First Capital Campaign of Institutional Development, led by Engineer Jossen Rossi, Chairman of Campaign; and Ana Maria Dapena, Director of Institutional Development of the Polytechnic University. “The Board of Trustees and Capital Campaign Committee 2011-2014 want to provide the Polytechnic University of the resources and leadership necessary to mark the way for future generations of professionals in the Physical Sciences in Puerto Rico,” said Rossi engineer.

The Capital Campaign will consist of four key projects including: the creation of a scholarship fund named PolyFund, through which the institution will offer, among other benefits, partial scholarships, support and resources for scientific research, stipends for the purchase of specialized books and internship assistance; strengthening the innovative Mechanical Engineering Program with a concentration in Aerospace Engineering, the only program of this nature in Puerto Rico; modernize the School of Architecture and the School of Engineering and Geomatic Sciences with more dynamic, modern spaces for students and teachers; and an ambitious project focused on adopting energy conservation and the reuse of resources as ways to transform the campus into a fully Green Campus. “On the occasion of our 45th Anniversary, we renew our commitment to help improve social problems of our country and its communities. Our aim is to support the development not only of our campus but also be a part of an educational expansion with a high sense of social responsibility. These are the pillars that inspire us every day in our academic work and labor. You too can be part of the future, starting today,” Rossi concluded.

For more information on these and other offerings at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, call 787-622-8000 ext. 309 or visit our website https://www.pupr.edu.