From students, for students: Florida Poly SGA invests $250K in Student Achievement Center

LAKELAND, Fla., April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Student Government Association (SGA) at Florida Polytechnic University has allocated $250,000 from its funding reserves to support the construction of the new Student Achievement Center on campus.

The Student Achievement Center (StAC) – an $85 million, 138,400-square-foot building – is in its design phase and is expected to open in 2030.

The facility is intended to be a hub for student success, offering resources dedicated to student development, including career and internship services. It will feature study spaces, an auditorium, collaborative multimedia areas, and be home to staff fully focused on helping students throughout their academic journey and into their transition to the workforce.

Taki Tsetsekas, senior mechanical engineering major and SGA president, serves on the StAC's design and architecture committee. He emphasized the critical need students have for the new addition to campus.

"I'm in all these meetings looking at the amount of money it's going to take to build this and how student-focused the committee is on designing this building purely for students," said Tsetsekas, who is also a member of the University's Board of Trustees. "I felt we needed to acknowledge that the students want and are invested in this building."

The StAC also will include dedicated SGA office space, a relaxing place for students to hang out, new food options, and other comforts to enhance the student experience.

Dr. Allen Bottorff, Florida Poly's vice president of administration and finance and its chief financial officer, said the SGA's decision to invest such a significant portion of its funds to support the new building is powerful proof of the students' commitment to the success of the University and the scholars it will serve for many years to come.

"This is an extraordinary example of the student community taking ownership of their future and demonstrating their belief in the transformative power of education," Bottorff said. "This contribution shows that Florida Poly students care about much more than their personal success; they want to help ensure the success of all those who come after."

Jonathan Gauthier, a junior mechanical engineering major and SGA treasurer, said funds for the investment accumulated over SGA's lifetime in anticipation of a student-focused project of this magnitude.

"Our SGA has always been very good at putting student dollars to use for student initiatives and student success, and that's why supporting the Student Achievement Center is such a big deal," Gauthier said. "It also shows outside and prospective donors – including the state – that students want this to happen. This is something that SGA has talked about for years."

SOURCE Florida Polytechnic University