Vanderbilt University Releases Renderings of Florida Campus

Vanderbilt University is continuing its plan for an outpost in West Palm Beach, Fla., with a goal of raising $300 million to bring it to fruition. 

The university on Monday released renderings of the campus, to be located on seven acres in the city's Government Hill area. The university bought the government-owned land in October for $46 million. The campus is set to host graduate business programs and serve as a satellite campus for the Owen Graduate School of Management, School of Engineering and AI programs, as well as host an innovation hub. 

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The deal has progressed rather quickly. Vanderbilt announced in April, and Scene sister publication the Nashville Post reported that the university was eyeing the land in West Palm Beach, Fla. Officials from the school made a presentation to the Palm Beach County Commission in August, which revealed a planned $519.6 million in direct spending to create the academic buildings and housing to host 1,000 students and approximately 100 faculty members.

Site selection firm principal John Boyd Jr. told the Post in August that South Florida houses a large number of Vanderbilt alumni. 

"A VU campus will help to open the floodgates for new scholarships, gifts to the school and other fundraising activities," Boyd said. "Palm Beach is home to some 60 billionaires, and nearly a quarter of Vanderbilt students come from families in the top 1 percent of earners. That makes Vanderbilt one of the wealthiest schools in the nation. Vanderbilt and Palm Beach are a perfect fit."

Elkus Manfredi Architects will be handling the design for the property's future buildings. The campus will feature structures offering mass timber, solar energy capabilities and an arboretum showcasing Florida species.

“We are delighted to share these renderings and our vision for a West Palm Beach campus,” Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier says in a release. “The images show that we are planning a unique learning and research environment that nurtures collaboration and innovation and is sustainable in all senses.”

Vanderbilt already established a regional hub in New York in 2023 and is eyeing a campus there as well.

This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.