University of Central Florida now has a leader to bring the downtown Orlando campus to life.

  • Dr. Thaddeus Seymour Jr. hired to be vice provost for UCF downtown campus
  • UCF Downtown will be part of the Creative Village
  • Seymour says his vision for the school includes public-private partnerships

“UCF can be a model of what large research universities look like in this century," said University of Central Florida Downtown Vice Provost Dr. Thaddeus Seymour Jr.

“It starts with a vision built around partnership," Seymour added.

However, Seymour is not supposed to be working anymore.

“I tried. I had enormous fun at Lake Nona," Seymour said.

He retired in 2015 from the Tavistock group, which is responsible for Lake Nona.

One of the most notable portions of Seymour's time in the business world was helping develop Lake Nona’s medical city neighborhood from the ground up.

“Lake Nona really began with a big vision and in fact we grew it over time," Seymour shared.

But now he's working again on a project that he is equally as passionate about.

“I bring this unique perspective because I started my career in academia and moved into business several decades, Seymour said. “And now I have the chance to come back and be a part of an academic institution and help bring that combination of perspective and experience."

UCF’s downtown campus in Orlando is expected to anchor the long-awaited Creative Village project. The campus is expected to cost about $60 million, with much of it already collected from donors and the state. 

“I look at this as a bit of a hybrid. So there is a blank canvas in many ways but that doesn’t give credit to what’s already here around and part of this, part of downtown," Seymour said.

Seymour's father, Thaddeus Seymour Sr., was the president of Rollins College for more than 10 years beginning in the late 1970's.   

Seymour Jr. said by watching his father lead a small liberal arts college, he learned that a successful educational institution of any size is clear about who they want to be.

“I think the best plan will be one that really embraces the strengths of what is part of the community already, Seymour continued.  “And how can we uplift that and take advantage of that and be part of making the whole downtown better."

Seymour’s vision means creating local, national and even international partnerships to become the region’s hub for technology and digital media.

“There’s so much going in terms of the energy and the passion of young innovators who want to live and work in the city center, so I think we really get to take advantage of that," Seymour continued.

Part of that city center, Seymour said, is the historic Parramore neighborhood. Seymour said it’s important to remember the new campus will be part of that community.

“We’ll work very hard in partnership with the residents and the leadership of Parramore, as well as the business owners in and around that part of downtown because again, the best thing we do will be the result of those kinds of collaborations," Seymour said.

UCF’s downtown campus is scheduled to open in 2018.

UCF's new vice-provost on plans for the downtown campus