What’s Next?

Spring 2025 – C. Edward Floyd Medical Building

Plans were recently completed and contracts let for Francis Marion University’s next big construction project for its downtown campus.

Work is expected to begin next spring on the C. Edward Floyd Medical Building on Gregg Avenue. The 45,000-square foot building is a project of the Pee Dee Medical Consortium, which includes FMU, the University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina and its MUSC-Florence Hospital, and McLeod Medical Center. 

When complete, the state-of-the-art building will house classrooms, laboratories, and administrative space that will serve as the home to 3rd- and 4th-year medical students from MUSC and the USC School of Medicine. Dozens of students from the two schools are already based in Florence as they complete their studies and clinical rotations. The number will increase when the Floyd Building is complete. 

The building is also expected to house students from FMU and MUSC in allied health fields. Specific programs that may be housed at the Floyd Center have yet to be identified, but could include existing programs at both universities, new programs, or joint ventures.

The Floyd Center is named after Dr. C. Edward “Eddie” Floyd. Floyd is a retired Florence heart surgeon from Lake City, S.C. He’s a member of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees and a USC alumni, but also a long-time friend and supporter of FMU.

Summer 2025 – Forestry and Environmental 

Sciences Building

 Planning is underway and contracts have been let for FMU’s Forestry and Environmental Sciences building. The 45,000-square foot building will begin to come out of the ground next year. It’s being built on the “west side” of campus, in the area south of the athletic complex. 

When work is complete, the new building will be situated on a to-be-built lake and will complement the new regional headquarters building for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Work on the SLED office began earlier this summer.

The Forestry and Environmental Sciences building will provide classroom and laboratory space for FMU’s burgeoning field of environmental studies, and for the university’s new Forestry major. 

FMU launched its twin programs in Environmental Sciences (BS) and Environmental Studies (BA) two years ago. It’s quickly become a popular course of study for the university’s undergraduate students. The potential for graduate programs in the near future is bright.

The Forestry program seeks to train the next generation of forestry professionals to meet the growing demand for the management and protection of forests for recreation and commercial use, in the region, the state and beyond. It will offer students a rigorous academic curriculum that will be coupled with practical experience in the field. The combination will give students the necessary skills to solve current and future forestry challenges. The Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry is for students wishing to pursue careers in forestry and natural resources management. The start of the program is tied to progress with the building.