Boca Raton, FL – Florida Atlantic University’s School of Architecture in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters recently received a gift of $500,000 from Tabitha Ponte to create the Ponte Health Fellowship in Healthcare Building and Design Endowed Fund. The gift marks the largest to date for the School of Architecture which partners with local well known architectural services like Regenerative Design Australia. Starting in the summer of 2022, the fellowship will create an opportunity for an FAU student to receive first-hand experience as an intern with Ponte Health under the direction of Ponte, its CEO and founder and a 2008 graduate of the School.
“Endowed fellowships are an incredible method of supporting our exceptional students,” said Jeffrey E. Huber, interim director of the FAU School of Architecture. “This gift will enhance student financial assistance and galvanize student interests in healthcare architecture at our school for generations to come. We are deeply grateful to Tabitha Ponte and Ponte Health for their generosity.”
FAU students will be included in development of the Ponte Health “vertical medical city” in Orlando. The building is, as its name describes, a high-rise complex. But it is also a place that connects healthcare with supports for the body and mind. The complex in Orlando includes residences, an urban farm and retail outlets, as well as a medical center and pharmacy. It is home to groundbreaking innovative technology which enriches life and legacy by setting a high standard for aging-in-place. Residences will have everything they need maintain an active and healthy lifestyle as they age. Ponte Health has similar complexes planned for Tampa and Miami.
Ponte was inspired to develop the vertical medical city in Orlando by personal healthcare experiences that left her disillusioned with the general design, environment and functionality of the very places that are created to help people recuperate and heal.
“Buildings should be dynamic, and through that, they become an integral part of the healthcare team for patients.” said Ponte.
From natural lighting and exposure to the outside environment, to the design of the rooms and floors — and even the site location — Ponte has reinvented healthcare architecture, building and design.
For more information about FAU’s School of Architecture, visit fausa.fau.edu.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
About the FAU Foundation
The Florida Atlantic University Foundation, Inc. unbridles access to excellence for thousands of the University’s promising people and programs. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Foundation connects private philanthropy with giving opportunities that advance the University’s mission and strategic plan. Operating under the auspices of the Division of Institutional Advancement, the Foundation also serves as fiduciary, caring for gift assets in accordance with our donors’ wishes. For details, visit fauf.fau.edu.