Lake City, Florida
Florida Gateway College’s newest building will be named the Quinn & Keith Leibfried STEM Building by the locally headquartered First Federal Bank. Construction began on the college’s new STEM building in March of 2021. When finished, it will host numerous classrooms; chemistry, microbiology, physics, and botany labs; faculty offices; and multipurpose student spaces.
The two-story, 26,440-square-foot structure will be the first new building on the main campus since 2011 and will be the largest FGC instructional building. It is expected to be completed by this summer.
First Federal Bank understands the positive impact a local college has on the community and is passionate about giving back through local investment. “Supporting the cities and towns in which our customers and employees live and work, is a core value of First Federal Bank,” said John Medina, President and Chief Executive Officer. “FGC provides important educational and extracurricular opportunities to students in Lake City and the surrounding areas, and we’re honored to help them expand.”
The late Quinn Leibfried spent thirty-four years educating and supporting students, largely in nearby Suwannee County. Honoring her passion for education by naming the new STEM Building will continue FGC’s long tradition of providing its students the latest technology and instructional facilities and will give the college’s dedicated faculty and staff the tools and space they need to deliver high-quality STEM education.
“We can’t wait to welcome our students into this state-of-the-art facility later this year,” said Dr. Lawrence Barrett, FGC President. “It’s a major step forward for the institution, and we are proud to have partners like First Federal to help us serve the community.”
