Orlando Magic pledge $1.5 million to UCF downtown campus

The Orlando Magic is giving the University of Central Florida $1.5 million to help fund its new downtown campus.

The team announced the pledge Monday that will go toward a new academic building and be the centerpiece of a downtown Orlando campus serving about 7,000 UCF and Valencia College students.

The gift comes two weeks after UCF president John Hitt asked the community to help UCF raise $20 million in private donations to fund a third of the new building. The school is also contributing $20 million and asking the state for an additional $20 million.

Pending approval, the campus is set to open in the fall of 2018. The new building will complement a renovated Center for Emerging Media building, where UCF's graduate video game design school is located.