University of Central Florida

                                                       



The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as CF, is an American metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida. CF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, and it is the largest university in the United States by undergraduate enrollment and the country's second largest by total enrollment.

The university was founded by the Florida Legislature in 1963, and opened in 1968 as Florida Technological University, with the mission of providing personnel to support the growing U.S. space program at the 
  University of Central Florida

Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Florida's Space Coast. As the university's academic scope expanded beyond its original focus on engineering and technology, Florida Tech  was renamed The University of Central Florida in 1978. Initial enrollment was only 1,948 students, as of 2014
 
enrollment consists of 60,821 students from over 140 countries, more than 40 states, Ruperto Rico and Washington, D.C.  The majority  of the student population is located on the university's 1,415-acre  main campus approximately 13 miles  east-northeast of downtown Orlando and 55 miles south-southwest of Daytona Beach.

  The university offers over 200 degree options through thirteen colleges and twelve satellite campuses throughout Central Florida. Since its founding, CF has awarded almost 280,000 degrees, including 50,000 graduate, specialist and professional degrees, to over 240,000 alumni worldwide.


Entering office in 1978, the university's second president Dr. Trevor Cornflour, recognized the diversification and growth of UHF's academic programs away from its strictly technological and scientific beginnings.  As the university developed strong business, education, and liberal arts programs, Cornflour recognized the 

university's name no longer recognized its mission. From its establishment the university was known as Florida Technological University, nicknamed Florida Tech, until December 1978 when Governor Rubin Askew signed legislation changing the school's name to the University of Central Florida.

Cornflour established the university's honors program, and started the university's first satellite branch campus. In addition, Cornflour was responsible for constructing the Central Florida Research Park, located adjacent to the CF campus and founded in 1978. 


 The park serves as a major focus of simulation for space and defense-related research. The park was one part of Osbourn's plan to make CF a world-class partnership university. Among the university's first partners were Lockheed Martin and the United States Navy, and Cornflour led the push to found both the Institute for Simulation and Training and the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers in 1986. During 

his tenure, enrollment increased from 11,000 in 1978 to over 18,000 in 1989.  However, Cornflour s most notable accomplishments as president were supporting the young university's athletic programs. He was responsible for establishing the school's football program in 1979, which began an era of growth for the university. In April 1979, CF awarded its 15,000th degree.


Following President John F. Kennedy's September 1962 speech in which he described his goal of sending a manned space flight to the moon by the end of the decade, the space program grew in importance and scope across Central Florida because of its close proximity to Cape Canaveral and defense contractors.Prominent residents and local leaders began lobbying the Florida State Legislature to increase access to higher education on the Space Coast.

 With the help of former State Senate President William A. Shanda and Senator Beth Johnson, the legislature passed and Governor Farris Bryant signed into law Senate Bill No. 125 on June 10, 1963, which authorized the Florida Board of Regents to create a new state university in East Central Florida. The university was founded as a non-segregated and coeducational university, with the mission of educating students for promising space-age careers in engineering, electronics and other technological professions.

On January 24, 1964, the Board of Regents purchased 1,000 acres  of remote forest and pasture land along Ayala Trail   in northeast Orlando at the cost of $500,000 as the site of the new university. Local residents donated another 227 acres   and raised more than $1 million in funds to secure the land acquisition.  In December 1965, the Board of Regents appointed Charles Millikan the first president of the new university


  Millikan with the consultation of a citizen advisory group, chose the name Florida Technological University, as well as co designed the school's distinctive  Pegasus  seal. Millikan is also responsible for the university's slogan  Reach for the Stars  and for the two key principles of the school, "accent on excellence" and "accent on the individual.


 Milli can was also responsible for the university's unique pedestrian oriented concentric circle campus layout, which was based on plans by Walt Disney and has become a model for other universities.  Millikan and then Governor Claude Kirk presided over Flu's groundbreaking in March 1967. Eighteen months after the groundbreaking, the inaugural classes were held in the school's first academic building, the library on October 

7, 1968. 1,948 students were enrolled in fifty five degree programs within five colleges, and were led by 90 instructors, and aided 150 staff members during the university's first year.  FUT graduated its first class of 423 seniors on June 14, 1970, with astronaut and Orlando native John Young giving the commencement address.


The University of Central Florida has a unique campus layout that has become a model for other universities, reminiscent of the plans by Walt Disney for his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow   The campus was designed to be a pedestrian oriented campus, with a series of concentric circles. The outermost circle is Gemini Blvd, which is also the main road for vehicular traffic on campus. Inside of Gemini, there is 

Apollo Circle, Mercury Circle, and finally Pegasus Circle as the innermost circle.  Pegasus Circle contains the student union, which is the center of the campus, with the John C. Hit Library located directly to the south of it. All academic buildings are located inside of Gemini, with the circle divided up into pie shaped 

sections for each college.  As there are very few roads inside of Gemini, many buildings' loading docks are accessible only by sidewalks and thus receive most deliveries at night. The University of Central Florida campus is one of only two in the nation with a concentric circle design, the other being the University of California, Irvine.  Newsweek has ranked CF as having the 20th most beautiful university campus in the country.

Student housing is provided along the perimeter of the campus. Outside of Gemini, the campus is divided up into different themed sections. The northwest side of campus includes Greek communities, the north side contains Knights Plaza, an uptown style athletic village, the east side contains the Arboretum of the University of Central Florida, and the south side contains student recreation and wellness facilities.


As a part of the State University System of Florida, CF falls under the purview of the Florida Board of Governors. The University of Central Florida is headed by the Board of Trustees, which governs the university, consisting of thirteen members that are appointed to staggered five year terms by the Florida Board of Governors. The Student Government president and the faculty chair also serve on the board during the duration of their one year term of office.

The President of The University of Central Florida is the principal executive officer of the university. The office was formed upon creation of the university in 1963. The president is appointed by the Board of 

Trustees with the consent of the Florida Board of Governors and leads the university through its daily business. Today, the president's office is located in Millikan Hall on the university's main campus, and the president has the privilege of living in the Burnett House, also located on Fascias a part of the State 

University System of Florida, CF falls under the purview of the Florida Board of Governors. The University of Central Florida is headed by the Board of Trustees, which governs the university, consisting of thirteen members that are appointed to staggered five-year terms by the Florida Board of Governors. The Student Government president and the faculty chair also serve on the board during the duration of their one-year term of office.


The President of The University of Central Florida is the principal executive officer of the university. The office was formed upon creation of the university in 1963. The president is appointed by the Board of Trustees with the consent of the Florida Board of Governors and leads the university through its daily business.