UCF President Hitt Recaps Busy Year, Looks to Future in State of the University

By Tom Evelyn Feb. 2, 2007

Photo: Jacque Brund

During his State of the University address Friday, UCF President John Hitt reflected on the university's advances in academics, athletics and community partnerships. He spoke at the former Expo Centre downtown, now home to UCF's School of Film and Digital Media and the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy.

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A performing arts center could join a new football stadium and convocation center in the changing landscape of the University of Central Florida’s East Orlando campus, UCF President John Hitt said Friday during his State of the University address.

Speaking to a crowd of about 500 gathered in downtown Orlando, Hitt looked back on a busy year that included the start of construction of the Bright House Networks Stadium and the approval of a college of medicine that will anchor the “medical city” developing at Lake Nona.

Hitt also reflected on UCF’s role in helping Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer achieve his vision of a “creative village” downtown. The School of Film and Digital Media has moved into the city’s former Expo Centre, joining the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, a partnership between the university, the city, the state and Electronic Arts.

“Let me invite you to stretch your imagination just a bit further and envision another addition to our campus -- a performing arts center -- a center that would provide strong support to our excellent music and theater programs while offering the community a rich cultural resource,” Hitt said.

While giving glimpses of the future for academics, athletics and the arts at UCF, Hitt outlined the university’s accomplishments and impact on the region over the past several years, focusing on a particularly successful 2006.

“As I consider the past year and the milestones that the university has achieved -- in concert with this wonderfully supportive community -- I cannot help but marvel at what has been a truly remarkable year,” Hitt said.

In March, UCF secured approval from the state Board of Governors to establish the College of Medicine. Hitt helped to raise more than $100 million in private donations and state matching funds for the medical college and Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences buildings that will anchor the UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona.

These developments helped encourage the Burnham Institute to locate nearby, virtually ensuring the biomedical cluster that supporters said would develop. Within 10 years, this life sciences cluster of related research and business could provide as much as $6.4 billion in annual economic activity and nearly 26,000 jobs.

“While the economic benefit will be significant, there will be access to medical research and new levels of care that will help improve our lives and the quality of life in this region in ways that cannot easily be quantified,” Hitt said.

During video highlights and in his speech, Hitt reminded the audience of UCF’s other recent accomplishments and thanked the university’s founders for setting the foundation for today’s success.

In just the past few years, UCF has doubled the number of its colleges serving varied disciplines from the humanities to biomedical sciences. Recent additions that grew from schools already at the university include the College of Optics and Photonics and the Rosen College of Hospitality Management near International Drive. The College of Nursing will become UCF’s 12th college on July 1.

The quality of UCF’s student body has continued to increase dramatically. Incoming freshmen had an average SAT score of 1201 this past fall, for example.

At the same time, UCF has become a national and world leader in research and education in optics and lasers, modeling and simulation, computer science, teacher education and hospitality management, among other areas. Indicative of UCF’s expanding expertise, the university has attracted more than $100 million in research money two years in a row. That amount will increase dramatically over the next several years as the College of Medicine and Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences generate new scientific and biomedical studies.

“More than ever, our students, staff, faculty, alumni and partners are energizing the Central Florida economy and changing the world,” Hitt said.

Looking to the future, Hitt described several major construction projects that will be completed this year. A new psychology building will open this spring to provide more teaching and research opportunities for students who are part of UCF’s largest major. The psychology building follows recent additions of the Harris Corporation Engineering Center and the Progress Energy University Welcome Center and the expansion of the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers.

This fall, the Golden Knights will kick off the football season in the new 45,000-seat Bright House Networks Stadium. “It will help bring the best student-athletes to UCF and provide an exciting, on-campus game-day experience for students, alumni and fans,” Hitt said.

The convocation center will open at about the same time. The center, a 10,000-seat arena for basketball, shows and other entertainment, is the centerpiece of a project that includes shops, restaurants and 2,000 beds in four student-housing towers.

“With all these additions,” Hitt said, “just imagine the possibilities for an outing on campus: shopping and dinner capped off with a show or, better yet, a Knights’ basketball game in the convocation center or a football match-up in Bright House Stadium.”

The new sports facilities, College of Medicine, psychology building and performing arts center are among the many new venues that will enhance academics and campus life in the coming years. But even with so many projects already under way, Hitt said UCF will continue to look ahead and ask, “What’s next?”

“Clearly there are exciting opportunities and possibilities ahead,” Hitt said. “Many of those opportunities will be defined by this community. We will work together with the region and with our partners in the community to identify needs and find ways we can help address those needs.”

State of the University (full text)

State of the University (Webcast)

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