About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

University of Central Florida

Encyclopedia : U : UN : UNI : University of Central Florida

 

The University of Central Florida, more commonly referred to as UCF, is located in Orlando, Florida, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida. As of 2005, UCF is the largest undergraduate public university in Florida and the second university in the state by total enrollment, trailing the University of Florida by fewer than 5,000 students. UCF is also the seventh largest university in the nation as of Fall 2005; total enrollment included 45,090 students, consisting of 7,720 freshman; 6,019 sophomores; 9,899 juniors; 13,994 seniors; and 7,163 graduate students. [link] UCF awards bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctorates, as well as certificates and specialist degrees. The main campus is located approximately 13 miles east of downtown Orlando and 55 miles west of Daytona Beach. The university also has twelve satellite campuses in eastern central Florida, though none are as large as the 1,415 acre (5.73 km²) main campus.

UCF's official colors are gold and black, the various sports teams go by the name of "Golden Knights" and the official mascot is a gold-armored black knight named Knightro, who is sometimes accompanied by his associate Glycerine. The UCF academic logo, however, is Pegasus.

The University of Central Florida is listed in “The Best 361 Colleges: 2006 Edition” by The Princeton Review.[link] The Princeton Review’s recognition comes as the academic quality of UCF students continues to rise. Freshmen admitted in Fall 2005 posted average SAT scores of 1178, ACT scores of 26 and high school GPA of 3.62.

Contents

History

UCF's mascot, Knightro
Enlarge
UCF's mascot, Knightro
The university was established on 10 June 1963 when the Florida State Legislature passed Bill 125.  The first classes began in October 1968 with the university's total enrollment at 1,948. UCF was known as Florida Technological University, nicknamed Florida Tech, from its establishment until December 6, 1978, when it was renamed to University of Central Florida by the State Legislature. FTU's former rival, the Florida Institute of Technology, has since been known as Florida Tech. In 2003, UCF had the distinction of being the fastest growing university in the United States in terms of undergraduate enrollment, and as of Fall 2005, more than 45,000 students attend the school. 


One of the founding goals of the university was to act as a support system for the Kennedy Space Center, which is located about 50 miles (80 km) away. Additionally, the nearby Central Florida Research Park, which infuses research funds into the university and draws many interns and graduates from it, has a major focus of simulation as well as space- and defense-related research.


The official colors of the university were chosen by Dr. Charles Millican, UCF's Founding President.  When the first student handbook was being drafted, the University had no mascot. So, Norman Van Meter, one of the designers of the university's official seal, created the Citronaut, an orange with the head of an astronaut, as a possible mascot for FTU, and it was put on the cover of the handbook.  This remained the University "mascot" for a year until students petitioned Student Government to establish an official mascot. The student newspaper, the Future, drafted up their ideas of what the mascot should look like. The night nurse at the Health Center, Judy Hines, proposed a mascot with these criteria, along with a graphic representation drawn by her husband Gene, to SGA. "Vincent the Vulture" remained the schools unofficial mascot for over a year. Eventually, the students voted and selected the "Knight of Pegasus" as their official mascot. Until 1994, the Knights were represented by a jouster from the Medieval Times dinner show. That year, Knightro was introduced at the homecoming event, Spirit Splash. Two years later, UCF students were introduced to Knightro's girlfriend, Glycerin.  [link]


The rapid growth of the University of Central Florida was not without the occasional black eye. In 2003, links to terrorism were discovered at UCF. Former UCF Professor Hussam Jubara was linked to controversial University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian as a co-founder of an Islamic think-tank associated with terrorism [link]. Jubara eventually pled guilty to lesser charges and was summarily dismissed and deported.



Academics

As of 2005, UCF's academic programs included 92 Baccalaureate Programs, 94 Master's Programs, 3 Specialist Programs, and 24 Doctoral Programs. In addition, 70% of the Faculty have Doctorate Degrees, and 42% currently have tenure at the university.  In terms of six-year graduation rates, UCF ranks fourth in the state of Florida at 56%, trailing New College of Florida (NCF) at 65%, Florida State University (FSU) at 66%, and the University of Florida (UF) at 78%.[link]



Colleges

The university currently houses ten colleges: College of Arts & Humanities; Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences; Burnett Honors College; College of Business Administration; College of Education; College of Engineering and Computer Science; College of Health & Public Affairs; College of Optics & Photonics; Rosen College of Hospitality Management; and College of Sciences.  



College of Arts & Humanities

Dean: Kathryn L. Seidel


The College of Arts & Humanities was established in January 2006 after the division of the former College of Arts & Sciences into two separate colleges.  It comprises two divisions: the Division of Visual and Performing Arts and the Division of Humanities.  The Division of Visual and Performing Arts consists the departments of Art, Music, and Theater, as well as the School of Film and Digital Media—-which supplies graduates to The Walt Disney Company, Lockheed Martin, and many other local companies--and the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, which was established in partnership with Electronic Arts and offers a curriculum that trains students to become professional video game designers and producers.  The Division of Humanities consists of the departments of History, Modern Languages, and Philosophy, as well as the Office of Liberal and Interdisciplinary Studies.  The college is currently in an adjustment stage resulting from its recent creation out of the former College of Arts & Sciences, with Dean Siedel overseeing the transition of departments into the new college until her planned resignation on August 7, 2006, at which time Associate Dean José B. Fernández will become the college's second dean.



Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences

Dean: Pappachan Kolattukudy


The Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences houses the Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, the Biomolecular Science Center, the Medical Laboratory Sciences Program and the Pre-Health Professions Advisement Office.  The Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences became the 9th college at the university on August 10, 2004 after receiving a $10 million donation from Al and Nancy Burnett.  The goal of the College is to build a nationally recognized biomedical research and education enterprise. It currently offers three academic degrees, and will serve as the foundation of the proposed medical college, with plans to build a new 113,000-square-foot Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences building on the prospective medical campus.



Burnett Honors College

Dean: Alvin Y. Wang


In 1998, the UCF Honors Program was granted college status. Al and Nancy Burnett donated almost 1.5 million dollars toward the completion of a building to house the new honors college, and it was subsequently named the Burnett Honors College in their honor.  The Burnett Honors College's building was completed in May 2002, and dedicated on October 23, 2002.   The mission of the college is to provide a challenging academic program and a foundation for future achievement to UCF's most academically talented undergraduate students.  With only about 1500 students a part of the college during an academic year, the Burnett Honors College combines the intimacy of a small liberal arts college with the advantages of a large metropolitan research university.  The Burnett Honors College does not have any departments or offer any majors itself; all of its students are also students of one of the other colleges at the university.  Honors students benefit from being able to take smaller Honors-versions of both lower-division and upper-division university courses, being able to enroll in Honors Seminars and Honors Interdisciplinary Seminars, usage an Honors Computer Lab and an Honors Reading Room, extended library privileges, scholarship opportunities, and other advantages.  It offers two distinct Honors programs for students: University Honors, which is a 4-year program (students must apply as high school seniors) that requires students to take a certain number of Honors-level courses, and Honors in the Major, which allows juniors and seniors to conduct original research within their major and write an Honors Undergraduate Thesis (these programs are not mutually exclusive).  If a student completes one of these programs, an Honors distinction corresponding to the program that they completed will appear on the student's diploma and transcript.  The college also offers many events and programs--such as the Student-Mentor Academic Research Teams (SMART) Program--that are open to UCF students regardless of whether they are Honors students or not, as well as the Office of Student Scholarship and Fellowship Advisement, which provides information and preparation services for all UCF students interested in applying for prestigious scholarships and fellowships.



College of Business Administration




UCF's College of Business Administration building

Enlarge

UCF's College of Business Administration building






Dean: Thomas L. Keon


In response to the demands of the local business community, the business programs offered by the College of Business Administration were completely redesigned in 1993.  Through work by alumni, faculty, business leaders, and students, the college developed the Business Education 2010 (BE2010) curriculum that is still used today.  This curriculum focuses on specific competencies that are integrated throughout all coursework: Teamwork, Communication, Creativity, Adaptation to Change, Diversity, and Ethics. The College of Business presently offers 17 academic degrees and is poised to be the largest college of business in the nation after the completion of its third building in the next few years, and has become a leading business college in the South.[link]



College of Education

Dean: Sandra L. Robinson


The College of Education awards nearly 60 academic degrees to prepare students for a career in education.  The college is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and houses the UCF Academy for Teaching, Learning and Leadership.



College of Engineering & Computer Science

Dean: Neal C. Gallagher


Housing the university's premier majors, the College of Engineering and Computer Science has three major divisions: the Engineering and Computer Science Division (which houses UCF's renowned School of Computer Science), the Engineering Technology Division, and the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Division.  The Engineering and Computer Science Division consists of the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS), which was a result of the Spring 2006 merger of the School of Computer Science and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and three engineering departments: the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department,  the Industrial Engineering and Management Systems (IEMS) Department, and the Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering (MMAE) Department. The Engineering Technology Division consists of the Engineering Technology (ENT) Department. The ROTC Division consists of the Aerospace Studies Department (Air Force ROTC) and the Military Science Department (Army ROTC).  Overall, the college offers more than 100 degree programs.The college recently saw the completion of a third Engineering Building.



College of Health & Public Affairs

Dean: Belinda R. McCarthy


The College of Health and Public Affairs houses six departments and schools: the School of Nursing, the School of Social Work, and the departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, Health Professions, and Public Administration.  Twenty-six degrees are offered to students through this college.



Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Dean: Abraham Pizam


Located off the main University of Central Florida campus on Orlando's Universal Blvd., the Rosen College of Hospitality Management offers three degrees: Hospitality Management (BS),  Restaurant and Foodservice Management (BS), and Event Management (BS).  Orlando is the destination for over 42 million tourists each year, has over 400 hotels with 120,000 rooms, 5,000 restaurants, and 75 theme parks and attractions, making it the ideal setting for this college to thrive. The College also recently opened up two on-campus housing buildings, able to hold 400 students and 8 resident assistants.



College of Optics & Photonics

Dean: Eric W. Van Stryland


In 2004, UCF's Board of Trustees voted to give UCF's School of Optics and Photonics full college status, making it the first college dedicated specifically to Optics and Photonics at a public university in the United States.  It currently offers only Masters and Doctoral degrees in Optics. The college consists of two divisions: Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) and Florida Photonics Center of Excellence (FPCE).



College of Sciences

Interim Dean: Peter Panousis 


The College of Sciences was established in January 2006 after the division of the former College of Arts & Sciences into two separate colleges.  It consists of two divisions: the Division of Natural Sciences and the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences.  The Division of Natural Sciences consists of the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics.  The Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences consists of the departments of Anthropology, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology, and well as the Nicholson School of Communication, one of the largest schools of communication in the nation.  The college is currently seeing the construction of a Psychology Building.  The college is currently in an adjustment stage resulting from its recent creation out of the former College of Arts & Sciences, with Interim Dean Panousis overseeing the transition of faculty, programs and budget into the new college while a national search is conducted to find a permanent dean.



Medical College


On March 23, 2006, the Florida Board of Governors voted 15-1 in support of UCF's proposal to build a medical college.  


The medical college will consitute a new UCF medical campus that is being constructed at Lake Nona, located on the eastern edge of Orlando near the Orlando International Airport.  Upon completion, the base of this medical college will include a 113,000-square-foot building for the Burnett College of Biomedical Sciences, a 130,000-square-foot medical college instructional building and a 60,000-square-foot library.


In October 2005, a local Orlando investment company, the Tavistock Group, donated $12.5 million and 50 acres of land to UCF to help establish the UCF Medical School at Lake Nona, and issued a challenge to the Orlando community to help the university raise an additional $12.5 million to boost the total amount of raised funds to $25 million.  This $25 million would be eligible for a matching state grant, thus giving UCF the needed $50 million needed to create the medical college.  As of March 23, 2006, UCF had received $100.3 million in donations, state-matching funds, and land value for the medical college's establishment.


Its four-year curriculum is set to begin clinical education in Fall 2008 and the college is expected to produce about 120 medical graduates a year, starting with 40-60 students in the first class and increasing in subsequent years. [link]



Library




UCF Library and Reflection Pond

Enlarge

UCF Library and Reflection Pond







From any location, at any time, University Libraries resources and services are available to the UCF community.  The University of Central Florida Libraries supports the research, teaching, learning and service commitments of students and faculty through widely-available access to collections of library resources, and to services to assist in resource use.  The collections of the Libraries serve as a resource for the entire Central Florida community.  Access to collections is provided through services at the main campus library, the Curriculum Materials Center located in the UCF College of Education, and the Universal Orlando Foundation Library at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, as well as at regional joint-use campuses at the Brevard Community College Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses, Daytona Beach Community College, the MetroWest campus of Valencia Community College, and South Lake campus of Lake Sumter Community College.  Collections, services and library information are available to all students and faculty online.


UCF Libraries collections include over 1,600,000 print volumes,  16,000 serial subscriptions,60,000 e-books, 2.9 million microforms, 304,000 government documents, 40,000 media titles, special collections, university archives materials, and 9,200 full text electronic journal subscriptions.  Most of the print and media collection is housed in the main campus library, which is open to the public 105 hours weekly.  Materials can be searched and located, using the WebLUIS online public access catalog. UCF Libraries is a partner with Florida’s state universities in collaborative development of university collections, giving UCF students access to a growing, robust, statewide electronic collection.  


Electronic holdings are available to students and faculty from on-campus, home, or classrooms at any time.  
Scholars have direct access to source materials that are part of several unique Special Collections at the main library.  Notable collections include the Bryant West Indies collection, the Van Sickle Leftist Pamphlet collection, the Book Arts Collection, collections of materials on tourism and hospitality, and materials on the history of Central Florida.  Books, manuscripts, and art can be examined and used by researchers in the Special Collections Department, assisted by staff.  The University Archives collects and makes available official records, publications, and materials on the history of the University of Central Florida.


The Orlando campus library is 5 stories tall, and is located at the center of the campus.   Leonardo Nierman's sculpture, Flame of Hope, stands at the entrance to the building.  Nierman's stained glass Genesis window is on the third floor of the library building.  40 wireless laptops are available to be checked out and used by students in the building, which has wireless access.  Students may also check out the key to one of the 28 group study rooms.

History

A UCF legend holds that the library was UCF's first building.  Contrary to popular belief, a UCF utility building was the first structure to be built.  The library, however, was the second building to be built, and was the first building to hold classes on UCF's main campus, beginning in 1968. In the early and mid-1970s, the basement of the library had a closed-circuit radio station that broadcasted by cable to the student center and few dorms on campus at that time. Students volunteered as unpaid disc jockeys and newscasters. The basement also housed a small, low-ceilinged television studio for television production classes. The campus newspaper, the Central Florida Future, had offices on an upper floor of the library. Classrooms and faculty offices continued to share floors of the library for many years.  In 1984, renovation of the original library building was completed, as well as an addition to the building.  The dedication took place in February, 1985.


In the near future, the library will bring up a new integrated system, ALEPH, which will replace WebLUIS.  An exciting new learning space is under construction near the library entrance, featuring computers, enhanced wireless connectivity, books, classrooms, and Java City coffee.  It is scheduled to open in Fall 2006.



Athletics


Football


UCF is a NCAA Division I school. In 2005, UCF joined Conference USA and left its football-only membership in the Mid-American Conference and its membership in the Atlantic Sun Conference. UCF is the alma mater for NFL stars Daunte Culpepper and Asante Samuel. In 1998, Culpepper led UCF to its best season ever with a 9-2 record (with losses only coming to Purdue and Auburn). 


In 2000, UCF defeated the University of Alabama 40-38 to give the program its first signature IA win.


In 2003, following a string of disappointments on and off the field, UCF relieved coach Mike Kruczek of his duties.  Assistant coach and former player Alan Gooch finished out the dismal 3-9 season with losses to Mid-American Conference rivals Marshall and Miami of Ohio.  The Marshall game marked UCF's first nationally televised home football game as it was aired on ESPN2.


In 2004, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator George O'Leary was named UCF's head coach.  That season, UCF did not record a single win as they went 0-11 in their worst season in school history. In an unusual move on May 24, 2006, UCF (who already had O'Leary inked to a lucrative contract) extended the contract for 10 years and increased his pay to $1M plus incentives per year, despite the fact that his record at UCF was a mediocre 8-16 and there were no other suitors for his services.


In 2005, UCF football hit what many perceived as the all-time low of the program but what would eventually prove to be the turning point of the O'Leary era at UCF.  With a 16-game losing streak in tow, nearly 10,000 fans travelled to nearby Tampa, hoping to see the Golden Knights end the nation's longest losing streak against their perceived in-state rival, the University of South Florida Bulls.  The Bulls soundly defeated the Knights 31-14.  Outraged by the flat performance in Tampa, many fans called for Coach O'Leary's firing.  This public outcry was short-lived, however, and the team's luck changed when they defeated Marshall University 23-13 to end the school's 17 game losing steak. UCF fans celebrated by storming the field and tearing down the goal posts. Students came back to the campus and celebrated further by jumping into UCF's Reflection Pond, which is regarded as the central point on campus. 


UCF won a "come from behind game" against one-win Rice University on November 19, 2005.  This win, combined with a timely loss by then-division leader Southern Miss, enabled UCF to win the 2005 Conference USA East Division championship with a 7-1 conference record.  UCF progressed to the Conference USA Championship Game at their home stadium on December 3, 2005 where they suffered a 44-27 defeat against Tulsa.


On December 4,2005 the Knights accepted a bid to play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 24,2005 against the University of Nevada Wolfpack.  The Knights ended up losing the game 49-48 in overtime due to a missed point after an attempt (PAT) by Matt Prater that would have tied the game.  UCF finished the season 8-5.


UCF currently plays its home games in downtown Orlando's Citrus Bowl stadium.


On April 26, 2006, UCF hired Keith Tribble, the Chief Executive Officer of the Orange Bowl Committee, to replace departed Athletic Director Steve Orsini. Although Tribble has never been the Athletic Director of a university (withdrawing from the 2003 athletic director search conducted by Pittsburgh after they had decided on another candidate [link]), he has enjoyed associate AD stints at both the University of Florida and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.  



Stadium



-->

On November 9th, 2005, the UCF Board of Trustees unanimously approved plans to build a 45,000 seat on-campus football stadium. The stadium will be placed on the north side of the campus, near the existing UCF Arena.  Despite arguments of unrealistic cost estimates for the project and concerns over a pre-fab "Erector Set" feel to the building, construction of the stadium has begun and is projected to be complete by the 2007 football season.



UCF Fight Song

"UCF charge onto the field, with our spirit we’ll never yield.
Black and Gold - Charge right through the line
Victory is our cry... V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. Tonight our Knights will shine!
U-C-F Knights... UCF let’s go Knights!"



Basketball

UCF played its first intercollegiate basketball game before the team even had a nickname.


In the Division II era, under legendary coach Torchy Clark, UCF found great success including a DII Final Four appearance.


UCF has been a member of Division I since 1994 and has advanced to the NCAA tournament 4 times (94, 96, 04, 05), all under coach Kirk Speraw.


UCF competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference (formerly called the Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference) until 2005 when all sports joined Conference USA.


In October, 2005, the basketball court inside the UCF Arena was dedicated to former coach Torchy Clark and now bears his name.


UCF will move from the 5,000 seat UCF Arena to a 10,000 seat Convocation Center in the 2007-2008 season.


The Golden Knights made their debut in the Conference USA Championship Tournament in the 2006 season, falling to Houston in the second round and closing out the season with the program's first losing record (14-15) since 2000-2001.



Baseball

Stadium: Jay Bergman Field, capacity: 1000 (capacity doubles with temporary seating)
Atlantic Sun Championships: 93, 95, 96, 97, 00, 01, 02, 04
NCAA Regional Appearances: 89, 93, 95, 96, 97, 00, 01, 02, 04
Highest national ranking: #8 in 2001.


On February 3, 2001, UCF opened and dedicated Jay Bergman Field, named after the current coach of the Golden Knights.  This naming represents a career marked by championships, NCAA appearances and consistent Top 25 rankings.



Soccer

UCF has produced a number of soccer stars. Most notably, Michelle Akers. Akers went on to play in the Olympics and was a part of the 1999 USA National Team that won the World Cup. The men's program has developed midfielder Eric Vasquez, who now plays for the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer. As well, former Golden Knights Goalkeeper Ryan McIntosh signed a development deal with D.C. United of MLS. Both players were a part of the 2004 Central Florida Kraze amateur soccer team that won the Premier Development League's championship by defeating the Boulder Rapids Resevers, 1-0 at the UCF soccer stadium.



Housing



-->


Approximately 10% of the UCF student population (4,500 students) live on-campus.  The university currently has over 4,500 beds (5,700 by 2007) on-campus in six different housing communities.  Residence hall style suites are available in the Libra, Apollo, Hercules, and Nike communities. All of the residence hall suites have bathrooms shared between 2 or 3 rooms as opposed to communal bathrooms, and are reserved for freshmen. Apartment style housing is also available in the Academic Village (Nike and Hercules) communities, the Towers at Golden Knights Plaza, and the Lake Claire Courtyard Apartments Community.  UCF also has 400 beds at the off-campus Rosen College Apartments Community, located adjacent to the Rosen College of Hospitality Management campus.


The Gemini Community, commonly known as the Towers at Golden Knights Plaza, is currently under construction.  The planned housing capacity of the community is 2,000 beds. Final construction will comprise four apartment "towers" and is scheduled to be finished by Fall 2007; as of Fall 2005, the first tower (Gemini South) has finished construction and is completely occupied. The second tower (Gemini North) is under construction, scheduled to be completed and occupied by Fall 2006. Apartments in the Towers are offered in various plans ranging from 1 bedroom/1 bathroom to 4 bedroom/4 bathroom; however, thus far, only 4 bedroom apartments are available since Gemini South contains only 4 bedroom/4 bathroom and 4 bedroom/2 bathroom apartments. All residents of the Towers sign annual contracts to rent their apartments for a full calendar year, whereas residents of all other standard housing communities on the main campus sign academic contracts to rent their rooms only for one or two semesters at a time. The Towers are being constructed as a part of the planned Golden Knights Plaza, which will include the new Convocation Center as well as 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. 


Greek housing is also available on campus in the Greek Park 1 community, which consists of over 400 beds.  The university plans on building another Greek housing community, Greek Park 2, in the coming years.  Furthermore, upwards of 3,750 beds are available at the University-affiliated housing communities of Pegasus Landing and Pegasus Pointe, which are off-campus apartment communities that have housing affiliation agreements with the school.



Communities

Below is a complete listing of all University-based housing communities, all of which are located on the UCF main campus unless otherwise noted:


Standard Housing Communities


Greek Housing Communities

Affiliated Housing Communities (off-campus)




Rankings



Famous alumni



Points of interest



Trivia


Filmography



See also



External links



















 




From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.















Search Titles









0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?
















E-mail this article to:



Personal Message: