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Two decades of remarkable results

Central Florida and the University of Central Florida recently marked a major community milestone.

On March 1, UCF’s John C. Hitt, the visionary behind one of America’s great university success stories, marked his 20th anniversary as president. He is currently the longest-serving president among Florida’s 11 state universities. During his tenure, enrollment has nearly tripled to exceed 58,500 students, making UCF Florida’s largest university and the second largest in the U.S. Typically, UCF sets new school records each year for the quality of its students, the number of transfer students it accepts from community and state colleges, and the number of degrees awarded.

U.S. News & World Report recently rated UCF as the nation’s No. 4 “up and coming” university, and the Carnegie Foundation designates UCF with its highest ranking as “a very high research institution.” Meanwhile, President Hitt’s drive to establish UCF as America’s leading partnership university has made UCF synonymous with the progress and prosperity of Central Florida and the Sunshine State.

For instance, the president’s persistence in working with state, local, and federal government officials and private businesses led to construction of the UCF College of Medicine at Lake Nona. A cluster of related facilities results in a medical city that is the biggest economic boost for Central Florida since DisneyWorld. By the year 2018, this collaborative effort will generate 30,000 jobs and an annual $7.6 billion economic benefit for the region.

UCF’s emergence as a leading major metropolitan research university brought international distinction to the university and more high-tech jobs to the region. Since President Hitt’s arrival at UCF, research funding has escalated from $28.4 million to more than $100 million annually for the last seven years. UCF professors conduct research of global impact on such diseases as diabetes and cancer, and professors and students from various fields work with companies throughout Central Florida to develop new technologies and innovations that create high-paying jobs as part of the Florida High-Tech Corridor Council.

President Hitt founded the 23-county corridor council in 1996 with the University of South Florida. The University of Florida has since joined on, anchoring a public-private approach that has generated more than 3,200 jobs with a direct and indirect economic benefit of $1.3 billion. And UCF’s national reputation for innovation continues to grow in such areas as optics and lasers, simulation and training, video game production, and hospitality management.

During Dr. Hitt’s presidency, UCF has launched more than $1 billion in new construction. The projects include a new stadium, arena, student union center, regional campuses, student wellness center, a visitor information center, and community health clinic. Of the more than 200,000 degrees earned by students during UCF’s history, President Hitt has awarded 75 percent of them.

The president’s unique approach to tackling opportunities, challenges, and problems has taken UCF from promise to prominence – and it has earned him many accolades. Those include being twice ranked No. 1 on Orlando Magazine’s list of Orlando’s 50 Most Powerful People and earning the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Floridian of the Year award.

Prior to arriving at UCF, Dr. Hitt served as the interim president at the University of Maine. His leadership experience also includes a decade as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bradley University in Illinois. He and his wife, Martha, whom he met at Austin College in Texas where they both attended, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They have two children and two grandchildren.

With President Hitt recently signing a five-year contract extension, more exciting chapters stand to be written at UCF.

Maintained by the President's Office
© 2012 University of Central Florida