University of Central Florida

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Coordinates: 28°36′06″N 81°12′02″W / 28.6016°N 81.2005°W / 28.6016; -81.2005

University of Central Florida
Seal of the University of Central Florida
Motto:	Reach for the Stars[1]
Established:	1963[2]
Type:	Public University Space Grant[3]
Endowment:	$114.19 million[2]
Chairman:	Rick Walsh
President:	John C. Hitt, Ph.D
Provost:	Terry Hickey, Ph.D.
Faculty:	1,771[2]
Students:	50,275[2]
Undergraduates:	42,933[2]
Postgraduates:	7,342[2]
Location:	Orlando, FL, USA
Campus:	Suburban 1,415 acres (5.73 km2)[2]
Former names:	Florida Technological University
Colors:	Black and Old Gold
Nickname:	Knights
Mascot:	Knightro
Athletics:	NCAA Division I, Conference USA
Website:	www.ucf.edu

The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a space-grant university located on a 1,415-acre campus in Orlando, Florida. UCF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida and is the fifth-largest university in the United States.

The University of Central Florida was founded in 1963 as Florida Technological University with the goal of providing highly trained personnel to support the Kennedy Space Center, located only 35 miles (56 km) to the east. The school was renamed the University of Central Florida in 1978 as its academic scope had expanded to encompass all academic disciplines. As of 2008, enrollment consists of a 50,275 member student body seeking bachelor's degrees through doctorates, as well as certificates and specialist degrees. The majority of the student population is located on the university's main campus which is approximately 13 miles (21 km) north east of downtown Orlando and 55 miles (89 km) south west of Daytona Beach.^[2] Since its rapid growth starting in the late 1990s, UCF has expanded its influence throughout Florida, now consisting of eleven satellite campuses.^[4] UCF is organized into twelve colleges providing over 225 separate degree options centered upon nationally renowned faculty, pioneering research and a student-centered academic approach.

Today, UCF is an academic and research leader in numerous fields, such as optics, modeling and simulation, digital media, engineering and computer science, business administration, education, and hospitality management, and is considered to be the seventh best up-and-coming national university.^[5] UCF's official colors are black and gold, the athletic teams, called the Knights, are members of Conference USA, and the official mascot is a male gold-armored black knight named Knightro. The UCF academic logo is a Pegasus.^[6]

Contents 1 History 2 Academics 2.1 Demographics 2.2 Rankings 2.3 Admissions 2.4 Colleges 2.5 Library 2.6 Research 3 Campuses 3.1 Main Campus 3.2 Satellite Campuses 3.3 Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona 3.4 Rosen College of Hospitality Management 4 Student Life 4.1 Residential Life 4.2 Greek Life 4.3 Traditions 4.3.1 Spirit Splash 4.3.2 Student Union Pegasus 4.4 Student Services 4.4.1 Health Services 4.4.2 Victim Services 4.5 Recreation 4.6 Student Government Association 5 Athletics 6 Notable alumni 7 Notes 8 External links

[edit] History

The university was established on June 10, 1963 when the Florida State Legislature passed, and Governor Farris Bryant subsequently signed into law Bill No. 125. In March 1967, Florida Governor Claude Kirk presided over the groundbreaking of the new Florida Technological University. Eighteen months later on October 7, 1968, classes began with 1,948 students, 90 instructors and 150 staff members, in the schools first academic building, the library.^[7] During the university's inaugural year, fifty-five degree programs were offered within its five colleges: Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Engineering and Technology.

The founding goal of the university was to educate current and future students for promising space-age careers in engineering, electronics and other technological professions, thus serving as a support system for the nearby Kennedy Space Center. In addition, the Central Florida Research Park, located adjacent to the UCF campus, serves as a major focus of simulation for space and defense-related research.

The university's second president, Dr. Trevor Colbourn, recognized the diversification and growth of UCF's academic programs away from its strictly technological and scientific beginnings. From its establishment the university was known as Florida Technological University, nicknamed Florida Tech, until December 1978 when Governor Reuben Askew signed legislation changing the school's name to the University of Central Florida.^[2]

The official colors of the university were chosen by Charles N. Millican, UCF's Founding President. When the first student handbook was being drafted, the university had no official mascot. During the school's first year, the student newspaper, the FuTUre, compiled mascot suggestions from its readership body. A night nurse at the Health Center, Judy Hines, proposed "Vincent the Vulture" in 1970, which remained the schools unofficial mascot for over a year. Later that year, UCF 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 located in nearby Kissimmee, Florida. That same year, Knightro was introduced at the staple homecoming event, "Spirit Splash." Two years later, UCF students were introduced to Knightro's girlfriend, Glycerin.^[8]

UCF is currently the largest university in the nation by terms of undergraduate enrollment, and in 2003 held the distinction of being the fastest-growing university in the United States.^[9] During its summer 2005 graduation, the University of Central Florida awarded its 150,000th degree.^[10]

[edit] Academics

[edit] Demographics

Ethnic composition of student body^[11]

	Student Body	U.S. Census[12]
Hispanic	13.69%	14.5%
Asian	5.21%	4.3%
Caucasian	66.26%	73.9%
African American	8.81%	12.1%

UCF promotes a diverse and inclusive environment. UCF students come from all 67 Florida counties, all 50 states and 141 countries. Study abroad programs allow UCF students to study and conduct research in 42 programs in 21 countries.

The ratio of women to men is 55:44. Of the 50,275 students, 15 percent are graduate and professional students. Nearly 20 percent of UCF faculty are minorities. The student body at UCF is very diverse with 33.74 percent of the body representing minority populations with 8.8 percent African Americans, 13.6 percent Hispanics, and 5.2 percent Asian-Americans or Pacific Islanders.^[13] According to the May 2009 edition of Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine, UCF is one of the best 100 colleges in the United States for Hispanic students seeking bachelors degrees.^[14] 95 percent of UCF students are in-state, while New York, North Dakota, New Jersey and Georgia round out the top five states respectively.^[15]

[edit] Rankings

The University of Central Florida is listed in “The Best 361 Colleges: 2006 Edition” by The Princeton Review.^[16] The Princeton Review’s recognition comes as the academic quality of UCF students continues to rise. In the 2008 edition of US News, it is ranked as a Tier 3 National University^[17] and the 7th best up and coming university.^[18] UCF also ranks ninth among national universities in the "Great Schools, Great Prices" category for students who graduate with the least amount of debt.^[19] U.S. News and World Report also ranked UCF as one of the best colleges based on economic diversity in 2009.^[20]

UCF has also been very successful in recruiting National Merit Scholars, and is one of the top 35 universities in the nation by enrollment with 63 scholars.^[21] UCF also offers both Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Core (ROTC) programs which are rated among the top 15 percent nationally.^[22] UCF is also ranked 7th out of 122 universities on the 2009 Intellectual Property Today's Patent Scorecard.^[23] The UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science is consistently ranked among the top 100 engineering schools in the United States, being ranked 80th and 86th in 2008 and 2009 respectively.^[24]

[edit] Admissions

In the Fall of 2006, UCF's admission rate declined drastically from 61% of prospective students admitted to only 46%, as a result of more and more students applying to the university each year. The acceptance rate continued to decline for Fall 2008 when there was a 43% acceptance rate for 22,030 first time in college (FTIC) applications.^[2] Of the 9,689 first time in college (FTIC) students accepted for fall 2008, 3,932 enrolled in the university. The retention rate of the 2008 freshman class was 86%.^[25]

Freshmen admitted in Fall 2008 posted average SAT scores of 1219, ACT scores of 26 and average high school GPAs of 3.76.^[26] As the acceptance rate for the 2008 incoming freshmen class continued to decline, UCF was the fourth-most selective public university in the state of Florida behind Florida International University, Florida State University and the University of Florida. According to a report released by the university in 2008, UCF is second only to the University of Florida in National Merit Scholar enrollment in the state of Florida.

UCF College of Medicine at Lake Nona

For the initial charter class entering in the fall of 2009, there have been over 4,300 applications received for only 40 spots. Every member of the inaugural class will receive a full scholarship, including tuition and basic living expenses, for their entire four years at the university.^[27]

[edit] Colleges

The university currently houses twelve colleges to offer 97 baccalaureate programs, 95 master's programs, 29 doctoral programs, three specialist programs, and one professional program (Medicine). In addition, 72% of the faculty have doctorates, and 42% currently have tenure at the university.^[2]

Colleges at UCF include:

Burnett Honors College College of Arts and Humanities College of Business Administration College of Education College of Engineering and Computer Science College of Graduate Studies

College of Health and Public Affairs Rosen College of Hospitality Management College of Medicine College of Nursing College of Optics and Photonics College of Sciences

[edit] Library

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 1,800,000 print volumes, 2.9 million microforms, 304,000 government documents, 9,200 full text electronic journal subscriptions, 60,000 e-books, 40,000 media titles, a base of 17,000 serial subscriptions, in addition to special collections and university archives materials. The vast collection of library materials can be navigated by using the library's online public access catalog. Notable collections within the library 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 also be examined and may be utilized by researchers in the Special Collections Department. The University Archives within the main campus library collects and makes available official records, publications, and materials on the history of the University of Central Florida. UCF Libraries is a partner within the Florida’s State Universities library system in a collaborative development of university collections, giving UCF students access to an ever growing and robust, statewide collection of materials.

Most of the print and media collection is housed in the main campus library, which is open to students and the public seven days a week. The main campus library is five stories tall, and was the first academic building on campus. Leonardo Nierman's sculpture Flame of Hope is displayed outside the entrance to the building, and Nierman's stained glass Genesis window is exhibited on the third floor of the library building. Students have access to forty wireless enabled laptops, over 200 computer work stations and 28 group study rooms. Infusion, a popular studying and meeting space, is located near the main entrance, featuring computers, enhanced wireless connectivity, books, classrooms, and a Java City coffee shop.

In the early and mid-1970s, the basement of the library hosted a closed-circuit radio station, where students volunteered as unpaid disc jockeys and newscasters, that broadcast to the student center and dorms. For a short time, the basement also housed a small studio for television production classes. The student newspaper, the Central Florida Future, at one time was housed on the upper floor of the library before moving to the Central Florida Research Park. In 1984, a complete renovation of the original library was undertaken, as well as an addition that more then doubled the size of the building. University president Dr. Trevor Colbourn dedicated the newly remodeled and expanded library in February 1985. Due to a lack of funding from the state legislature, a plan for an $84 million expansion of the library, which would add 164,000 square feet of space, has been delayed.^[28]

[edit] Research

The University of Central Florida fosters research amongst its twelve academic colleges and schools, partnerships with corporations such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Siemens, and through partnerships with local community colleges. UCF also houses a satellite campus at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. UCF is also a member of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.

UCF researchers attract more than $100 million annually, and being ranked in the top ten in both the 2008 and 2009 Intellectual Property Today's Patent Scorecard.^[29] In 2009 alone, it is estimated that UCF directly influences 26,000 jobs and $1.96 billion in economic activity. The new College of Medicine, which will be opening in August 2009, could create more than 30,000 local jobs and have an economic impact of $7.6 billion in its first few years.^[30]

Located directly south of the main campus is the Central Florida Research Park, which is one of the largest research parks in the nation, providing more than 10,000 jobs. Many of the employees in Research Park work with UCF researchers and students on projects in the sciences, engineering, photonics and optics, modeling and simulation, and health-related fields.

The university also conducts research through numerous institutions and centers, including:

Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center Florida Sinkhole Research Institute Florida Solar Energy Center Florida Space Institute

Institute for Simulation & Training LAN Institute NanoScience Technology Center Wekiva Resource Council

[edit] Campuses

[edit] Main Campus

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 (EPCOT). 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 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 is the University of California at Irvine, Orange County, California.

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.

Located directly south of the main campus is Central Florida Research Park, which is the seventh largest research park in the nation and the largest in Florida, housing over 116 corporations. The park provides jobs to more than 500 students and thousands of alumni.

[edit] Satellite Campuses

In addition to the main campus in Orlando, the University of Central Florida has several other campuses to service the central Florida region. In Orlando, there are three other campuses, located in Downtown, MetroWest, and South Orlando, as well as partnerships with local community colleges.

Outside Orlando, there are campuses in Cocoa, Clermont, Daytona Beach, Heathrow, Kissimmee, Leesburg, Ocala, Palm Bay and Sanford. In addition to having standard classes at these campuses, some courses are offered via alternative methods, such as 2-way TV from the main campus or via broadband.

UCF, in partnership with local community colleges, participates in a program called DirectConnect. Through this program all students and alumni of Brevard Community College, Lake-Sumter Community College, Seminole Community College and Valencia Community College are assured admission to the university. DirectConnect is considered to be the most productive community college-university partnership in America.^[31]

[edit] Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona

The UCF College of Medicine was established in 2006 by the Florida Legislature and the Florida Board of Governors to increase opportunities for medical education in Florida. The College of Medicine will welcome its charter class of 40 students on August 3, 2009, and eventually will produce about 120 medical graduates a year.

The 50 acre (0.20 km²) UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona will include the College of Medicine and the Burnett Biomedical Sciences building. The Burnham Institute for Medical Research, a Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Tavistock Group, M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Institute, and a University of Florida research facility will also call Lake Nona home, turning the area into a medical city.

[edit] Rosen College of Hospitality Management

The campus is designed to imitate a resort-style feel with elegant Spanish-inspired architecture and landscaping, various areas of the college are dedicated in name to major donors to the college including the Disney Dining Room, Universal Orlando Library, Darden Auditorium, and the state-of-the-art Anheuser Busch Beer & Wine Lab. The campus includes the Three Pillars Cafe, a student-operated cafe that serves various cuisines and food items. Regular Shuttle service is offered Monday thru Thursday to and from the UCF Main Campus.

The college features an on-site Campus Life Office that coordinates on-campus activities and events in conjunction with the UCF Student Government Association. In 2005, the University opened two on-campus housing buildings, able to house 400 residents. The college offers a variety of student organizations including nationally-renowned associations such as Eta Sigma Delta (International Hospitality Management Honor Society), National Society of Minorities in Hospitality, the Professional Convention Management Association, and the National Association of Catering Executives. The Career Services Office also offers career development events including the popular annual Career Expo with historically high attendance from world-renowned companies and organizations.

[edit] Student Life

UCF has a highly active campus life, boasting over 400 registered student organizations,^[32] intramural sports, and an active Student Government Association. The university encourages student activism through organizations such as the Office of Student Involvement, the Multicultural Student Center, the Campus Activities Board, Volunteer UCF and Learning and Interacting with New Knights (LINK), an organization that fosters freshman involvement. In 2006, High Times magazine ranked UCF one of the top five schools for student activism.^[33]

[edit] Residential Life

The university currently houses 6,000 beds on-campus in eight 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. Apartment style housing is available in the Academic Village (Nike and Hercules) communities, the Towers at Knights Plaza (Tower I, II, III, and IV), and the Lake Claire Courtyard Apartments Community. UCF also has 400 beds at the Rosen College Apartments Community, located on the Rosen College of Hospitality Management campus. The majority of all on campus housing is occupied by freshman, though The Towers at Knights Plaza house mainly upper-classmen, student athletes, and honors students. Residents of the Towers Communities and Rosen College Apartments sign annual contracts to rent their apartments for a full academic year (fall, spring, and summer), 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.^[34]

Housing on the main campus typically fills to capacity well before the start of the Fall semester, and can not accommodate everyone who applies. In order to provide additional student housing to meet the demand, UCF is constructing a new learning community known as NorthView directly north of the main campus. When completed the project will house 600 students around a faith-based community center, which will include a Hillel Jewish Student Center, a Catholic Student Center, and a common space for other faith based organizations on campus to use.^[35]

In addition, 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 owned by the University of Central Florida Foundation, Inc. and managed by American Campus Communities, that contain many UCF services such as Resident Assistants, UCF Police service and offer shuttle service to and from campus on class days.

Greek housing is also available on the main campus in the Greek Park community, which consists of close to 400 beds. There are six sororities and three fraternities housed on campus, with five fraternities offering housing off campus. In addition, two previously unoccupied houses are currently being renovated by the university and will house Kappa Alpha Theta and Theta Chi beginning in Fall 2009.

[edit] Greek Life

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of Central Florida is separated into five divisions: UCF Greek Council, Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Panhellenic Council, and the Diversified Greek Council. The Order of Omega has a chapter at the university.

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) comprises 16 fraternities, and the Panhellenic Council is made up of 10 sororities. In addition there are also many multicultural and honor Greek organizations. The Diversified Greek Council consists of 9 cultural organizations (Latino, Asian, South Asian, etc.), four fraternities and five sororities. The National Pan-Hellenic Council comprises nine historically-black organizations, five fraternities and four sororities.

[edit] Traditions

[edit] Spirit Splash

Spirit Splash is a homecoming tradition at UCF, and is the only time during the year that students are allowed into the Reflection Pond. Hailed as one of the best homecoming traditions in the nation,^[36] the Friday before the Homecoming game is reserved for a pep rally at the Reflection Pond, where students descend into the pond to demonstrate their school spirit.

In 2000, Florida Leader magazine named Spirit Splash the best college or university tradition in Florida.^[37] Along with the students, there are members of the community, alumni, children and even dogs who come to join in on the festivities. Spirit Splash began in 1995 when the Student Body President, Miguel Torregrossa, was rather unceremoniously tossed into the Reflection Pond by Bryan Farris, one of his cabinet members, and fellow students at the pep rally followed suit.^[38] Knightro, the Marching Knights, cheerleaders, student athletes, and dancers all participate in the pep rally, usually followed by a concert. Spirit Splash was made possible in part by weight testing performed on the Reflection Pond in preparation for President Richard Nixon's visit to the university to speak at its 1973 commencement. It was determined that the best way to protect the president would be to hold commencement in the pond itself, after being drained, so that Secret Service agents could be stationed on the roofs of the adjacent buildings.

[edit] Student Union Pegasus

One of the fastest growing and newest traditions on the UCF campus pertains to the Pegasus seal in the center of the main floor of the Student Union.

From their first day on campus, new students are told to never walk on the Pegasus. As the tradition is told, those who step foot on the seal will never graduate from UCF. Usually the seal is roped off with heavy black velvet ropes, but when the ropes are not in place, students can be seen carefully avoiding the seal. In 2005, Florida Leader magazine named this new tradition the best college superstition in Florida.^[39]

[edit] Student Services

[edit] Health Services

All UCF students have access to the Health Center located on Apollo Circle on the main campus. Student's pay a fee per credit hour that entitles them to unlimited primary care visits with no office visit charge. However, there are nominal charges for other services such as lab tests, x-rays and procedures.^[40]

UCF Health Services operates two pharmacies on campus: the UCF Pharmacy in the Health Center, and Knight Aide in Knights Plaza, which also offers a variety of other convenience store items. The health center also offers Biofeedback, massage therapy as well as STD screenings.

[edit] Victim Services

UCF Victim Services offers free legal options, advocacy, and information to UCF students, faculty, employees, and visitors. More specifically, the UCF victim advocate unit can assist clients through providing information about both their legal and non-legal options, advocating on their behalf through the UCF Academic and Student Conduct process and the criminal justice system, and otherwise providing support in their efforts to help survivors of victimization. Advocates are available 24 hours a day to assist victims by phone, or to respond to the scene of a crime.

Victim Services also provides the UCF community, as well as surrounding organizations and businesses, informational presentations on a wide variety of topics, including crisis intervention, domestic and dating violence, sexual violence, self-care, and stalking. Many volunteering and internship opportunities are available to UCF students. ^[41]

[edit] Recreation

Many different recreational organizations and facilities are available on the UCF campus. Lake Claire is an on-campus lake with free canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats available for rent to students. Students may also swim in the lake, which is the home to one shy, 4-foot gator, and the sunken wreck of a rowboat.^[42] In addition, UCF's Challenge Course is one of only five in the country to contain a high elements course.^[43]

The UCF Recreation and Wellness Center, which opened in 2002, is comprised of five different programs: Intramural Sports, Sport Clubs, Outdoor Adventure, Fitness, and Aquatics. The Recreation and Wellness Center is open to all students, and paid memberships are available for non-students. The Wellness Center offers programs to boost students' understanding of their health, provides discounted blood and STD testing, staffs certified personal trainers, and teaches methods to maintain good health. The recreation center includes a custom climbing wall with more then 20 different routes, as well as, tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, a disc golf course, numerous intramural sports fields, a leisure pool, and an outdoor lap pool.^[44] The Recreation and Wellness Center is currently undergoing a $16 million expansion that is set to be completed by fall 2010. The 40,000 square feet expansion will create more room in the fitness center's free weight, cardiovascular and weight machine areas.^[45]

[edit] Student Government Association

The University of Central Florida's Student Government Association (SGA) is the leading advocacy group for the students who attend the university, representing the university's 50,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. It the largest Student Government within the state of Florida and one of the largest in the United States. In addition, it also often places in the top 10 SGAs nationally for the services and outreach it provides for the students it serves. The SGA operates on within an annual $13.6 - $13.7 million dollar budget. With its budget, SGA funds and fully owns two campus facilities, the Recreation and Wellness Center and the Student Union, while also providing upwards of $1.5 million dollars in funding to over 385 registered student organizations.

It was officially established in 1976 and consists of an executive, judicial, and legislative branch. The executive branch is headed by the Student Body President and Student Body Vice President. Within the executive branch are between 30 - 40 appointed and paid cabinet members that oversee everything from university policies to tracking the state's legislature. The Student Body President, by mandate of Florida law serves on the university's Board of Trustees for a period of 1 year. The Student Body President and Student Body Vice President are elected in annual elections held in the spring and both receive a paid salary that ranges from $18,000 to $21,000 per year. The legislative branch is composed of 52 senators elected each spring, who serve one year terms representing their respective colleges. The senators elect a Speaker of the Senate who receives an annual salary between $17,000 and $20,000 per year, and a Senate President Pro Tempore once a year in the fall to lead the Student Senate. The judicial branch consists of a paid Chief Justice and 10 associate Justices who preside over student conduct hearings and traffic appeals.

[edit] Athletics

The University of Central Florida features a large variety of intercollegiate athletics teams known as the UCF Knights that competes in NCAA's Division I as part of Conference USA.

Men's sports include Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country Running, Football, Golf, Soccer, and Tennis. Women's sports include Basketball, Cross Country Running, Golf, Rowing, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track and field, and Volleyball. Co-ed sports include Cheerleading.

In 2007, UCF made major changes to its athletic program. A new "athletic village" on the north end of campus known as Knights Plaza was developed. It included new sports facilities such as the new UCF Arena, the new 45,000 seat Bright House Networks Stadium, a new softball complex, and the only Division I indoor football practice facility in the state. This made UCF the first university to ever open a new stadium and arena during the same year, for the 2007-08 season.^[46] The athletic complex also includes Jay Bergman Field and the UCF Track and Soccer Complex. To mark the start of the new era, the teams were renamed from the Golden Knights before the start of the 2007-08 sports season to the Knights, and a new mascot and new logos were introduced.

Celebrating their new stadium, the 2007 UCF Football team won the Conference USA Championship for the first time in the school's history, securing a berth to the schools second bowl game, the 49th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Many former UCF football players have gone on to have successful careers in the NFL, including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, wide receiver Shawn Jefferson, cornerback Asante Samuel, safety Atari Bigby, cornerback Travis Fisher, and running back Kevin Smith. UCF has also produced a number of soccer stars, including 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 UCF men's basketball team has advanced to the NCAA tournament 4 times (94, 96, 04, 05) since its 1990 Division I debut, all under head coach Kirk Speraw. The 2008-2009 UCF men's team features senior Jermaine Taylor, who is one of the nation's top scorers averaging over 20 points per game. The women's basketball team is the 2009 Conference USA Champions, and have previously won two tournament and three regular season championships in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

UCF's cheerleading squad has captured two national titles at the College Cheerleading and Dance Team Nationals, in 2003 and 2007. As the reigning national champions, they were followed by WE tv's hit cheerleading show, Cheerleader U.^[47]

[edit] Notable alumni

UCF has awarded over 186,000 degrees, with more than 165,000 alumni located around the world. 71% of UCF alumni reside in Florida, while 57% are located within the Central Florida area.^[2]

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: University of Central Florida

• Alumni Association
• Official Athletics Site
• University of Central Florida Official Site

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v • d • e Largest United States universities by enrollment Public: Ohio State University • Arizona State University • University of Florida • University of Minnesota • University of Central Florida • University of Texas at Austin • Texas A&M University • Michigan State University • University of South Florida • Pennsylvania State University • University of Washington • University of Wisconsin-Madison • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • University of Michigan • Purdue University Private: New York University • Brigham Young University • University of Southern California • Boston University • Liberty University • Nova Southeastern University • Columbia University • Northeastern University • DePaul University • Long Island University • University of Pennsylvania • George Washington University • Harvard University • Cornell University • St. John's University • Syracuse University

v • d • e Largest United States universities by undergraduate enrollment University of Central Florida • University of Texas at Austin • Arizona State University (Tempe) • Ohio State University (Columbus) • Texas A&M University • Pennsylvania State (University Park) • University of Florida • Michigan State University • Purdue University • Florida State University