About UCF

Mission Statement

The University of Central Florida is a public, multi-campus, metropolitan research university, dedicated to serving its surrounding communities with their diverse and expanding populations, technological corridors, and international partners. The mission of the university is to offer high-quality undergraduate and graduate education, student development, and continuing education; to conduct research and creative activities; and to provide services that enhance the intellectual, cultural, environmental, and economic development of the metropolitan region, address national and international issues in key areas, establish UCF as a major presence, and contribute to the global community.

UCF offers undergraduate education rooted in the arts and sciences, providing a broad liberal education while developing competence in fields of special interest. Unique aspects of UCF's approach are its commitment to educate students for a world in which cooperation is as important as competition; in which societal and environmental impacts of new developments are as important as their technical merits; and in which technology, the arts, sciences, humanities, and commerce work together to shape the future.

The complexity of modern society requires comprehensive graduate and professional programs. UCF provides advanced education that matches institutional strengths with evolving regional, state, national, and international needs. It supports these advanced programs by recruiting excellent students, faculty, and staff and by supplying the infrastructure that enables these programs to achieve national prominence.

Basic and applied research, as well as creative activity, are integral parts of a quality education. UCF faculty members are scholar-teachers. As such, they create new knowledge, new points of view, and new means of expression in a broad range of academic, professional, and socially significant areas. Their creativity fosters innovation as they convey their results, methods, values, and expressions to students, colleagues, and the public.

UCF works actively to build partnerships that promote development of central Florida's economy through carefully targeted programs of graduate study and research. The I-4 High-Technology Corridor Council, whose goal is to attract, retain, and expand high technology investment and jobs, is but the latest example of UCF's collaboration with partners from industry, state and local government, and higher education.

Service to its community is an important extension of the metropolitan mission of the university. Public service is prominent at UCF, and the university develops partnerships with the community to enrich the educational, artistic, cultural, economic, and professional lives of those it serves in central Florida and beyond.

Education is more than classroom experience. UCF students are involved in cooperative research and participate in artistic, social, cultural, political, and athletic activities. UCF provides academic diversity by bringing to its campus national and international leaders who expose students and the community to a wide range of views and issues. UCF achieves cultural diversity by using its multi-campus facilities to serve a diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students from various races, cultures, and nationalities.

UCF is committed to the free expression of ideas, the equality of all people, and the dignity of the individual.

State of Florida Board of Governors

Carolyn K. Roberts, Chair

John Dasburg, Vice Chair

Jeanine Blomberg

Arlen Chase

Ann W. Duncan

Charles "Charlie" Edwards

J. Stanley Marshall

Frank Martin

Sheila M. McDevitt

Ryan Mosley

Lynn Pappas

Ava L. Parker

Tico Perez

Commissioner Eric Smith

Gus Stavros

John W. Temple

Zachariah P. Zachariah

University of Central Florida Board of Trustees

Rick Walsh, Chair

Thomas H. Yochum, Vice Chair

Judith A. Albertson

Olga M. Calvet

Manoj Chopra, Faculty Senate Trustee

Patrick T. Christiansen

Alan Florez

Phyllis A. Klock

Harris Rosen

Conrad Santiago

Richard J. Walsh

Al Weiss

Brandie Hollinger, Student Trustee

University of Central Florida Administration

President of the University	John C. Hitt
Vice President and Chief of Staff	Beth Barnes
Provost and Executive Vice President	Terry L. Hickey
Vice President for Administration and Finance	William F. Merck II
Vice President for Research	M. J. Soileau
Vice President for Marketing, Communications and Admissions	Thomas Huddleston, Jr.
Vice President for Community Relations	Helen Donegan
Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs	Robert Holmes, Jr.
Vice President for University Relations	Daniel Holsenbeck
Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment Services	Maribeth Ehasz
Vice President and General Counsel	Scott Cole
Vice President for Strategic Planning and Initiatives	Al Harms

Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President

Provost and Executive Vice President	Terry L. Hickey
Dean, The Burnett Honors College	Alvin Wang
Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs	Doan T. Modianos
Associate Vice President, Planning and Evaluation	Diane Chase
Assistant Vice President, Faculty Relations	Lin Huff-Corzine
Assistant Vice President, Academic Services Administration	Lynn Gonzalez

Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Administration

Vice Provost, Academic Administration	J. Edward Neighbor
Space Utilization and Analysis Coordinator	Joe Castrillo
Coordinator of Special Programs	Michael Sweeney

Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Vice Provost	John F. Schell
Associate Dean, Academic Services	Elliot Vittes
Assistant Vice President and Director, Continuing Education	Patrick Wagner
Interim Director, Interdisciplinary Studies	Michael Hampton

Office of the Vice Provost for Information Technologies and Resources

Vice Provost, Information Technologies and Resources	Joel L. Hartman
Director, Center for Distributed Learning	Randall Upchurch
Director, Computer Services and Telecommunications	Robert Yanckello
Director, Course Development and Web Services	Barbara Truman
Director, Instructional Resources	Ruth Marshall
Director, University Libraries	Barry B. Baker
Director, Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness	Charles Dziuban

Office of the Vice Provost for Regional Campuses

Vice Provost, Regional Campuses	David T. Harrison
Associate Vice President and Director, Southern Region	Denise L. Young
Associate Vice President and Director, Seminole	David J. Mealor
Assistant Vice President and Director, Western Region	Cecelia H. Rivers
Assistant Vice President and Director, Eastern Region	Linda Bradley
Director, Central Region	Edgar Martinez
Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of Academic Initiatives	Bernard Jensen

Office of Research & Commercialization

Vice President for Research & Commercialization	M. J. Soileau
Associate Vice President for Research and Director, Office of Research & Commercialization	Tom O'Neal
Assistant Vice President	Pallavoor Vaidyanathan
Associate Director for Research Foundation	Betsy Gray
Associate Director, Administrative Services	Beverly Laakso
Assistant Director, Communications	Barbara Abney
Director, Office of Compliance	Douglas Backman
Director, CREOL (Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers), within the College of Optics and Photonics	Eric Van Stryland
Director, FPCE (Florida Photonics Center of Excellence), within the College of Optics and Photonics	Eric Van Stryland
Director, Florida Solar Energy Center	James Fenton
Director, Institute for Simulation and Training	Randall Shumaker
Interim Director, AMPAC (Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center)	Louis Chow
Director, Arboretum and Director, Campus Landscape and Natural Resources	Martin Quigley
Director, Biomolecular Science Center, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine	Pappachan Kolattukudy
Director, Center for Lifestyle Medicine	James Rippe
Director, Nanoscience and Technology Center and Interim Assistant Vice President	James Hickman

Division of Graduate Studies

Vice Provost and Dean	Patricia J. Bishop
Senior Associate Dean	Max C. Poole
Associate Dean	Michael Stern
Executive Director, Graduate Studies and International Services Center	Tracy R. Jones
Director, International Services Center	Nataly Chandia
Director, Office of Graduate Financial Assistance and Publications	Debra Winter
Associate Director, Student Services and Records	Dore M. Carter
Associate Director, Graduate Admissions	Barbara Rodriguez
Assistant Director, Graduate Recruiting	Nicole Marsh

Office of Undergraduate Studies

Dean	Alison Morrison-Shetlar
Director, Center for Cooperative Education and Experiential Learning	Sheri Dressler
Director, Karen L. Smith Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning	Alison Morrison-Shetlar
Director, Undergraduate Research	Kimberly Schneider
Director, Bachelor of Applied Sciences	TBA

Office of University Relations

Vice President for University Relations and Senior Counsel to the President	Daniel C. Holsenbeck
Associate Vice President for University Relations and Director of State and Local Government Affairs	Fred Kittinger
Director, University Economic Development	Edward Schons
Director, Federal Relations	Greg Schuckman
Director, Defense Transition Services	Alzo J. Reddick

Office of the Vice President for Marketing, Communications, and Admissions

Vice President for Marketing, Communications and Admissions	Thomas Huddleston, Jr.
Associate Vice President, University Marketing	Terrence K. Helms
Associate Vice President, Undergraduate Admissions, Student Financial Assistance and Student Outreach	Gordon D. Chavis, Jr.
Assistant Vice President, News and Information	Grant J. Heston
Executive Director, Student Financial Assistance	Mary H. McKinney
Assistant Vice President of Operations	Richard S. Payne
Director, Student Outreach Programs	Rhonda C. Hall
Assistant Vice President Admissions for Regional Campuses	Angela Patterson

Interdisciplinary Studies

The University of Central Florida strives to promote interdisciplinary cooperation across all aspects of the institution in order to create new and innovative partnerships that effectively respond to societal needs and appropriately prepare graduate students for a dynamic work environment. Interdisciplinary graduate studies are offered in areas such as biomolecular sciences, computer forensics, gender studies, gerontology, Maya studies, modeling and simulation, optics, and teaching English as a second language.

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