Collections

The Archival collection of Dr. Charles N. Millican from the collection of Norman Van Meter, 1900-2004 contains photographs, news clippings, and personal letters about Charles Millican. The photographs range from social events to private family photos. This collection provides insight into the life and career of Dr. Charles Millican. Charles Norman Millican was born October 9, 1916 in Wilson, Arkansas. He earned a B.S. in Business and Religion from Union University in 1941. In 1946, he received his M.A. in Economics from George Peabody College and became Acting Head of the Commerce Department at Union University. The Millicans moved to Florida in 1948 where Millican studied for his Ph.D. in Business Finance and Economics. When Dr. Millican was appointed President of the new university in 1965, the university had no name, no buildings, no faculty and no students; he had to create the university over which he would preside. After Millican's appointment, he hired staff, found premises, and began the slow process of creating his university. He established the twin tenets of "Accent on the Individual" and "Accent on Excellence," which continue to guide the University, and the motto, "Reach for the Stars". Although he retired as President in 1978, Millican returned to teaching finance as a professor in the College of Business at the University of Central Florida, as it was now known, and earned the title President Emeritus. He chaired the Orange County Community Referendum Committee, which passed the resort tax that built the Orange County Convention Center. He has received Distinguished Alumnus awards from both the University of Florida and Union University, and he received honorary LL.D. degrees from Rollins College and UCF.

The Fairwinds Alumni Center collection contains scrapbooks and photos of alumni events, Orientation Team (O-Team) retreats, and 4EVER KNIGHTS. Included are two framed artworks and a football poster. This collection is useful to historical research on alumni and orientation activities. Series I: Scrapbooks and Photos, 1968-2018 contains scrapbooks, photographs of Orientation team retreats, alumni events, and 4EVER KNIGHTS. The Fairwinds Alumni Center was established in 2005. They offer a range of services for UCF alumni such as networking and programs to better serve the community and alumni. In 1994, UCF alumni created the group, 4EVER KNIGHTS. The Orientation Team, also known as O-Team, is a group of students who participate in incoming students' academic preparedness.

The Florida Maps Collection contains various types of maps from throughout the state of Florida. Included are tourist, informational, historical, agricural, and commercial maps.

The John Marini Memorabilia collection, 1994-2005 contains memorabilia relating to UCF Atheltics collected during John Marini's career as a journalist, and later as UCF's Sports Information Director and Assistant Director for Media Relations. This collection provides insight into UCF Basketball and Football events, championships, and marketing during the mid-90s to mid-2000s. After graduating with his bachelors, John Marini became influential within athletics from his journalism coverage of UCF's basketball and football team. He was employed as UCF's Sports Information Director in 1998 and later as Assistant Director for Media Relations in 2000.

This collection contains materials related to the Knights Racing program, which spawned from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) chapter at Florida Technological University, now University of Central Florida. Materials found in this collection include newspaper clippings, chapter documents, photographs, plaques, racing car designs, and more. This collection provides insight into the Knights Racing program at Florida Technological University (University of Central Florida) and the groups involved. The Knights Racing Program has been a staple of the University of Central Florida since the creation of the FTU chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1972. Before the program became widely known as "Knights Racing," the racing teams were simply referred to as simply the members of the ASME chapter. The program's name, "Knights Racing," originated with UCF's mascot change in 2007 which shortened the UCF's mascot from "The Golden Knights" to "The Knights." The Mini Baja Competition was coined under the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), who began to hold competitions for the Baja carts. This competition consists of students designing, building, and operating a recreational offroading vehicle. At the time of their creation, the Baja Racing Team and the Formula SAE team were one team; however, they separated in 2019 due to Student Government Association funding limitations. Since their divorce in 2019, the teams compete, design, and build their cars independently. As of 2021, the Formula SAE and Baja Racing Teams remain under the umbrella of the "Knights Racing Program" though they act independently.

The Lisa Mills collection houses several of Dr. Mills's work on several films throughout her career. This collection contains documents such as licensing agreements, interviews, and correspondence. There are also mini DVs that contain interviews, rehearsals, and recordings of live events and competitions.

Mary Monroe was a theatre student at FTU in the 1970s. Her collection of photographs, news clippings, and programs document the theatre performances during that time.

The Orlando Shakespeare Theater Collection contains playbills, programs, reviews, newspaper clippings, films, cassettes, reels, and schedules. It also includes items relating to the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival Partnership (OSF) such as Simply Shakespeare, Central Florida's first Shakespearean troupe, and the UCF Shakespeare Summer Institute as well as the NEH grant funded faculty study project "Hamlet: Exploring the Renaissance Mind in Action" which was presented in the Summer 1991.

The UCF Metro with Linda Chapin television series collection, 2001-2007 contains the physical video recordings for the UCF Metro with Linda Chapin television program produced by Lisa Mills. The original media carriers are VHS tapes until August 2005, then the episodes are only on DVD. Each VHS tape has a DVD copy. This collection is useful for historical research on the University of Central Florida (UCF) and its relationship to the wider Orlando metropolitan area in the 2000s, specifically how UCF supports the regional economy, workforce, and civic engagement. UCF Metro with Linda Chapin is a television series created in partnership with the UCF Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies, WMFE Channel 24, and the UCF Nicholson School of Communications. The series highlighted UCF's partnerships with the Central Florida community and the university's efforts to support regional growth. The series, which aired from 2001 to 2007, was produced by film professor Lisa Mills and hosted by Linda W. Chapin, director of the Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies. Chapin retired from UCF in 2008. As of 2026, Mills continues to teach as a professor at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

This collection includes documents pertaining to the formation of the University of Central Florida's Academic Advising Council as well as its administration, initiatives, and achievements. There is also an official Academic Advising Statement and the Academic Advising handbook created for faculty.