Collections

The Caribbean West Indies ephemera collection, circa 1920s-1946, provides insight into Caribbean life in the twentieth century. It consists of ephemera that offers a glimpse at tourism and life in Haiti during the early to mid-20th century. The collection contains two hotel advertisements from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, undated, a 1920s cigarette premium from Haiti, and a 1946 Kodachrome reel with seven images titled "The People of Haiti." The Caribbean West Indies ephemera collection is an artificial collection assembled by UCF Special Collections & University Archives. The materials were acquired via purchase and a variety of known and unknown donors. The collection provide provides a glimpse into life in Caribbean countries, such as Haiti, through the twentieth century.

This collection of records contains the findings of FSEC's many research projects as well as grant proposals, yearly and mid-term reports, newsletters, newspapers, printed PowerPoint presentations, emails, and memos. This collection is useful to research on the activities of the Florida Solar Energy Center. Series I: Reports, 1974-2009 contains reports sanctioned by FSEC and includes proposals, test methods, assessments, projects, annual performances, mid-term performances, et al. Series II: Other Publications, 1977-2012 contains publications (no report/control number) both sanctioned by and not sanctioned about FSEC and includes newsletters, news reports, programs, products, directories, et al. Series III: Miscellaneous, 2001-2010 contains documents both sanctioned and not sanctioned by FSEC and includes powerpoint presentations, lists, and workshops. The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is a research institute of the University of Central Florida that serves as the epicenter for Florida's solar activity. As said by the UCF Report December 3, 1986 issue, the creation of FSEC by the Florida State Legislature in 1974 was a direct result of a shortage of oil that had been plaguing the world since the previous year. The initial plan for the newly minted institute was to research alternative power sources in order increase the use of clean energy sources. According to FSEC's Public Information Office, their activities and goals now broadly include the Commercialization of Solar Energy, programs for solar equipment testing, certification and standards, educational services, dissemination of information about solar energy, solar demonstration projects, and lastly the advancement of research and development. Since becoming fully operational in 1975, FSEC has had main great strides in the fields of photovoltaic (PV) applications, building designs, education, and training programs, all of which has allowed the center to become nationally recognized as stated by the UCF Report September 18, 1985 issue.

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.

The University of Central Florida Memorabilia collection, 1965-2020 documents University of Central Florida (UCF) events and activities, such as such as homecoming, various sporting events, building dedications, and university anniversaries. It chiefly contains a variety of memorabilia, including t-shirts, cups, glassware, buttons, pins, programs, plaques, and other commemorative objects related to UCF students, alumni, faculty, staff, and university presidents. It also includes memorabilia from UCF's early days as Florida Technological University. The Pegasus Seal, the university's emblem, is featured on many objects, including those created when the university was named Florida Technological University. This artificial collection was brought together by UCF Special Collections & University Archives staff over time from various known and unknown sources. Items continue to be added as they are collected. Originally named Florida Technological University, the University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public multi-campus, metropolitan research university. Florida Technological University (FTU) was founded in 1963 by the State of Florida to provide educated professionals to work in the growing space program. Building began in 1967 and classes started in 1968. Charles N. Millican served as the founding president. His successor, H. Trevor Colbourn, started the university's football program. In 1978, FTU's name was officially changed to UCF. Steven Altman presided over the university from 1989-1991. John C. Hitt served as president from 1992 until 2018. Dale Whittaker was UCF's fifth president from 2018 to 2019. Alexander Cartwright became the university's president in 2020.

The University of Central Florida Office of Undergraduate Admission records, 1978-2024, contains promotional and informational material about undergraduate admissions. This collection includes information booklets, a scrapbook, photographs, DVDs, CDs, and a plaque. These materials contain information about student life, courses, undergraduate applications, and more. The collection provides insight into the promotional materials used to recruit potential students to UCF. The plaque is from the Interinstitutional Cooperation Committee that was given to W. Dan Chapman and other Florida administrators. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions was founded in 1963 and has changed names once since its inception from UCF Admissions to UCF Undergraduate Admissions. The Undergraduate Admissions Office provides students with tools and information to determine if UCF is right for them. They also provide information about the undergraduate admissions process.

The University of Central Florida Pulse collection, 2016-2022, documents the University of Central Florida's response to the shooting at Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016. It chiefly consists of event programs, flyers, and brochures, artwork from the Resilience: Remembering Pulse exhibit at the UCF Art Gallery, messages and items gifted to UCF from other universities, and other memorabilia of the candlelight vigil and other events held in remembrance of the victims. UCF Special Collections & University Archives staff collected items that were left on the UCF seal in the Student Union Rotunda, including votive candleholders, stuffed animals, ribbons, bracelets, illustrations, and flags. Messages of support from whiteboard displays were also collected. This collection demonstrates how the UCF community expressed support for the victims and families of the Pulse shooting and the LGBTQ+ community, and memorialized two Pulse victims who were UCF students, Christopher Andrew "Drew" Leinonen and Juan Ramon Guerrero. Most items in the collection are from 2016 through 2017. On June 12, 2016, Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida was the scene of the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history at the time. Forty-nine people were killed, including two members of the University of Central Florida (UCF) community, student Juan Ramon Guerrero and alumnus Christopher Andrew "Drew" Leinonen. On June 14, 2016, UCF held a candlelight vigil in honor of the Pulse shooting victims and created a memorial on the UCF Pegasus seal in the Student Union Rotunda. In July 2016, the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and UCF Greek Council held the Orlando Strong 5K run at the UCF reflection pond to raise funds for the Pulse employees impacted by the shooting. In 2017, UCF continued to pay tribute to the victims and their families with a remembrance ceremony titled "UCF Remembers...6.12.16." A blood drive was held on campus, in addition to an art exhibition at the UCF Art Gallery titled Resilience: Remembering Pulse. Artists Michael Pilato and Yuriy Karabash created a mural memorializing Juan Ramon Guerrero and Drew Leinonen outside the Student Union. In 2018, in addition to the "UCF Remembers" event, the UCF Libraries held an exhibit to highlight the LGBTQ+ community with materials from this collection along with books, articles, a movie, and other materials written about or by LGBTQ+ members. The university and its community continue to remember Pulse through an annual vigil called UCF Remembers, hosted by LGBTQ+ Services, and through a blood drive held annually on campus.

The University of Central Florida scrapbooks contains bound and unbound scrapbooks created by offices, organizations, and individuals affiliated with Florida Technological University (FTU), now University of Central Florida (UCF) which relate to the University's history, including university presidents, academics, athletics and extramural sports, student organizations and activities, and alumni. Materials in this collection include news clippings, photographs, correspondence, ephemera, and microfilm. This collection provides insight into UCF's history, the early activities of university organizations and programs, and the way these actitivties were documented. The University of Central Florida (UCF), then Florida Tecnhological University (FTU), was founded in 1963 and welcomed its first class of students in 1968. At its founding, FTU aimed to provide science, technology, enfineering and math education to support the growing United States space program in Florida. FTU was renamed in 1978 to the University of Central Florida, and broadened its academic scope. These scrapbooks were created and collected by various parties affiliated with UCF.