Collections

The John C. Hitt collection, 1963-2018 (bulk 1992-2018), is made up of materials collected during John C. Hitt's 26 years as president of the University of Central Florida, as well as memorabilia he owned from before his time at the University. These items pertain to his presidency and contain correspondence with other university presidents and notes sent within the Office of the President, as well as various awards and memorabilia collected throughout his presidency. These include magazines, VHS tapes, books, shirts, photos, and a signed basketball. John C. Hitt was born on December 1, 1940 in Houston, Texas. On March 1, 1992, Hitt was appointed as the fourth president of the University of Central Florida (UCF). As president, he awarded over 260,000 degrees and opened several buildings across campus, including the Bright House Networks Stadium, Student Union, and Burnett Honors College. Enrollment at UCF more than tripled during his tenure, graduation and retention rates rose, minority enrollment increased from 17% to 46%, and the average SAT score for incoming freshmen increased by over 300. On June 30, 2018, after 26 years of service, Hitt retired. He died on February 20, 2023 at the age of 82 and is survived by his wife Martha Hitt as well as their two children, Charles and Sharon.

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.