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Charles N. Millican was the first President of Florida Technological University, serving from 1 December 1965 until 31 January 1978. This collection of his administrative papers documents the organization of Florida's university system during those years with particular reference to the decision to found a new university in Central Florida and the physical and philosophical construction of the university that would become the University of Central Florida. Millican's papers include his correspondence, speeches and reports, State University System reports, as well as minutes of the Board of Regents and the Council of Presidents meetings. Of particular interest are documents that were written before his appointment, which concern the establishment of the University, initial planning conferences, site selection and legislative lobbying. After his appointment, topics of historical significance include construction, five-year plan, groundbreaking, dedication and presidential inauguration. Photographs are distributed throughout the record group and show faculty, students, staff, administrators, buildings and dignitaries who had any involvement with the University or its president. All aspects of university life are represented in these papers, academic affairs and faculty achievements, student affairs, and administrative decisions. Commencement ceremonies are well documented especially President Richard M. Nixon's speech at the 1973 commencement. Other topics in the collection include evaluation of the president, college housing program, faculty opinions and regional campuses.

H. Trevor Colbourn was the second president of Florida Technological University and the first president of the University of Central Florida because he was responsible for the name change. Dr. Colbourn served from 1978 to 1989, and during that time, he established the football program, honors program, Institute of Simulation and Training, and Central Florida Research Park. The collection of correspondence, reports, memoranda, photographs and pamphlets not only covers the period of his presidency but also his earlier research interests and subsequent service to the university as Professor of History and University Historian. Included in these materials are earlier documents created by Dr. Colbourn's predecessor, Dr. Charles N. Millican.

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 basis for this record group are photographs that were taken for use as publicity material for the University of Central Florida. The images document all aspects of university life, including annual events such as commencement and homecoming, portraits of faculty, students, alumni, and visitors to the university including speakers, performers, and government officials. Buildings on both the main campus and regional campuses are shown during construction and after completion. Instructors are shown teaching and researching and students are shown studying in laboratories and classrooms.

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.

Since his arrival at the University of Central Florida in 2001, Dr. James Wright worked on several publications, was directly involved in community organizations, and worked on the development of the University of Central Florida Sociology department. This collection of his papers contains documents related to these subjects.

The Vertical Files Collection, 1872-2016, is an artificial collection, contains a wide variety of collected materials documenting or relevant to Central Florida's local history. Collection also includes subject materials such as book arts, typography, travel, tourism, and the West Indies. Included are newsletters, magazines, news clippings, reports, pamphlets, documents, photographs, and handbooks.