Search

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 is a public multi-campus, metropolitan research university that not only educates the local community but also partners with technological companies and with educational facilities abroad. As Chief Executive Officer of the University, the president has support from a large team; therefore, the Records of the Office of the President document the University's major interests. Nevertheless, correspondence, reports, minutes, leaflets and news clippings also show the breadth and depth of the president's work and his personal interests.

The Division of Academic Affairs at the University of Central Florida traces its beginning to 1967, when C.B. Gambrell, Jr. was elected to serve as its first Vice President. The Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs has a wide range of responsibilities and thus the collection contains academic program reviews, academic policies, reports, meeting minutes, and grade policies as well as information on strategic planning, degree programs, registration, Faculty Senate, accreditation, and the State University System of Florida among many other topics.

Carroll B. Gambrell, Jr., was the first Vice-President for Academic Affairs of Florida Technological University (FTU) serving from 1967 until 1978. This collection of his administrative records documents his contributions to the academic field at FTU/UCF. It includes important information on the accreditation of academic programs such as engineering, and also includes material from conferences and board meetings throughout the Florida State university system.

This collection contains correspondence, documents, pamphlets, and photographs documenting the work of the Office of Vice President for University Relations.

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 UCF Police Department collection, 1969-2012, includes materials from and about the University of Central Florida Police Department (UCFPD). It consists of news clippings, officer training materials and other departmental files, and printed ephemera relating to the activities of the department and its involvement with the UCF and Central Florida community. Established in 1973, the University of Central Florida Police Department (UCFPD) serves the main campus as well as UCF Downtown, the Rosen College of Hospitality and Management, the Health Sciences Campus in Lake Nona, and all UCF-managed housing facilities. The UCFPD serves nearly 68,000 students, 13,000 employees, and thousands of visitors each year. UCFPD has Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Community Partnership, K-9, and Community Service Units, as well as a Communications Center and Records department. As one of the few universities in the country with its own dedicated Communications Center, UCFPD has 24/7 dispatchers.

Dr. Roger Handberg is a Political Science professor as well as the former chair of the Political Science Department. This collection of his papers contains essays presented at conferences, published articles, research reports, and interdepartmental memorandums. The arrangement of the materials, including the numbering system of the folders, was established by the office of Dr. Handberg.

This collection of posters illustrates events at the University of Central Florida since its inception as Florida Technological University to the present. It holds materials published by both student and university organizations pertaining to university events, schedules, calendars, and promotions.

The Registrar's Office maintains student records and provides important services, such as transcript requests, enrollment verification, and veteran services. This collection includes memoranda from university departments, correspondence, employment information, registration information, and operation manuals.