Collections

The Beatrice B. Ettinger papers contain correspondence, leaflets, posters, minutes and reports that show women's position in society in the 1970s and 1980s. Continuing Education is the focus of these papers since Ettinger accumulated many of the materials between 1970 and 1992 when she was President of the Council for Continuing Education for Women. This organization established a Center that was based first at Valencia Community College and later at the University of Central Florida. Ettinger also collected documents concerning other organizations in which she was interested that fostered women's intellectual and political growth, such as, the Central Florida Women's Resource Center Inc. and the League of Women Voters. Additional materials provide some personal information about Mrs. Ettinger.

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 John T. Washington collection, 1957-1980, documents UCF professor John T. Washington's life outside of his affiliation with UCF and his legacy. It chiefly consists of church sermons and materials, photographs, programs, minutes, agendas, and awards relating to John T. Washington's community service and role as a pastor as well as the scholarship award and honor society established in his name after his death. The collection provides insight into John T. Washington's life as the founder and pastor of the First Church of Peace and the efforts to maintain his legacy after his death with the John T. Washington Community Service Awards and Scholarship and the John T. Washington Honor Society. John Thomas Washington was born in 1940 in Immokalee, Florida. He was an associate professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and one of UCF's first Black faculty members. Washington worked to promote diversity at UCF, serving as one of the first advisors for the Black Student Union as well as other student organizations. He also aided in developing UCF's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and the Office of Multicultural Academic and Support Services. Before his time at UCF, Washington served as an airman in the United States Air Force from 1962-1964. He went on to earn his bachelor's and master's degrees at Rollins College and his Ph.D. at the University of Florida. In addition to his work at UCF, Washington founded the First Church of Peace in Orlando and served as the church's pastor. Washington died in 1983 at the age of 42 from a sudden heart attack. Following his death, the Student Services Building was renamed the John T. Washington Center in 1984. The John T. Washington Community Service Awards & Scholarship were also founded in his honor. In 1996, the John T. Washington Honor Society was established to uphold Washington's values of public service.

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.

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.

The University of Central Florida Athletics Collection documents the history and operation of FTU and UCF sports and how University athletics have been chronicled in the media. The creation of several FTU and UCF sports teams are highlighted here, including the UCF football team in 1979. A large portion of this collection contains publications from most FTU and UCF sporting teams including yearly media guides used by local and national media outlets to aid in reporting on University sports.

This collection contains a wide variety of media used to document, promote, or analyze the University of Central Florida. While the bulk of the collection is video, the collection also contains audio and multi-media. News footage from around Central Florida pertaining to the University can be found here as well as historic media that chronicles the growth of both FTU and UCF. University advertising campaigns as well as University produced media highlight the many academic and athletic organizations that can be found on campus.