Collections

The University of Central Florida Eternal Knights collection, 2008-2025, documents past University of Central Florida (UCF) Eternal Knights Memorial Services, organized by the Office of Student Involvement. Materials in the collection include service programs, as well as unclaimed certificates of achievement, Student Government letters, name tents, letters of remembrance, and honorary degrees. The collection also contains two glass awards, a diploma cover, and a small ribbon from the ceremony. The collection encompasses services held from 2008 to 2025. The University of Central Florida's first Eternal Knights Memorial Service took place in 2002. Held each spring in the Student Union by the Office of Student Involvement (OSI), the service honors the lives of students who have passed away over the course of the academic year, from the previous spring and summer leading up to the current semester. Students, family, and friends are invited to attend and recognize individuals, along with the broader UCF community. A livestream is available for those who cannot attend in person.  

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 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 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.