The realization hit him one day on the job. This project’s legacy and impact were going to outlive him.

“When I think back on every cool thing I’ve gotten to do so far in my career, it does all kind of lead back to Orlando Family Stage,” Lowe says.

Lowe was 6 years old when his cub scout troop attended a show at the stage, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary — the last 25 of those years in partnership with UCF.

He eventually went through its Youth Academy, interned as a UCF theatre student on site, made industry connections and now regularly contracts work at the stage as a full-time lighting designer for Clair Global, a tech company that specializes in live production services.

Lowe’s story is just one example of the countless ripple effects that have materialized from ±«°äčó’s longstanding, collaborative partnership with a nationally recognized leader in the theater industry.

“I’ve watched kids come in and they’re so shy and they can’t do anything. But by the time they leave, they’re not only signing up for the next show, they’re leading the next show,” says Paul Lartonoix, assistant dean for the College of Arts and Humanities and longtime Orlando Family Stage board member. “Sometimes it’s amazing at what it does. There’s no reason to not be proud of it. It’s doing great things for families. It’s doing great things for kids. It’s doing great things for our students, and it’s awesome that it’s being run by Knights.”

A Partnership That Builds Community

Orlando Family Stage, founded in 1926 as part of the City of Orlando’s Recreation Department, has evolved over the past 100 years while persevering through historic challenges including the Great Depression, World War II, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

UCF entered the picture in 2000 when former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood and UCF President John C. Hitt formed a community coalition to bring the stage under ±«°äčó’s oversight. At the time, the theater needed a major overhaul — both to its physical home at Loch Haven Park and in programming — to ensure it could thrive in the new millennium.

“I know with great confidence we would not be sitting here today without UCF on board. We wouldn’t have survived.” — Chris Brown ’05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and UCF theatre alum

“We wanted it because we thought that space was an exceptional, it had tremendous potential, and UCF should be a part of it. That really was the driving force,” says Lartonoix, who served as executive director on-loan and was instrumental in leading the early years of the partnership. “And when things worked, it was fantastic.”

The intervention proved to be a major catalyst for its impact in the community today, and for the world at large through the countless children and UCF graduates who have been affiliated with its programming and education.

“I know with great confidence we would not be sitting here today without UCF on board. We wouldn’t have survived,” says Chris Brown ’05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and UCF theatre alum. “To think that leaders came together and said, ‘We don’t want to lose a vital theater organization in our town, and we want to create an active and engaged partnership with the university where we can collectively do good things to serve young people in the world.’ It’s very special.”

Florida’s Only Professional Theatre for Young Audiences

A major part of that partnership is ±«°äčó’s MFA in theatre for young audiences program, which launched in 2004. The program has operated for the past two decades as Florida’s only professional theatre for young audiences and is one of the most distinctive programs in the country with its unique graduate-training residency.

In addition to learning from the university’s esteemed faculty, students gain practical experience with opportunities to work with professional artists and teach in Orlando Family Stage’s award-winning Youth Academy, which offers camps, classes and experiences for every age level from infancy through teens.

The MFA program has seen graduates go on to work at some of the most prestigious theaters in the country, become educators at universities as far as Dublin and help run community theaters across the United States.

In addition to his leadership role, Brown teaches theatre management courses on ±«°äčó’s campus. He says he believes an important part of his responsibility as an educator is to expand his students’ idea of where a career in the arts can take them.

“We’re helping them recognize that arts administration is creative work,” he says. “Writing a grant narrative, crafting a brand voice, planning a touring route or stewarding a donor relationship all require the same storytelling skills they bring to performance and production roles.”

Instilling Bravery in Children

The stage’s mission is to empower young people to be brave and empathetic.

Sure it sounds good, but more importantly, there’s truth to the claim. Recent research by the UCF Department of Psychology provides evidence to support it.

The Orlando Family Stage’s education team collaborated with associate professor Valerie Sims and senior lecturer Matthew Chin and more than a dozen undergraduate students from the Applied Cognition and Technology Lab along with associate professor of musical theatre Tara Deady ’07MFA on a study, which they are currently working on publishing. The study aimed to determine if the stage’s programming delivers on its promise to promote creative engagement and bravery in children ages 1-5.

Because of the young age of the participants, traditional survey tools and written questionnaires wouldn’t work. The team needed to get creative in a research approach that matched how children experience theatre.

The research team meticulously observed second by second footage of children and parent engagement during performances of Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go! — an interactive, multi-sensory original production created by the stage’s senior director of education Jennifer Adams-Carrasquillo ’11MFA.

“We have evidence that theater participation really is beneficial to these very young kids.” — Matthew Chin, UCF psychology senior lecturer

They logged and quantified data through body language and audience responses. Early on, Sims and Chin say, children needed to be prompted by their parents to participate. However, as the show progressed, you can clearly see children initiating the participation on their own and parental involvement decreasing.

“With this study we are able to say that it isn’t just this thing that we think is true — we have evidence that theater participation really is beneficial to these very young kids,” Chin says.

In 2024-25 alone, more than 4,770 audience members attended Theatre for the Very Young productions like Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go!. Multiply those numbers year after year and the impact to the youth in our community is monumental.

The Next 100 Years

As the stage commemorates this special milestone in its history, it also acknowledges the scope of possibilities and impact ahead.

This year, when Gershwin Entertainment Group, who owns the theatrical rights for A Charlie Brown Christmas, needed a national touring partner to bring the show to life on stage around the country, they turned to the Orlando Family Stage to deliver. It became the highest revenue-generating show in the history of the organizatoin’s performances in Orlando —without counting the 32 cities it visited from New York City to Vancouver, Canada.

A partnership with the UCF Department of History is enabling the stage to create an archive of its materials from the last century as part of the RICHES Mosaic Interface, an online resource dedicated to collecting and sharing the stories of Central Florida.

Another is the inaugural Florida Children’s Book Festival in partnership with Writer’s Block Book Store and WUCF, which they hosted in February and plan to host annually to celebrate literature and the link between books, storytelling and live theater.

“We all need to be aware of how special this place is. And we need to be so proud that our community has something like this.” — Chris Brown ’05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and UCF theatre alum

They look to expand the reach of Mind Matters, a program the stage initiated with ±«°äčó’s psychology department and national playwrights to produce 10 original short plays about geared for teens about depression, anxiety, loneliness, isolation and other mental health challenges they face today. The plays serve as an educational resource for teachers to spark honest conversations on these topics with their students.

Brown envisions one day expanding the footprint of the building with more theater space, new classrooms and offices to help alleviate their bursting-at-the-seems infrastructure, so they can keep delivering on all the dreams they want to turn into reality and continue creating meaningful experiences for children and the audiences of tomorrow.

“I can’t get past the energy and the faces of busloads of kids coming in here every day,” Brown says. “We all need to be aware of how special this place is. And we need to be so proud that our community has something like this.”

Celebrates the Arts Programming

You can catch live performances from the Theatre for Young Audiences program during April’s UCF Celebrates the Arts festival at the Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando.

Thursday, April 2 – 7:30 p.m.
Hosted by Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Her Universe, HypeFriend!), this concert features performances that span musical styles and theatrical traditions, reflecting the many creative paths that begin at Orlando Family Stage.

*Featuring Micheal James Scott (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway), Leslie Carrera-Rudolph (Emmy Award-winning performer for Abby Cadabby, Sesame Street), Jack Griffo (Nickelodeon’s The Thundermans), Davis Gaines (Broadway’s longest running Phantom of the Opera), Michael Andrew (Composer and one of America’s greatest interpreters of the American Songbook), Paul Vogt (Broadway’s Hairspray and Chicago). Video appearances by Mandy Moore (This Is Us), Jasmine Forsberg (Broadway’s Six and Here Lies Love), Clayton and Bella Grimm (Blippi), Broadway legend Norm Lewis and more.

*Artist lineup is updating and is subject to change.

Tuesday, April 7 – 10 a.m.
When best friends Squiggle and Square move away from each other, they must find creative ways to keep communicating! Told through clowning, puppetry and music, Pen Pals is a 30-minute interactive play designed for 5 to 10-year-olds.

Saturday, April 11 – 10 a.m.
Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go! is a 30-minute adventure designed especially for children ages 1 to 5 as a multi-sensory experience that invites them to help a pirate navigate the high seas. Together, they follow a treasure map, solve clues and chart the course forward.

H

ome to UCF, Orlando has long been a global center for themed entertainment. As immersive attractions, museums and themed entertainment experiences continue to grow in scale, complexity and cultural impact, the industry faces a critical challenge: preparing the next generation of professionals with the real-world skills needed to bring immersive experiences to life.

Spanning storytelling, architecture, engineering, media, operations and production, today’s themed experiences and attractions demand skills that rarely live within a single academic discipline.

For many aspiring professionals, the pathway into themed entertainment remains unclear, with limited visibility into professional workflows, real-world timelines and the cross-functional dynamics that ultimately determine a project’s success.

A new partnership between UCF and AOA — a leading immersive experience design, production and project management company — aims to change that to better support the future of the industry.

Ideal Partnership

±«°äčó’s themed experience graduate programs at the College of Arts and Humanities and AOA have launched the AOA Scholars Program, a hands-on practicum designed to give graduate students direct exposure to the real-world processes behind themed entertainment design and production.

UCF introduced a theatre Master of Fine Arts track in themed experience in 2018. In 2021, the university offered a stand-alone degree program in themed experience. Both programs are  the first of its kind at a public university.

The program’s focused curriculum in themed experience and attractions makes it an ideal partner for AOA.

The scholars initiative will address a common challenge in the field: while demand for immersive attractions, museums and experiences continues to grow, there is an expanding need for practical training and field work for emerging talent.

“Florida is home to some of the most sophisticated themed entertainment work in the world, but the way people enter the industry hasn’t kept pace,” says Tom Acomb, co-founder and chief creative officer of AOA. “This program is about opening the door earlier and giving students a clearer view of how these projects actually come together.”

Each semester, a select cohort of students will participate in workshops led by AOA professionals, visit active project sites and production facilities, and learn how creative, technical and operational decisions intersect in real projects.

“AOA has always believed in investing in early-career talent, starting with a strong internship program that’s been part of our culture since the early days,” says Mike Ostendorf, co-founder and CEO of AOA. “This partnership with UCF is an evolution of that long-standing commitment — because seeing the full lifecycle of a project up close matters.”

“This partnership gives students access to professional workflows with one of the top firms in the themed entertainment industry.” — Peter Weishar, UCF director of themed experience

What’s Next

UCF will oversee academic structure and accreditation, while AOA will contribute funding and industry expertise.

“This partnership gives students access to professional workflows with one of the top firms in the themed entertainment industry with diverse project and a global reach” says Peter Weishar, director of themed experience at UCF. “It strengthens Florida’s role as a global talent pipeline for themed entertainment.”

The AOA Scholars Program is expected to begin Fall 2026, reinforcing Central Florida’s position as a training ground for the next generation of immersive experience professionals.

Spanning multiple years, Go For Launch is the most ambitious revenue-generating effort in ±«°äčó’s history. The campaign builds on decades of momentum and reflects a clear-eyed understanding of what it will take for a modern, metropolitan research university to deliver at the scale the future demands.

Founded to power America’s space race, UCF has always been an institution built for moments of possibility. Go For Launch draws directly from that legacy, reaffirming ±«°äčó’s role as Florida’s Technological șŁœÇֱȄ and calling on Knights, partners and visionaries to help shape what comes next.

Campaign Goals and Timeline

The Go For Launch campaign seeks to generate $3.5 billion over a multi-year period through philanthropy, partnerships and aligned revenue strategies, advancing priorities that will shape ±«°äčó’s trajectory for decades. Funds will fuel innovation across the university, from breakthrough research and talent development to infrastructure and partnerships that extend ±«°äčó’s impact far beyond campus.

The campaign follows a successful pre-launch phase that quietly engaged donors, volunteers and community partners around a shared vision. As of Feb. 21, UCF has secured more than $2 billion in early commitments from individuals, families and partners who believe in the university’s bold future.

“This campaign is about matching ±«°äčó’s ambition with the resources required to deliver on it,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “It is an investment in discovery, talent and solutions that will shape Florida’s future and improve lives far beyond our campus.”

Four Pillars Driving a Transformational Vision

Go For Launch is anchored by four integrated campaign pillars, each essential to ±«°äčó’s ability to deliver impact at scale.

Elevating Student Success
Elevating Student Success ensures every Knight has the support, resources and opportunities to thrive, from enrollment through graduation and beyond. Campaign investments will expand scholarships, strengthen proactive advising and success coaching, enhance career preparation and sustain innovative support systems that remove barriers before they derail progress. This pillar reflects ±«°äčó’s commitment to access and outcomes, preparing graduates who are confident, career-ready and equipped to lead in a rapidly changing world.

Fueling Discovery and Innovation
Fueling Discovery and Innovation accelerates ±«°äčó’s role as a driver of breakthrough research and real-world solutions. Support will advance faculty-led research, interdisciplinary collaboration and student-driven discovery across areas such as space, cybersecurity, health, energy and advanced technologies. With strong industry partnerships, a thriving research ecosystem and a culture of commercialization, UCF is poised to move ideas faster from lab to impact, creating jobs, improving lives and addressing the world’s most urgent challenges.

Advancing Future Frontiers
Advancing Future Frontiers positions UCF at the forefront of what’s next, including artificial intelligence, digital twins, space exploration, immersive technologies and aerospace medicine. Commitments will support research infrastructure, interdisciplinary institutes and bold experimentation that push beyond today’s limits and shape tomorrow’s industries. As technology and humanity converge, UCF is not waiting for the future to arrive. The university is actively inventing it, translating discovery into global impact and economic vitality.

Maximizing Competitive Excellence
Maximizing Competitive Excellence positions UCF to compete and win at the highest levels nationally. Campaign investments will strengthen faculty recruitment and retention, expand university-wide technology integration, enhance athletics and academic competitiveness, and continue building a destination campus that attracts top talent, industry partners and research opportunities. As Florida’s Next-Generation Preeminent Research șŁœÇֱȄ, UCF is focused on translating ambition into sustained performance, elevating our standing, sharpening our edges and ensuring excellence is not episodic but institutionalized.

Why This Campaign and Why Now

Go For Launch represents a clear evolution from ±«°äčó’s prior comprehensive campaigns, with specific focus on directly addressing the rising complexity and cost of delivering a world-class education and research enterprise. It recognizes that sustained excellence requires continued investment in people, ideas and infrastructure.

“Go For Launch will bring our university community together around our boldest aspirations,” says Rodney Grabowski, senior vice president for Advancement and Partnerships and CEO, UCF Foundation Inc.  “It will empower students, support faculty excellence, fuel innovation that strengthens our region and maximize competitive excellence. This campaign reflects our shared belief in what is possible and our commitment to creating a brighter future for generations to come.”

A Launch Worth Celebrating

The public phase of Go For Launch was unveiled at campuswide launch events that brought together thousands of alumni, donors, faculty, students and community leaders. The immersive experience reflected the campaign’s spirit, featuring interactive installations, storytelling and moments that highlighted ±«°äčó’s impact across research, innovation and student success.

Campaign volunteer leadership was celebrated during the event, underscoring the personal commitment many leaders feel toward ±«°äčó’s mission and future.

Impact in Action

Investments generated through Go For Launch will directly advance research with real-world consequences, from improving health outcomes to accelerating breakthroughs in assistive technologies.

Go For Launch is both a continuation of ±«°äčó’s founding mission and a declaration of where the university is headed next. It signals confidence in ±«°äčó’s people, our ideas and our ability to lead.

To learn more about Go For Launch or to get involved, visit

U.S. Department of Education (ED) Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent meets with Chanda Torres ’98 ’00MA ’08EdD, assistant vice president of the Dixon Career Development Center.

Torres shares an overview of the Kenneth G. Dixon Career Development Center, which empowers UCF students and recent graduates to successfully connect academic and career pathways — often through industry partnerships — that lead toward professional success and fulfillment.

Kent (center), ED Deputy Under Secretary James Bergeron (left) and ED Special Advisor Ethan Good (right) listen to an overview of the Lockheed Martin College Work Experience Program (CWEP).

Launched more than 40 years ago, CWEP provides paid internship experiences to about 500 UCF students annually — including about 60% of graduating Knights who are offered full-time jobs after completing the program.

ED and UCF staff in front of the Kenneth G. Dixon Career Development Center welcome sign.

Left to right: Assistant Secretary of Labor Henry Mack; Associate Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs for the State șŁœÇֱȄ System Tony Lee; UCF Associate Vice President for Federal Relations Eric “Tubby” Shwedo; Torres; UCF Dixon Career Development Center Program Manager Erica Hutton; Director of Career Services at UCF Lynn Hansen; Director of Experiential Learning at UCF Quynh Dang; and UCF Director of Academic Advancement Programs Michael Aldarondo‑Jeffries.

UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright joins Kent, Harding, Senior Campus Recruiter for BNY Tatiana Manzanares and Shwedo as they tour BNY’s Next‑Gen Client Technology and Operations Center in the SPRK building on ±«°äčó’s main campus.

In Fall 2025, UCF and BNY, a leading global financial services company, launched a groundbreaking $5 million Pegasus Partnership that established a co-located educational innovation hub on ±«°äčó’s main campus — the first-of-its-kind in Florida.

Kent also had the opportunity to meet and interact with students in the current BNY cohort.

At the heart of this collaboration is the 8,400 square-foot Next-Gen Cybersecurity Technology and Operations Center Lab, which reimagines how universities and global enterprises can work together to prepare the workforce of the future.

ED and UCF staff at the BNY Next-Gen Cybersecurity Technology and Operations Center Lab.

Left to right: ED Special Assistant Cristian Clementi, Good, Associate Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs for the State șŁœÇֱȄ System Tony Lee, Mack, Kent, Cartwright, Manzanares, Harding and Dang.

Vice President for Research and Innovation Winston Schoenfeld discusses ±«°äčó’s research enterprise and emphasizes the benefits of its adjacency to Central Florida Research Park, where defense‑focused organizations support research collaborations and workforce development.

Institute for Stimulation and Training (IST) Director Carolina Cruz‑Neira offers an in‑depth overview and demonstration of IST advanced technological capabilities, with lab visits that included the Virtual and Augmented Reality Lab (VARLab).

Kent explores the CAVE system — a technology Cruz-Neira pioneered in the 90s — at the VARLab, where IST demonstrates how it develops immersive simulation systems for industry, government and research collaborators.

Cruz‑Neira provides an in‑depth demonstration of IST’s VARLab and overview of how UCF is preparing the next generation through modeling, simulation and training.

Organizations interested in partnering with STLI should contact Tiffany Hughes in the College of Business or Michael Harding  in UCF Corporate Partnerships to explore collaboration opportunities.

Drawing on ±«°äčó’s strengths as Florida’s Technological șŁœÇֱȄ, STLI will serve as the university’s hub for developing deep corporate partnerships through custom executive education, professional credentials, applied research and data-driven solutions. The school will provide expertise across engineering and computer science, business, psychology and related disciplines to help businesses and organizations adapt to technological change while improving leadership capability.

“UCF plays a critical role in helping address the challenges shaping the future of industry,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “The School of Technology, Leadership and Innovation strengthens our ability to work alongside organizations as they navigate change and turn emerging technologies into leadership capability, organizational performance, and real-world impact.”

Serving Future-Focused Organizations

Unlike traditional academic units, STLI will draw on faculty expertise from across the university rather than hiring new faculty. The school will create new opportunities for UCF scholars to engage directly with organizations through executive programs, professional certifications, consulting engagements and applied research collaborations. In addition to a slate of proprietary offerings, STLI will work with organizations to develop custom solutions to meet a company’s specific needs.

The school, which is designed to generate revenue for the university, will create new opportunities for UCF scholars to engage directly with organizations through executive programs, professional certifications, consulting engagements and applied research collaborations.

“Technology is changing the nature of work and the structure of organizations,” says College of Business Dean Paul Jarley. “STLI connects ±«°äčó’s excellence in engineering, computing business and the human sciences to help leaders understand not just how technology works, but how to lead organizations through technological change. This initiative is the next logical step in ±«°äčó’s long-standing commitment to partnering with technology-driven organizations that power Florida’s economy and beyond.”

“This initiative is the next logical step in ±«°äčó’s long-standing commitment to partnering with technology-driven organizations that power Florida’s economy and beyond.” — Paul Jarley, College of Business dean

Initial development of STLI is being coordinated by the College of Business in collaboration with faculty leaders from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and with strategic oversight from the Provost’s Office.

The launch of STLI represents the next phase of ±«°äčó’s strategy to expand collaboration with the technology-driven organizations shaping Florida’s future like Pegasus Partner Addition Financial Credit Union.

“As a financial institution that prides itself on innovating to better serve its members, Addition Financial is honored to partner with [the] UCF 
 School of Technology Leadership and Innovation,” says Kevin Miller, president and CEO of Addition Financial. “This is an exciting evolution of the future-facing collaboration UCF is known for, and we are looking forward to working alongside the school to unlock the promise of advancing key areas from AI strategy to workforce readiness.”

By connecting faculty expertise with real-world challenges, the school extends the university’s impact beyond campus while preparing leaders who can guide innovation responsibly and effectively.

“Our engagement with UCF provides highly valuable insights that helped us look at our operational challenges from a fresh perspective,” says Mohamed Hassan, head of business excellence North America, Siemens Energy. “The collaboration is both rigorous and forward leaning, and it enables us to translate ideas into tangible next steps for our business.”

How to Partner

Organizations interested in partnering with STLI should contact Tiffany Hughes (Tiffany.Hughes@ucf.edu) in the College of Business or Michael Harding (Michael.Harding@ucf.edu) in UCF Corporate Partnerships to explore collaboration opportunities.

UCF is the only institution in the state of Florida selected to address the U.S. Department of Education’s civil discourse priority as part of its Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education initiative.

The department from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). Following a record number of applicants, UCF was among the honorees with a four-year $3.4 million grant for our proposal — Civil Interactions and Viewpoints for Interpersonal Competence (CIVIC): A Campuswide Model — which seeks to protect and promote civil discourse on campuses.

“The future demands graduates who can collaborate effectively, navigate complex conversations and lead with integrity within varied professional environments, even when they don’t always agree.” — Andrea Guzmán, UCF vice president for access and community engagement

“The future demands graduates who can collaborate effectively, navigate complex conversations and lead with integrity within varied professional environments, even when they don’t always agree,” says Andrea Guzmán, UCF vice president for access and community engagement and CIVIC principal investigator. “This grant allows us to prepare students not just academically, but to be thoughtful citizens and professionals. By integrating civil discourse skills throughout curricular and co-curricular experiences, we are helping students develop the communication and critical thinking skills that employers, communities and our democracy depend on.”

What is the Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)?

FIPSE is a discretionary grant initiative that supports innovative projects to address urgent national needs in postsecondary education. The funds awarded from this specific program competition empower institutions to develop and scale solutions that improve educational outcomes, strengthen institutional capacity and align education with workforce demands.

In November, the Department of Education announced four FY 2025 competition priorities focused on expanding innovative teaching and student success initiatives, promoting civil discourse on campuses, advancing accreditation reform, and building capacity for high‑quality, workforce‑aligned short‑term academic programs eligible for Workforce Pell Grants.

While UCF was Florida’s lone representative selected for the civil discourse priority, the state saw Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic șŁœÇֱȄ, and its Commission for Public Higher Education, Inc. earn grants in accreditation. Hillsborough Community College earned funding for AI.

What is civil discourse?

±«°äčó’s defines civil discourse as constructive conversation or dialogue which intends to enhance understanding, be productive and requires taking responsibility for truly listening and talking about important local, national and global topics/issues.

“Civil discourse is about understanding the other person’s viewpoint so you can come together to make thoughtful decisions in spite of having different viewpoints,” Guzmán says.

GuzmĂĄn says she often hears students today are hesitant to share their own perspectives. She hopes that through this intentional framework, students will begin to feel more confident engaging civilly with those around them.

“Whether students are in the classroom or just having a conversation with a peer, we want them to have the skillset and emotional intelligence needed for constructive conversations,” Guzmán says. “They should still be able to walk away and respectfully say, ‘I still don’t agree with you, but let’s go get a burger and fries afterward.’ Too often, we’ve seen relationships fracture because the skill of civil discourse has been lost.”

How will UCF use these funds?

±«°äčó’s priority with this $3.4 million grant is to intentionally embed civil discourse and constructive communication skills into the everyday experience at the university through four main strategies.

Strategy 1: Faculty Learning Communities

The first strategy is geared toward . UCF Director of Civil Discourse and Engagement Haley Winston ’17·Ą»ć¶Ù and a faculty fellow, yet to be named, will partner to create a curriculum to offer paid learning experiences via faculty learning communities each semester and a track at the Summer Faculty Development Institute. This curriculum will inform faculty on strategies and methodologies for building civil discourse opportunities into their classes. There are also plans to develop and implement civil discourse modules in new faculty orientation.

Eventually, ±«°äčó’s course catalogue will recognize classes — much like it does now with service-learning courses — with a civil discourse designation.

Strategies 2 and 3: Student Orientation and Training

Two additional strategies are student-focused. One will collaborate with ±«°äčó’s to include civil discourse modules at orientation.

“From the very start of a student’s journey at UCF, we set the expectation that we are an institution where people can express their views freely and constructively, in a respectful way,” Guzmán says.

The other will partner with to offer civil discourse training for both student employee onboarding training as well as a supervisor-specific training via its , preparing students to carry on these skills into the workforce after graduation.

Strategy 4: Mini-grants for Learning Opportunities

The fourth strategy is geared toward expanding co-curricular opportunities through the UCF Ginsburg Center – Office of Civil Discourse and Engagement. Mini-grants will be offered to units and colleges who want to offer learning opportunities within their department or classrooms.

“This grant builds on work already underway at UCF and allows us to scale it intentionally.”
— Andrea Guzmán

“This grant builds on work already underway at UCF and allows us to scale it intentionally. It also enables the development of a pilot program designed to be replicated across the state university system,” Guzmán says. “The reason we are choosing to bolster programs like orientation and faculty learning communities are because these are existing infrastructures that almost every institution will have and can seamlessly incorporate.”

What happens next?

The funding takes effect immediately. UCF will invite faculty applications for the faculty fellow position during the Spring 2026 semester, with the appointment beginning in August.

±«°äčó’s will also organize an internal implementation team to confirm year-one priorities, which includes aligning timelines, refining deliverables and establishing the infrastructure needed to support the work.

“With every project we implement, we think about scale and long-term impact. The goal is always for meaningful, transformative work to live on beyond the grant,” says Cyndia Morales Muñiz ’13EdD, senior director of grant initiatives and partnerships, and CIVIC project director.

In addition to Muñiz, GuzmĂĄn and Winston, the project includes activity coordinators Joel Cramer, interim vice provost for Faculty Excellence; Chanda Torres ’98 ’00MA ’08EdD, assistant vice president of the Dixon Career Development Center; and Ryan Goodwin, assistant vice president for Strategic Initiatives.

In years three and four of the grant, UCF will develop and host two symposiums for Florida’s State șŁœÇֱȄ System institutions and state colleges to share implementation strategies and lessons learned, providing a model that can be replicated at their own campuses.

“This is yet another example of UCF leading the way to best serve our students and faculty and we look forward to getting started,” Muñiz says.

Note: 100% of ±«°äčó’s Civil Interactions and Viewpoints for Interpersonal Competence (CIVIC): A Campuswide Model is being financed with this federal funding and 0% of the program is being financed with non-federal funding.

“Central Florida is my home, and I’d like to be part of this community for as long as I can,” he says.

That plan fell into place when he landed a job at Lockheed Martin, a UCF Pegasus Partner, just weeks after graduating with his ČúČ賊łó±đ±ôŽÇ°ù’s degree in May. His new role as an electro-optical engineer associate in Lockheed Martin’s Orlando Missiles and Fire Control division involves developing new imaging systems — a project that comes with its own challenges.

“These systems make use of sensors specific to the mission,” says Lopez-Zelaya, who is part of the 83% of career-ready UCF alumni who help fuel Florida’s workforce. “We’re concerned with how these sensors generate images, so we take the optics and other sources of noise into consideration.”

That’s exactly the skillset he honed during his time at the UCF College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL). In addition to engineering and physics concepts, CREOL students learn the hands-on methods necessary to build optical and electro-optical systems — allowing them to contribute to technological developments that benefit humanity. Lopez Zelaya says he now puts that training to use every day.

“Somebody who doesn’t have an optics and photonics background can’t truly engage in these discussions,” he says, “Because they don’t understand the basics of what is actually happening in these systems.”

Lopez Zelaya’s early career success is a continuation of the legacy he built during his undergrad years. Between classes that taught him MATLAB, display technology, image processing and semiconductor devices, he got involved as an undergraduate student research assistant. He also volunteered at Grace Medical Home, served as president of the IEEE Photonics Society student chapter and served on ±«°äčó’s President’s Leadership Council. His dedication to both professional development and his fellow students led to his induction into Order of Pegasus, the most prestigious award UCF bestows upon students.

Lopez Zelaya says ±«°äčó’s culture of creating lifelong learners prepared him well for his next steps at Lockheed Martin.

“Everybody is willing to learn something new about optics,” he says, adding that he’s often a source of expertise for questions that arise in the field.

Lopez Zelaya’s quick transition illustrates the value of the talent pipeline CREOL supplies to the Central Florida photonics industry. As a valued, longtime member of CREOL’s Industrial Affiliates Program, Lockheed Martin’s partnership has strengthened both the available opportunities for students and collaborative research efforts that aim to benefit the industry at large. And as a new Pegasus Partner with UCF, Lockheed Martin’s investment in the future will make impacts far beyond CREOL’s walls, building on a longstanding and pragmatic focus on talent pipeline.

With a 7-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, CREOL’s students are in a unique position to have a small-college experience at a big university. Lopez Zelaya says he’s glad to have found a similar sense of community at Lockheed Martin.

“There’s a misconception that new technologies mostly emerge from startups, but a lot of them are being developed here,” he says. “Development is fun — taking a concept and making it into a working product.”

Lopez Zelaya says he’s proud to put those skills to use in his hometown, and for a company that’s leading the way in emerging optical technology – positively contributing to Central Florida’s economy along the way.

“It’s one of the best ways to make an impact here,” he says.

Presented annually by EAB, a national education consulting firm with thousands of partners worldwide, the award celebrates organizations that develop creative solutions to higher education’s most pressing challenges. Recipients exemplify the collaborative spirit and institutional insight that inspire lasting, transformative change across academia and industry.

This year, UCF was one of three institutions selected from a pool of 40 applicants, recognized for its exceptional industry engagement and innovative partnership model that sets a new standard for others to follow. The honor affirms ±«°äčó’s commitment to a future-forward education, one that not only prepares students for a modern workforce but empowers them to lead in a globally connected, digitally driven world.

“From the pioneering technologies that helped land humans on the moon to the groundbreaking research shaping tomorrow’s innovations, UCF has long been at the forefront of collaboration between academia and industry,” says President Alexander N. Cartwright. “This award reflects that enduring vision — and the bold leadership that continues to propel UCF as a next-generation university.”

A New Model for Partnership

At the center of this recognition is ±«°äčó’s Partnerships team, established in Spring 2024 within the Division of Advancement and Partnerships. Serving as industry’s “front door” to campus, the team connects corporate partners with the university’s vast resources to deliver solutions with mutual benefit.

From co-location and sponsored research to talent development and executive education, ±«°äčó’s partners engage across various disciplines, gaining access to a pipeline of future-ready professionals. In turn, the university builds connections that offer scholarships, internships and other life-changing opportunities for students. Together, these collaborations create a powerful engine of sustained growth and competitive advantage, fueling the intellectual capital and economic vitality that enrich both industry and society.

In its inaugural year, the Partnerships team generated more than $33 million in corporate investment; hosted 20 full-day immersive showcase experiences, tailored to meet client priorities; and deepened collaborations with global companies such as Siemens Energy and Lockheed Martin. Leveraging ±«°äčó’s strategic location in Orlando, the second-fastest growing tech hub in the South, the team provides a clear point of entry for industry partners, cultivating relationships that extend far beyond individual transactions. This partnership-first model encourages cross-campus collaboration, dissolving silos and aligning academia more closely with industry.

“It is a privilege to lead this Partnerships team at a place like UCF, where opportunities for industry engagement have never been greater,” says Associate Vice President of Partnerships Michael Harding. “We are a pragmatic university, always focused on what comes next, much like the industries we serve. We are honored to receive EAB’s recognition among so many other strong peers.”

Building Momentum Through Collaboration

The award arrives amid a season of extraordinary accomplishments for UCF. In September, the university achieved the 12 metrics required to become a Preeminent State Research șŁœÇֱȄ, Florida’s highest designation for research and academic excellence. The milestone stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of a thriving campus community — from faculty and staff driving $285 million in annual research expenditures to students whose talent and ambition continue to raise the bar for what’s possible.

Philanthropic support also reached an all-time high, with UCF Advancement and Partnerships recording $126.1 million in giving for the 2024-25 fiscal year — the largest total in its history. Among the major investments fueling ±«°äčó’s next era of growth is the expansion of its Pegasus Partners program, a consortium of top corporate innovators that now includes Addition Financial, AdventHealth, Lockheed Martin, Nemours Children’s Health, Orlando Health and Siemens Energy.

Across campus and throughout the region, these partnerships are creating opportunities that elevate both education and enterprise. Students test their knowledge in real-world environments. Faculty work alongside experts who help bring research from concept to application. And industry partners invest in ideas and people shaping the future. The result: a powerful alliance that transforms lives at scale and positions the next generation of Knights to redefine what’s next.

Charting the Course Ahead

EAB’s recognition highlights ±«°äčó’s growing influence as a national leader in university-industry collaboration, demonstrating how strategic partnerships can attract investment, accelerate workforce readiness and advance regional development.

As UCF continues to expand its reach, deepening its philanthropic roots and broadening its corporate partnerships, the Innovative Institution Award serves as affirmation of the university’s trajectory and the collective vision driving it forward.

“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award at a time when UCF is experiencing unprecedented momentum,” Senior Vice President for Advancement and Partnerships Rodney Grabowski says. “Together with our industry partners, we are strengthening connections within the community and pushing the boundaries of what higher education can achieve. We’re not just creating opportunity — we’re building a future without limits.”

Elected leaders joined founding donors to celebrate the pavilion’s opening on ±«°äčó’s at Lake Nona. They gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and toured the pavilion, which will help to address Florida’s critical nursing shortage. Fittingly for Florida’s Premier Engineering and Technology șŁœÇֱȄ, the pavilion also features the latest in immersive modeling and simulation technologies.

“This facility will help strengthen Florida’s nursing talent pipeline in ways that make communities across our state healthier.” — UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright

“The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion is a powerful example of what is possible when vision, community and partnership come together. Built with the generous support of state leaders, donors and health care champions, this facility will help strengthen Florida’s nursing talent pipeline in ways that make communities across our state healthier,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Together, we are fueling hands-on learning, enabling new research and discovery, and preparing generations of Knight Nurses who will have a lasting impact on the lives of those they serve.”

With the opening, UCF will increase access to its accredited and nationally ranked nursing degree programs and graduate an additional 150 newly licensed nurses annually. These graduates will have a direct impact on the state. Of the 17,000 Knight nurse alumni, 85% live and work in Florida, and nearly 60% remain in Central Florida.

Located next to the College of Medicine and in Lake Nona’s Medical City, a nationally recognized hub of healthcare innovation, the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion will bolster interdisciplinary collaboration to prepare providers to thrive in the workforce and deploy cutting-edge research to solve the industry’s greatest challenges and ensure a healthier future for all.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson played a vital role as Senate President in securing about $43 million in state funding for the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, as well as additional funding for state university and state college nursing initiatives throughout Florida.

“We worked very hard to secure the funding,” he says. “When you think about state-of the-art nursing, when you think about doubling the capacity of nursing, this couldn’t come at a better time. Florida is growing 400,000 people a year still. We’re going to continue to grow.”

“Thanks to the leadership of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, the state continues to invest in key academic programs that set an example nationwide,” says State șŁœÇֱȄ System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues. “The new Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion at the șŁœÇֱȄ is no exception — by providing innovative educational opportunities for nursing students now, Florida is ensuring a promising future of skilled nurses that will care for our communities.”

The Power of Partnerships

The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, which came to fruition through $43 million from the State of Florida and over $29 million from private donors, will directly impact the community that created it and will be a longstanding symbol of what can be achieved through the power of community partnerships — unleashing potential for generations to come.

“We are honored to be part of this transformative moment for Central Florida,” says Kenneth Robinson, president and CEO of Dr. Phillips Inc. and the Dr. Phillips Foundation. “This investment will help address the nursing shortage, strengthen our healthcare system, and expand access to exceptional education and career opportunities. By supporting this project, we’re helping to graduate more Knight nurses who will make a lasting impact. We’re proud to stand with UCF and our community partners to shape a healthier, brighter future.”

Founding donors of the facility also include the Helene Fuld Health Trust; UCF Pegasus Partners AdventHealth, Orlando Health, Nemours Children’s Health and Addition Financial; Zaby and Suree Vyas; and many others.

“Today we are witnessing the power of partnerships,” says Professor Emerita Mary Lou Sole, who, as the previous College of Nursing dean, led the efforts to advocate and raise funds for the new building. “The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion is the result of the collective efforts of UCF and this community to come together to solve one of our greatest healthcare challenges. We are incredibly grateful for the support, which will have an immeasurable impact for generations to come.”

Inside the Future of Nursing

Every aspect of the 90,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility was thoughtfully designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and student success and well-being.

“The Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion will serve as a catalyst for ensuring a brighter, healthier future,” says new College of Nursing Dean Sharon Tucker. “In this space, UCF will strengthen and empower future nurses and nurse leaders to advance healthcare innovation and collaboration to improve evidence-based patient care and outcomes.”

On the second and third floors is a hub of healthcare innovation, the Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling (STIM) Center. UCF is Florida’s first simulation center to earn three international accolades in the field and the new, expanded space will build upon its global leadership to innovate healthcare education using the latest immersive technologies to prepare nurses for practice as compassionate, skilled providers.

The second floor also features the Dr. Colleen Conway Welch Virtual Reality Learning Studio, a makerspace design studio to accelerate nurse-led innovations, a home health apartment to meet growing demand for home-based healthcare, and the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation Healthy Aging Research Lab for interdisciplinary research and innovations led by renowned aging expert Ladda Thiamwong.

Upon entering the pavilion, students, faculty, staff and visitors are greeted with the inspiring “” public art commissioned by Florida’s Art in State Building program. The first floor also includes three large high-tech learning studios, the Zaby and Suree Vyas Collaboration Concourse, the Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation Study Cafe and a student success suite.

The opening comes a little over a year and a half after the groundbreaking in January 2024. UCF built the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion in conjunction with HuntonBrady Architects, Ayers Saint Gross and DPR Construction.

±«°äčó’s Industry Partners Highlight Transformational Impact

AdventHealth

“At AdventHealth, we’ve seen firsthand the extraordinary caliber of nurses who graduate from UCF. They bring clinical excellence, compassion and an unwavering commitment to their patients — values that perfectly align with our mission to provide whole-person care. As the demand for skilled nurses continues to grow, we’re happy to support this exciting new chapter for the UCF College of Nursing. And as a UCF alum, I’m excited to welcome even more outstanding Knight nurses to AdventHealth.”

-Cathy Stankiewicz, (MSN’11), chief nursing officer, Central Florida Division

Helene Fuld Health Trust

“The Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling Center at UCF exemplifies our mission to support the education of nursing students. Simulation is a critical component [of] nursing education and will continue to be in the future, and we’re proud to make this investment to strengthen nursing skills and improve the welfare of our communities.”

-Robert Campbell, vice president of Trust & Fiduciary Services at HSBC, who oversees the trust

Nemours Children’s Health

“Growing and solidifying the nursing workforce is critical to care delivery across the healthcare sector. Through our longtime relationship with the UCF College of Nursing, we have seen firsthand the benefits of hiring their well-trained, work-ready graduates. The new nursing pavilion will be a tremendous asset in our continued collaboration, partnership, and investment to support the education, development, and maturation of emerging nurses.”

-Nicole Johnson, (DNP’17), senior vice president and chief nursing and patient operations officer  

Orlando Health

“It is an honor and privilege to be associated with UCF, and we are thankful for our partnership with the university, nursing professors, and students.”

-David Strong, president and CEO

Joined by Gov. Ron DeSantis, UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright and Lockheed Martin Chief Operating Officer Frank St. John ’87 ’91MS signed the Pegasus Partnership agreement in June at the Paris Air Show, the global aerospace industry’s premier meeting — and a fitting venue for two organizations that are leaders in Florida’s robust and rapidly growing aerospace industry.

As part of the agreement:

• Lockheed Martin will expand investments in the highly successful , which since 1981 has provided unrivaled work experiences for more than 10,000 students in engineering, business and many other disciplines – and led to many of those students earning full-time employment with Lockheed Martin.
• Lockheed Martin will significantly grow research with ±«°äčó’s world-class faculty in key areas such as autonomous systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, advanced manufacturing and hypersonic technologies.
• UCF will develop a new executive education program that would provide an opportunity for Lockheed Martin to upskill and train their leaders for the future.
• Both organizations will work together to pursue joint federal funding opportunities that will further strengthen their roles as leaders in cutting-edge research and development.

What This Means for Florida’s Future

The Pegasus Partnership supports many of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ goals, including maintaining Florida’s role as setting the national standard for economic growth, workforce development and innovation.

“This partnership between UCF and Lockheed Martin is an example of how Florida leads in workforce education,” DeSantis says. “Our state is proud to prioritize educational opportunities that produce practical knowledge and immediate job opportunities.”

UCF has provided much of the talent that has fueled Lockheed Martin’s growth and success. The university is the nation’s top provider of graduates to the aerospace and defense industry, according to Aviation Week Network.

“Lockheed Martin’s unwavering partnership empowers our students with real-world opportunities, drives innovation, and strengthens our shared commitment to building a brighter future,” Cartwright says. “Together, we will work even more closely to shape the next generation of leaders and advance industries and technologies that benefit Florida and the world.”

The agreement builds on UCF and Lockheed Martin’s longstanding partnership and designates UCF as Lockheed Martin’s first university strategic partner in Florida. UCF joins 11 other prestigious universities in this designation, committed to supporting Lockheed Martin as the world’s largest Aerospace and Defense corporation.

“This agreement is a celebration of more than four decades of partnership between Lockheed Martin and UCF, built on innovation, shared values, and a commitment to developing the next generation of STEM talent,” says St. John, who earned ČúČ賊łó±đ±ôŽÇ°ù’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from UCF and began at Lockheed Martin through the CWEP. “As an alum, I’m incredibly proud of the role UCF plays in shaping the future of aerospace and defense.”

About ±«°äčó’s Partnership with Lockheed Martin
Thanks to ±«°äčó’s partnership with Lockheed Martin, UCF students for decades have gained invaluable hands-on experience through internships and cooperative education programs, which strongly enhance their practical skills and employability. Lockheed Martin also provides scholarships and mentorship opportunities that help students excel in fields such as engineering, cybersecurity and technology.

The two organizations have worked closely on cybersecurity initiatives — including the Cyber Innovation Lab, where ±«°äčó’s national champion collegiate cyber defense team trains — and educating K-12 STEM teachers who are inspiring Florida’s future workforce to become interested in science, math and engineering fields.

About the Pegasus Partners Program
±«°äčó’s Pegasus Partners program offers opportunities for select partners to engage across the university in ways that create meaningful value for both organizations. That engagement includes talent development and recruitment, shared research projects, joint ventures and collaborations, strategic philanthropy and co-location at UCF. The university is proud to also include Addition Financial, AdventHealth, Nemours Children’s Health, Orlando Health and Siemens Energy among its Pegasus Partners.