University of Central Florida

The University of Central Florida opened in the fall of 1963. Its original name, Florida Technological University, was changed by the Florida Legislature on December 6, 1978. This name change reflects the changing role of the university in the Central Florida area. Initially, the university was developed in response to the Cape Kennedy space complex, but with its enthusiastic acceptance by the Central Florida community and its rapid growth, the university began to acquire a broader educational mission.

The university's presently assigned role within the ten-campus State University System of Florida is that of a general purpose institution offering degree programs at all levels of instruction. In addition, the university has the responsibility of assisting in the economic development of the Central Florida region, especially in the areas of high technology, electronics, and tourism.

Mission Statement

UCF offers undergraduate education rooted in the arts and sciences, providing a broad liberal education while developing competence in fields of special interest. Unique aspects of UCF's approach are its commitment to educate students for a world in which cooperation is as important as competition; in which societal and environmental impacts of new developments are as important as their technical merits; and in which technology, the arts, sciences, humanities, and commerce work together to shape the future.

The complexity of modern society requires comprehensive graduate and professional programs. UCF provides advanced education that matches institutional strengths with evolving regional, state, national, and international needs. It supports these advanced programs by recruiting excellent students, faculty, and staff and by supplying the infrastructure that enables these programs to achieve national prominence.

Basic and applied research, as well as creative activity, are integral parts of a quality education. UCF faculty are scholar-teachers. As such, they create new knowledge, new points of view, and new means of expression in a broad range of academic, professional, and socially significant areas. Their creativity fosters innovation as they convey their results, methods, values, and expressions to students, colleagues, and the public.

UCF works actively to build partnerships that promote development of Central Florida's economy through carefully targeted programs of graduate study and research. The I-4 High-Technology Corridor Council, whose goal is to attract, retain and expand high technology investment and jobs, is but the latest example of UCF's collaboration with partners from industry, state, local government, and higher education.

Service to its community is an important extension of the metropolitan mission of the university. Public service is prominent at UCF, with the university developing partnerships with the community to enrich the educational, artistic, cultural, economic, and professional lives of those it serves in Central Florida and beyond.

Education is more than classroom experience. UCF students are involved in cooperative research and participate in artistic, social, cultural, political, and athletic activities. UCF provides academic diversity by bringing to its campus national and international leaders who expose students and the community to a wide range of views and issues. UCF achieves cultural diversity by using its multi-campus facilities to serve a diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students from various races, cultures, and nationalities.

UCF is committed to the free expression of ideas, the equality of all people, and the dignity of the individual.

Accreditation

In addition to the regional accreditation agencies, there are a number of scientific, professional, and academic bodies conferring accreditation in specific disciplines. UCF is listed with an "A" rating in the Report of Credit Given by Educational Institutions. The university is accredited by the following agencies:

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC)
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
National Association of School Psychologists
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
Florida Department of Education
Engineering Accreditation Commission(EAC)
Techonology Accreditation Commission (TAC)
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP of AMA)
Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association-Educational Standards Board (ASHA)
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), in conjunction with CAAHEP of AMA
National League for Nursing (NLN)
Florida Board of Nursing
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education - American Physical Therapy Association
National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)

East Central Florida Area

The Orlando Campus

UCF Area Campuses

UCF Virtual Campus

Students participate virtually in web-based courses via computer. Some courses utilize the Web solely for instruction with no required face-to-face class meetings. Other courses utilize the Web to enhance classroom activities and, therefore, reduce face-to-face time in the classroom. Interactive two-way television increases the availability of courses at UCF area campuses and attendance centers. Videotape courses that provide undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering to students throughout the state are enhanced with the Internet.

Distributed learning courses are listed each semester in “The UCF Virtual Campus” section of the UCF Schedule of Classes. Students who plan to enroll in a course with a web component or in a videotape course must have access to the Internet, a web browser such as Netscape, basic web browsing knowledge, ability to use e-mail, and basic computer skills such as word processing. Refer to http://distrib.ucf.edu/ for additional information.

Center for Distributed Learning

The Center for Distributed Learning serves as the Virtual Campus for the university. The Center’s mission is to provide support to students, faculty, and staff as new and existing technologies become increasingly available for distributed learning courses and programs. The Center is responsible for planning and administering interactive television, video, and web-based programs. It serves as a clearinghouse for processes and resources providing support and marketing for off-campus and distributed learning credit programs. The Center also coordinates the university’s standards and accreditation changes resulting from web-based instruction. The Center has an advisory committee composed of the distributed learning coordinators from each college, faculty, and representatives from other units on campus that support distributed learning.

UCF Brevard Area Campus

Graduate programs are offered in:
Aerospace Engineering and Space Systems (M.S.)
Business Administration (M.B.A.) [at BCC Melbourne]
Communicative Disorders (M.A.)
Criminal Justice (M.S.)
Educational Leadership (M.Ed.)
Education - Varying Exceptionalities (M.Ed. and M.A.)
Elementary Education (M.A.)
Engineering FEEDS/ITV, on videotape at Kennedy Space Center,
       BCC Palm Bay, and UCF Brevard-Cocoa
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems (M.S.)
Public Administration (M.P.A.)
Vocational Education (M.Ed. and M.A.)

The UCF Brevard campus is co-located on the Brevard Community College campus in Cocoa. The university offers junior- and senior-level classes leading to the bachelor's degree in thirteen undergraduate majors. Eight graduate programs offer course work for the master's degree.

The campus maintains its own undergraduate admissions, registration/records, and financial aid services offices, co-located with BCC offices in the BCC Student Center. The five colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, and Health and Public Affairs) maintain offices for staff and faculty, providing on-site advisement for graduate and post-baccalaureate students in all majors offered on the campus.

The UCF-BCC Joint Use Library offers full library services. The Florida Solar Energy Center, located adjacent to the UCF Brevard campus, conducts research on a broad range of energy-related issues. Other offices maintained on the Brevard campus include: Student Government Association, Campus Life, cashiering services, a joint use computer lab, bookstore.

Records, financial aid services, and undergraduate admissions are located in the BCC Student Center. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Graduate program services are offered in the college advising offices in the Lifelong Learning Center, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Office hours are extended during registration cycles.

A Brevard Community College parking sticker is required for parking lots on the BCC campuses. Decals are free through the UCF Brevard administrative support office, suite 147 of the Lifelong Learning Center, with a valid UCF ID and proof of registration.

UCF Daytona Beach Campus

Associate Campus Director: William J. Wetherell
(904) 255-7423, ext. 4025
General information telephone number: (904) 254-4460
For directions to the Daytona campus

The UCF Daytona Beach Campus offers upper-division and graduate-level courses to residents of Volusia and Flagler counties. UCF courses are taught by twenty resident faculty, visiting Orlando faculty, and local adjuncts. Additional programs and courses will be added as needs are identified.

A wide range of services are offered for Daytona Beach students including admissions, registration, financial aid, student clubs and organizations, disability services, veterans' affairs, career resources, and others. The Daytona Beach Community College Library provides a full range of library services. Admissions, registration, and student services offices are located in Building 34. Business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Hours are extended during scheduled registration periods.

Division of Continuing Education

Division Administrative Office

AVP, Director: J. Patrick Wagner
12424 Research Parkway, Suite 265, Orlando, FL 32826
Phone (407) 207-4920 • Fax (407) 207-4930

The Division of Continuing Education is the unit within Academic Affairs that coordinates, in collaboration with the colleges, all UCF continuing education activity. Programs include nonfundable credit courses and an array of noncredit programs including conferences, institutes, short courses, workshops, seminars, and camps. Many of these programs are awarded Continuing Education Units (CEUs), when managed through the Division.

Off-Campus College Credit Programs

This unit of the Division of Continuing Education provides support for UCF’s colleges and academic departments that schedule courses and degree programs off campus at various area businesses and governmental agencies. Registration may be conducted on-site or via the Web for convenience of the participants. Registration for nonadmitted students through this unit does not constitute standard admission to the university.

Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies

Director: Consuelo Stebbins
TR 547 • (407) 823-5515
Assistant Director: Myrna Creasman
TR 547 • (407) 823-5455

Using contemporary teaching methodology and computer-assisted instruction, the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies provides English language instruction for international students. Four levels of instruction are offered which range from beginning to advanced, and special attention is given to preparing students for academic course work in their specialized fields of study. Full-time students enrolled at the advanced level may elect to take courses as non-degree-seeking students while enrolled in the Intensive English program. Students are required to take an entry placement test to determine their level of proficiency. Student (F-1) visas are extended to qualified applicants. The Center also offers English for Special Purposes for international business personnel.

South Orlando Center

Director: John Duryea
Orlando Central Park • (407) 856-6585
For directions to the Center

The South Orlando Center offers noncredit educational programs designed to meet the professional development needs of individuals and organizations throughout the state and the region. Offerings include seminars, workshops, conferences, symposia, and certificate programs that enable practitioners to seek personal enrichment and/or professional advancement. Programs are developed in cooperation with the academic colleges and institutes, and university faculty and support services are utilized to bring maximum benefit to both nontraditional and traditional learners.

Working closely with business, professional, and service organizations, the Center designs programs that best meet the needs of the working community. To substantiate the content of professional programs, as well as to offer credentials to verify a learner’s participation, Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are offered to qualified and eligible participants.

The South Orlando Center also offers graduate and undergraduate courses from each of the UCF colleges. Graduate certificate courses are also offered and more are being planned for the coming semesters. Graduate and undergraduate courses are offered in a variety of ways, including traditional face-to-face format, Interactive Television, WEB, and FEEDS. Parking is free and plentiful.

The Center is located in Orlando Central Park, a site convenient to students who live or work in southwest Orange County and north Osceola County. A television studio at the Center has the capacity to receive signals for interactive television courses. There is a computer lab for student use, and the library is equipped with LUIS terminals. Admission and financial assistance information is available.

UCF Downtown

The Downtown Center is located in the heart of downtown Orlando. Situated near Orlando’s Church Street Station, access to the center is easy. With six classrooms, including a 130-seat lecture hall, a multitude of credit and noncredit courses and programs are made available to UCF students as well as to the business and residential community of Orlando. The Institute of Government, housed at the center, further expands opportunities for professional development through ongoing workshops and seminars. In addition, a distributed learning center features an interactive television system that connects students to courses on the main campus and to satellite conference sites. A state-of-the-art computer lab provides the latest technology to aid student learning and enhance computer literacy. Selected engineering courses are available by video to meet the needs of students unable to attend classes offered at set times. Admission, financial assistance, and other college information is readily available.

The Downtown Center also serves as a centralized place for meetings, mini-conferences, and retreats. The AT&T executive conference room and flexible classroom space create an atmosphere conducive to hosting a variety of educational activities and cultural events to promote the mission of the university.

The Downtown Center offers upper-division and graduate-level courses through the colleges of Health and Public Affairs, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, and Engineering.

Information Technologies and Resources

University Libraries

Director: Barry B. Baker
Associate Director: Frank R. Allen
Associate Director: Margaret K. Scharf
LR 512 • (407) 823-2564

Professional Staff:
Ellen P. Anderson, Joseph C. Andrews, Buenaventura B. Basco, Penny M. Beile, Linda K. Colding, Eda M. Correa, Carmen L. Docurro, J. Richard Gause, Jr., Donna R. Goda, Michael L. Gorzka, Carole S. Hinshaw, Athena R. Hoeppner, Suzanne E. Holler, Phyllis J. Hudson, Gary L. Hyslop, Selma K. Jaskowski, Patricia E. Kenly, Marcus D. Kilman, Allison O. King, Cynthia M. Kisby, Chang C. Lee, Cheryl G. Mahan, Kimberly K. Montgomery, Jeanne M. Piascik, Meredith C. Semones, Roger D. Simmons, Marilyn R. Snow, Peter Spyers-Duran II, Mem T. Staley, Linda J. Sutton, Jeannette A. Ward, Jack L. Webb, Ying Zhang.

The main University Library, house in a facility of 226,000 square feet, has a collection of over 1.2 million volumes, including 8,100 current serial subscriptions. In addition to bound volumes, the library owns approximately 2.1 million microforms and 27,000 media titles. UCF is a partial depository for both United States and Florida government publications. The Library is open approximately 103 hours per week including evenings and weekends. Hours are extended during the last few weeks of each semester and shortened during vacation periods. Current hours are available on the web site (http://library.ucf.edu/hours.htm) or by calling 823-2756. Borrowing periods for library materials vary depending on the item format. See the web site (http://library.ucf.edu/circ/) for complete circulation policies.

WebLUIS, the Library's web-based catalog, can be accessed from any public as well as home PC. From the web go to http://library.ucf.edu and click on WebLUIS. WebLUIS also offers a gateway to hundreds of electronic databases, the catalogs of other state university system libraries, and the community college system libraries. CD-ROM based databases are available from within the Library in the Electronic Reference Area, located near the Reference Desk on the second (main) floor. For help and advice in the use of the Library and its materials, the Reference Desk is open during most library hours. Librarians are on duty for assistance with interpreting the on-line catalog (holdings and locations), as well as with electronic reference sources and other library collections.

The Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services Department (ILL) assists students in obtaining materials not owned by the Library. Most book loans and photocopied materials can be acquired free of charge within two weeks. Request forms are available on the ILL web site at http://library.ucf.edu/ill, at the ILL Office (Room 222), or at the Reference Desk. For more information, call 823-2383 during office hours or visit the ILL web site.

Special services are provided for people with disabilities. By using WebLUIS, students can determine the availability of books they need and telephone the Library to request that books be retrieved from the shelves and brought to them at the circulation desk. A Kurzweil reading machine is available in the Library for people with visual impairments; students may arrange for instruction in its use. Through the cooperation of the university's Office of Student Disability Services and the Florida Bureau of Blind Services, the library staff will aid disabled students in obtaining special equipment they may need to use library resources.

The Curriculum Materials Center (CMC), a unit of the University Library, is located in the Educations Building. The CMC provides representative K-12 curriculum materials for preview, review, analysis, and circulation. The facility serves primarily the students and faculty of the College of Education, however, it is open to all campus faculty, staff, and students. For more information on this center, see the CMC web site at http://library.ucf.edu/CMC or call 823-2791.

Additional library collections are available at the Brevard Community College/Universtiy of Central Florida Joint Use Library in Cocoa and at the Daytona Beach Community College Library in Daytona Beach. At both locations the university partners with the local community college to provide complete information services, including materials processing and checkout. Both locations have electronic access to LUIS and to university resources on the web. Courier and intercampus loan services make the main library's collections available to UCF students at all area campus sites. For more information, see the web site at http://library.ucf.edu/branches.htm.

Computer Services and Telecommunications

Computer Services and Telecommunications provides central support services for administrative data processing, instruction and research computing, telecommunication networks, e-mail, telephone, information technology training, user help, and microcomputer technology to the university.

Central instruction and research computing is provided primarily by computers located on the main campus as follows: Novell LAN fileservers, Sun Enterprise 450, IBM ES/9000 model 170 and other Internet and campus facilities. There are two public access DELL PC labs in Computer Center II (CCII), Education (EDU), and the Business Building (BA). UNIX equipment is available in CCII. PowerMac and Macintosh labs are available in CCII and EDU. Public access labs are available for faculty and students. Most labs are open seven days a week with extended hours. A Cyberknight Center is available in CCII to assist students with computer and Internet needs.

Voice Response systems are available for dial-up registration, grades, and financial aid information. Similar services are available from the web at https://polaris.ucf.edu. Campus KIOSK workstations are available in several campus buildings for frequently asked questions and individual student record information. Additional information is available on the UCF World Wide Web servers. Access to Internet and campus information servers is available to our students through Pegasus accounts provided to all newly enrolled students.

The university also operates a full-service on-campus computer store (Student Union), which provides the UCF community a source for quality computer products and services at competitive prices. The store is an authorized campus re-seller for Dell, Apple, Microsoft, and many other products. Maintenance and training support is also available from the store.

Office of Instructional Resources (OIR)

Director: Dr. Ruth Marshall
Classroom Building I, Room 203
(407) 823-2571 • Fax: (407) 823-2109

The Office of Instructional Resources (OIR) supports UCF administrators, faculty, and staff with multimedia design and production, digital media, television production, audio production, photography, graphics, and a full range of multimedia and audiovisual classroom support services. OIR’s facilities include the Digital Image Processing Lab (DIPL), located in the Research Pavilion in the Central Florida Research Park. In association with its community partners, DIPL offers UCF faculty access to state-of-the-art digital imaging technologies including digital image processing, digital document scanning, and CD-ROM production. OIR’s Faculty Multimedia Center (CBI, Room 202) provides multimedia production and training resources for faculty using Macintosh and Windows personal computer systems. OIR’s Electronic Classrooms (CBI, Rooms 307 and 320) are used for video conferencing and distributed learning course origination. They also provide faculty with excellent locations for training in distributed learning production and delivery skills. The Experimental Classroom (CBI, Room 212) provides UCF faculty with a room to demonstrate new classroom technologies in association with UCF industry partners. OIR also supports over forty advanced multimedia classrooms located throughout the campus.

OIR provides UCF with a full array of distributed learning delivery systems including an interactive video network that serves several rooms on the main campus; the Downtown Academic Center; the branch campuses at Brevard, Daytona, South Orlando, and Palm Bay; and other off-campus locations. An ITFS network serves the main campus, the Downtown Academic Center in Orlando, the branch campuses in Brevard and Daytona, and the South Orlando campus. OIR also provides Ku and C-band satellite reception, cable television delivery on the main campus, and ISDN (384k) video conference equipment and facilities.

Course Development and Web Services

Course Development and Web Services (CD&WS) supports teaching and learning on-line at UCF. The unit is responsible for offering classes to faculty about teaching on-line, such as IDL 6543 (http://reach.ucf.edu/~idl6543) offered twice a year and WebCT Academy (http://reach.ucf.edu/~webct411) offered year-round to all faculty, staff, and student assistants. CD&WS also produces on-line courses and web sites found on the Reach Server (http://reach.ucf.edu) and maintains the university's primary web site. Webmaster support through training and referrals is available upon request for departments and faculty needing web-based authoring. Special events are held regularly to promote campus-wide participation and web-based research and development.

CD&WS comprises teams of instructional and digital media designers, software engineers, and programmers called Techrangers who work with faculty, departments, and students to create collaborative digital media projects. The Pegasus Connections CD-ROM is produced semiannually by CD&WS to provide the UCF community with Internet software tools, tutorials, and UCF information.

On-line courses are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.

Florida Engineering Education Delivery System (FEEDS) Program

Director: Dr. Ron Eaglin
Coordinator: Naomi Morris
ENGR 387 • (407) 823-2481

The College of Engineering offers all graduate engineering programs by means of live delivery or videotaped instruction. Programs and courses offered are delivered by videotape to branch campuses or to businesses either in-state or out-of-state. Businesses can sign up to receive courses through a partner in education agreement with the College of Engineering. Courses offered through the FEEDS system are listed on the FEEDS web site and in the FEEDS annual catalog and the UCF Schedule of Classes. Also available from the FEEDS system are the Engineering graduate certificate programs offered by each discipline. More information about these programs is available from each engineering department or the Engineering home page at http://www.engr.ucf.edu.

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