UCF has been named one of the nation’s “best value” colleges and universities this year by The Princeton Review and Kiplinger magazine. UCF ranked 33rd on the Kiplinger list, which includes colleges that combine excellent economic value with an outstanding education.
Just this week, the international news service Reuters published a story describing how Central Florida is “benefiting from above average jobs growth” and “a booming health sciences complex.”
Many UCF graduates remain in the Metro Orlando area, and they will enter the job market with less debt than most of their peers around the country.
Reuters noted that Metro Orlando has added 23,000 jobs in the 12-month period ending in February. That’s nearly half of the total number of jobs added in Florida during that time.
Commencement Details
More than 7,100 UCF students anticipate graduating this spring. They include 5,950 who intend to receive bachelor’s degrees and 1,075 who expect master’s degrees. The graduates also include 60 students who plan to earn Ph.Ds.
Ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, at the UCF Arena. The procession of graduates will begin 20 minutes before the start of each ceremony.
The 9 a.m. ceremony on May 6 will feature graduates of the College of Business Administration, College of Engineering & Computer Science and College of Optics and Photonics. The speaker will be Seminole County Commission Chairman Brenda Carey.
The 2 p.m. ceremony on May 6 will include graduates of the College of Arts & Humanities, College of Health & Public Affairs and College of Nursing. The speaker will be Ava Parker, chair of the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s 11 public universities.
On May 7, the 9 a.m. ceremony will feature graduates of the College of Education, College of Graduate Studies, Office of Undergraduate Studies and Rosen College of Hospitality Management. The speaker will be Richard Maladecki, president of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association.
The final ceremony, at 2 p.m. May 7, will include graduates of the College of Medicine and College of Sciences. The speaker will be Waymon Armstrong, president and founder of Engineering and Computer Simulations Inc. and the 2010 National Small Business Person of the Year.
Guests must have tickets to attend the ceremonies. Guests without tickets are welcome to view live closed-circuit telecasts of the ceremonies from the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center across from the UCF Arena. Broadcasts also will be posted after the ceremonies at http://webcast.oir.ucf.edu.
Following the four ceremonies, UCF will have awarded more than 218,000 degrees since classes began in 1968.
For more information, go to the Registrar’s Office commencement website.