“In May 2004, UCF Provost Hickey announced the formation of CREOL & FPCE, the College of Optics and Photonics. This event marked the first time an optics program in the United States had achieved the status of a full college in its host institution, a milestone for CREOL, and also an indication that optics and photonics was at last being recognized as a distinct, independent discipline. We had a great time for the next nine months of being the only college of optics in the US, even while being the youngest of the “Big 3” institutions among our colleagues at the University of Arizona and the University of Rochester. The next spring, the University of Arizona “saw the light” and promoted the Optical Sciences Center to the College of Optical Science. CREOL thus retains the distinction of being the first college in the field, and is glad to see other institutions following its lead.”
For more, visit the UCF College of Optics and Photonics.