UCF in the News

The University of Central Florida will host the Hula Bowl at its Bounce House Stadium in 2022. The game is set for January 15 and will be the ninth NCAA bowl game in Florida during the upcoming college football season.

A team from the University of Central Florida - UCF RESTORES - was deployed to Surfside to make sure first responders had the mental health support they needed. Deborah Beidel, the executive director of the PTSD treatment clinic and research center, discusses the use of exposure therapy and virtual reality in treatment.

UCF art student and medical tattoo artist Stacie Becker focuses her artistry inking on nipples for breast cancer survivors. Becker has tattooed countless women. Her ink often marks the final chapter with cancer for many women. It is an experience, Becker said, that never gets old.

Millions of Americans are choosing to ignore reliable research, instead relying on their own misinformation superhighway. “You have a cellphone and you’re on social media,” said Chrysalis Wright, an associate lecturer in the psychology department of the University of Central Florida who focuses on understanding the allure of misinformation and so-called fake news.

At the Westside Community Center’s 10th annual back to school drive in Sanford, cars are lined up to receive items like hygiene kits, backpacks, school supplies and even free haircuts. “I just feel like it’s pretty important to the community that people come out here and support and give away for schools,” said C.J. Walker, a rising junior basketball player with UCF.

UCF research has helped generate dozens of startups and business partnerships. The university as of fiscal 2020 reported 33 active startups connected to its research in industries such as health care, manufacturing and technology, as well as 32 products on the market. That work has led to a number of local business spinoffs that have had recent success, which can create jobs and generate economic impact in Central Florida.

UCF on Tuesday announced that its plans to return to pre-pandemic operations remain in place and are in alignment with directives from the State of Florida and Florida’s State University System. The university said it is expecting students and staff to wear masks when indoors, regardless of vaccine status.

Now a year into his tenure, UCF President Alexander Cartwright wants to establish the university as one of the nation’s top 50 public research universities. Cartwright's goals include doubling the university's federal research funds — $110.77 million for fiscal 2020 — and significantly expanding UCF’s number of patent awards, research publications and licensed products created by UCF. He also wants to get businesses more involved in the research-and-development process.

Perhaps the greatest myth in academia is that enhancing access automatically results in a loss in rigor and excellence. Universities such as the University of Texas at Arlington, Arizona State University, and the University of Central Florida have all shown that it is possible to increase access and enrollment without decreases in student success.