{"id":152379,"date":"2026-04-15T11:04:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=152379"},"modified":"2026-04-15T11:30:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:30:02","slug":"first-gen-alumnus-behind-transformational-gift-believes-in-power-of-philanthropy-to-change-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/first-gen-alumnus-behind-transformational-gift-believes-in-power-of-philanthropy-to-change-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Gen Alumnus Behind Transformational Gift Believes in Power of Philanthropy to Change Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Barry Miller \u201995<\/strong> was graduating from high school, his dad decided to make a move from northeast Pennsylvania to the warmer climate of Daytona Beach, Florida. He urged his son, who was interested in business and accounting, to check out UCF. Since there wasn\u2019t much information available online in the early 1990s, Miller ultimately sent a letter to UCF requesting a brochure and an application.<\/p>\n

Miller was impressed by our reputation as an early leader in technology and STEM fields, our connection to the space<\/a> program and our success expanding into other areas. In fact, UCF boasted one of the highest certified public accountant (CPA) pass rates of any public university \u2014 impressive to an aspiring accountant.<\/p>\n

So Miller applied, was accepted and committed to UCF sight unseen. It was the beginning of a journey that would change his family\u2019s trajectory, along with the university\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Today, he committed a transformational $50 million gift<\/a> \u2014 the largest single philanthropic investment in the university\u2019s history \u2014 to position UCF as a global leader in fintech<\/a>, artificial intelligence<\/a> (AI) and business innovation by establishing the Barry S. Miller College of Business.<\/p>\n