{"id":153175,"date":"2026-05-15T10:06:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=153175"},"modified":"2026-05-14T10:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T14:07:19","slug":"a-conversation-on-the-future-of-the-ucf-college-of-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/a-conversation-on-the-future-of-the-ucf-college-of-business\/","title":{"rendered":"A Conversation on the Future of the UCF College of Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the heels of a transformative $50 million gift from finance alumnus Barry Miller \u201995<\/strong> \u2014 the largest single philanthropic investment<\/a> in UCF\u2019s history \u2014 to establish the Barry S. Miller College of Business<\/a>, Dean Paul Jarley discusses the impact of Miller\u2019s investment on the college now and in the future.<\/p>\n

What was your vision for the College of Business <\/strong>when you arrived in 2012?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I arrived<\/a>, UCF had experienced tremendous growth, particularly coming out of the recession. But that growth made the college feel transactional. Faculty were stretched thin, technology had replaced in-person interaction and there wasn\u2019t a strong sense of community.<\/p>\n

What struck me most was that while we had excellent individual scholars, we didn\u2019t yet have a true community of scholars. People didn\u2019t know each other well, and without that, it\u2019s very difficult to build a shared vision.<\/p>\n

So, I started by listening. I met one-on-one with every faculty and staff member and asked three simple questions: What do you think about UCF? What would you do if you were me? And what is your role here?<\/p>\n

What emerged was powerful. Many of our faculty were first-generation college graduates, just like our students, just like Barry and just like me. They are here because they wanted to help build something different. That became the foundation for our vision: creating a culture of engagement that would transform the college experience for everyone.<\/p>\n

Faculty, students and staff here are expected to interact with each other and with people in industry and the community at large. This has helped make us fiercely practical. Faculty learn what is going on at the forefront of business. The college has a relevant curriculum with hands-on experiences for students. This helps students discover their path, develop professionally and fully engage with their future.<\/p>\n