{"id":9001,"date":"2009-12-21T13:01:45","date_gmt":"2009-12-21T17:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=9001"},"modified":"2024-02-09T11:53:49","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T16:53:49","slug":"remember-when-looking-back-at-the-best-of-the-2000s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/remember-when-looking-back-at-the-best-of-the-2000s\/","title":{"rendered":"Remember When? Looking Back at the Best of the 2000s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking ahead to new opportunities is what UCF does best. But every once in a while, it\u2019s good to look back and enjoy a job well done.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why UCF is celebrating the end of a remarkable \u201cDecade of Opportunity\u201d for the university and Knights everywhere.From Nov. 25 to Dec. 11, the Central Florida community cast more than 2,000 votes to select the top five stories that demonstrate how the university is fulfilling its promise that \u201cUCF Stands for Opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The top five stories are:<\/p>\n

No. 5: U.S. News Ranks UCF as Top 5 ‘Up-and-Coming School’<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>UCF\u2019s national reputation continued to grow in 2009, as U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” guide lauded UCF as a top 5 national university to watch.<\/p>\n

No. 4: UCF surpasses $100M milestone in annual research funding<\/p>\n

<\/strong>In 2004-05, UCF surpassed $100 million in annual research funding for the first time. The university continued to secure more than $100 million every year, culminating with $121.7 million in 2008-09.<\/p>\n

No. 3: Football comes \u2018home\u2019 to Bright House Networks Stadium<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>After years of playing miles away from campus in downtown Orlando\u2019s Citrus Bowl, the Knights made their on-campus debut at the 45,000-seat stadium in September 2007 against the University of Texas.<\/p>\n

No. 2: Growth With Quality<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>When the decade began, UCF\u2019s enrollment was 33,453 students. By the fall of 2009, the university\u2019s commitment to growth with quality saw a record enrollment of 53,537 students.<\/p>\n

No. 1: UCF College of Medicine Opens<\/p>\n

<\/strong>In 2009, UCF\u2019s College of Medicine opened its doors to its charter class of 41 students, the culmination of an opportunity that had been years in the making.<\/p>\n

The list included a multitude of thrilling events that powered UCF\u2019s transformation during the past 10 years \u2014 much of it fueled by the university\u2019s first-ever capital campaign, which raised $366 million and concluded in 2006.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe outstanding accomplishments of this \u2018Decade of Opportunity\u2019 have been due in large part to the strong, unwavering support of the Central Florida community and the wonderfully generous contributions of our many university donors,\u201d UCF President John Hitt said. \u201cAs I look back, I am reminded of how far we have come, but also know our best years are ahead of us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has never been a better time to be a Knight, and I look forward to what the next \u2018Decade of Opportunity\u2019 has in store for our university.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Looking ahead to new opportunities is what UCF does best. But every once in a while, it\u2019s good to look back and enjoy a job well done. That\u2019s why UCF is celebrating the end of a remarkable \u201cDecade of Opportunity\u201d for the university and Knights everywhere.From Nov. 25 to Dec. 11, the Central Florida community cast more than 2,000 votes…","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":9002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6,27],"tags":[],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-9001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-student-life"],"yoast_head":"\nRemember When? Looking Back at the Best of the 2000s | University of Central Florida News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Looking ahead to new opportunities is what UCF does best. 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