{"id":13014,"date":"2017-11-09T21:35:04","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T21:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=13014&post_type=story"},"modified":"2020-07-01T13:39:48","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T13:39:48","slug":"president-john-c-hitt-announces-retirement","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/president-john-c-hitt-announces-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"President Hitt Steps Down"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t
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President Hitt Steps Down<\/h1>\n\t

\n\t\tAfter 26 years, John C. Hitt announced he is retiring from the UCF presidency in 2018.
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Fall 2017<\/em>\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tOn October 24, John C. Hitt announced he was\r\nstepping down as president of UCF, effective\r\nJune 30, 2018. Hitt and his wife, Martha, arrived on campus in 1992 and have since dedicated their lives to making UCF one of the largest and best universities in the nation. For 26 years, Hitt fostered partnerships to expand UCF\u2019s offerings to increase students\u2019 opportunities to earn college degrees. In turn, his vision not only transformed the UCF community, but the entire Central Florida region. Hitt will continue to be a part of the Knight family even during retirement, helping to advance philanthropic, community and partnership goals as president emeritus.

$2.23 Billion <\/strong>
Earned in research funding since 1992 

30,477<\/strong> 
Minority students enrolled at UCF in Fall 2017. This is more than the total enrollment in 1991\u201392, which was 21,267 students. 

850 
<\/strong>National Merit Scholars enrolled since 2002 

71 <\/strong>
New degree programs

4.06<\/strong>
Average GPA for this year\u2019s freshmen. The average GPA for freshmen in 1995 was 3.34. 

3 
<\/strong>Consecutive years UCF has had the highest student-athlete graduation success rate in the nation
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt meets with leadership in his conference room to discuss the transition.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tMarcos Marchena \u201982<\/em><\/strong>, chairman of the UCF Board of Trustees, addresses President Hitt.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt takes a moment to reflect before taking the stage at the press conference.<\/em>


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\n\t\t\t\t\tThe crowd gives President Hitt a standing ovation as he takes the stage.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt announces his retirement from the UCF presidency with his wife, Martha, at his side.
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[blockquote source=”President John C. Hitt” cite=”” color=”#bd9a36″ css_class=””]\u201cWhen we first visited campus, [Martha and I] had a powerful feeling that UCF was a special place. We never could have imagined then how very special it would become.\u201d [\/blockquote]
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\n\t\t\t\t\tVice President and Executive Chief of Staff Rick Schell, UCF Foundation CEO Mike Morsberger and Vice President of Student Develop and Enrollment Services Maribeth Ehasz were in the front row to show their support for Hitt.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cI\u2019ve never felt better about the future of UCF. I make this decision in good health and of my choosing. The time is right for this decision because I\u2019ve never felt better about UCF.\u201d<\/em>
\u2014 President Hitt
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt wears a gold Pegasus ring on his finger as a sign of his commitment to, and love for, UCF. <\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tMartha joins President Hitt on stage at the conclusion of his announcement. <\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tThose gathered give President Hitt a standing ovation as he takes a seat.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cFor me as a coach, he hired me, and I\u2019m eternally gratefully for the opportunity he\u2019s given me. <\/em>I love UCF and love the opportunity here, so I’m going to miss him<\/em>.<\/em>\u201d
<\/em>\u2014 Men’s Basketball Head Coach Johnny Dawkins

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\n\t\t\t\t\tUCF Provost Dale Whittaker smiles as he applauds President Hitt.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tUCF Board of Trustees Chairman Marcos Marchena, who will lead a committee in a comprehensive, transparent and extensive search for the next president of UCF, discusses the transition. The search committee convened by Marchena include trustees and representatives from the faculty, staff, student body, alumni, the Florida Board of Governors and the Central Florida community. <\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt speaks to a group of reporters after his speech.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tSGA President Nick Larkins and Vice President Cristina Barreto represented the student body at the press conference.<\/em>
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cMaking this decision now provides the best opportunity for our momentum to continue. I know that our leadership team, including our trustees, vice presidents, and deans, will continue turning big dreams into reality.<\/em>\u201d<\/i>
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