Frequent donators to the University of Central Florida, Jim & Julia Rosengren have committed $6.6 million to their alma mater in one of the largest alumni commitments in university history.
“The generosity of Jim and Julia will help the university tremendously,” said UCF President John Hitt.
“Their support of such diverse programs and their commitment to our students, faculty, researchers, and student-athletes allow us to continue our upward trajectory.”
According to UCF, their donation will support:
- An endowed chair to support the activities of UCF RESTORES, a clinic operated by Deborah Beidel, a Pegasus Professor of psychology. The clinic has shown remarkable success treating veterans and first responders with PTSD.
- The UCF Marine Turtle Research Group, which for more than 30 years has conducted research on the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most important sea turtle nesting sites in the world.
- The university’s Football Excellence Fund, dedicated to providing exceptional resources for the Knights.
- The Department of Modern Languages & Literatures in the College of Arts & Humanities.
- An endowed professorship in the College of Sciences.
The Rosengrens have committed $7.95 million so far, the largest total from an alumnus yet.
“We just decided to spread the love around a little bit,” Rosengren said. “It is important to us to be able to take some of our wealth and put it in areas we are passionate about.”
The Rosengrens currently reside in Dallas, Texas, where Jim retired as executive chairman of Heritage Health Solutions, a healthcare company that serves more than 3 million veterans through government contracts.
“For us to be able to take some of our wealth and put it in an environment that I am passionate about and Julia has become very passionate about, for me, there’s no better place,” said Jim to UCF. “It’s like Dorothy said, ‘There’s no place but home.’”
