Beginning today, President John C. Hitt will attend his last commencement ceremonies before his retirement on June 30.
In the ceremonies from May 3 to 5, over 8,000 students will graduate, including 6,788 bachelor’s degrees, 1,183 master’s degrees, and 147 doctoral degrees. In his tenure as president, Hitt has awarded 82 percent – or 262,858 – of UCF’s degrees since its inception 54 years ago, according to UCF.
Hitt is UCF’s fourth president, serving since 1992 – making him the longest serving president in the State University System of Florida. Since he came to office, Hitt made it a goal to make affordable and quality education available for all students, and during his time has president, UCF’s enrollment increased 211 percent and minority student enrollment grew from 15 to 46 percent, according to UCF.
As a first generation college student himself, Hitt has also witnessed a growth in the amount of first generation students at UCF – one in every four students is the first in their family to attend college, according to UCF.
Commencement ceremonies will take place at 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. May 3 through 5. Doors will open 90 minutes before each ceremony begins, and students and families should expect large crowds and high traffic, according to UCF.
