Michael Morsberger, vice president for advancement and CEO of the UCF Foundation, will soon be on temporary leave recovering from scheduled open-heart surgery.
Morsberger is scheduled to have the procedure in April, he announced at recent UCF Foundation and alumni board meetings. He will be out a few months for recovery, he confirmed to Knight News.
Morsberger said that his doctors at Cleveland Clinic scheduled an open-heart surgery on April 29, with the possibility that the date could be moved up.
Morsberger will have to go to Cleveland for monitoring, pretesting, and catheterization beginning April 25. He said the recovery and rehab process for this procedure is about 90 days, with frequent local follow-ups for about six months.
Morsberger reached out to Knight News to put rumors to rest about his health. He said during this time he has taken calls and emails from people saying they heard he was dying.
Morsberger told Knight News that this is not true — he wanted to stress this is simply a health situation he needs to address.
Morsberger is looking forward to returning to UCF after he recovers from his surgery.
Until then, Karen Cochran will be serving as acting vice president and CEO of the UCF Foundation. Morsberger will continue to work on coordinated principal and major gifts cultivation and solicitation from now through the middle of April.
“I know we are in good hands moving forward,” Morsberger said in an email to his colleagues announcing his leave. “On behalf of myself and my family, thank you again for your support during this health crisis.”
UCF has celebrated fundraising milestones since Morsberger has taken over in 2016. That’s when UCF’s Ignite campaign launched publically — and it concluded in 2019 with a $531.5 million attainment.
