2.1  Academic Mission Element

       Data and Analysis

       2005-2015 Campus Master Plan Update

                    a)                  A description of how the University’s mission has changed (or not) since its inception.

UCF at its founding was titled “Florida Technological University,” and in keeping with that, its mission was expressly technological.  However, the mission has broadened dramatically over the ensuing forty years to the present.  Re-titled in the late 1970’s as “University of Central Florida,” the institution has developed into a major metropolitan university, rapidly growing, with a full complement of undergraduate and graduate programs.  It is strongly oriented toward cutting-edge research in a wide variety of disciplines that span the academic spectrum.  Emphasis is given to research and other partnership activities with special relevance to the dynamic “I-4 High Tech Corridor,” which stretches across the central Florida region from Tampa through Orlando to the space coast.

                    b)                 A description of how the University’s mission has changed since the last master plan was prepared.

The mission most recently adopted by the State University System for the University of Central Florida has maintained its overall tone and character.  UCF remains committed to providing an undergraduate education rooted in the arts and sciences while offering comprehensive graduate and professional programs.  The current mission restates goals and visions predicated in the 1995 Mission, while reinforcing ties to the Central Florida geographic region.  Partnerships such as the I-4 High - Technology Corridor Council are highlighted, as examples of the desire for continued cooperation with the local community on issues of the economy, arts, culture and education.