Impact Report - UCF Downtown

UPDATE

and the

DR. PHILLIPS ACADEMIC COMMONS Prepared for Dr. Phillips Charities September 2020

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ABOUT UCF

UCF

is an innovative, top-ranking

by the pandemic and strengthened its commitment

university, constantly striving to meet

to students, faculty and staff by providing enhanced

the demands of an ever-changing world.

learning environments, expanded opportunities and increased integration of technology on all of its

UCF’s total student enrollment is 72,231 as of early

campuses. Beginning fall 2020, more than three-

fall 2020, with final numbers expected in several

quarters of UCF’s lecture, lab and discussion classes

weeks. Enrollment is slightly higher than last year,

will be online or remote, and about one-quarter will

which was approximately 69,500 students. UCF

include an in-person experience.

also anticipates a record-high number of freshmen returning for their second year, with about 92

In addition, the university is launching more than

percent of freshmen who began last fall registered

two dozen new degree programs, tracks and

to continue their studies at UCF this year.

certificates this fall — most designed for online delivery — that target high-demand fields ranging

Already a leader in online education, the university

from business and engineering to optics and

has responded to the unique challenges presented

health care.

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CAMPUS OPENING AND YEAR ONE

F

rom the beginning, Dr. Phillips Charities

welcoming environment and opportunities for

shared our vision of a transformational new

all students to learn, grow and succeed.

campus in downtown Orlando. Thanks to the Watch as we celebrate our first year here: https://youtu.be/ vGGgTDAgR8Q

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organization’s generosity, we were able to see

With its bright, bold spaces outfitted with

that vision realized on August 26, 2019 — UCF

high-tech learning tools, UCF Downtown

Downtown’s opening day.

fosters learning, creativity and collaboration.

An example of such a bold collaborative space

UCF Downtown reflects and inspires the energy

is the Nicholson School of Communication and

and personalities of the nearly 8,000 students

Media’s Maker Space (above), where students

who attend classes there — approximately

and faculty access a digital fabrication lab with

6,635 from UCF and 1,322 from Valencia

high-performance equipment to experiment

College in spring 2020, and 5,800 from UCF

and create virtual reality games, web designs

and 1,674 from Valencia in fall 2019 — and the

and interdisciplinary projects with other

more than 400 faculty and staff who create a

departments and colleges.

UCF Downtown’s location helps students access more opportunities to achieve academic success, community impact and professional development. “The beauty of my public policy graduate program is that it was created

“Orlando is the best college city you

for downtown,” says Sierra Scott ’20. “The longer we’re

can live in with all its diversity, music,

down here, the more students will be engaged with their

culture and art scene. Being downtown

surroundings and get to see all of the opportunities that were intentionally created for us.”

is convenient for me because it puts me closer to internship opportunities

The degree programs offered on the downtown campus

at lawyers’ offices.”

enhance students’ ability to gain hands-on work experiences.

For example, in downtown Orlando alone, there are more

Jicaro Marques,

than 760 legal-related businesses or organizations where

a UCF senior majoring in legal studies

legal studies students can intern or work.

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HIGHLIGHTS

T

hanks to the support of Dr. Phillips Charities, UCF

opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience

Downtown is able to better serve its students and

through interactions with nearby government agencies

the community by creating and enhancing programs

and nonprofits.

and initiatives to address needs that are specific to the downtown core. UCF Downtown’s close proximity

In addition, two specialized certificates were recently

to Orlando’s Central Business District, Orange County

created to address industry needs. UCF’s certificate

Courthouse and City Hall allows us to provide students

in conflict resolution and analysis in our legal studies

with pathways into high-demand career fields and

department provides students with the opportunity to

increase opportunities for jobs and internships — all

dig deeper into the theories behind conflict and uncover

within walking distance of campus.

what causes disputes, while the social justice in public service graduate certificate in our school of public

A recent addition to our downtown academic

administration explores the changing needs of society.

programming is the Master of Public Policy — the first

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policy graduate program in the State University System.

Two recent moves to downtown will further increase

The program will help fill the need for public-service

internship and employment opportunities for

leaders who are well-versed in program evaluation and

students. The UCF College of Business’ executive

policy analysis. Its downtown location provides an ideal

and professional graduate programs are now

#1

Graduate School to Study Game Design

#14

#8

#7

Undergraduate School to Study Game Design

Graduate Emergency and Crisis Management

The Princeton Review & PC Gamer

U.S. News & World Report

#23

Graduate Public Management and Leadership

#53

Overall best public administration graduate school

Graduate Nonprofit Management U.S. News & World Report

#46 Graduate Health Care Management

U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report

permanently located at UCF Downtown as of fall

graduates of UCF’s graduate video game program

2020. Programs offered include executive MBA, part-

and EA will only be a two-minute walk to UCF

time and full-time professional MBA, professional MS

Downtown and our integrated Nicholson School of

in management (various tracks) and professional MS

Communication and Media.”

in real estate. The new location will offer executivestyle learning spaces and additional amenities for

UCF Downtown-based programs and schools

students, all while providing accessibility to Orlando’s

continue to rise in the ranks, including FIEA recently

Central Business District.

being named the number one graduate school for game design (Princeton Review). The Master of

Similarly, Electronic Arts, the biggest video game

Emergency and Crisis Management Program (MECM)

creator in Central Florida, plans to relocate its

ranked seventh in the nation, according to U.S.

Central Florida headquarters in Maitland to Creative

News and World Report. The MECM program, which

Village in downtown Orlando. “This is a major win

launched in 2018 and had projections of 20 students

for Orlando becoming a digital media hub,” says Ben

in the major by 2020, has enrolled 150 students for

Noel, executive director of UCF’s Florida Interactive

this fall. Other top-ranked programs include nonprofit

Entertainment Academy (FIEA) and former EA

management, public management and leadership,

employee. “One in seven EA Tiburon employees are

and healthcare management.

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

UCF fosters collaboration with its neighbors in meaningful ways to improve countless lives through

“The University of Central Florida’s downtown Orlando campus has defined the new standard for partnership in this

Learn more about Bryer here: https://ccie.ucf.edu/ profile/thomas-bryer/

the power of education.

UCF Downtown has hired Dr. Thomas Bryer, an awardwinning research scholar with

community. This project will impact

expertise in public participation and collaboration

our city center in ways that no other

across segments of society — including government,

has ever done before.”

nonprofit, private, faith-based and voluntary sectors.

As program director for community engaged

Josh Wyche ’14, executive director of the Downtown Orlando Partnership

scholarship, Bryer will capture and measure the impact of ongoing work of the more than 80 community-based projects led by UCF faculty and staff. These include food drives for the local community, addressing health

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For more information on McMeley’s project, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/ y3ycqu53

has already invested nearly $200,000 in these projects, which directly impact downtown Orlando and the Parramore neighborhood.

In one current project, Valencia College professor Mark McMeley teamed up with the Office of the Interim Assistant Provost to lead an effort to preserve photos and create a digital archive that can be used by future scholars, researchers and historians by scanning and digitizing a collection Valencia College professor Mark McMeley archives photos of Orlando’s African-American community

of photos at the Wells’Built Museum in Orlando’s historic Parramore neighborhood. “I think what

and wellness initiatives, assessing air quality and

is important to understand is the history that

environmental impacts of an urban community, bringing

we recognize as being of national importance

together educators from Pre-K through Ph.D. to address

all started out as local events,” says Elizabeth

educational barriers, and tackling innovative solutions

Thompson, director of community engagement for

for affordable housing. Partners on the projects include

UCF Downtown and Valencia College Downtown.

the City of Orlando, Orange County, courts, police,

“We want to preserve Central Florida history —

hospitals, nonprofit organizations, private businesses,

because history has a ripple effect.”

schools and neighborhood residents.

The upcoming Crossroads Lecture Series, planned Several collaborations are supported by the

for next spring on the downtown campus and live

Downtown Interdisciplinary Research Initiative

streamed on the internet, will bring students, faculty

(DIRI), which encourages interdisciplinary faculty

and community together with leading entrepreneur-

collaboration and downtown community engagement.

philanthropists for thought provoking and inspiring

Projects range from financial literacy to food insecurity

conversations exploring the intersection of free

to emergency management and homelessness. UCF

enterprise and philanthropy.

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LOOKING AHEAD

D

espite the fact that the 2019-20 academic year was interrupted by COVID-19, downtown students

continued to learn using state-of-the-art technology and enhanced teaching methods.

“The beauty of my public policy graduate program is that it was created for downtown. The

Because the UCF Downtown campus is already techheavy, pivoting to remote learning throughout the pandemic has been easily supported in multiple ways,

longer we’re down here, the more

including offering students remote access to powerful

students will be engaged with their

gaming computers. In all, 472 classes moved from

surroundings and get to see all of the

face-to-face to remote modality between spring and summer 2020.

opportunities that were intentionally created for us.”

“Regardless of modality of classes, our students Sierra Scott ’20

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can exceed their educational expectations through

our countless partnerships with local government agencies, businesses and nonprofits that enhance our classes every day,” says Professor Ross Wolf, interim

“Leaders in Central Florida have been at the forefront of disasters

assistant provost for UCF Downtown.

in terms of coordination, action,

The impact of UCF Downtown and its growing

protocols, leadership. The

partnerships in the region is already being praised.

“The University of Central Florida’s downtown Orlando campus has defined the new standard for partnership in this community,” says Josh Wyche ’14, executive director of the Downtown Orlando Partnership, an organization that recently recognized UCF Downtown for its broad-reaching contributions to the community.

“This project will impact our city center in ways that no other has ever done before. UCF Downtown is truly woven into the fabric of our city … this unique partnership project ignites cultural growth that binds our community together.”

UCF is known as a partnership university, and we could not have achieved our vision for this campus without your support. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Phillips Charities, we are changing lives and livelihoods by creating transformational opportunities for so many — making an impact not only on our downtown campus, but in neighboring Parramore and throughout the Central Florida region. We look forward to the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons on the UCF Downtown Campus continuing to play a vital role in the growth of downtown Orlando and throughout our region for many years to come.

[COVID] situation we’re facing isn’t one that I enjoy, but the chaos is putting my education into practice.”

Chris Goodson, Chicago paramedic and recent graduate of UCF’s emergency management program.

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