A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN Our faculty propel research in areas that reshape global commerce. Our ambitious students are entrepreneurs who are eager to lead. Our location at the center of a rapidly growing technology and space economy creates extraordinary opportunity, connecting the classroom to real-world innovation and impact. Philanthropy allows us to move faster, think bigger and lead with confidence. With private support, we can attract world-class faculty, expand experiential learning, invest in innovative programs like the Space MBA, and create spaces where students and industry collaborate in meaningful ways. These investments ensure our graduates are not only career-ready, but prepared to adapt and lead in an economy that continues to evolve.
CASE FOR SUPPORT
The UCF College of Business is at a defining moment.
Go for Lauch is not simply about growth. It is about alignment. Alignment with UCF’s vision as Florida’s leading engineering and technology university. Alignment with the needs of employers and communities. And alignment with donors who believe education is the most powerful engine for long-term impact. Together, we can shape the next generation of business leaders and problem solvers. Thank you for considering how you might help shape the future of the College of Business.
MEETING THE MOMENT Central Florida is one of the nation’s most dynamic regions for technology, space and advanced industry. As Florida’s leading engineering and technology university, UCF is uniquely positioned to meet this moment — but business education must evolve alongside it. UCF’s College of Business aligns talent, curriculum and partnerships to prepare students for careers that until recently did not exist -- from data analytics and financial technology to space commercialization and digital marketing. Our students are ready to lead in a rapidly changing economy. Public funding alone cannot move at the pace required. Private philanthropy is the catalyst that allows us to attract top faculty, support high-achieving students, modernize learning environments and expand experiential education tied directly to industry needs. We invite you to join us on a historic mission. Go for Launch is more than a UCF philanthropic campaign — it’s our commitment to shape what’s possible. Help be the engine that projects the College of Business into a realm where boundaries are endless. Come aboard as we prepare for liftoff. The trajectory is clear: innovation, impact and opportunity. Our future. Your move.
College of Business-Case Support-Trifold.indd 1
Paul Jarley, Ph. D. Dean, UCF College of Business
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS BY NUMBERS
TOP 5
TOP 5%
10+
15+
OF BUSINESS SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE WITH AACSB ACCREDITATION
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS EARNED BY PROFESSIONAL SELLING PROGRAM
UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE BUSINESS DEGREE PROGRAMS
UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE BUSINESS DEGREE PROGRAMS
21
250+
9,500+
AMONG U.S. PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES FOR PATENTS (NATIONAL ACADEMY OF INVENTORS)
BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS ENGAGE STUDENTS ANNUALLY THROUGH THE EXCHANGE, AN INTERACTIVE TED TALK-STYLE FORUM
UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS PREPARING TO LEAD ACROSS INDUSTRIES
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CONNECT WITH US: UCF Advancement & Partnerships P.O. Box 161991 Orlando, FL 32816-1991 cobfoundation@ucf.edu 407-882-1220
WE MEAN
BUSINESS! 2/18/26 9:34 AM
OUR CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES
WHY GIVING MATTERS
Every priority in our Go for Lauch campaign advances one goal: position UCF College of Business as a national leader in technology-driven business education.
Your gift empowers students to pursue their ambitions, equips faculty to lead groundbreaking research and strengthens UCF’s role as Florida’s leading engineering and technology business school. Philanthropy here is not just support, it is transformational.
STUDENT ACCESS & SUCCESS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION
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Expand enrichment opportunities to attract high-achieving students
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Scale the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) and LaunchPad programs
Fund experiential opportunities like internships,
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research and leadership programs •
Equip students to turn ideas into viable ventures, develop
professorships in emerging fields such as: •
Data Analytics
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Financial Technology
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Technology Entrepreneurship
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New Product Development
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Space Commercialization
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Digital Marketing
WHAT STUDENTS SAY
With the mortgage brokerage business he started in just its fifth year, 33-year-old Brian Tewes ‘14 is proving he is old enough to
PLANTING SEEDS OF CHANGE
Expand experiential competitions and innovation
The working conditions were harsh and the pay abysmal for farmhands like her
Recruit and retain world-class faculty to inspire, mentor and lead research initiatives through endowed chairs and
YOUNG ALUMNUS ESTABLISHES ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP SOONER RATHER THAN LATER
startups and create new products challenges that mirror real-world business environments
FACULTY EXCELLENCE
WHAT DONORS SAY
shape his own future, but young enough to do it differently than other thirty-somethings. While he cuts his teeth as president of Tewes Lending, the UCF graduate has chosen to help aspiring
parents. Leslie Gutierrez-Gonzales ’26 recalls the strain across their faces when
entrepreneurs take the steps needed to build their own careers.
they returned home each evening after toiling in the hot Kansas sun. Of course,
Brian established the Tewes Family Endowed Scholarship, which
she admired and respected her mother and father, who had immigrated from
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING & INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS
Mexico, for their hard work. But Leslie had other plans. She was determined to
•
become the first in her family to graduate from college. When the family moved to
Build the corporate co-learning courtyard and dedicated partnership spaces
• •
Integrate industry projects into the curriculum
to create opportunities and pursue their ambitions.
Orlando a few years ago, Leslie broke the mold and enrolled at UCF, where she was
“I was taught by my family and my peers that nothing compares
introduced to marketing.
for hands-on experience
“I loved both the human aspect and the analytical sides to marketing,” says Leslie,
Connect students with executives, alumni and
a marketing major who balances busy schedule that includes coursework, an
entrepreneurs for mentorship and skill-building
provides financial support for students in UCF’s College of Business
to the feeling you get from giving back,” says Brian, who leads an Orlando-based team of loan officers, processors, and assistants charged with helping consumers purchase or refinance a home.
“It’s amazing that when you give back, things come right back to you. It’s just how the universe works.”
internship at Universal Studios and her roles as student ambassador for the College of Business and executive board member with UCF’s chapter of the American Marketing Association. She credits the financial assistance she received from the Mark Plaumann ‘74 ’79MBA and Marilyn Wilson Endowed Scholarship for First-Generation Business Students -- with enabling her to pursue her goals.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUPPORT
“The scholarship has been invaluable.” says Leslie. “I know my parents are extremely proud of me and the legacy I am leaving for the rest of my family.”
PLANTING SEEDS OF OPPORTUNITY No one in his family had gone to college until Raymond Smithberger ’02 left the 100-acre farm where he, his
The Go for Launch campaign offers high-impact ways to shape the College of Business and leave a legacy. Every gift is an investment in the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators.
parents and four siblings lived in Southeast Ohio in pursuit of an undergraduate degree and later an MBA at UCF. As the chief operating officer at Help at Home, a national
ENDOWED CHAIRS & PROFESSORSHIPS •
Data Analytics
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Financial Technology
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Technology Entrepreneurship
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New Product Development
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Space Commercialization
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Digital Marketing
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP CO-LEARNING SPACE
PROGRAM & CENTER NAMING OPPORTUNITIES
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Transform the courtyard between BA-1 and BA-2 into a hub for experiential learning
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Enable students to collaborate directly with corporate partners on campus
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Provide space for internships, workshops and hands-on projects
College of Business-Case Support-Trifold.indd 2
FINDING MR. WRIGHT
provider of relationship-based, person-centered home
At 5-foot-9, a career in the National Basketball Association was a tall order for Brian
care, Ray credits his mother for motivating him to choose
Wright ’06 until he enrolled in UCF’s DeVos Sports Management program. With the help
Center for Entrepreneurial
of one of his professors who was impressed with his dedication and volunteer work with
Leadership
UCF athletics, Brian landed an internship with the Orlando Magic, and he started to think
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Professional Sales Program
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Department of Finance
anything is possible. “You never really know in life who those mentors will be and who will be able to help you,” says Brian, who was named general manager of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs in 2019.
“To this day, I still use much of my coursework from my time at UCF. The lessons learned in my finance and organizational behavior courses still apply to my day-to-day job, but it’s really about those relationships and bonds I built through UCF – they’re unlike anywhere else.”
a path beyond the vegetable gardens, cows and pigs. “She was the one who really pushed me to do things differently,” says Ray, who honored his mother following her passing by establishing the Katherine Crock Memorial Fund to provide scholarships for first-generation college students like himself. “And education was important to
her. She had me at 19 and had wanted to go to college but never had the chance.”
2/18/26 9:34 AM