UCF Foundation News, Fall 2013

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I N D I V I D U A L S A N D G I F T S T H AT A R E T R A N S F O R M I N G U C F

UCF Students Need a Stage

Colbourn Society

Welcomes Newest Member

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Message from the CEO Dear Friends: At a recent UCF Foundation board meeting, I was privileged to hear testimonials from several donors about why they support UCF. They shared stories about their gifts to athletics, engineering, scholarships, the arts and other areas. Their reasons for supporting UCF were as unique as the donors themselves, and their gifts were aligned with their personal passions, interests and even concerns for society.

One contributor, a graduate of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, has established an endowed fund for a new entrepreneurship program, a collaboration between engineering and business majors. It’s a gift that speaks to his own track record as an entrepreneur and his belief that private support will be a catalyst for others. This donor was the first in his family to attend college, and today he is also the parent of three children, two of whom are current UCF students. He’s a passionate advocate for his alma mater, and his reason for supporting UCF boiled down to a single sentence: “UCF made a difference for me, and I want to make a difference for UCF.” Another donor told the group that he was interested in athletics, but his wife’s charitable interests were in the arts. They did what any diversified couple might do and split their support for UCF between baseball and opera. Home runs and arias both matter for this generous couple. They matter for UCF, too, and for a student population that is as diverse in its interests as this couple.

A longtime Central Florida resident who did not attend UCF spoke of her belief that a strong hometown university enhances the quality of life for everyone in that community, not just the students. She and her husband have established an endowed scholarship fund for students at the College of Arts and Humanities. Their hope is that recipients of those scholarships – students in the performing arts – will be powered forward in their ability to share their talents with current and future audiences. As noted by Dean José Fernández’s column inside this issue, it’s another goal shared by UCF. Other donors created endowed funds to honor a parent’s legacy or chose to make commitments for UCF in their estate plans. The only common denominator for these donors, like so many others, was their belief that private philanthropy has a transformative power for individuals, institutions and communities today and for generations to come.

At the UCF Foundation, we have the privilege of knowing, in advance, just how right they are.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Holmes CEO, UCF Foundation, Inc.

Foundation board news Page 3

Donor Profile

DON MARKS, ’73 Page 3

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Gets Boost

Supporting Student Leaders

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THE PARENT SOCIETY SUPPORTS ALL KNIGHTS

Larry Tobin, president/CEO of FAIRWINDS Credit Union and a UCF parent, speaks at Parent and Family Weekend.

Parents of a new generation of Knights share a common bond of support to their children and to UCF. Last year, more than $658,000 was donated by parents in support of student programs and services that require more funding than state and or student fees provide.

Those donations built a new career resources center, renovated the library and extended the Student Union’s hours during final exams.

Members of the UCF Parent Society recently shared their commitment to education and deepened their connection to UCF at an event on September 28.

Tobin, president and CEO of FAIRWINDS Credit Union and a UCF parent, was the featured speaker.

To join the UCF Parent Society, please contact Tara Gasparovic at 407.882.1363 or Tara.Gasparovic@ucf.edu.

GLENN HUBBARD FEATURED SPEAKER AT UCF

Students at the College of Business Administration welcomed well-known and respected UCF alumnus Dr. Glenn Hubbard in September, where he spent time with students discussing issues that ranged from the economy to public policy. Hubbard, who currently serves as dean and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at

Columbia Business School, was the featured speaker at this year’s Titen Visiting Scholars Program, established through a gift for program support. Hubbard received his B.A. and B.S. degrees, summa cum laude, from UCF. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Harvard University.

Together with Tim Kane, Hubbard is co-author of a new book, Balance: The Economics of Great Powers from Ancient Rome to Modern America, which compares the economic challenges of the 21st century with the demise of some of history’s most prolific economic superpowers.

In addition to writing more than 100 scholarly articles in economics and finance, Hubbard is the author of several books and is a former chair of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers. In the corporate sector, he is on the boards of Automatic Data Processing, BlackRock, KKR and MetLife.

COLBOURN SOCIETY WELCOMES NEWEST MEMBER The Colbourn Society, which recognizes donors who make cumulative gifts of $1 million or more, recently added a new member, Insurance Office of America. Company president Jeff Lagos, ’89, was thanked for his company’s outstanding commitment at a private lunch hosted by Dr. Hitt. Lagos has served on the Golden Knights Club board of directors. In 2010 he was elected to the College of Business Administration’s Hall of Fame.

While a UCF student, he was a member of the university’s first baseball team to enter the Division 1 Regional NCAA playoffs. He has been an avid supporter of UCF Athletics ever since.

What I Believe:

THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

UCF Students Need a Stage

By José Fernández, Dean, UCF College of Arts and Humanities

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f I were asked to suggest the title of a musical composition that best describes UCF’s School of Performing Arts, I might choose Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony”. It’s one of the Viennese composer’s most popular compositions even though its existence was unknown for nearly four decades after his death.

UCF has an unfinished symphony as well. Like Schubert, our faculty and student artists share a devotion to the performing arts. They deserve recognition and applause for their achievements in music, theatre, dance and other performing arts. They also deserve something they do not

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currently have — a stage and a performance hall in which to showcase those talents on the campus of America’s second-largest university.

Three years ago, we completed phase 1 of a much-needed new performing arts center, work that provided a major upgrade to our academic facilities. It brought new teaching studios, rehearsal rooms, a music library and a theatre computer lab. Those new resources have proven essential for helping UCF students hone their abilities as actors, musicians, composers, dancers and set designers. But just as medical students need an anatomy lab and

future teachers need real classrooms in which to practice, future choreographers, directors, dancers and musicians need a performance hall.

Building the 500-seat Proscenium Theatre is the top goal for phase 2 of this project. It is also an obligation we owe to our students and faculty and to a regional economy that depends on professionally trained performers in a place where creative capital matters.

The 500-seat theatre will host productions, recitals and musical performances and become home to Theatre UCF. It will replace a too small and long-outdated theater with one that has the technology, acoustics, green building techniques and capacity to serve students and audiences for years to come.

UCF is a place that reaches for the stars, and an “Unfinished Symphony” simply won’t do. The Proscenium Theatre can only be completed with the help of those who believe that the arts are an essential component of a major metropolitan research university.

We are ready to set this stage. We have a design in place. Raising the curtain will require the generosity of many. If you want UCF to retain its position as one of the top performing arts programs in the nation, please join us. The applause will be yours.

For more information on how you can help, please contact donorrelations@ ucf.edu.

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Donor Profile

Don Marks, ’73

Grateful for the Doors Opened

by UCF If Donald Marks, ’73, wore a threepiece suit, he could take off the vest without removing the jacket over it.

It’s a feat of topology (a form of applied mathematics) that he learned at UCF, while earning his undergraduate degree in secondary education. More than just a party trick, it is one of the many ways Dr. Doug Brumbaugh taught Marks to engage teenagers in math.

Marks used those techniques as a math teacher at Edgewater High School, while he continued his studies at UCF to earn a master’s degree in applied mathematics in 1979. He then joined Martin Marietta, where he also found the lessons of his UCF professors vital to his success.

Now Marks, who retired in North Carolina with his wife, Norma, wants to help ensure that new generations of UCF students enjoy the benefits he received. He and his wife plan to leave

a significant portion of their estate to the university, supporting the College of Education and Human Performance, the College of Sciences and the UCF Athletics program.

“What I learned from the instructors and professors at UCF was extremely helpful in my career success,” Marks says.

“I want to give something back.”

Marks enrolled in UCF, then Florida Technological University, after serving for eight years on nuclear-powered submarines. His wife held three jobs to support their young son, Daniel, while Marks earned his bachelor’s degree.

After he retired in 1999, Marks and an old friend from Florida started a heavy construction company in North Carolina. He also indulges a love of woodworking, which his wife refers to as his new career.

Marks presented UCF President John C. Hitt with a turned platter while sharing the president’s box at a Knights

football game. Devoted fans, the Marks bought season tickets for the team’s very first kickoff in 1979 and kept them until Marks was transferred to Georgia in 1998.

The son of a sheet metal worker who was sometimes without work for months, Marks is grateful for the doors that his

UCF education opened for him and his family.

“My wife and I love the university,” he says. “We have watched it grow since 1970, and I have fond memories of my time studying there. I am glad to be able to support UCF.”

UCF FOUNDATION BOARD WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS JOE MELBOURNE, JR., PRESIDENT AND CEO, CFE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, was selected as Professional of the Year by the National Association of Federal Credit Unions and has been collaborating with UCF on partnership opportunities since 2011.

TONY MORENO JR., ’91, PARTNER, MORENO, PEELEN, PINTO & CLARK, was recognized by the Orlando Business Journal as one of the Top 10 Businessmen to watch and has served on the UCF Foundation’s Investment Committee.

LEILA NODARSE, ’82, PRESIDENT, NODARSE & ASSOCIATES, has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Business Leaders in the State and was honored with the UCF College of Engineering’s Distinguished Alumna award in 2012.

Ways to Support UCF:

Foundation Board Member Profile

MAKE AN ANNUAL GIFT. Gifts of all sizes have an immediate and direct impact on UCF. Leadership level gifts begin at the $1,000 level and are used to address the university’s most critical needs. A named UCF Fund scholarship can be created for a minimum investment of $10,000.

NELSON MARCHIOLI

ESTABLISH AN ENDOWED FUND. Endowed funds are invested to provide academic chair positions, professorships and programs today and in the future. Student scholarship and program support begins at $25,000.

MAKE PROVISIONS FOR UCF IN YOUR WILL OR ESTATE PLAN. Bequests from wills, trusts, charitable gift annuities, retirement plans and life insurance policies allow you to support the university and leave a legacy for future generations at UCF. DETERMINE IF YOUR EMPLOYER MATCHES DONATIONS. Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and double employee gifts. Some will also match gifts made by retirees and spouses. Rules vary by employer, and forms are available through your employer’s human resources office.

Nelson Marchioli has acquired a broad range of leadership experience over the past 35 years at multiple restaurant brands, including domestic and international operations. His first job in the hospitality industry was the result of a connection made at the UCF Career Fair as a new graduate. Recently, he completed almost 10 years as CEO of Denny’s.

A first-generation college student, he attributes much of his career success to his UCF education and believes it is his responsibility to give back to the university. He is committed to UCF’s ongoing growth and finds the quality of the school’s leadership to be impressive. “To be with Bob Holmes and the board and witness President Hitt’s vision is inspiring,” Marchioli says.

Marchioli and his wife are longtime supporters of student scholarships and recently created the Nelson and Carole Marchioli Endowed Scholarship to support students in the DirectConnect to UCF program. The program — a partnership with Eastern Florida State College, Lake-Sumter State College, Seminole State College of Florida and Valencia College — guarantees UCF admission to students who complete an associate degree at one of the partner colleges.

To learn more about how you can support UCF, contact donorrelations@ucf.edu.

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Jewett Partnership Supports Athletic Training

J Alumni Couple Helps First-Generation High School Grads Become Knights John, ’93, and Diane Mahony, ’93, agree that the success they have achieved in life can be traced to UCF. The leadership skills they learned in student government and Greek organizations, coupled with their education and communications degrees, allowed them to found Kavaliro, an upand-coming staffing services company with offices throughout the Southeast.

Recently, they established an endowed scholarship for future Knights who have been assisted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). For Diane, who serves on the BGCA’s board, it’s an opportunity to give back to two organizations about which she feels passionate.

“Many who come through the Boys and Girls Clubs are first-generation high school graduates, and I’m so thankful that we are able to help them attend college,” she says.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Boosted

by Waldrops’ Support Strategic funding for research remains a priority for UCF. Thanks to a recent gift by Drs. Julee and Tony Waldrop, students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in the College of Nursing will be able to deepen their commitment to health care through financial support for their final DNP project.

The Waldrops have established a fund within the DNP program that allows doctoral candidates to conduct projects that will improve organizational systems of care, patient outcomes and health policy. The DNP program prepares nurses at the highest level of practice for the current health care environment by allowing them to enter directly into a practice doctorate program — the national standard for advanced nursing practice.

ewett Orthopaedic Clinic, a UCF partner since 2006, committed $190,000 to the UCF Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC) to help support the athletic training program.

This partnership gives students access to certified athletic trainers for injury assessments, rehabilitation programs and injury prevention tools.

The RWC, a department in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services (SDES), enriches campus life through efficient services, comprehensive programs and high-quality facilities and programs that foster healthy lifestyles.

The UCF Recreation and Wellness Center opened in 2002.

SDES provides programs and services dedicated to giving students a broad college experience.

JOHNSON

SCHOLARSHIP CHANGES LIVES R. Malcolm Macleod, president of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation (JSF), is thanked

by Johnson scholars Hillary and Trey Dunn, whose JSF scholarships allowed them to overcome health and financial challenges faced while in pursuit of their UCF degrees.

Macleod was honored by Dr. Hitt on behalf of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, for the organization’s commitment to students in the DirectConnect to UCF program.

SUPPORTING LEADERSHIP AND ACHIEVEMENT IN THE PLC

UCF PLC students contribute more than 4,000 hours of community service annually.

DAVE PATTON, ’93, is grateful for the experience he had as a President’s Leadership Council student and, together with his wife Dana, ’93, has recently established an endowed fund to support a leadership lecture series under the PLC. “Being a PLC student helped me develop

leadership skills and gave me a chance to interact more frequently with large groups of prominent and successful alumni in the business community,” Dave says. The Pattons chose a lecture series in order to “have a broader impact on a greater number of students.”

The University of Central Florida Foundation, Inc. is the official fundraising organization and recipient of gifts for the University of Central Florida. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the university’s primary partner in securing philanthropic resources.

The Foundation is governed by a board of directors, consisting of alumni, business leaders and friends who volunteer their time to support the Foundation’s efforts and programs. The Foundation is funded primarily by gift fees, short-term investment appreciation, university support and real estate.

Drs. Julee and Tony Waldrop

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