IMPACT, Spring 2021

IMPACT T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E U C F F O U N D AT I O N

GROUNDBREAKING UCF continues to innovate and inspire thanks to the vision and commitment of alumni, friends and community partners

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SPRING

Inside Spring 2021 | Volume 5, Issue 1

Old and New Traditions The UCF community celebrated Homecoming 2020 with some old traditions and some revamped new ones with an eye on staying safe, while also supporting students and programs at the university. The U Can Finish 5 Mile & 2 Mile race went virtual, and 338 participants, who collectively ran 1,421 miles, raised $1,296 for the UCF Alumni Excellence Fund for students. And, although the campus favorite Spirit Splash did not take place, UCF supporters snagged coveted ducks by donating to the Keep Charging On Fund in UCF Athletics. Over 300 donors contributed more than $17,000 during the limited-time fundraiser that featured the ducks as a token of appreciation. Homecoming returned for a second time this academic year in February 2021, during a weeklong Spring Splash celebration.

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Limbitless Looks Ahead Limbitless Solutions, the UCFbased nonprofit that blends art and technology to create beautifully designed and functional bionic arms for children with limb difference, announced plans this fall to move the Limbitless Lab from its current home on the UCF campus to a larger facility in nearby Research Park.

The move is funded in large part by philanthropic contributions, including a new partnership with the software giant Adobe. The bigger lab will expand the program’s ability to scale production for more bionic arms, increase research activity with hospital partners, increase facilities to train college students in STEAM education, and advance the interdisciplinary student research program that results in innovative solutions for real world problems.

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“WE WANT TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WHO SHOW AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO SUCCESS.” — Dean Christopher Ingersoll (left) with Amiyah Murphy-Allison (right)

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FL AS H POINTS Honoring Micarelli / Rachel Barnes Eisenberg ’17 nursing grad gives back / athletics charges on top online ranking / educational resource savings

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TEN MINU TES WITH…

Dean Christopher Ingersoll, College of Health Professions and Sciences

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PER SPECTIVE

Carrie Callahan ’92 on investing in the next generation of Knights

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G ROUN DBR EAKING UCF has been breaking new ground since 1963 thanks to the support of not only the founding families and corporate leaders who have given land, but also alumni, friends and community partners who have given to support innovative programs, exceptional educators and future leaders.

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Invincible Knights Award rewards students who triumph over adversity.

IMPACT is published three times a year by UCF Advancement for alumni, friends and partners of the university who have made philanthropic commitments. Please direct correspondence and address changes to foundation@ucf.edu or Impact Editor, 12424 Research Parkway, Suite 250, Orlando, FL 32826.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT AND CEO, UCF FOUNDATION, INC. Michael J. Morsberger MANAGING EDITOR Susan Watkins

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STAFF WRITER Charlene Eberly

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS Patrick Crowley ART DIRECTOR John Sizing | jspublicationdesign.com

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Alum Remembers Dean Endowed scholarship honors Dr. Charles N. Micarelli Scott Worrell ’85 had almost wrapped up a very successful freshman year at UCF when his father died the week before his final exams. Worrell faced financial hardship as a result and attempts to secure financial aid and scholarships were unsuccessful. He remembers thinking he would have to transfer to another school in order to continue his education.

Worrell turned to Dr. Robert Gennaro, his student adviser, who directed him to Dr. Charles N. Micarelli, founding dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and later vice president for academic affairs and dean of Undergraduate Studies — two men who Worrell considers like godfathers. “Dr. Micarelli found a way for me to get a scholarship,” says Worrell. In fact, Micarelli, who retired from teaching in 1998 and passed away in 2013, was the reason Worrell stayed at UCF. “If it weren’t for him, I don’t know what would have happened. He started the ball rolling and opened the door for more scholarships to come later.”

Thanks in part to support from Gennaro, Micarelli and, later, Dr. Budd Berringer — who helped Worrell hone in on the final preparation for medical school — he not only continued his studies at UCF, but excelled and graduated from Harvard Medical School.

He never forgot, though, the impact of the first scholarship that he received as an undergraduate.

“The time came that I could give back in a more profound way,” says Worrell, and he wanted to honor the man who helped him stay at UCF. Worrell and Micarelli had stayed in touch over the years, and shortly before Micarelli died, the two had connected by phone. “The dean was in declining health at that time,” says Worrell, “but I was able to talk to him about the scholarship, and he and his wife gave me their blessings to name it after him.”

This year, thanks to Worrell’s continuing generosity, The Micarelli Endowed Scholarship for Students in Need has reached endowed status, which means it will help Knights for years to come.

Micarelli was the reason Worrell stayed at UCF. “If it weren’t for him, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Worrell never forgot and established an annual scholarship at UCF to honor Micarelli and to help highachieving students with financial need.

“I’M EXCITED FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD ON THE TREMENDOUS MOMENTUM UCF’S TALENTED STUDENTATHLETES, COACHES AND STAFF HAVE ESTABLISHED WITH THE ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT OF KNIGHT NATION AND SO MANY GENEROUS DONORS.” —Terry Mohajir, UCF’s new vice president and director of athletics

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Inspired by Giving “UCF has given me so much — more than I can ever repay,” says Rachel Barnes Eisenberg ’17.

Because of the support she received as a student, Eisenberg started giving back to her alma mater as soon as she could. “Part of the reason I came to UCF was a scholarship I received after I applied,” she says. Although it was considered a small amount — $750 per semester — it made a big difference. “I know a lot of people think about scholarships in four- or five-figure amounts, but [my scholarship] went a long way,” she says.

Serving as a 4EVER Knights ambassador, Eisenberg was able to work and attend the IGNITE Campaign launch back in 2016, which inspired her love and passion for nonprofit organizations and fundraising. Today, she works as a development coordinator for Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras.

The pandemic has definitely challenged her and her husband, David Eisenberg ’17, but the couple has tried to stay connected to UCF and support it in any way they can, from donating to programs and scholarships, to attending home games or reaching out to mentors. But no matter what is going on in the world, UCF is still front and center with them. We are diehard UCF fans; we bleed black and gold, and it is our highest philanthropic priority.”

The Eisenbergs

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Notarantonio Endowed Nursing Scholarship

Online Learning at the Top UCF celebrates 25 years with top-15 ranking

“Leap and the net will appear.”

Those words, spoken to Rosemary Notarantonio ’81 by one of her mentors, have been a guiding principle for her life. A member of the College of Nursing’s first graduating class of about 30 students, Notarantonio has fond memories of her time at UCF. “We had an entrepreneurial spirit,” she says. “We were piloting and building the rocket ship at the same time.”

She credits the inclusive teaching philosophy of the college — where faculty often collaborated with students to address issues Notarantonio

— with helping her be a better nurse and, later, a nursing and hospital administrator for several hospitals across the country.

Now retired, she spends her time mentoring others in the field.

Notarantonio has been generously giving back to the college for decades and recently established the Notarantonio Endowed Nursing Scholarship with her husband, Raymond.

It will benefit high-achieving first-generation students studying in the College of Nursing.

She was inspired by the

U.S. News & World Report ranked UCF among the best online bachelor’s programs in the nation for the fourth consecutive year.

UCF’s repeated success in online learning is due, in part, to the level of attention and detail put into creating the courses. Since 1996, instructional designers have worked closely with faculty members to help develop their online offerings. The working relationship paid off at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when faculty moved 6,600 courses online in a week. About 87 percent of students now take at least one online or blended learning course each academic year.

“OUR HIGH RANKINGS ARE A TESTAMENT TO THE TERRIFIC WORK OF OUR TALENTED FACULTY AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNERS.” – President Alexander N. Cartwright story of her grandmother, who emigrated with her husband from Italy seeking a better life.

Circumstances prevented her from continuing her education in the United States, and

Notarantonio compares that to the situation many students find themselves in today — unable to find the path to degree completion, despite having the dedication to do so.

“Opportunity lifts the recipient, but it also lifts the entire generation,” she says. “I hope this scholarship provides the net for someone to take that leap into a brighter future.”

$751,339

THE ESTIMATED COMBINED SAVINGS FOR 6,425 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN COURSES across four colleges and nine departments during the fall 2020 semester, thanks to the efforts of 31 faculty members who supplied their required course materials at no cost to students by using open educational resources.

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THE FABRIC OF OUR COLLEGE IS INTERDISCIPLINARY, AND THAT EXTENDS TO ALL THAT WE DO.

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College of Medicine and the College of Nursing. This structure best supports leadingedge care for the Orlando community and advances clinical practices around the world through high-impact education, innovative research and advanced patient care.

10 MINUTES WITH...

Christopher Ingersoll

Founding Dean, College of Health Professions and Sciences

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hen Christopher Ingersoll heard about UCF’s College of Health Professions and Sciences (CHPS), he knew he wanted to be part of it. The college, which was formed in 2018, draws upon the synergies of programs in health sciences, communication sciences and disorders, social work, athletic training, kinesiology and physical therapy, to create an exciting multidisciplinary learning environment.

CHPS advances education, research and patient care as part of the UCF Academic Health Sciences Center — a partnership with health experts in the ucffoundation.org

What are goals of the college?

Part of the fun of leading a new college is that you get to start everything from scratch. When I joined CHPS in 2019, we got right to work defining who we are as a college, and what our goals would be. We got input from more than 700 stakeholders and launched our strategic plan, which lays out some lofty goals in areas such as research, teaching, clinical services, diversity and inclusion, community engagement and philanthropy.

The uniqueness of our college and the emphasis on innovation makes me excited for what the future holds for our college, our community and our students.

The college tagline is “transforming healthcare and transforming lives.”

How is CHPS doing that?

Our tagline speaks to the work we do every day. Our faculty and students are exploring new approaches to providing care that looks at the whole person, not just ‘fixing’ the issue at

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hand. We are preparing students to be innovative thinkers, researchers and compassionate care providers. Our impact is extended through our clinical enterprise, where we provide important real-world learning experiences for our students while offering research-based care to our community.

How does CHPS impact the local community?

The strength of our college is directly related to the strength of our relationships with our community partners. It really does take a village to create a healthy community. We work together to solve some of today’s greatest challenges in achieving optimum health and wellness.

We bring our services and innovations in health to where they are needed: hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations — and even UCF Athletics — to help improve delivery of care.

We have more than 855 internship sites, where our students learn first-hand from the professionals who are caring for our community every day.

The relationship is symbiotic.

What role has philanthropy played in CHPS? The very nature of our mission means we have a place to welcome all into a shared vision of a better future. The partnership and passion of our alumni and friends have been critical to our success, and we are grateful for the generous support they continue to share.

Philanthropy changes lives and has an impact for generations by transforming the future of healthcare through research, practice and education. Each of our donors has a very personal story about why he or she has chosen to invest in CHPS, and we are honored to be the stewards of their generosity and inspired by their stories of compassion, perseverance and hope.

PERSPECTIVE / CARRIE CALLAHAN '92 Vice Chair, UCF Foundation Board of Directors

Investing in Success As a first-generation student, I’ve always had a strong desire to reach farther and achieve the most with the opportunities with which I’ve been presented.

That same drive is a trait I see in our UCF students today — the desire to reach higher, do more and conquer challenges previously viewed as insurmountable.

As I look back on my career, it is clear to me that the solid education I received at UCF built my foundation for a successful future. In today’s world, it is essential that we, as friends and alumni of UCF, ensure that our students continue to have the resources and skills they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive and quickly evolving environment.

In my role as vice chair of the UCF Foundation Board of Directors, I have the opportunity to hear from a wide range of UCF constituents — such as our amazing students, donors, friends and advocates.

The overarching message that resonates with me in all of these conversations is that access to a quality higher education changes lives. It is the catalyst for expanding minds, encouraging upward socioeconomic mobility and raising the quality of living for all through research and innovation.

I often find myself referring to a key part of UCF’s mission statement that proudly declares “providing high-quality, broad-based education and experienced-based learning” are central tenets.

While the unprecedented times we have experienced globally over the past year could have hindered this goal, UCF has proven once again that the Knight Nation has the ingenuity to adapt and Charge On! As UCF Knights, it is our quest and commitment to continue to push forward, improve and achieve greater levels of excellence. However, this can only be accomplished through cooperation and communication among faculty, administrators, donors and — most importantly — students.

There is a time to receive, and there is a time to give. As a donor, volunteer and alumna, I am honored to continue to give and lead, to better the educational experience for future generations.

I encourage you to answer the call and make an investment in our next generation of Knights by volunteering your time, mentoring and hiring a UCF student or making a philanthropic gift. Your engagement and participation are key to ensuring our students’ UCF experience is of the highest quality. No amount of time dedicated or gift given is too little; these contributions are the bricks that build a committed community capable of moving UCF forward.

If there has ever been a story that embodies the power of community, it is the UCF story. Please join me in writing the next chapter and ensuring our future Knights have the opportunity to dream big and achieve their greatest potential. Go Knights! Charge On!

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Carrie Callahan ’92 is an economics graduate who serves as vice chair of the UCF Foundation Board and as a member of the College of Business fi nance advisory council. She was inducted into the UCF College of Business Hall of Fame in 2016.

Notes of Gratitude

In this space, we feature excerpts from thank-you letters the foundation receives from students and others whose lives have been changed by donors like you. This one came from Danielle Filgueiras, a teacher in Orange County and student in the Exceptional Student Education MEd program, who received the Jack D. Holloway Endowed Scholarship.

Thank you so much! I was going to have to cut back on some of my class load until I received the scholarship. As a teacher, I do not have a huge salary, and thi s helps me pay for the semester with no stress. This will not on ly help me financially but will also help the students that I com e in contact with and teach.

My students may not be able to thank you directly, but I know they are thankful too.

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GROUNDBRE

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Ever since Florida Governor Farris Bryant signed the legislative bill in 1963 to officially create a new state university, UCF has been breaking ground — literally and figuratively

Orlando attorney Jim Robinson located the 1,227 acres of land that later became the university campus but because the legislature and governor would not pay for the site, 89 local leaders and their families pledged nearly $1 million of their own resources to secure the location. Their generosity resulted in the university’s formal groundbreaking on March 19, 1967.

For some donors, that might have been involvement enough.

Instead, several of those founding families have continued to help the university break new ground through their ongoing, generous support.

Similarly, one growing campus might have been enough — but not for UCF and the community partners who envisioned a medical school in Central Florida. In 2005, Joe Lewis and the Tavistock Group’s donation of $12.5 million and 50 acres of land at Lake Nona for a proposed College of Medicine campus enabled UCF to receive state approval for the college. Lake Nona’s thriving medical city now also includes the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, a partnership hospital newly opened in March 2021.

Today, UCF continues to break new ground, whether literally on its campuses, or figuratively through innovation — as evidenced by the creation of bionic arms at Limbitless Solutions or through forwardlooking teaching methods delivered by inspiring educators whose impact is felt for generations. It is thanks to the vision and generosity of not only the founding families and corporate partners, but also alumni and friends — people The Davis family celebrates the naming of the William E. and Mary Jo Davis Recreation Area. like you — who make it possible. ucffoundation.org

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The UCF Lake Nona Medical Center is a new addition to the thriving Academic Health Sciences campus.

FOUNDING FAMILIES

For decades, three generous families have supported the university’s bold vision “When you have the opportunity to be a founder of a university, you take it,” says Betty Robinson, who, with her late husband, Jim Robinson, was one of the visionary leaders who helped establish the University of Central Florida in the early 1960s. “I had confidence in what we were doing,” she says, and, as the university grew over the years, she was proud to see the acres of land her husband had located for state leaders become a thriving campus.

Jody Davis also remembers the location well; his family had

a riding academy and owned land around University Boulevard and Alafaya Trail. As children, he and his friends rode horses through the wide open campus. But when the call came to help launch a new university, his parents, William and Mary Jo Davis, donated 90 acres of their beloved ranch to extend the new university’s frontage and push the total size of the campus parcel to 1,227 acres.

“One of the remarkable things about my parents is that they never wanted anything back and did whatever was

needed,” says Davis. They gave generously to numerous scholarships and served on the UCF Foundation board. An iconic photograph of UCF’s first president, Dr. Charles N. Millican, on the phone in a sparse office, also ties back to the founders. “That space was part of our family’s pharmacy downtown, and we were happy for him to use it and start working on university business,” says Davis.

The Robinsons also stayed connected to UCF. Jim received an honorary doctorate in public service in 1989, and last year,

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Betty established the James Carson Robinson First Generation Endowed Scholarship. “I was a first-generation student myself, and I studied business,” she says, although she later taught elementary and middle school.

“I established the scholarship because it was something that Jim wanted very much.”

Scholarship support is a logical fit for Davis, too. An accountant, he often counsels people who get in over their heads with student debt — so giving to scholarships was a priority. The Davis family created

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Mary Jo Davis at the university’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2013.

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endowed scholarships in the UCF Colleges of Business and Medicine and, a few years ago, named an area on campus — the William E. and Mary Jo Davis Recreation Area at Lake Claire — and created an endowment to support UCF’s recreation and wellness program. “My mom and dad believed in higher education and were so excited to do what they did [for UCF],” he says. “The naming not only honors what my parents did in the past, but the funding supports students now and in the future.”

Honoring his family’s role in establishing the university played a part in Randall McCall’s decision to attend UCF; his

parents, Hollis and Beverly McCall were founders. “What better legacy to leave my dad than to graduate from the university he himself was an integral part of,” says McCall.

After graduation in 1983, there was a family discussion about which university football program they’d support, and for the new grad, there was no question it would be UCF. “You could almost see in [my dad’s] face that I had made the decision he had hoped for,” says McCall, who started donating to athletics and student success right after his graduation — and has never stopped. “My wife Debbie and I have always stood by the fact

that we are helping a young individual every year achieve a dream that might not otherwise exist,” says McCall, who believes every graduate should proudly support their alma mater. “When they talk about bleeding your school colors, I’m all in.”

McCall, Davis and Robinson marvel at UCF’s evolution and keep looking ahead. “You have to keep on growing,” says Robinson, who is looking forward

to a post-pandemic future.

Davis, meanwhile, is excited about UCF’s sixth president, Alexander Cartwright, with whom he recently spoke. “We had a thoroughly delightful conversation, and he thanked me for all I’ve done,” says Davis.

“I look forward to meeting him in person and continuing our relationship for years to come.” I

HEALING AND TEACHING UCF Lake Nona Medical Center will provide care to the community and opportunity for students

Located in Medical City adjacent to the UCF College of Medicine, the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center — a joint partnership hospital between HCA Healthcare North Florida Division and UCF Academic Health — will educate future healthcare providers, support groundbreaking medical research and make a tremendous impact on patient care across Central Florida.

“This was a critical missing piece to our puzzle,” says Dr. Deborah

C. German, vice president for health affairs and dean of the UCF College of Medicine. “In addition to providing convenient access to outstanding healthcare services in Lake Nona, this hospital will provide important educational opportunities for tomorrow’s physicians and support the work of our researchers seeking innovative treatments and cures,” she says.

In addition to partnering with UCF on the Lake Nona Medical Center, HCA has also generously committed $3 million to fully fund the HCA Endowed Eminent Scholar Chair in Oncology to lead UCF’s cancer efforts. An endowed chair, one of the highest academic honors at a university, recognizes a faculty member’s excellence and helps the university recruit and retain the highest quality scholars.

Additionally, the funds generated by an endowment often seed research projects — in this case, research into cancer therapies and treatments.

“The Eminent Scholar Chair in Oncology will help us conduct today’s highest-level cancer research, leading to tomorrow’s cures, right here in our integrated cancer center and adjacent to our teaching hospital,” says German.

UCF Lake Nona Medical Center is expected to serve more than 17,000 patients in its first year, with room for future growth and expansion. The facility has invested in the latest technology to support superior quality patient care and safety, as well as deliver innovative treatment options. I

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For more information on the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, please visit: www.ucflakenonamedicalcenter.com. To support the College of Medicine, please contact Chip Roberts at charles.roberts@ucf.edu.

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Lewis family supports Bahamian students

SMART PHILANTHROPY

The first cohort of Bahamian scholars receiving tuition and all educational expenses from the Lewis Family Scholarship.

Success for the Lewis family and the Tavistock Group, the company created by Joe Lewis more than 40 years ago, is based on making smart business moves. And while the Tavistock Group is well known for its widely successful communities, private clubs, sporting events and restaurants, the Lewis family is perhaps lesser known as one of this community’s leading philanthropists and one of UCF’s largest donors.

One of the cornerstones of Tavistock’s business success is in Orlando with its smart city, in Lake Nona. In 2005, the Lewis family donated 50 acres of land and $12.5 million to UCF to help create the university’s health sciences campus. Just two years later, the family made the first commitment to fund scholarships for the inaugural class in the UCF College of Medicine.

These investments helped anchor Lewis’s vision for the cluster in Lake Nona and recently bore fruit with the opening of the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, a teaching hospital adjacent to the campus.

The Lewis family patriarch

now resides in the Bahamas, and his granddaughter, Dr. Alexandra (Ally) Silverton and her husband, Dr. Jeremy John, who live and work in Lake Nona, are directing the family’s philanthropy. In 2020, they established the Lewis Family Scholarship, which awarded five Bahamian students with inaugural scholarships to cover all educational expenses. Shortly thereafter, the family increased the cohort to eight. And, recently, the family pledged to fund a second cohort of students to begin in fall 2021, bringing their combined support for Bahamian students to $1.6 million.

“Education may be the most powerful investment for our future,” says Silverton, a boardcertified academic hospitalist, Tavistock’s medical director and a former assistant professor at Tulane University and Emory University. “These students are the future and they should be afforded the opportunity and access to high quality education without financial constraints and geographic limitations. We want to have an impact and we believe we will, through them.”

Through the UCF Foundation,

the family learned about Florida Statute 1009.21 and the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Scholarship, which allows students from these regions to pay in-state tuition if they are receiving state or federal government support, including funds donated to the university. Because the Lewis Family Scholarship supports students from the Bahamas, recipients qualify for the LAC Scholarship, with its lower tuition costs. This means the Lewis Family Scholarship is able to support more students and fund their full education costs — including visa fees and airfare. That is smart philanthropy.

Two of the newest scholarship recipients, Syann Brennen and Garryn Scott, are from Nassau and began classes in January as biology/pre-health majors with plans to become doctors.

After seeing the limited resources available and watching the struggles of her mother and grandmother, who ultimately lost their fights against Lupus, Brennen vowed to pursue a career in rheumatology. “I will forever be grateful to the Lewis family for giving me this opportu-

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nity to persevere through my personal loss and learn the skills that might one day save my fellow Bahamians from a similar fate as my family,” she says. “The opportunity to study abroad at one of the finest universities and bring that knowledge home to potentially help an entire country is life changing.”

Scott was a high school athlete whose plans to compete in varsity sports for an athletic scholarship to college were cut short because of the pandemic. Now, thanks to the Lewis Family Scholarship, her college and career dreams are back on track. “In the future I would like to become a pediatric ophthalmologist and return home to open my own office,” she says.

“My education means a lot back home. If I am able to accomplish my goals, I will be the third doctor in my family. “ “We are delighted to support these deserving students,” says John. “Our goal is to create better communities and we hope these students’ success will have a tremendous impact when they return home to the Bahamas.” I

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Microsoft supports Limbitless and Cyberpunk-inspired bionic arms

EXPANDED REACH Limbitless Solutions, the UCF-based nonprofit that creates bionic arms for children, worked with the game company CD Projekt Red to turn the metallic arm of the game character Johnny Silverhand, voice by action star Keanu Reeves, from the screen to real life.

The Cyberpunk-inspired bionic arms will be available to adults this year, when Limbitless anticipates starting clinical trials for those 18 and older. As part of the collaboration for the Cyberpunk release, Microsoft is donating $85,000 to help support the adult clinical trial phase when it begins.

“We expect 2021 will be a big year for our program,” says Albert Manero ’12 ’14MS ’16PhD, Limbitless co-founder and CEO. “From the upcoming move into a new lab that will double our research space — to the launch of what we hope are several new clinical trials — we are committed to amplifying our impact for our community.”

Limbitless Solutions launched in 2014 when a group of students worked together to create a functional 3D-printed arm for a then 6-year-old boy, Alex Pring. Since that time, the program has grown dramatically thanks to the dedication of its founders, donors and many collaborative partners.

“The gaming community is super important in terms of adaptive technology and inclusion for all,” says Dominique Courbin ’18, Limbitless co-founder and director of production.

“Being able to bring the expression associated with prostheses in the video game to life has been an amazing experience and one we hope will inspire our program participants.” I

Albert Manero ’12 ’14MS ’16PhD

Microsoft donation of $85,000 will support Limbitless adult clinical trials.

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Angeline Bushy, PhD, RN, FAAN

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SERVING THE UNDERSERVED Leading nursing scholar assists rural nurse leaders through endowed scholarship With about a quarter of the U.S. population — almost 60 million people — living in rural areas, rural nurses play an essential role in providing healthcare for citizens of small and isolated communities across the country.

It can be easy to forget that not all of Central Florida is as busy as downtown Orlando, with its bustling new UCF campus, or as tourist filled as its world-renowned attractions or even that it has readily accessible healthcare for all its residents.

The truth is, “just five miles outside of populated areas, it can be quite rural,” says Angeline Bushy, PhD, RN, FAAN, Bert Fish Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Community Health Nursing and professor at the UCF College of Nursing.

With a career that spans more than four decades, Bushy is a nationally and internationally recognized authority on rural healthcare scholarship whose research focuses on issues related to community and

public health nursing in rural communities.

Several years ago, she established the Dr. Angeline and John R. Bushy Endowed Scholarship for PhD students in the College of Nursing who live in rural communities or plan to focus their research on rural health.

“Rural populations are underserved,” she says, “and post-master’s students do not have many scholarships available to them.” The endowed scholarship, which has recently reached a significant funding milestone thanks to Bushy’s ongoing generosity, will make an impact on the nurses who receive the funding and the communities they serve.

“When I was in nursing school years ago, I was awarded several scholarships that made the difference in completing the BSN degree,” says Bushy. “I decided that if I ever had the chance, I would create one.” And, she adds, “UCF has been a good fit over the last 25 years, and I want to give something back.” I

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“In a time of international uncertainty, the benevolence of Juliann Hickey and Clay Scherer gave me muchneeded peace and allowed me to complete my last semester!”

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– HANNAH STANFORD ’20 RECIPIENT OF STOUT SCHOLARSHIP

Clay Scherer ’94 and Juliann Hickey ’95

CELEBRATING CHAMPIONS

Alumni couple supports students and honors mentors Calling some of their former professors “champions,” Clay Scherer ’94 and Juliann Hickey ’95 have established several endowed scholarships to honor the exceptional educators who enriched their UCF experience. The new Dr. José B. Fernández Study Abroad Scholarship, the fourth endowed scholarship the couple has created in seven years, honors Hickey’s friend and mentor, the beloved former dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. Hickey — a dual Spanish and journalism major who went on to receive a law degree — and Scherer hope to help students who are passionate about the Spanish language and have been accepted into a study abroad program.

This is the second scholarship named in Fernández’s honor since his retirement in 2018 from a remarkable 45-year academic career — 37 years of it at UCF, where he was a Pegasus

Professor, the university’s highest honor for a faculty member, and the university’s first Hispanic dean, leading the College of Arts and Humanities for 10 years.

The couple’s other endowed scholarships honor some of Scherer’s mentors and inspirations, including Walter K. Taylor and I. Jack Stout, biology professors emeriti, who encouraged and supported Scherer’s interest in entomology research, and Llew Ehrart, who he calls “a fantastic all-round field biologist and a gifted teacher who knew how to inspire.”

The couple is happy to include Fernández in that esteemed group of professors, all of whom have had a profound effect on the lives of countless students.

“They were champions for their students and took the time to look for opportunities we might not have thought of,” Hickey says. “Their dedication to their fields and to teaching inspired us to work hard and think bigger.”

Scherer agrees and believes it is the “professors at UCF, the humans, who have the impact on the student experience.” I

Dr. José B. Fernández’s impact on former students helps current students study abroad.

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GIFT SPOTLIGHT

Invincible Knights

New scholarship empowers students who charge on through obstacles

The new Invincible Knights Award in the College of Health Professions and Sciences honors students who have triumphed over difficult circumstances on the road to UCF. Christopher Ingersoll, founding dean of the college, was inspired to create the award after hearing the story of Amiyah Murphy-Allison, a third-year social work student who has overcome unthinkable tragedies in her life, including seeing her mother murdered at the hands of her stepfather as she tried to leave him for a better life.

Murphy-Allison’s experiences ultimately helped forge her career path. She is majoring in social work because she wants to be a positive influence in others’ lives at times when they need it most and help them realize their past does not dictate their future.

“Something I say very often is ‘the only person standing in the way is you.’ You have the power to change your future,” she says.

“It’s something that I’ve lived by and has been my motto when dealing with all the adversity in my life.”

The Invincible Knights Award is funded by charitable donations from faculty and staff in the College of Health Professions and Sciences and community partners. A recent generous gift from a local family foundation helped strengthen the scholarship fund and give it longevity.

“I am incredibly grateful for this scholarship,” says Murphy-Allison. “My education is very important to me, but the financial aspect of acquiring higher education can be difficult. These financial hardships have impacted me mentally and emotionally, and this award allows for me to solely focus on my studies without that difficulty.”

Amiyah Murphy-Allison

“WE ARE PLEASED TO NAME AMIYAH AS THE FIRST RECIPIENT, AND WE KNOW SHE WILL CONTINUE TO RISE ABOVE ANY CHALLENGE THAT DARES GET IN HER PATH.” — Christopher Ingersoll, founding dean of the College of Health Professions and Sciences

For more information on how you can support students in the College of Health Professions and Sciences, please contact Jennifer Wolf at jennifer.wolf@ucf.edu or 407.823.0383

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