ANNUAL REPORT 2023
UCF FOUNDATION, INC. | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | 1
2 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
contents 4
RODNEY M. GRABOWSKI: MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR
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ENDOWMENT FINANCIAL REPORT
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SIXTY YEARS STRONG: UCF STILL REACHING FOR THE STARS
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ANONYMOUS GIFT OF $5 MILLION HELPS SUPPORT UCF ATHLETICS’ MOVE TO BIG 12 CONFERENCE
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DR. PHILLIPS NURSING PAVILION, UCF’S NEW COLLEGE OF NURSING
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NURSING SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDER PAYS IT FORWARD
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DNP STUDENT CHARGES ON TO ADVANCED NURSING DEGREE
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LORETTA THERMENOS ESTABLISHES LEGACY GIFT TO HONOR HER HUSBAND, PARIS THERMENOS ’73
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THE HARD DRIVE OF STEPHEN GOLDMAN: UCF SUPPORTER, VISIONARY, AND COMMUNITY BUILDER
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IMPACT OF SCHOLARSHIPS
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JOSHUA YU ’25
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WALKER STEM SCHOLARSHIP
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THE MARIAN LACY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP
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A RESEARCH SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING — THANKS TO SCHOLARSHIPS
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DAY OF GIVING
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GIFT TO GROW UCF INDIA CENTER ENDOWMENT
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BLACKSTONE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION GIFT FOSTERS ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AT UCF
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VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP
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PRESIDENT ALEXANDER CARTWRIGHT: UCF STRATEGIC VISION
Dear UCF Supporters, Thank you for making Fiscal Year 2023 a historic fundraising year! Between July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023, donors committed $114,331,578, and this generosity was showcased in current use funds, capital and endowments. I joined the University of Central Florida (UCF) a little over a year ago. In that year, a lot has been accomplished and much of it has been made possible by donors like you. Throughout this Annual Report, you will see demonstrations of the impact that you have helped make possible. UCF hit a major milestone in Fall 2023: we entered the Big 12. To get ready for that move, Athletics fundraising raised the bar, generating nearly $50M of our overall philanthropic commitments in Fiscal Year 2023. Addition Financial contributed nearly $20 million to extend its naming rights partnership for the Addition Financial Arena, which it first named in 2013. The Addition Financial Arena is home to the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the site of many concerts, special events and graduations. In August 2023, UCF and Addition Financial Credit Union reached an agreement for continued naming rights of the on-campus arena for another 12 years, in support of the expansion of the arena. As you will read in more detail (page 10), UCF raised nearly $70 million dollars — $26.3 million through philanthropy and $43.7 million committed by the State of Florida — to support the region and 21st century health care through the new home for the College of Nursing. The combined total of almost $70 million meets the minimum threshold to allow the groundbreaking on the Lake Nona academic health sciences campus to proceed, scheduled for January 2024. We will continue to fundraise for the remaining funds to complete this incredible project. Last year, the combined investment from donors in UCF’s endowment represented 9% of total giving (page 7). The endowment supports UCF in its mission to provide high-quality education and research opportunities for Knights today and for generations to come. Additionally, donors contributed to countless other projects, including donor-directed giving for Day of Giving (page 18), scholarships (page 14) and so much more. I look forward to seeing the impact this unparalleled generosity from our donors and hard work on the part of our advancement team will have on UCF’s mission to unleash the potential of people and ideas to positively change the world. Charge On!
Rodney M. Grabowski, CFRE Senior Vice President for Advancement & Partnerships CEO, UCF Foundation, Inc. 4 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
UCF FOUNDATION, INC. | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | 5
2023 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (July 1, 2022–June 30, 2023)
PHILANTHROPY
225,052
$114,331,578
48,106
Number of gifts
Total gifts and commitments
Number of donors
(includes cash gifts, pledges, securities, gifts-in-kind, planned gifts)
ENDOWMENT GROWTH
FINANCIAL REPORT
ENDOWMENT GROWTH BY FISCAL YEAR $201 M
$215 M
ENDOWMENT PAYOUT BY FISCAL YEAR
$228 M
$8.1 M
$165 M
M $163 M $6.3 M $6.3 M TOTAL$163GIFTS AND COMMITMENTS BY TYPE $5.4 M CASH GIFT-IN-KIND PLANNED GIFT PLEDGE GRAND TOTAL 2018
2019
2020
2021
7% REAL ESTATE
2022
2023
2018
$6.6 M
$7 M
2019 2020 2021 2022
$8.7 M
2023 $32,979,304 $341,635 $8,132,683 $72,877,956 $114,331,578 2023 2023
1% CASH
5% PRIVATE DEBT $1.8 M SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS
4% REAL ASSETS
9% PRIVATE EQUITY 54% EQUITIES
5% HEDGE FUNDS
6 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC. 15% FIXED INCOME
ENDOWMENT SPENDING FY 2023
ASSET ALLOCATION $1.1 M PROGRAM & RESEARCH FUNDS
$3.1 M PROFESSORSHIP, CHAIR & FACULTY FUNDS
ENDOWMENT GROWTH
ENDOWMENT GROWTH BY FISCAL YEAR $201 M $165 M
$163 M
$215 M
ENDOWMENT PAYOUT BY FISCAL YEAR $228 M $8.1 M
$163 M
$6.3 M
$6.3 M
$6.6 M
$8.7 M
$7 M
$5.4 M
2018
2019
2020
7% REAL ESTATE
2021
2022
2023
2018
2019 2020 2021 2022
2023 2024
1% CASH
5% PRIVATE DEBT $1.8 M SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS
4% REAL ASSETS
9% PRIVATE EQUITY 54% EQUITIES
5% HEDGE FUNDS
15% FIXED INCOME
ENDOWMENT SPENDING FY 2023
ASSET ALLOCATION $1.1 M PROGRAM & RESEARCH FUNDS
$3.1 M PROFESSORSHIP, CHAIR & FACULTY FUNDS
UCF FOUNDATION, INC. | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | 7
Sixty Years Strong: UCF Still Reaching for the Stars Founded in 1963 to provide talent and technology for the United States’ burgeoning space industry, the University of Central Florida has grown to become one of the largest universities in the nation and an innovative powerhouse in providing access, equity and excellence in higher education. In 1964, Orange County lacked the funds to acquire the remaining 227 acres required to secure state funding and ensure the university would be built in Orlando. Eighty-nine residents came together and pledged the $1 million needed to purchase the land, and the rest is history. It is unlikely those 89 founders fully imagined what UCF would become in just 60 years, but their generosity established a university that has become known for delivering high-quality education and industry-leading research, while fueling economic prosperity for generations of graduates. The main campus on the eastern edge of the city is now augmented by the UCF Downtown Campus, the Academic Health Sciences Campus in Lake Nona, and the Rosen School of Hospitality Management Campus near the theme parks and hospitality industry’s center, just south of Orlando. The virtual campus of UCF Online is home to more than 14,000 students. UCF has survived and thrived through many opportunities and challenges in its first 60 years. Created to fuel an industry in its infancy, UCF exceeded its mandate and built a full public research university with strengths across a broad range of disciplines and more than 240 degree programs. It has weathered the ebb and flow of state funding and built a national reputation for advancing social mobility. It successfully pivoted to fully online education — in a week! — at the start of the global pandemic in 2020, which necessitated a two-year university campus shutdown and the transition to remote work. From its athletic conference debut in 1975, to its ascension to the Big 12 Conference this year, UCF has persisted and excelled on the field, court, track, and course, and in the lanes. Today, UCF is the youngest university in the Power 5 conferences.
8 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
Through it all, UCF has grown in size and stature, proving that a prominent public university (#64 in the nation) can also excel at graduating a diverse student body at rates that meet or exceed national averages and do so while offering an affordable, best-value education. Sixty-two percent of first-time-in-college students (entering as freshmen) graduate with no student debt (compared to 42% nationally). Known as America’s Space University, UCF remains deeply connected to the U.S. space industry, leading the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium, and as the founder and governing institution of the Florida Space Institute. Last year, NASA selected UCF for a $35 million mission to the moon’s mysterious Gruithuisen Domes. UCF alumni and faculty are involved in nearly 700 NASA projects, including OSIRIS-Rex and New Horizons, and with private companies like Space X and Blue Origin.
UCF is at a pivotal moment in our history. We can become a university that will lead well into the 21st century if we can secure our collective future. Our current excellence has been built over a very short period — with every major accomplishment being fueled by philanthropy.
Imagine what we can accomplish in the next 60 years. In 1964, those 89 residents who came together and pledged the $1 million needed to purchase the land took a chance on what could be. That investment paid off in ways no one person could have ever imagined. As we look toward our next 60 years, we are looking for the next generation of UCF founders who will partner with us to build a university focused on impact, running toward the unknown and ready to build for a better future.
Anonymous Gift of $5 Million Helps Support UCF Athletics’ Move to Big 12 Conference As the Knights prepared for their inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference, a donor couple made an anonymous gift of $5 million to UCF Athletics at the start of 2023, helping to ensure that our studentathletes will have the resources to unleash their full potential on a larger national stage.
“We learned a lot at UCF” said the donors, a former baseball player for the Knights, and his wife. “UCF was incredibly good to us. It gave our life structure and was the first time both of us experienced a required approach to discipline and hard work — and UCF was always behind us and always supported us.”
The couple, who are both UCF alumni, committed $4 million in support of the university’s baseball program and $1 million to the Sharon and Marc Hagle Gateway, UCF’s entrance to the Football Campus.
The reality of competing at the highest levels of college sports is already paying off for UCF Athletics. Since joining the Big 12, ticket and merchandise sales have soared, and donations have been setting records. For fiscal year 2023, private donations from UCF’s major gift-giving group were up 44% and merchandise licensing royalties rose 23%.
“UCF has played a major role in our success as a family, personally and professionally,” say the donors, who met on campus, married, and share a passion for UCF football and baseball. “Giving back and helping to build the future of college sports at a place that means so much to us is a blessing.” For many, intercollegiate athletics play an integral part in the UCF student experience.
Philanthropy in support of UCF’s transition into the highly competitive Big 12 Conference is part of Mission XII, an initiative to upgrade sports facilities, including the proposed Football Campus, to increase the operating budget of UCF Athletics, fund personnel hires and promote name, image and likeness initiatives.
READ MORE: Terry Mohajir on UCF’s Journey to the Big 12
go.ucf.edu/Mohajir-on-Big-12
UCF FOUNDATION, INC. | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | 9
Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, UCF’s New College of Nursing, to Break Ground in January 2024 Over the last year, donors contributed more than $26.3M to support the College of Nursing’s new building, which will help UCF graduate more nurses and combat the nation’s critical nursing shortage while fostering more innovation and collaboration in Lake Nona’s Medical City. In addition, $43.7 million was committed by the State of Florida, to support the region and guide 21st century health care through this new facility. According to the Florida Hospital Association, an additional 2,300 registered nurses (RNs) need to enter the workforce each year to address Florida’s projected shortage of 37,400 RNs by 2035. UCF is already the largest educator of newly licensed registered nurses in the State University System of Florida. With double the classroom space and three times the simulation and lab space, the new 90,000-square-foot nursing building will facilitate increased enrollment across degree programs to graduate an additional 150 new nurses annually and will accomodate more nursing faculty who will help educate future generations. Growing the number of UCF nursing graduates will have a direct impact throughout the state and especially in Central Florida. Of the more than 16,000 Knight nurse alumni, more than 85% live and work in Florida and nearly 60% remain in Central Florida, according to a recent alumni survey. Dr. Phillips Charities committed a $10M foundational gift to name the facility the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion. “Our mission is to give with purpose, and the purpose could not be more clear here — nurses save lives and our community has a great need for more talented nurses,” says Kenneth D. Robinson, president and CEO of Dr. Phillips, Inc. and The Dr. P. Phillips Foundation. “Dr. Phillips Charities is excited to make this investment in UCF to build a stronger educational ecosystem, a pipeline that will provide nursing talent to our region for generations to come.” Thank you to the generous donors, Helene Fuld Health Trust, AdventHealth*, Orlando Health*, Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation, Roslyn and Jody Burttram, Parrish Medical Center, and VNA Foundation, who have contributed to this transformational project.
*UCF is proud to welcome AdventHealth and Orlando Health as two of its inaugural Pegasus Partners, each having committed $5 million to support UCF’s College of Nursing for Future, as well as to provide tuition assistance and additional paid internships for UCF nursing students. UCF Pegasus Partners is a new program that offers opportunities for select partners to engage across the university through talent development and recruitment, shared research projects, joint ventures and
Join us on January 12 for the historic event!
collaborations, and strategic philanthropy.
go.ucf.edu/nursinggroundbreaking 10 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
Nursing Scholarship Founder Pays it Forward
DNP Student Charges On to Advanced Nursing Degree
Before Veronica Sampayo ’13 ever considered a career in nursing, her husband, Elijah Rivera, a military veteran, was diagnosed with cancer. The support the young couple received from the clinical team at Tampa’s VA hospital inspired her to be called to nursing and to pay tribute to the heroes that helped her and her family.
Beatriz Elizabeth Carmona Toro ’05 ’07 ’10MSN, is an advance practice nurse practitioner, currently studying for her doctorate degree in the Advanced Practice Nurse DNP program.
By establishing the Clinician Life Scholarship in Support of Hispanic Nurse Practitioners at the UCF College of Nursing, Sampayo wants to help support diversity in health care and the future of nursing in her community. “This has aways been our focus, ever since that early experience with the nurse practitioner at the VA, to meeting all the amazing faculty members and students, and then receiving my own scholarship in graduate school,” she says. “We are so grateful for this opportunity, and we can’t wait to meet our scholarship recipients.”
“Even as a teenager, I knew that it was important to know as much about medicine as I could,” Carmona Toro says. “I knew that if someone I cared about was sick, that I would need to know everything I could to help them.” Carmona Toro says her fluency in Spanish and English allows a special camaraderie with her patients. As a couple left an exam room, Carmona Toro noticed the husband burst into song. She told them in Spanish, “I know you’re doing well because you are happy and singing. If you ever leave here and you don’t sing, then I will know something is wrong.”
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Loretta Thermenos Establishes Legacy Gift to Honor Her Husband, Paris Thermenos ’73 Loretta and Paris Thermenos ’73 met while Paris was a student at UCF (then FTU). From the start, Paris knew he had found a lifelong partner with whom he could conquer whatever challenges lay ahead. For 45 years, Paris and Loretta did just that, until his death in 2018. In 2023, the year that would have marked their 50th anniversary, Loretta pledged a $1 million planned gift to UCF to honor her late husband’s incredible resilience and drive. The gift will create the Paris Thermenos Fund to provide financial support for students who face challenges in pursuing their education related to a disability or impairment. Paris, who sustained injuries in an accident before he started at UCF, was a paraplegic, but he did not let that stop him from pursuing his goals. After graduation from UCF, he earned an MBA from Stanford University and went on to achieve incredible success in the financial industry. At his UCF commencement ceremony in 1973, students were seated in the iconic fountain near Millican Hall, and a decision was made to place Paris, in his wheelchair, near the speaker’s dais. That placement put him in the pathway of that year’s keynote speaker, President Richard Nixon, who stopped to greet Paris. Ironically, meeting Nixon was a highlight of Paris’s life, but it probably only happened because
of his disability. Sadly, there were other incidents throughout his life that were far less positive, and he and Loretta had to overcome many challenges. “I can’t tell you how many times we had to enter a restaurant through the kitchen because they didn’t have an accessible entryway,” Loretta says. When Paris was injured, there were not a lot of rehabilitation options in the area for people with his type of disability. As word spread of his remarkable recovery and adaptive skills, people in the community occasionally reached out to him for advice. Teaching others how to better their circumstances was one of Paris’s greatest joys. “He would say, ‘If I can do this, you can do this,’” Loretta says. The idea of advancing workplace initiatives to help people with disabilities was highlighted in a 2018 UCF Today article. The article illustrates that people with disabilities are not bound by their minds, just their bodies. It’s a sentiment that Loretta hopes will be amplified through her generosity. “Even though Paris is no longer here, knowing that many other students will benefit from his sacrifices throughout the years is such a blessing to me. I am grateful for this opportunity to share Paris’s legacy and to know that it will continue forever.” Read full story
12 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
go.ucf.edu/ThermenosLegacyStory
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Paris wanted students to know that there’s somebody there, something that they can tap into to help them.” Loretta Thermenos
When you include UCF in your estate planning, you become a member of the Charles Millican Legacy Society, a group of individuals who make a planned gift commitment to benefit UCF and have informed the UCF Foundation, Inc. of their generous intent. We honor these members who have considered the future of the university and its students and have chosen this special way to have their legacy enshrined at UCF in perpetuity.
The Hard Drive of Stephen Goldman: UCF Supporter, Visionary, and Community Builder In 1989, Stephen Goldman was featured in an Orlando Business Journal article that breezily mentioned that “If Steve Goldman were a traffic engineer instead of a computer engineer, Orlando’s roads might be free of congestion today.” And although Goldman may not have solved our traffic problems (yet), he was one of the first to solve an issue that most of us had never even heard of. Goldman’s Maitland company, Distributed Processing Technology, a company he started in 1977, made a device that made the computers of the day faster through a process known as disk caching. He told the OBJ that he “didn’t make a dime” until 1982; but also told them that in the month before his interview for the article, DPT had sold $1 million worth of goods. At the time, DPT’s disk-caching controllers – about a thousand dollars a piece - were flying off the shelves to computer manufacturers worldwide and revolutionizing the personal and mini computer industry. A later OBJ article indicates that DPT had grown to approximately $45 million in 1996, about three years before Goldman sold the company. Goldman had grown up in Winter Park and had inherited from his parents, Sig and Marilyn, not only an incredible work ethic and knack for problem solving, but also an insatiable thirst for knowledge and devotion to the community. He graduated from Winter Park High School and attended Georgia Tech and Emory University before transferring to the University of Florida where he earned his BS in Physics in 1974. In 2019, the University of Florida selected Mr. Goldman to receive one of the most prestigious awards presented by the University of Florida, the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
In addition to supporting – and serving – as Board Chair with the Orlando Philharmonic, Board Chair and founding member for Winter Park Land Trust, Vice Chair of the Marin Symphony in California, United Arts of Central Florida, the Orlando Museum of Art, the Orlando Festival of Orchestras, and as Interim CEO for the Orlando Science Center, UCF has been fortunate to benefit from his vast creative experience as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Arts and Humanities and the College of Sciences for over 25 years. In his “spare” time, Goldman founded the National Young Composers Challenge in conjunction with UCF, Full Sail University and Rollins College. As Executive Director for the NYCC, Goldman brings a half-dozen brilliant teenaged NYCC winners to Orlando where they hear their five-minute compositions rehearsed, performed and recorded by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra as well as professional musicians from the community and UCF. Through his commitment to UCF, Goldman supported endowing Dr. Alex Burtzos’ position as music composition professor and has collaborated with the UCF College of Arts and Humanities to host the NYCC every year during UCF Celebrates the Arts at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts through support from the Stephen H. Goldman Endowed Fund at UCF. In addition, Goldman started the Goldman Lectures in Mathematical Physics at UCF that invited well-known physicists from around the country to present. Goldman’s generosity to UCF has been remarkable over the past 22 years, but perhaps the most remarkable thing about his giving is his ability to recognize a need that is meaningful to him, and that will impact our students for generations to come.
In the 1990s, Goldman helped create computer interface standards for the American National Standards Institute including the SCSI (Small Computer System Interface). He then retired in 2000 from the computer industry to pursue philanthropic interests in the arts and sciences, while also pursing graduate work at the University of Central Florida.
UCF FOUNDATION, INC. | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | 13
IMPACT of Scholarships
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I chose UCF not only because of its world-class engineering and computer science program, but also because of the scholarship I received. I am so grateful to those who supported College of Engineering and Computer Science scholarships. These funds help my classmates and me concentrate on building, creating and discovering inspiring innovations.
$9,217,702
Your gift will help more students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science continue to focus on game-changing ideas to positively change the world.
SCHOLARSHIPS FISCAL YEAR 2023
62 SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS CREATED
“
ENDOWMENT SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS CREATED
RAISED FOR SCHOLARSHIPS OVERALL
We — my classmates and I — appreciate your time and support. Thank you for sharing your generosity with us.” JOSHUA YU ’25
CURRENT COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENT
2,253 STUDENTS RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS IN FY23
14 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
Walker STEM Scholarship Mariana Sorroza, a senior in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, is a 2023 recipient of the Walker STEM Scholarship. Established in 2017 by Woody ’92 and Chris ’94 Walker, the scholarship was created to recognize the achievements and potential of students in STEM fields. Mariana is the first in her family to go to a four-year university in the United States. Her parents — her mother is a former secretary, and her father is an industrial engineer — instilled within their three daughters the importance of education.
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Not only does it take some of our stress away and allows us to focus more on our work, but scholarships are also good for boosting our confidence. They serve as a symbol that there are people supporting us and believing in us and believing that we can do good in the world.” Mariana Sorroza
Her father took the girls to his job occasionally on the weekends. There, while her sisters were not so interested by what they saw, Mariana was fascinated by a robotic arm that her father was working with. It made such an impression on her, that she knew in kindergarten that she wanted to be an engineer when she grew up. Her teachers thought she meant a train engineer. “But I knew what an engineer was because of my dad,” Mariana says. “I would hear him talk with his colleagues, and I thought that they were so smart, and that it was just the coolest thing in the world.” Mariana, who is double majoring in mechanical engineering and
international and global studies, has an impressive list of accomplishments that currently includes a remote internship with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Radiological Security. The work combines her passions for STEM, international studies and keeping others safe; she can see herself continuing in the field as she pursues her master’s and doctorate degrees. Thanks to Florida’s Bright Futures program, Mariana’s tuition was mostly covered, but because an engineering degree requires more credits than a lot of other programs, she had to “unlock” certain classes by taking required prerequisites. “For example,” Mariana says, “I had to take calculus 1, 2 and 3 before all the engineering courses were unlocked.” Mariana recommends that students who are interested in engineering complete the higher math courses before starting college if they are able to do dual enrollment. “The engineering program at UCF is one of the best in Florida,” Mariana says. She fell in love with UCF for other reasons, too. She enjoys the diversity of students as well as the robust international program at UCF. Mariana is grateful for the Walker Stem Scholarship and for the alumni who created it.
Woody Walker ’92 ’94MBA is the digital sales leader for Accenture/Avanade and is responsible for business development across North America. She funded the Walker STEM Scholarship Endowment Fund for the UCF Burnett Honors College and the Woody Walker Endowed Scholarship Fund for the UCF College of Business. She is a member of the UCF Alumni Board and received a Notable Knight Award at the UCF College of Business Hall of Fame in 2018. She is also a member of the Millican Society, a group of individuals who have included UCF in their estate plans. UCF FOUNDATION, INC. | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | 15
The Marian Lacy Endowed Scholarship Mariia Nuzhnaia, this year’s recipient of the Marian Lacy Endowed Scholarship, was born in Russia and came to the United States in 2017 with her mother and sister. Her mother had won a green card lottery through the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery program. In 2015, more than 22.4 million people applied for the 50,000 visas available through the program — making the odds of obtaining a green card through the diversity lottery only slightly better than winning the actual lottery. Even after Nuzhnaia’s family was selected for the program, it took a couple of years for final approval during which the family went through some interviews, received medical clearance and had to show proof of financial stability. “This was my and my mother’s dream, to live in America,” Nuzhnaia says. “We all love it here, and I think this is a great place to live.” They lived in Orlando for about a year, then moved to Titusville, where they have been living ever since.
“I did not know anything about rockets. It’s not something that was covered on the Russian media outlets a lot,” she says. After a year in Titusville, she was accepted into the dual enrollment program, an innovative program that allows high school students to take college courses and earn an associate degree by the time they graduate from high school. Along the way, Nuzhnaia began to learn more about UCF and its highly rated nursing program. She hadn’t considered a career path in nursing, as the profession is much different in Russia. As Nuzhnaia learned about UCF’s nursing program, though, she realized it would be a good fit. “As a nurse, you spend a lot more time with your patient. You build that rapport, you learn their story,” Nuzhnaia says. “You get to advocate for your patients a lot more than anybody else, and you are always there for them.” Nuzhnaia is grateful for the opportunity to study nursing and for the Marian Lacy Endowed Scholarship.
“We did not know anything about the Space Coast or UCF,” Nuzhnaia says.
“
If you have a dream, you have to keep working toward it. This scholarship is helping my dreams come true because I don’t have to work at my outside jobs as much. It is allowing me to focus on my ultimate goal of becoming a nurse, and I am so grateful for this opportunity.” Mariia Nuzhnaia
16 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
A Research Superstar in the Making — Thanks to Scholarships Someday, incredible breakthroughs in the treatment of psychological trauma might be developed by Nola Browne, a UCF senior who is already in her third year of work in a lab within UCF RESTORES. But her promising career in the healing of trauma in sexual assault survivors might never have started because of financial struggles early in her college career. Scholarships provided by UCF donors turned things around. “When I first came to UCF, I was struggling. I had Bright Futures, and my savings from my part-time job in high school, but that wasn’t enough,” Nola said. “I worked two jobs and had a full class load. With all of the worry about money, it was hard to make sense of why I was here.”
The daughter of emigrant from the Caribbean, Nola was raised with a strong work ethic, a belief in the power of education and a focus on her future. When she started applying for and receiving scholarships funded by philanthropy, she was finally free to unleash her potential. Now the Chair of the UCF President’s Leadership Council, Nola was nominated for Order of Pegasus, UCF’s highest honor awarded to students. After her spring 2024 graduation, she will pursue a doctoral degree in psychology research.
“
Scholarships make things possible for those of us who didn’t know if we could finish. I am grateful to everyone who makes them possible.” Nola Browne
UCF FOUNDATION, INC. | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | 17
On April 13, Knights from around the world gathered virtually and in person to rally around a communitydriven effort to support UCF. During a 24-hour period, the university received 9,551 gifts.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: Day of Giving festivities comprised of many challenges to inspire our Knights to support their preferred UCF fund.
First Gift of Day Challenge - $1,000 Bonus
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES The games and challenges continued throughout the day, reaping bonuses for early birds like the Broward County Alumni Community, Rosen College of Hospitality Management, the Jacksonville Alumni Community and the College of Arts and Humanities. Each hour, there was a new challenge, and that brought the competitive spirit out in Athletics, and Student Success and Well-Being, the College of Business, the College of Community Innovation and Education and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Later in the day, the First Generation Scholarship Fund (with a match of 2:1!), the Burnett Honors College, and the Ginsburg Center for Inclusion and Community Engagement also jumped into the fray for their share of the available bonus funds. In the last few hours of Day of Giving, Athletics, UCF Cheerleading, and the UCF Rowing Club grabbed extra bonus funds, and the last challenge of the day earned the President’s Leadership Council an extra $1,000 in bonus funding.
18 | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
Anyone who made a gift during Day of Giving also received an exclusive pin featuring a fan-favorite icon. And if you made a gift during specific times throughout the day, you could collect all four designs!
We knew our Knights would make this our greatest Day of Giving ever. From our loyal 4Ever Knights, one of our largest student organizations on campus, to the faculty and staff across the campus and our Knights around the world who pitched in, made a gift, and spread the word that every gift matters, thank you. Your generosity and support of our great Knight Nation keep us all Charging On!
SAVE THE DATE FOR UCF’S NEXT DAY OF GIVING:
Thursday, April 11, 2024
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AMOUNT RAISED:
$6.8 MILLION The most in university history
Areas of Funding Receiving Support
CANADA
SERBIA
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SOUTH KOREA
AUSTRALIA
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COLOMBIA
84% INCREASE
FROM LAST YEAR
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KNIGHTS IN ALL 50 STATES PARTICIPATED
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PANAMA
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
PHILIPPINES
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Gift to Grow UCF’s India Center Endowment In June 2023, Anil Valbh made his first ever pledge to UCF — $250,000 toward the goal to raise a $5 million to support the India Center at UCF’s programming and impact. Valbh said he had been thinking about making a gift to higher education for a long time. He was introduced to the India Center at UCF by his friend Anil Deshpande, who inspired him to give. Valbh believes the India Center’s mission to broaden the awareness and understanding of contemporary India aligns with his personal and philanthropic goals of supporting education and Indian culture. Born and raised in India, Valbh came to the United States in 1978 and earned an MBA in Owner/President Management from Harvard Business School. He went on to become a highly successful business developer, building 76 hotels for many different brands. He also worked in IT software development in India and the United States and developed products for the global market. He married and
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raised two daughters who went on to become attorneys. He credits his late wife (also from India) with making sure their children learned about their Indian heritage and culture, which he says is important — for children to know where their parents come from and to be connected to extended family. He cites an 85-year Harvard study of 724 people from around the world that found it is relationships and connections that contribute most to long life. Valbh feels it is important for those of Indian decent to learn about India, especially young people, and that the India Center is iconic; it fosters cultural understanding and presents India in all its facets. To date, donors have pledged more than $3 million in support of the India Center endowment. When fully funded, it will provide a secure source of funding for programs and operations in perpetuity. To learn more visit: theindiacenter.ucf.edu or scan code.
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PREMIUM ROLL 33” GRAPHIC DIMENSIONS: 33” x 78“ GREY SAFE ZONE: 32” x 75” KEEP IMPORTANT TEXT,IMAGES, OR LOGOS IN GREY AREA. BACKGROUND ART MUST GO TO ALL OF THE EDGES OF THIS TEMPLATE. BLUE AREA WILL PRINT. DO NOT ADD BLEEDS OR CROP MARKS! CROP MARKS AND MIRROR BLEEDS WILL BE ADDED PRIOR TO PRINTING. ART BOARD MUST BE SAVED EXACTLY TO ART SIZE.
Anil Valbh
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Blackstone Charitable Foundation Gift Fosters Entrepreneurial Spirit at UCF Blackstone Charitable Foundation committed $2.2 million in July 2022 to grow the existing Blackstone LaunchPad at UCF and support the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, strengthening entrepreneurial education in Florida and fostering startups. Since LaunchPad expanded to UCF in 2013, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation has invested nearly $4 million to promote entrepreneurship across campus and beyond. The nationally acclaimed Launchpad program seeks to close the opportunity gap by equipping students with the entrepreneurial skills they need to build lasting careers. The program plays a vital role in nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs to transform their innovative ideas into viable businesses. Located in the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the College of Business, the Blackstone LaunchPad engages more than 5,000 UCF students annually, across majors, with a network of venture coaches and entrepreneurial support to help them launch companies that can take root locally and strengthen the Central Florida economy. These students gain access to microgrants, internships and a venture incubator that supplies specialized tools for early-stage startups to grow and innovate. They can also schedule confidential mentor meetings, attend industry speaker events and innovation mixers, or compete for cash prizes by pitching a business idea and explaining why they think it may be successful. More than 400 student ventures have been launched since the program’s establishment, with many more students gaining valuable self-awareness and skills through experiential learning.
The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership was created in 2005 within the College of Business to develop programming to foster entrepreneurial mindsets and careerreadiness skills for students to make a positive impact on society. The campus-wide education initiative offers a wide range of entrepreneurship resources and opportunities for students from all disciplines. “The Blackstone Charitable Foundation has been a stalwart partner that has helped us enrich and sustain our ability to promote entrepreneurial talent and student-led startups at UCF,” says Cameron Ford, founding director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and executive director of the UCF Blackstone LaunchPad. “Thousands of students have received help for their investments. We appreciate the support and are proud to be part of a 75-school network across the United States.” Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. With $1 trillion in assets under management, the firm’s investment vehicles focus on a wide range of investments, assets and equity, globally. Founded in 2007, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation has supported students on more than 60 college and university campuses. As America’s partnership university, UCF offers opportunities for partners like Blackstone to practice strategic philanthropy – to give and engage with the university in ways that create meaningful value and drive opportunity and prosperity for UCF’s constituents and community.
Scan to learn more about Blackstone LaunchPad or visit: cel.ucf.edu/blackstone-launchpad-at-ucf/
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Volunteer Leadership UCF Foundation Board of Directors
Members of the UCF Foundation Board of Directors give generously of their time, their expertise and their resources to advance the University of Central Florida. The following directors served through Fiscal Year 2023. A current board roster is available at ucffoundation.org/board/ OFFICERS Carrie Daanen ’92, Chair Brian Butler H’22, Vice Chair Roslyn Burttram P’20, Vice Chair Eva Tukdarian ’90 ’91MSA, Treasurer Dana Patton ’93, Secretary John Euliano H’18, Immediate Past Chair DIRECTORS Tandreia Bellamy ’98MS Jessica Blume ’80 Clint Bullock ’95 Catherine McCaw-Engelman John “Barry” Forbes ’86 James Harhi ’97 Stuart Heaton P’17 Mike Hinn ’92 Dr. Gideon Lewis ‘00 P.A. Laurence “Chris” Marlin ’94 Marc McMurrin ’01 Thomas McNamara ’88 Kevin Miller Dianne Owen ’93 ’97MBA Heather Pigman ’94 Mark Plaumann ’74 ’79MBA Kevin Wydra ’92 Roger Zlotoff ’86
EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS Caryl McAlpin ’77, Board of Trustees Linh Dang ’93, Chair, UCF Alumni Board Provost Michael Johnson EMERITUS DIRECTORS Judith A. Albertson HC’14 James T. Barnes Jr R. Van Bogan Olga C. Calvet ’71 Peter Dagostino Alan G. Fickett ’71 Manuel A. Garcia III J. Charles Gray HC’16 Michael J. Grindstaff ’78 Gerald F. Hilbrich John C. Hitt H’17 (deceased) Phyllis Klock HC’14 Deborah J. Komanski ’79 Rita A. Lowndes H’19 Michael Manglardi ’84 Gerald R. McGratty ’71 Anthony J. Nicholson HC’17 Richard A. Nunis HC’96 Margery Pabst Steinmetz H’20 Roger W. Pynn ’73 Rick Walsh ’77 AI R. Weiss ’76 Nelson Ying Thomas Yochum
HONORARY DIRECTOR Joan D. Ruffier
UCF Board of Trustees
The UCF Board of Trustees sets policy and serves as the university’s legal owner and final authority responsible for efficient and effective use of resources. The following trustees served through Fiscal Year 2023. A current board roster is available at bot.ucf.edu. Alexander J. Martins ’01MBA, Chair Harold F. Mills, Vice Chair Tiffany A. Altizer ’90MS Ricardo Cardenas ’92 William J. Christy ’86 Jeffrey S. Condello Joseph D. Conte Digvijay “Danny” L. Gaekwad Brandon Greenaway Stephen J. King Daniella M. Lopez* Caryl C. McAlpin ’77 John Miklos ’92 Michael A. Okaty ’96 Beverly J. Seay H’18* *partial year term
UCF Alumni Board
The UCF Alumni Board formulates and executes strategies and programs that build a culture of service and philanthropy among UCF’s alumni. The following members served through Fiscal Year 2023. A current board roster is available at ucfalumni.com. OFFICERS Linh Dang ’93, Chair Carol Hendren ’96 ’99MS, Chair-elect Chair, Directorship Committee Matt Assenmacher ’93, Immediate Past Chair Davia Moss ’93 ’09MPA, Secretary Cortez Whatley ’13 Chair, Advocacy Committee Mason Moore ’97, Chair, Engagement Committee Melissa Tomasso ’94 Chair, Philanthropy Committee Carrie Daanen ’92 Chair, UCF Foundation Board of Directors Director) 22 (Ex-Officio | ANNUAL REPORT 2023 | UCF FOUNDATION, INC.
BOARD MEMBERS Doug Anderson ’93 Drew Belani ’05 ’17MS Michelle Bilsky ’15 Todd Bryant ’07 Crystal Buit ’06 Michael Cantrell H’21 Trish Celano ’10MSN Mish Clark ’95 Angela Cohen ’98 Ruth Colombe ’12 Michele Engle ’88 Commander Paul S. Fermo ’92 Kristin Hahn ’94
Kurt Halls ’93 Manish Hirapara ’98 JJ Mackle ’00MA Victoria Manglardi ’08 Britt Massing ’93 Amy Rettig ’89 Al Sarabasa ’85 Ali Shahnami ’81 ’95MSEE Kyle Simpson ’11 Roby Strong ’92 Woody Walker ’92 ’94MBA Shawn Young ’99
Friends, It is an incredible time to be a part of Knight Nation! This report shows how much we have to celebrate and look forward to at UCF. In 2023, we marked UCF’s 60th anniversary; our largest fundraising year ever; transformational philanthropy toward our new College of Nursing building; investments in helping students graduate on time and with less debt; our exciting entry into the Big 12; and much more. We are proud of UCF’s record-setting $114-million raised this past fiscal year, and we are truly inspired that an all-time high of 48,000 donors chose to support our beloved university. We could not have reached these milestones without you, and we are deeply appreciative. Your generosity will have far-reaching impact for our students, faculty, staff, and community. As we look ahead, we are committed to continuing to Unleash Potential and to being the University for the Future that our community and world both need and deserve. Thank you for your passionate support of UCF. We are grateful to have you as part of our UCF family. Go Knights, Charge On!
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12424 Research Parkway, Suite 250 Orlando, Florida 32826-3208 407-882-1220 UCFFoundation.org UCF Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Thank you to all our generous donors
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