Here are the highlights that shaped an unforgettable year.

Daring to Boldly Invent the Future: Florida’s Next-Generation Preeminent University

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ met the 12 metrics required to earn the Preeminent State Research University designation from the Florida Board of Governors, the highest designation for state research universities. This landmark achievement highlights sustained progress in student success, research and more — affirming Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s leadership in advancing opportunity and impact in Florida and beyond.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Opens Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion in Lake Nona, Fueling a Talent Pipeline and Healthcare Innovation

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ opened the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion on the Academic Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona — a 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility dedicated to preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals. The pavilion expands immersive simulation technology and interdisciplinary learning spaces, enabling Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ to graduate more nurses ready to serve communities across the region.

Pegasus Partners Expand with BNY and Lockheed Martin

This year saw strategic growth of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Pegasus Partners program, with major collaborations forged with global financial services company BNY and aerospace and defense leader Lockheed Martin. The BNY co-located educational innovation hub on Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s main campus — the first of its kind in Florida — brings experiential learning and cybersecurity education directly to students. Additionally, the expanded Lockheed Martin partnership will grow the highly successful College Work Experience Program and expand research in vital areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and hypersonic technologies.

Elevating Impact Across Space

As America’s Space University, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ deepened its influence across the space sector this year, highlighted by the inaugural Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Space Week that took place Nov. 3-7. The university-wide celebration showcased all the ways Knight Nation is advancing space research, supporting Florida’s fast-growing space economy, and preparing the next generation of explorers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. The observance also marked the debut of the SpaceU Awards, which celebrated eight honorees — two students, three faculty, two organizations and a record-setting astronaut — for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space development, discovery and exploration.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s impact also extended into human health in space. Two internationally known  experts — William Powers and Jennifer Fogarty — joined the College of Medicine’s faculty as part of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine that will lead research and technology development for improving health in extreme environments such as space.

As the top talent provider to the nation’s aerospace and defense industries, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ also launched a new online space MBA program to meet the expanding needs of the booming space industry on Florida’s Space Coast and around the world. The 24-month part-time graduate business program focuses on space commercialization, business strategy and innovation, preparing graduates to lead in high-impact roles across the commercial space, aerospace, government, startups and emerging tech industries.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Launches Institute of Artificial Intelligence to Advance Research, Talent Development Across Disciplines

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ launched the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, a new university-wide initiative bringing together top faculty, industry partnerships and cross-campus collaboration to position the university as a national leader in AI. The institute will also support Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s AI for All Initiative, which integrates AI into teaching and learning across disciplines, ensuring students graduate with the ability to use AI effectively in their careers.

Honoring Excellence on Founders’ Day

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s annual Founders’ Day honored the outstanding achievements of the university’s employees, faculty and students. Hundreds of Knights were recognized for their excellence and impact — among them Pegasus Professors Roger Azevedo, Fevzi Okumus and Yan Solihin; Medal of Societal Impact honoree Mohamed Abdel-Aty; Reach for the Stars honorees Amrita Ghosh, Leland Nordin, Yogesh Rawat and Kelly Stevens; and 37 Order of Pegasus inductees — the university’s highest student honor.

Epic Universe Launch Provides Immersive Learning Opportunities at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½

Universal Orlando Resort’s highly anticipated new theme park, Epic Universe, opened its gates this spring, and Knights played a role in bringing it to life. Located less than a mile away, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s — ranked No. 1 in the world for hospitality education (CEOWORLD magazine) — turned Epic Universe into a living case study for hands-on learning in hospitality, themed experience, engineering and beyond. While the park attracts millions of guests with its immersive worlds and attractions, it’s also transforming hospitality education for Rosen College students, building a direct talent pipeline into the park and developing a workforce ready to lead the industry.

Introducing John Buckwalter, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Next Provost 

Following a competitive national search, John Buckwalter was appointed Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. He and his wife, Amalia, officially joined Knight Nation on Aug. 1. Buckwalter brings more than 20 years of experience in academia to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. He most recently served as provost at Boise State University, where he led transformative interdisciplinary initiatives and championed student achievement. He succeeds Provost Michael D. Johnson, who retired this summer following 35 years of service to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

Knights Shine in Athletics

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Athletics delivered unforgettable moments this year — from the rowing team claiming its first Big 12 Championship in program history, to men’s soccer’s conference title, to men’s tennis clinching its , to 82-78 victory over Hofstra at Additional Financial Arena that sparked the best start (8-1) in head coach Johnny Dawkins’ tenure.

Together, We Unleashed Impact: Thank You, Knight Nation, for a Transformational Day of Giving 2025

Knights made a collective impact for another record-breaking celebration of all things Black & Gold. raised more than $14.8 million — a 63% increase from last year and the most in university history. With 10,472 gifts, inspired donors across the globe rallied together for the community-driven effort — fueling Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s academic programs, life-changing scholarships, groundbreaking research and more. These contributions were made across all 50 U.S. states, as well as globally, including Australia, France, Panama and the United Kingdom.

Students who enroll in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s new graduate certificate in digital twins can explore the answers to these questions and a whole lot more. The 12-credit-hour program, launching this fall in the School of Modeling, Simulation and Training (SMST), will teach students to design, implement and analyze advanced digital twin systems that can mimic the behavior and performance of their physical counterparts.

“The program emphasizes innovation and hands-on learning, preparing students to apply cutting-edge digital twin technologies to real-world challenges across sectors such as smart cities, healthcare, aerospace, manufacturing and defense,� SMST Interim Director and Program Coordinator Ghaith Rabadi says. “The program is strategically designed to strengthen Central Florida’s digital twin talent pipeline and offers students access to industry-aligned training and career-ready skills. Graduates will emerge equipped to drive transformative digital solutions in high-demand fields.�

Various industries already utilize digital twins to test and analyze products or environments before they are created. For example, NASA uses digital twins to predict the behavior of spacecraft and increase the success of future missions. Siemens Healthcare employs digital twins of organs to help doctors better understand their physiology and to develop more targeted treatments.

Industry professionals who want to develop skills in this type of digital modeling are welcome to apply to the program. A background in engineering or computer science is not required, although an undergraduate degree from a STEM-related discipline and some experience with programming are preferred.

Assistant Professor Soheil Sabri says that graduates of the program may be better positioned to pursue job titles such as digital twin engineer, simulation analyst, systems integration specialist, smart infrastructure developer or digital transformation consultant across a wide range of industries.

“With the growing adoption of digital twin technologies in industries such as aerospace, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, transportation and national defense, graduates will be equipped to lead efforts in optimizing operations, enhancing predictive maintenance and driving innovation in complex systems,â€� Sabri says. “The program’s strong emphasis on real-world applications and industry collaboration further enhances graduates’ readiness for impactful, future-forward careers.â€�

The SMST faculty aims to enroll 10 to 15 students in the first year of the program and already have strong interest from students enrolled in the school’s graduate degrees. The program can be completed online, offering convenience to students who need to balance coursework with a full-time job.

“The program is designed to be accessible to working professionals and students from diverse STEM backgrounds, providing flexible pathways to deepen understanding into emerging fields such as machine learning and artificial intelligence,â€� Assistant Professor Sean Modesire says. “As digital twins continue to revolutionize sectors from healthcare to aerospace, this program positions Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ at the forefront of preparing the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.â€�

Other collaborators on the project include Roger Azevedo, Vishnu Prabhu and Bulent Soykan.

Roger Azevedo is converting psychology theories into life-like models. Fevzi Okumus personifies the meaning of hospitality. Yan Solihin continues to build a force in cybersecurity education and training.

The uncommon drive of these three professors comes from childhoods spent in war-torn Angola, in a small village in Turkey and in one of the poorest areas of Indonesia. Each will receive $5,000 and have his picture displayed in front of the John C. Hitt Library. The Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ community is invited to celebrate these professors and additional honorees during the Founder’s Day Faculty Honors Celebration on Wednesday, April 2, in the Student Union Pegasus Ballroom.

For now, meet the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Pegasus Professors for 2025:

Roger Azevedo

Professor, School of Modeling Simulation and Training
Lead scientist and co-cluster lead, Learning Sciences faculty cluster initiative
Director, SMART Lab
Few people know: His dream as a kid was to move to Japan and become a ninja. It didn’t happen, but he did earn a black belt in Shaolin white crane kung fu. “The determination I use in physical training is the same determination I use as a scientist,� he says.

It’s going to be a good April for Roger Azevedo. Three weeks after accepting his honor as a Pegasus Professor, he’ll fly to Denver to be recognized as a fellow with American Educational Research Association.

“It’s humbling,� Azevedo says.

Those two words are not a copy and paste acceptance phrase, even for the man who’s already received prestigious awards from the American Psychological Association and U.S. National Science Foundation for his progress in developing artificial agents that embody psychological principles of learning, reasoning and problem solving to augment human knowledge and skills in K-12, healthcare and workforce development. Azevedo’s students sense a deep personal meaning every time he uses variations of the word “humbling.�

Lead with humility. Stay humble. They fuel his work every day.

“I will never forget where I came from,� Azevedo says, “because I’ve learned everything can be taken from you in the blink of an eye.�

Azevedo spent the first eight years of his life in the middle of a civil war in the African nation of Angola. Any remembrances of hobbies were blotted out by memories of the all-day, all-night sounds of mortal shells and bullets. To avoid sniper fire, his family would eat dinner on the floor of their small home with the lights turned off. Uncles, aunts and cousins vanished. Azevedo went to elementary school with the help of armed escorts.

“We were more concerned about survival than education,� he says.

He vividly remembers his family being ushered to an airport in the middle of the night and landing the next day in Montreal, with just the clothes on their backs.

“We left everything behind,� he says, “but wow, even at that age I was thankful to have a second chance. Being an immigrant was not easy for us. The memory motivates me to be the role model that I didn’t have for most of my academic life.�

Azevedo’s mother only completed fourth grade before she had to start working. His father made it through high school. Once in Canada, they eventually scrabbled enough money together to buy World Book Encyclopedias. That’s when Azevedo discovered his insatiable appetite for learning.

“I could have thought, ‘Well, I’m just glad to be alive,’ and taken a job in labor. But I wanted to go against the grain. I’m still like that. While other kids were watching TV, I was reading. My parents said if I wanted to go to college, I’d have to figure it out, which was fine. I gladly worked three jobs to pay my own way.�

Along that way, Azevedo  took an Introduction to Psychology class and fell in love with the study of human behavior. He had an urge, however, to the theories into realms where they’d never been taken. Through modeling and simulation, he could help students become better learners, clinicians become more accurate diagnosticians, teachers and faculty understand their students’ learning needs in real-time, and professionals working in high-stress environments perform to the best of the capabilities. Azevedo’s curiosity opened doors to universities and conferences around the world until he entered into a conversation while visiting and presenting at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ before the Learning Sciences faculty cluster initiative officially announced openings.

“The people here weren’t just talking about using psychology in interdisciplinary research, they embodied the spirit of interdisciplinary research,� he says. “So, I accepted a position and started working with learning sciences and psychology students alongside computer scientists and engineers and various stakeholders to create intelligent systems to augment and support human capabilities and test their effectiveness.�

They are now designing generative artificial intelligence-driven pedagogical agents to support learners’ thinking about thinking processes (such as metacognitive),  building empathetic digital twins to be empathetic, so practitioners will be better equipped to help children and adults coping with end-of-life situations and other health challenges. Azevedo considers every aspect of his work a privilege, which rubs off on his students and postdoctoral scholars.

“When they share my excitement, I feel like a blacksmith with pieces of metal. I inject oxygen, fan the flames, delicately and progressively shape the metal, and turn them into swords,�  Azevedo says.

He pauses to briefly remind anyone listening, including himself, why he will move mountains for his students.

“Given my background, this is all a pipedream — earning a Ph.D. at an Ivy League school such as McGill [University], pursuing postdoctoral studies in cognitive psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, teaching across North America and other places in the world, and turning psychological theories into impactful, intelligent technological systems to benefit humans and society. I’m still just an immigrant kid who was lucky to survive. That’s why I’ll do anything in my power to make sure all of my students have whatever they need to be successful, including the love of learning, spirit of innovation, intellectual curiosity, and the desire to use technology to benefit humans and society.�

Fevzi Okumus

Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association Preeminent Chair Professor
Founding chair of the hospitality services department at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Few People Know: He’s traveled to more than 60 countries and has a goal of visiting at least 100. His favorite spots? The Maldives for location. The Azores for experiences. The Taj Mahal for human-made wonder. “But Turkey will always be a special place to visit and let my daughters see my humble beginnings,� he says.

Fevzi Okumus is passionate about teaching, research and working with industry partners. He teaches and works on research in the areas of strategic management, leadership and hospitality management. Okumus was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2021; 2022; 2023 and 2024 by Clarivate. But he calls himself an “academic entrepreneurâ€� more than a teacher and researcher as he loves working on new initiatives. He can’t separate the academic whose influence has helped catapult Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Rosen College of Hospitality Management to No. 1 in the world for five straight years from the entrepreneur who dreams of opening his own hotel someday.

He personifies hospitality from classrooms to hospitality settings, with a perpetual smile and an innate desire to serve others.

“Hospitality is about making people happy and offering positive memorable experiences,� Okumus says. “It’s a good fit for me as a teacher, too. I want my students to know the joy of reaching the highest standards of excellence.�

As the founding chair of hospitality services at the Rosen College, Okumus has mentored and worked with more than half of the faculty members. He is very proud that Rosen College has an unheard-of job placement rate of over 90%. Graduates are raising the hospitality bar around the world, with many of them securing management positions within a few years of being hired. Alumni of the Rosen College are also taking research skills to universities around the country and adding to the home-grown faculty talent at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. As if all of this isn’t enough to fill Okumus’s calendar, he’s also the editor-in-chief of three well-known hospitality and tourism journals. He is the founding editor of two of them. In summers, Okumus co-lead hospitality camps to train high school students with disabilities for employment.

His smile never fades. Neither does his purpose.

“Nothing is more important to me than serving and making a positive impact. It’s why I enjoy my work so much.�

Okumus first learned hospitality from growing up in a small village near Bolu, Turkey, where yesterday’s strangers became today’s friends over home-cooked meals. As a teenager one summer, he visited Lake Abant and saw something he’d never seen: tourists. They looked different and were speaking different languages.

“I wanted to know more about where these people came from, the hotels where they stayed, and what made them happy,� Okumus says.

He enrolled in a vocational high school to learn hospitality concepts and he worked different hotel jobs possible to apply his skills: cooking, bartending, cleaning, running front desks and managing.

“I found out in every role that you excelled by solving problems and making the guest experience better,� he says.

Okumus thought he would use his growing knowledge that spanned all the way to a doctoral degree. He lived and worked around Europe and Asia working on research projects and teaching future managers at colleges. When he was invited to the Rosen College for a job interview in early 2005, he saw the state-of-the-art campus.

“It had just opened,� he says, “I called my wife in Hong Kong and said, ‘This is where we need to be.’ �

One year after coming to the Rosen College, Okumus was promoted to associate professor and chosen to be the founding chair of the hospitality services department. Today, the college is known worldwide as the template of hospitality training with more than 2,000 undergraduates and 300 graduate students. Okumus becomes the first Rosen College faculty member to earn the Pegasus Professor distinction, in part because he exemplifies his own objective in hospitality.

“Love and excel what you do and offer memorable experiences through serving,� he says.

Graduates often reconnect with Okumus to thank him for impacting their lives. One, now the manager of a restaurant, told Okumus how his mentorship at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ helped him overcome homelessness.

“You never know what types of challenges each student might be facing,� Okumus says. “It’s another reason to have a servant leadership mentality.�

Yan Solihin

Professor and director of the cyber security and privacy program
Charles N. Millican Chair Professor of Computer Science
Few People Know: His past hobbies have ranged from collecting insects around his home to learning how to play guitar. “My favorite is listening to Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits play his guitar in Sultans of Swing,� he says.

To this day, Yan Solihin doesn’t know how his parents were able to buy a computer when he was growing up in Indonesia. He has no doubt, however, that the first time he turned on a PC it began to radically change his future.

“I remember being astonished at what could be done on that single device,� Solihin says.

With the unexpected introduction to technology, Solihin wrote his first program at the age of 10 — a game where the computer generated random numbers for players to guess. The game piqued his curiosity about how a computer could possibly generate random numbers and if they really were random at all. Those questions pulled him into cryptography, an area where computer science and math converge, and computer security. After nearly two decades of teaching and researching (including time with the U.S. National Science Foundation), Solihin came to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2018, where he’s launched two labs while guiding the university’s growth into a prominent hub of cyber security and privacy research and education.

The latest recipient of the Pegasus Professor honor has never stopped marveling at the power of computing. It’s just that the stakes are higher today than when he was typing words and creating games as a curious boy.

“We have a long way to go to meet the need for more cybersecurity professionals,â€� he says. “Witness the frequency of cyberattacks. Many organizations are short staffed to handle them. That’s why I came to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ with its young spirit and open attitude to new ideas. Our goal since I arrived is to be one of the best places in the world for cybersecurity and privacy research and education.â€�

Solihin has overseen a quadrupling in the number of faculty members specializing in cyber security, with more than 150 students now enrolled in the master’s in cyber security and privacy and 100 enrolled in the master’s in digital forensics.

“The most exciting aspect of my job is mentoring and teaching. I feel like I’m taking students through a journey of exploration and discovery. It’s deeply fulfilling to instill a sense of awe,� Solihin says.

Their awe connects him back to Indonesia, to his childhood home reachable only by foot or bicycle, where water had to be drawn from a well with a bucket and the walls were made of thin bamboo weaves. Solihin will never forget where his future began or the wisdom of his father, who sacrificed so much for that first computer: “Education is the only means out of poverty.�

“It took time for those words to sink in,� Solihin says, “but they have guided everything I’ve done in my professional life.�

With this backdrop, you can understand why Solihin believes students with the same kind of drive can provide the energy to grow “a national powerhouseâ€� in cyber security and privacy education at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. You also realize why he says three factors motivate him whenever he wakes up.

“For one, I believe in stewardship — leaving whomever or whatever I am entrusted in a better place. I also consider it a blessing that I’m paid to do what I really like because not everyone can say that. And finally, the adventure of identifying problems and thinking of solutions makes every day exciting. To come from my childhood to where I am now, it still gives me a sense of amazement.�

Azevedo’s research focuses on human interactions with intelligent learning systems to study learning, performance and transfer in various contexts.

“This recognition affirms my contributions to multidisciplinary research,� Azevedo says. “It opens doors to new research partnerships, funding opportunities, and AI-based technological innovations.�

Azevedo’s work aims to develop adaptive learning systems that model and enhance human-machine collaboration, with applications in healthcare, defense, and education, advancing training technologies for the 21st-century workforce.

“Dr. Azevedo’s selection as an AERA Fellow is a testament to his dedication to advancing the field of educational research,â€� says officials with the Pegasus Research Institute (PRI) at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. “His work not only enhances IST’s mission to push the boundaries of learning technologies but also reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence in research.â€�

Nominated by their peers, the 2025 Fellows were selected by the fellows committee and approved by the AERA Council, the association’s elected governing body. Azevedo will be inducted alongside colleagues from prestigious institutions such as the University of Virginia, UCLA and Johns Hopkins University. The induction ceremony occurs at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Denver on April 24.

“Being inducted as a Fellow of AERA is a significant milestone in recognizing the quality and impact of our interdisciplinary research,” Azevedo says. “It also enhances my research and professional goals by providing greater visibility and opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.â€�

About SMART Lab
The SMART Lab explores human interactions with intelligent learning and training systems. Using multimodal data, researchers analyze cognitive and behavioral processes to improve adaptive learning technologies. Their work informs the development of systems that personalize training, enhance decision-making, and optimize performance in various fields, from education to high-stakes environments like healthcare and defense.

°Õ³ó±ðÌý received a $1.155 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish and launch the new program, which is expected to start in Spring or Fall of 2025. The grant, part of the Department of Education (DOE) Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, or FIPSE, program, started this month. SMST faculty will spend this year developing the new program and the next two years implementing and evaluating it.

The grant will enable Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ to build on its academic and research strengths in digital twins, which are digital replicas of complex real-world systems. By manipulating digital twins, scientists, doctors, urban planners, and others can analyze, predict, optimize, and make real-time decisions on products, processes, and systems.

The new DOE grant will allow Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ to expand educational programs focused on digital twin. Graduate students enrolled in the program would learn about designing, implementing, managing, and creating innovations for digital twin technologies, and they would gain real-life experiences through industry as part of the program.

Along with the $1.155 million in FIPSE funding, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ will include about 25% in matching funds to bring the total grant to almost $1.5 million.

Ghaith Rabadi, modeling and simulation professor and graduate program director, will lead the certificate program along with SMST faculty members Roger Azevedo, Joe Kider, Sean Mondesire, Soheil Sabri and Bulent Soykan.

“The award further strengthens the digital twin strategic initiative program at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and ensures a definitive pathway to educate the next generation in this transformative technology,” says Rabadi. “Graduates will be well-prepared to become leading researchers and innovators in a field rapidly becoming a vital part of our regional and state economies.â€�

The initiative is crosscutting within the university and will encompass ongoing digital twin research in multiple sectors, including microelectronics, space, multi-domain operations, test, and evaluation, human digital twins, AI-enabled capabilities and machine interface, airports of the future, smart cities, energy infrastructure, and more.

This is Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s second federal grant connected with digital twin research. As part of a 2022 Department of Commerce grant awarded to Osceola County and several partners, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ researchers are replicating the semiconductor production line at the Center for NeoVation in Osceola County, with a goal of increasing productivity and reliability.

Digital twin research is also a focus of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Strategic Investment Program. Led by Grace Bochenek ’98PhD, director of SMST, that collaboration also includes faculty from engineering and computer science, psychology, and arts and humanities. The goal is to develop a digital twin framework and tools that can be adapted by governments, industry, and academia based on their needs. Potential applications include healthcare, smart cities, transportation and defense.