{"id":13014,"date":"2017-11-09T21:35:04","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T21:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=13014&post_type=story"},"modified":"2020-07-01T13:39:48","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T13:39:48","slug":"president-john-c-hitt-announces-retirement","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/president-john-c-hitt-announces-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"President Hitt Steps Down"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t
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President Hitt Steps Down<\/h1>\n\t

\n\t\tAfter 26 years, John C. Hitt announced he is retiring from the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ presidency in 2018.
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Fall 2017<\/em>\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tOn October 24, John C. Hitt announced he was\r\nstepping down as president of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, effective\r\nJune 30, 2018. Hitt and his wife, Martha, arrived on campus in 1992 and have since dedicated their lives to making Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ one of the largest and best universities in the nation. For 26 years, Hitt fostered partnerships to expand Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½\u2019s offerings to increase students\u2019 opportunities to earn college degrees. In turn, his vision not only transformed the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ community, but the entire Central Florida region. Hitt will continue to be a part of the Knight family even during retirement, helping to advance philanthropic, community and partnership goals as president emeritus.

$2.23 Billion <\/strong>
Earned in research funding since 1992 

30,477<\/strong> 
Minority students enrolled at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in Fall 2017. This is more than the total enrollment in 1991\u201392, which was 21,267 students. 

850 
<\/strong>National Merit Scholars enrolled since 2002 

71 <\/strong>
New degree programs

4.06<\/strong>
Average GPA for this year\u2019s freshmen. The average GPA for freshmen in 1995 was 3.34. 

3 
<\/strong>Consecutive years Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has had the highest student-athlete graduation success rate in the nation
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt meets with leadership in his conference room to discuss the transition.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tMarcos Marchena \u201982<\/em><\/strong>, chairman of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Board of Trustees, addresses President Hitt.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt takes a moment to reflect before taking the stage at the press conference.<\/em>


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\n\t\t\t\t\tThe crowd gives President Hitt a standing ovation as he takes the stage.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt announces his retirement from the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ presidency with his wife, Martha, at his side.
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[blockquote source=”President John C. Hitt” cite=”” color=”#bd9a36″ css_class=””]\u201cWhen we first visited campus, [Martha and I] had a powerful feeling that Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ was a special place. We never could have imagined then how very special it would become.\u201d [\/blockquote]
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\n\t\t\t\t\tVice President and Executive Chief of Staff Rick Schell, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Foundation CEO Mike Morsberger and Vice President of Student Develop and Enrollment Services Maribeth Ehasz were in the front row to show their support for Hitt.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cI\u2019ve never felt better about the future of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. I make this decision in good health and of my choosing. The time is right for this decision because I\u2019ve never felt better about Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.\u201d<\/em>
\u2014 President Hitt
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt wears a gold Pegasus ring on his finger as a sign of his commitment to, and love for, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. <\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tMartha joins President Hitt on stage at the conclusion of his announcement. <\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tThose gathered give President Hitt a standing ovation as he takes a seat.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cFor me as a coach, he hired me, and I\u2019m eternally gratefully for the opportunity he\u2019s given me. <\/em>I love Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and love the opportunity here, so I’m going to miss him<\/em>.<\/em>\u201d
<\/em>\u2014 Men’s Basketball Head Coach Johnny Dawkins

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\n\t\t\t\t\tÂ鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Provost Dale Whittaker smiles as he applauds President Hitt.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tÂ鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Board of Trustees Chairman Marcos Marchena, who will lead a committee in a comprehensive, transparent and extensive search for the next president of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, discusses the transition. The search committee convened by Marchena include trustees and representatives from the faculty, staff, student body, alumni, the Florida Board of Governors and the Central Florida community. <\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPresident Hitt speaks to a group of reporters after his speech.<\/em>\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tSGA President Nick Larkins and Vice President Cristina Barreto represented the student body at the press conference.<\/em>
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cMaking this decision now provides the best opportunity for our momentum to continue. I know that our leadership team, including our trustees, vice presidents, and deans, will continue turning big dreams into reality.<\/em>\u201d<\/i>
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