Scott Powers
University of Central Florida President John Hitt and several of the school’s other leaders are putting their money where their hopes are.
The university announced that Hitt and his wife Martha, several current and former members of the Board of Trustees and others at the school have combined to donate about $1 million this month to help UCF reach a goal of $20 million in a matching fund for a downtown Orlando campus.
They’re still short. The new contributions bring UCF’s private contributions to about $9 million. The school had pledged it would raise private money to match the $20 million it has requested from the state to begin development of a downtown Orlando campus.
School officials already missed a self-imposed deadline but are confident they still have time.
At the Board of Trustees meeting earlier this month, UCF officials said they hoped to have commitments for $20 million in private donations in time for the next Florida Board of Governors meeting. Their hope was that the Board of Governors could then forward a favorable recommendation for the project and the state grant to the Florida Legislature while it is still in session.
The Board of Governors next meeting begins Wednesday, on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee. The next meeting would be Feb. 18. The Legislative Session ends March 11.
After UCF Trustees Chairman Marcos Marchena had urged his fellow board members and others to help build the matching fund during the UCF board’s Jan. 7 board meeting, they responded.
The Hitts contributed $100,000; as did trustee Alex Martins, a UCF alumnus and CEO of the Orlando Magic; and UCF Foundation Board of Directors member Dick Nunis, a former president of Walt Disney World and former chairman of the UCF Board of Trustees, according to UCF. Other leading personal contributors include trustee Robert Garvy and Phyllis Klock, chairwoman of the Foundation Board of Directors.
The commitments from UCF’s leadership also includes gifts from other trustees, deans, vice presidents, and members of the UCF Foundation and Alumni Association boards of directors.
The university declined to offer more details on who gave what.
“Our university’s leaders are making generous personal investments in UCF Downtown because they know the campus will greatly expand educational opportunities for students,” Mike Morsberger, vice president for alumni relations and development, stated in a news release. “Their support, along with the commitments from our community partners, is vital to make this innovative campus a reality.”
The downtown campus is a top priority for UCF but a bit of a gamble. Last summer the Florida Legislature approved $15 million for the campus, but Gov. Rick Scott vetoed the money. Hitt and Marchena met with the governor’s staff to see what they might do differently to win his approval. Marchena said they got no firm promises, but indicated the matching private donations would be an important step.
The campus also is a top priority for the city of Orlando. Last week Mayor Buddy Dyer met with Scott and talked about the campus. Also that day, Dyer, a Democrat, announced his support for the Republican governor’s proposal for a $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund.
