UCF hopes France trip with Gov. DeSantis bolsters its mission, reputation

The University of Central Florida, which is fighting to earn recognition among the state’s top-tier universities, sent a delegation on a high-profile trip to France with Gov. Ron DeSantis and other officials this Summer.

UCF President Alexander Cartwright and four school representatives joined DeSantis and other state, education and business leaders on the three-day trade mission in June to attend the Paris Air Show representing Florida.

UCF paid for the $39,000 airfare, hotels and other travel expenses with private dollars from the school’s foundation, according to the university. The school declined to make anyone available for an interview to talk about the trip or how it benefited the school, but offered a brief statement.

“UCF’s participation was a strategic investment to strengthen Florida’s leadership in aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing. The Paris Air Show is the world’s premier aerospace summit, and as the nation’s top supplier of talent to the aerospace and defense industries,” UCF spokeswoman Courtney Gilmartin said. “UCF needs to be at the table with global industry leaders.”

Joining Cartwright were UCF Foundation CEO Rod Grabowski, Associate Vice President of Partnerships Mike Harding, Vice President for Research and Innovation and optics professor Winston Schoenfeld, and computer science professor Carolina Cruz-Neira.

Gilmartin pointed to a new agreement signed in Paris with Lockheed Martin to expand research and work opportunities at UCF.

“The signing was witnessed by Governor Ron DeSantis and other leaders from Florida and across the world, underscoring the importance of UCF’s role in advancing our state’s high-tech economy,” Gilmartin said.

Lockheed Martin, which has offices in Orlando, already held a long-standing relationship with UCF before the trip.

Other than the Lockheed Martin agreement, UCF hasn’t disclosed any other new funding or projects, but Gilmartin said the delegation, “which included a faculty expert, met with dozens of partners and potential collaborators, showcasing UCF’s research and talent pipeline and opening doors for new investment.”

Travel records provided by UCF showed Cartwright made a detour to Germany after the Paris Air Show.

He visited Berlin and Stuttgart, Germany “on an extended mission trip focused on photonics and semiconductors with German counterparts,” the travel expense records said.

Photonics is the science of light, while semiconductors are an important part of electronic devices used in health care, the military, computers and other areas.

Gilmartin said the Germany trip also played an important role for UCF and the state’s workforce needs.

“This is the kind of strategic engagement and investment in our future (that) ensures Florida remains competitive globally, while reinforcing UCF’s position as … Florida’s Premier Engineering and Technology University,” she said in a statement.