List of presidents of the University of Central Florida
| President of the University of Central Florida | |
|---|---|
Incumbent since April 13, 2020Alexander N. Cartwright | |
| Residence | Burnett House |
| Appointer | Board of Trustees, with Board of Governors |
| Term length | No term limit |
| Inaugural holder | Charles N. Millican December 1, 1965 |
| Website | www.president.ucf.edu |
This list of presidents of the University of Central Florida includes all who have served as university presidents of the University of Central Florida since its founding in 1963. The University of Central Florida is a space-grant university located on a 1,415-acre (5.73 km2) campus in Orlando, Florida. UCF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida and is the second-largest university in the United States. Although the institution was founded in 1963, the name officially changed to the University of Central Florida in 1978 from Florida Technological University.
The first president of the university was Charles Millican, who was appointed by the Board of Regents to create a new university in Central Florida. Realizing his goal when the first classes were held at FTU in the Fall of 1968, Millican would be followed by Trevor Colbourn and Steven Altman. The fourth president was John C. Hitt, who served from March 1, 1992, to June 30, 2018, the longest tenure of a UCF president. The fifth president was Dale Whittaker, formerly the university's provost and executive vice president. He resigned in February 2019, following an investigation regarding UCF's misuse of funds. The current president, Alexander Cartwright, became acting president on April 13, 2020. Cartwright previously served as chancellor of the University of Missouri.