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“WE LIKE TO SAY THAT UCF STANDS FOR OPPORTUNITY, and this is an ideal opportunity for our students, faculty members, staff members, and alumni to step up—and to step out—for the benefit of our community. “More than 1,200 volunteers registered for this special occasion. From bagging trash to helping needy children to making oyster mats and doing much more, this team from UCF will make our region a better place—today! “Today, your presence shows how much you care about others and about our community. Thank you for participating, thank you for your example, and thank you for showing what UCF pride is all about.” Dr. Tony G. Waldrop PROVOST, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND VOLUNTEER Excerpt from Dr. Waldrop’s Oct. 27, 2012, speech at Knights Give Back, UCF’s largest annual volunteer event.
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U C F T O D A Y
THE
C LASS RO O M
UCF STUDENTS HELP THE COMMUNITY IN A HANDS-ON APPROACH TO LEARNING. Through service-learning courses, the University of
schools, government agencies, campus groups and
Central Florida enables students to take academics
businesses with specific philanthropic missions,
out of the classroom and into the community. These
students develop skills and knowledge that help
courses promote civic engagement while fulfilling
them become civically responsible members of
learning objectives. By working with community
the community.
partners such as nonprofit organizations, public
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VOLUNTEER HOURS 4
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GIVE KIDS THE WORLD (ROSEN SITE)
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MUSTARD SEED OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
3 4 On Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, starting at 7:30 a.m., more than 1,200 volunteers—mostly students—came together to improve their community. It was a day to exhibit knightly virtues—generosity, compassion and integrity. Here are the places they worked.
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Give Kids the World features the Avenue of Angels, a paving stone display. UCF volunteers beautified and helped preserve the area by filling it with sand.
Volunteers helped out in the warehouse doing a variety of different projects. They also assisted in the thrift shop by organizing furniture, dishes and linens.
DRESSED IN HOPE Knights helped organize handmade clothing and toys for impoverished children.
WINTER PARK TOWERS UCF students volunteered at the Fall Festival by decorating, serving, helping with games and transporting people to and from the event.
WEKIWA SPRINGS Volunteers enjoyed the variety of wildlife while cleaning up the magnificent Wekiva River.
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S.E.R.V. Knights replaced invasive plants with native plants species, helping to improve the water quality of Tuskawilla Lake.
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QUEST CAMP THUNDERBIRD Volunteers cleaned up the 19-acre campground by raking and bagging pine needles, and making the camp safe for visitors.
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ORLANDO HEALTH AND REHABILITATION CENTER
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ORLANDO DAY NURSERY
Volunteers visited with residents, played games with younger patients and brought good cheer.
Volunteer Knights cleaned toys, cots and classrooms to create a happy, healthy environment for the children.
10 FERN CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Volunteers painted murals, organized classrooms and supplies, and worked in the edible garden.
11 GREENWOOD CEMETERY Knights spruced up the grounds by cleaning headstones, grave markers and memorials. Don Price, Greenwood’s sexton, provided interesting facts and historical references.
12 DR. LINDA WALTERS, UCF BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT Volunteers built a world-record 297 oyster mats and potted approximately 500 plants, which will be used to protect the Canaveral National Seashore and the Indian River Lagoon.
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13 COMMUNITY FOOD AND OUTREACH CENTER Knights organized clothing and stocked grocery shelves, among other tasks.
14 CLEAN THE WORLD Knights prepared recycled soap to be sent to undeveloped countries, helping to end preventable diseases.
15 CENTRAL FLORIDA ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDENS UCF volunteers beautified the zoo and gardens, including removing invasive plants from the wetland area.
16 AVIAN RECONDITIONING CENTER Volunteers cleaned, repaired, sanded and painted avian enclosures and perches.
17 APOPKA FAMILY LEARNING CENTER UCF volunteers worked alongside our Learning Center families painting classrooms, building soccer goals, laying mulch, organizing library books and playing games with younger students. Afterward, everyone enjoyed a barbecue and games, and volunteers inspired the students to aim for higher education.
18 ALBIN POLASEK MUSEUM Knights freshened up the museum grounds and sculpture garden and removed invasive plant species.
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Broadcast en Español W
hen Knightly News student reporters ask a follow-up question, you’re just as likely to hear “¿por qué?” as you are “why?” In an effort to reach out to the growing Hispanic population in Central Florida, the news team of R-TV students now writes, produces and edits a daily webcast in both English and Spanish. It’s part of the “Knightly Latino” effort, spearheaded by instructor and news director Katie Coronado. “We do a lot of stories in Spanish, but it’s more than that,” says Coronado. “More research shows that many Hispanics want news related to their communities and culture, but in English as well. Knightly Latino helps fill that gap and at the same time provides students a broader training opportunity in real community journalism.” In addition to webcasts, stories of interest to the Hispanic community are published on the website, knightlynews.ucf.edu. Some of the recent topics covered on the site have been Central Florida Venezuelans and their vote in this year’s elections in their home country, new research showing the growing Puerto Rican population in Central Florida and the importance of the Latino vote. Watch Knightly News Fridays at 1:30 p.m. on campus Channel 21 and Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Bright House Networks Channel 49 during semesters.
GINSBURG’S VISION UCF is building NorthView, a $60 million, 600-bed student housing and retail project across the street from Bright House Networks Stadium. NorthView is anchored by 4,000 square feet of faith-based student organizations such as the Newman Center, which will minister to the Catholic community, a Hillel Center to attend to the Jewish community, and common space for other faith-based organizations. It will also include 52,375 square feet of retail space and restaurants, and is expected to open in Fall 2013. Rabbi Jonathan Siger, executive director of Hillel, says NorthView will demonstrate why UCF is one of the premier universities in the U.S. “It will set the standard for what a development can be when communities, universities, private philanthropists and nonprofit cultural and religious organizations come together.” The UCF Foundation partnered on the creation of NorthView with developer Alan Ginsburg, a generous UCF donor. Ginsburg’s vision for the project is to help students fulfill their spiritual needs while in college. His philosophy is “to never forget the importance of the community in which you are creating new development and to give back as much and as often as possible.” 8
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uando los estudiantes de Knightly News hacen preguntas durante una entrevista es tan probable escuchar “¿por qué?” como escuchar “why?” Para ayudar a que las noticias alcancen a la creciente población hispana de la Florida Central, el equipo de noticias estudiantil del programa de Radio y Televisión de la escuela de Comunicaciones Nicholson, ahora escribe, produce, y edita noticias a través de la red tanto en inglés como en español. Es parte de “Knightly Latino,” dirigido por la instructora y directora de noticias Katie Coronado. “Producimos muchos segmentos en español, pero ofrecemos mucho más, dijo Coronado. “Más y más investigaciones muestran que los latinos quieren noticias relacionadas con su comunidad y cultura, pero las quieren en ingles al igual que en español. Knightly Latino ayuda a llenar ese vacío, y a la misma vez le provee a los estudiantes una oportunidad de entrenamiento más plena en periodismo comunitario.” Además de noticias por internet, se publican segmentos de interés para la comunidad hispana en la página web knightlynews. ucf.edu. Algunos de los temas recientemente cubiertos en esta página incluyen el voto, en su país de origen, de los venezolanos que residen en la Florida Central, las cifras que muestran el crecimiento de la comunidad puertorriqueña de esta área, y la importancia del voto latino en este país. Sintonice a Knightly News todos los viernes a la 1:30 p.m. en el canal 21 de la universidad, y cada miércoles en Bright House Networks canal 49 a las 9 p.m. durante el año escolar.
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Bradley Miles, ’03
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy Flight Instructor Piloted F-5 Tiger II jet during stadium flyover before start of UCF vs. Missouri football game. B.S. in Aerospace Engineering 9
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BUSINESS, NOT AS USUAL By assisting nonprofit organizations through volunteering, fundraising, teaching, granting wishes and securing in-kind donations, UCF business students pump nearly $2 million into
“Working with Boys Town definitely changed me,” says Girard. “After I graduate and have more free time, I plan to give back to my community and help educate more at-risk children. I want to teach them how to manage their own money so they can go to college, graduate and have a successful career.”
the region each year.
As part of their Cornerstone Course, all undergraduate business students are required to work in teams and complete a servicelearning project. With more than 7,000 undergraduate students, the service-learning program is one of the largest of its kind in a business school. “Our group held fundraising events for Boys Town,” says business student Vidith Girard. “We were able to raise enough money to take the kids on a safari ride and a field trip to the beach.” For many students, this is the first time they have been exposed to project management, fundraising or helping the less fortunate. For many, it will not be their last. “Each semester I continue to be amazed by our students. They use the project management skills they learn in class and implement new ideas that help our community. I hope they continue their passion for philanthropy and community service long after they graduate,” says Phyllis Harris, coordinator of the Cornerstone program.
The Rent-a-Pup monthly event is free for all students. It's a great event to meet people, play with dogs, have a good time and reduce stress. Donations are accepted for nonprofit Pet Rescue By Judy.
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Economic Engine
T
he enrollment growth of UCF is matched by an equally impressive growth in the economic impact that the university has on Central Florida's economy. My recent analysis of UCF’s audited financial statement for fiscal year 2011 shows
that UCF students and the Central Florida Research Park generate a tremendous impact on our local area, both in terms of jobs created and economic output. The direct, indirect and induced impact of UCF operations, student spending and the research park resulted in a total economic output of more than $4.3 billion. The same economic activity is responsible for more than 45,000 jobs in the region.
UCF was one of the few economic engines that continued to thrust the region’s economy forward during this pronounced business cycle. The growth in UCF’s economic impact persisted throughout the Great Recession and the lackluster recovery that has thus far followed it. UCF was one of the few economic engines that continued to thrust the region’s economy forward during this pronounced business cycle. Though my analysis demonstrates the economic powerhouse that is UCF, it does not capture the university’s full benefit to the region’s economy. The UCF College of Medicine, for example, is the cornerstone of a medical city that is just beginning to create thousands of lucrative jobs, helping to diversify the economy. This analysis does not measure the economic benefit of helping the region develop and grow a dynamic, educated workforce, which is critical to growing the region’s existing companies and attracting new ones as well. UCF Stands For Opportunity, not only for the students we serve but also for the region’s economy we help grow and diversify. –Dr. Sean Snaith is the director of UCF’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness.
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AMERICA THE UNSELFISH who do either tend to do both. (The same people also tend to be blood donors, use library cards and attend church regularly.) The most important predictor of volunteering is social networks. In study after study, those who have the most extensive social networks, the most organizational memberships and the most prior volunteer experience are the most likely to be volunteers.
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.”
Giving of oneself is good for both the recipient and the donor. Volunteers are more politically active, physically and mentally healthier, and generally happier and more satisfied with life than those who do not volunteer. Even the acerbic cynic Oscar Wilde was moved to confess, “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” It’s a lesson more and more Knights are learning. –Dr. James D. Wright is an author, educator and a Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor.
today.ucf.edu. is online at More UCF Today
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hen it comes to volunteering and charitable giving, President Woodrow Wilson said it all: “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” It’s a sentiment Americans take to heart. The great French observer of American manners and morals, Alexis de Tocqueville, was astonished by the volunteer organizations that gave breath and spirit to American civic life. Today, 60–65 million American adults volunteer their time and effort in churches, schools, civic clubs and similar organizations each year. The annual volunteer hours add up to about 8 billion, the estimated economic value of which is nearly $200 billion. Annual charitable giving adds close to $300 billion to the total. So all in all, charitable giving and volunteering is a half-trillion dollar yearly enterprise. In many social and human service agencies, including local organizations, volunteers and charitable donations are not just assets, they are necessities. Sociologists have created much research literature around the questions of who gives and who volunteers. The two tendencies are positively related in that those
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