University of Central Florida president John Hitt delivered the State of the University address this afternoon to what is now the nation’s second largest college student body.
For Hitt, providing high-quality education at a low cost is a top priority.
“I want us to be big enough to meet the need and large enough so that we can accommodate reasonably the demand for a UCF education,” he said. “But the need is the primary driver for me of any vision of size or scope.”
UCF has surpassed 60,000 students since Hitt took office in 1992. According to UCF officials, more than a quarter of the student body is now made up of first generation college students. \
Hitt credits them with bringing enthusiasm and drive, and numbers show they bring diversity. Hitt said the only way to ensure that UCF continues to reflect the United States’ changing demographics is to keep tuition affordable.
“For a while, we could just raise tuition and nobody said much,” Hitt said. “For a period, there was even a belief that if your tuition was higher you were better. We’re through that period.”
The school will hire 100 new faculty this year.