The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a renowned public research university, not a company. It was established by the Florida Legislature in 1963, primarily to support the growing space program at Kennedy Space Center. UCF is owned and operated by the State of Florida, representing one of the largest universities in the United States by enrollment. Situated in Orlando, Florida, UCF operates numerous campuses across the Central Florida region, including its main campus in northeast Orlando and the Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona.
The University of Central Florida was founded in 1963 as Florida Technological University, with the express purpose of supporting the U.S. space program at nearby Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The university officially opened its doors in 1968 under the leadership of its first president, Charles Millican. UCF has since evolved into a significant institution of higher education and research.
Key achievements of UCF include its rapid growth in enrollment and program offerings, significant contributions to Florida’s workforce, and advances in research, particularly in fields like engineering, computer science, and space sciences. UCF is known for its involvement in NASA’s space shuttle program and partnerships with major corporations in the Central Florida region.
Today, the University of Central Florida stands as a major metropolitan research university, with a diverse student body of more than 70,000 students. UCF offers over 230 degree programs across 13 colleges. It continues to make strides in innovation and education, contributing significantly to the academic and economic landscape of Florida and beyond.
What is the University of Central Florida?
It’s a dynamic, public research university, not a company. Spanning across multiple campuses in Central Florida, UCF is distinguished for its large student body, wide range of academic programs, and strong emphasis on research and innovation, particularly in fields like space sciences and engineering.
The original logo of the University of Central Florida looked very elegant and timeless, using the same emblem we all can see today, but drawn in a more sophisticated and tender way. The logo was composed of a three-leveled inscription in a fancy serif typeface with the letters slightly extended and flattened. The light gold emblem, depicting a stylized Pegasus with its wing speed up, was set on the left from the inscription, adding softness and chic to the overall composition.
The golden horse depicted on the logo is the Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. The authors of the emblem were Jim Shattuck and Norman Van Meter. Interestingly enough, this logo was chosen out of over 50 versions. One of the reasons why the school opted for the Pegasus emblem was that it is a symbol for limitless possibilities.
In addition to the regular UCF logo, representing the university itself, we should also mention the logotype of its athletic program, the UCF Knights.
Although originally its primary logo was built around a depiction of a knight with a sword, the teams eventually got rid of the symbol, so since 2012, the primary logo features the gold, white, and black letters “UCF” going down in steps.
However, the knight’s head with a feather has remained on the secondary logo. The symbol was introduced in 1996 and underwent a complete overhaul in 2007. The 2012 modifications were hardly visible at all.
The University of Central Florida mentions Gotham (Book) and Chronicle (Deck) as its primary fonts, while Knockout and Archer are the secondary fonts. The typeface featured on the primary University of Central Florida logo seems to be Gotham.
The school has two official colors: black and bright gold. In case of print media, Pantone Black is used, while in digital media Hex 00 00 00 is recommended. The bright gold is Pantone 7406 and Hex FF C9 04. On coated paper and digital media, the university suggests using Metallic Gold (Pantone 10121).