To register for classes and satisfy fees:

For more information, visit the Registrar’s Office at: .

The Colleges of Business Administration, Engineering and Computer Science, Medicine, and Optics and Photonics were featured at the first ceremony on Friday, with approximately 900 graduates. At the afternoon ceremony, over 1000 graduates from the Colleges of Arts and Humanities, Sciences, and Nursing as well as the Office of Undergraduate Studies were presented. Finally, graduates from the Colleges of Education and Health and Public Affairs as well as the Rosen College of Hospitality Management added an approximately 900 alumni to the tally. Boyd stated, “It is rewarding for the entire UCF community to celebrate the accomplishments of our newest alumni.”

Sanford “Sandy” Shugart, president of Valencia College, was honored with a doctorate in Humane Letters during the Friday afternoon ceremony and also served as that ceremony’s commencement speaker. Additional commencement speakers included the Honorable Dean Cannon, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and Barbara Jenkins, district superintendent of Orange County Public Schools.

The Registar’s Office is in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services. The upcoming spring 2013 commencement ceremonies will take place from Thursday, May 2, through Saturday, May 4. More information can be found at: .

UCF faculty and staff, along with other faculty, staff and college administrators from as far away as Massachusetts, gathered Aug. 3 to talk about improving the academic success of veterans on campus. The conference was hosted by Student Development and Enrollment Services, the Veterans Academic Resource Center, and Registrar’s Office.

Opening remarks from UCF Vice President Al Harms, a retired Navy vice admiral, set the tone for the importance in recognizing the challenges that student veterans often face when transitioning from military to civilian life.

Breakout sessions included topics such as the challenges faced by returning veterans with disabilities, programs designed for veterans transitioning from boots to books, and serving veterans with little money.

Conference speakers and participants shared their insightful leadership in recognizing the need for preparing and sustaining student veterans towards academic success. Networking was a bonus as participants were able to share their knowledge and gain resourceful information from one another.    

The keynote remarks from Dr. John Schupp, creator of the Supportive Education for the Returning Veteran program and an instructor at Tiffin University in Ohio, reinforced that reforms and new ideas are needed to serve the new generation of student veterans.

Conference participants also toured the UCF Veterans Academic Resource Center and learned about the resources offered.

The Mobile Vet Center made a daylong appearance at the Veterans Academic Resource Center on September 14. Veterans and their dependents met with the Orlando Vet Center staff and toured the 30-foot Department of Veterans Affairs’ state-of-the-art readjustment counseling motor coach.

The Vet Center’s staff specializes in helping veterans return home with a more peaceful outlook. They offer individual or group readjustment counseling, marital and family counseling, referral for benefits assistance, liaison with community agencies, substance abuse information and referral, employment counseling for families of service members on active duty service and community education.

“These are the type of community outreach services our veterans need to be successful at UCF,” said Jim Middlekauf, assistant university registrar/veteran services. “Our goal is to continue to bring valuable resources to our veterans and their families.”

The event was coordinated by Veteran Services and the university Registrar’s Office in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.

Just this week, the international news service Reuters published a story describing how Central Florida is “benefiting from above average jobs growth” and “a booming health sciences complex.”

Many UCF graduates remain in the Metro Orlando area, and they will enter the job market with less debt than most of their peers around the country.

Reuters noted that Metro Orlando has added 23,000 jobs in the 12-month period ending in February. That’s nearly half of the total number of jobs added in Florida during that time.

Commencement Details

More than 7,100 UCF students anticipate graduating this spring. They include 5,950 who intend to receive bachelor’s degrees and 1,075 who expect master’s degrees. The graduates also include 60 students who plan to earn Ph.Ds.

Ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, at the UCF Arena. The procession of graduates will begin 20 minutes before the start of each ceremony.

The 9 a.m. ceremony on May 6 will feature graduates of the College of Business Administration, College of Engineering & Computer Science and College of Optics and Photonics. The speaker will be Seminole County Commission Chairman Brenda Carey.

The 2 p.m. ceremony on May 6 will include graduates of the College of Arts & Humanities, College of Health & Public Affairs and College of Nursing. The speaker will be Ava Parker, chair of the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s 11 public universities.

On May 7, the 9 a.m. ceremony will feature graduates of the College of Education, College of Graduate Studies, Office of Undergraduate Studies and Rosen College of Hospitality Management. The speaker will be Richard Maladecki, president of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association.

The final ceremony, at 2 p.m. May 7, will include graduates of the College of Medicine and College of Sciences. The speaker will be Waymon Armstrong, president and founder of Engineering and Computer Simulations Inc. and the 2010 National Small Business Person of the Year.

Guests must have tickets to attend the ceremonies. Guests without tickets are welcome to view live closed-circuit telecasts of the ceremonies from the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center across from the UCF Arena. Broadcasts also will be posted after the ceremonies at .

Following the four ceremonies, UCF will have awarded more than 218,000 degrees since classes began in 1968.

For more information, go to the .

The university’s Veterans Academic Resource Center – or VARC – opened its doors in November. It will host two “Meet and Greet” programs next week to raise awareness of its services.

From 4 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, and Thursday, Feb. 3, the VARC is hosting tours of its facility and giving student veterans the opportunity to ask questions and meet VARC officials and advisers in a relaxed, open-house atmosphere.

Located in the UCF Arena across from Barnes & Noble, the center’s goal is to provide student veterans with the resources they need to ensure their academic success.

The 3,400-square-foot space includes offices, study rooms and a lounge area. The center also provides student veterans with services such as VA certification, enrollment, advising, counseling, career services, disability accommodations and tutoring, among other academic support services.

“Providing all of these services under one roof takes a lot of pressure off the students who, for example, may need counseling but are afraid to walk into the Counseling Center,” said Paul Viau, UCF’s associate university registrar.

“Here at VARC, they could be coming in to study or to meet with an academic adviser and get multiple questions answered without going to different places around campus,” he added.

Under the direction of the Registrar’s Office, the center is a collaboration of several university departments uniting to better address veterans’ needs. The center is one of many campus-wide initiatives that aim to ease the transition from boots to books for the nearly 1,000 veterans who attend UCF each semester.

“Most veterans who come to the center are not your typical freshmen,” said work-study student veteran Brent Feaser. “Here, there are other veterans to help them and who understand what they are going through.”

Since the center’s grand opening, VARC has been working to develop academic workshops and other programs, such as “Developing your Academic and Career Transition Plan,” “Success Strategies for Every Course” and “How Do I Study for Finals?”

Student veterans also can apply at the VARC to receive financial aid or learn about additional benefits.

VARC also serves as a home base for the Student Veterans Association, an organization made up of students who have served in the military. The group arranges meetings, social outings and volunteer opportunities and receives tickets to UCF sporting events.

“VARC really helps bridge veterans to the UCF community,” said Jackie Jessup, VARC’s academic advising coordinator.

To learn more about VARC and its services, visit the center’s or call 407-823-2707.

The program showcased all the services, programs and organizations that are available for all student veterans at UCF and the surrounding area.  In addition to ROTC units and the various branches of the services, campus offices and community organizations that provide services to student veterans participated.

The Registrar’s Office and Veterans Services are in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.

The Registrar’s Office is in the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services.