UCF Alumna, Local Nonprofit Leader Pursuing Doctorate in Public Affairs
Nina Yon ’90 ’16MNM, president and CEO of The Sharing Center, hopes her doctoral studies will bridge the academic-practitioner gap to the benefit of the...
UCF Center Aids Local Nonprofit Organizations Through Capacity-Building Opportunities
Thirty-six Orange County nonprofit professionals benefited from the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management’s latest capacity-building workshop series...
UCF Graduate Programs Climb in U.S. News Rankings, Highlighting Research Excellence and Community Impact
UCF’s emergency management program ranks No. 2 in the country, and graduate programs in education, engineering and nursing climbed in this year’s U.S. News &...
UCF Emergency Management Alumna Brings Local Experience to Capitol Hill
Lauren Gros ’22MECM helps shape emergency management policy for Congress and says her time as a Knight made it possible...
Two UCF Doctoral Students Receive American Society for Public Administration Founders’ Fellowship
Ruth Kessa and Ratna Okhai are among nearly two dozen students and young professionals to receive the year-long fellowship for 2023...
UCF Student Secures $1.5 Million For Local Nonprofit With Grant Application From Class
Melissa Longman’s project as part of her nonprofit management coursework minted tangible results far beyond her initial expectations...
UCF Researchers Collect Critical High-water Mark Data Following Hurricane Ian
Emergency management professionals are already reaping the benefits of the team’s labor, as their data will become part of the official USGS database for immediate...
UCF Podcast: Reflecting on a Lifetime of Service to Students, Space and Community
Gregg Buckingham ’02EdD, an associate lecturer in UCF’s School of Public Administration who worked for NASA for 28 years, shares insight from working for the...
UCF Researchers Awarded NSF Grant to Establish Local Resiliency Hubs
The $50,000 award allows the university’s team to develop the project with government and community partners...
UCF Recognizes 6 Top Scholars as 2022 Luminary Award Winners
The honor is designed to recognize some of UCF’s brightest stars who shine a positive light on UCF and on their respective fields...
School of Public Administration Professor Receives Richard P. Nathan Public Policy Fellowship
Staci Zavattaro will serve as a research fellow through August 2023. ...
Public Affairs Doctoral Student Awarded Fellowship for Hispaniola Dissertation Research
As a Mellon Fellow, Ruth Kessa will receive financial, technical and mentorship support to aid in her dissertation research...
UCF Public Administration Assistant Professor Named National Center for Atmospheric Research Early Career Faculty Innovator
Yue ‘Gurt’ Ge will be studying how partnerships between weather forecasters and critical infrastructure operators can enhance systems’ resilience to hurricanes and other disasters...
UCF Associate Professor Receives Award for Exceptional Emergency Management Education
Knox received the Kay C. Goss Innovation & Technology Award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency during its annual higher education symposium...
UCF Alum Named Assistant Director of U.S. Secret Service Office of Investigations
David Smith ’98 ’00MPA has held numerous roles with the U.S. Secret Service over his nearly 21-year career...
24 Faculty Members Receive Promotion
Two dozen faculty members from the College of Community Innovation and Education were approved for promotion effective Aug. 8...
As Hurricane Season Kicks Off, UCF Researchers Working to Make Communities More Resilient
More than a dozen researchers are working on a wide variety of research that looks to prepare, respond, and mitigate hurricane impacts in Florida and...
New Tool from UCF-led Team Shows Homeowners and Renters the True Cost of Disasters
The tool can provide disaster readiness reports for 13.3 million addresses in 196 counties along the Gulf of Mexico — including all of Florida, and...
Graduating Nonprofit Management Student Gives Back by Establishing New Scholarship
Sean Farrell and his wife, Valerie, created the Farrell Nonprofit Opportunity Scholarship to help undergraduate nonprofit management students...
College of Community Innovation and Education 2022 Founders’ Day Honorees
Each year, UCF recognizes outstanding faculty and student accomplishments during the annual Founders’ Day Honors Convocation. Here are the College of Community Innovation and Education's...
UCF Reach for the Stars 2022 Honorees Are Pioneers in Their Fields of Study
From creating resilient communities that can withstand natural disasters to educating the public through fiction that explains real science, this year’s honorees are using research...
UCF Recognized for Academic Excellence and Advancing Professional Careers in Engineering, Research and Innovation
Led by the nation’s No. 3 homeland security program and some of the best engineering and research-innovation programs in the country, U.S. News & World...
Recipients of the 2022 Seed Funding Program Announced
The program awarded a total of $1 million to 32 teams. This is the third year the program has been available to UCF faculty and...
Celebrating 10 Years of UCF’s Research Administration Program
The School of Public Administration looks back on – and ahead to – the success of one of UCF’s graduate programs...
UCF Expert on Emergency Management: It’s All About Helping People
Associate Professor Abdul-Akeem Sadiq works with agencies so they can help families recover after disasters, including finding closure after losing loved ones...
UCF Alum Founds Nonprofit to Assist Homeless LGBTQ+ Youth
Austin Rivers ’20MPA, who was recently featured on the The Kelly Clarkson Show, created Knit the Rainbow to provide handmade knitted and crocheted winter garments...
Lithuania Honors UCF Professor with National Award for Global Leadership
Thomas Bryer received the Global Lithuanian Award for contributions to scientific progress in Lithuania...
UCF Alumni Announces 2021 Shining Knights Award Winners
The honors include the Distinguished Alumni, Honorary Alumni, Young Alumni, Distinguished Student and the Champion’s Award...
UCF Public Administration Pegasus Professor Selected to Join the National Academy of Public Administration
Naim Kapucu will be inducted as a 2021 fellow in early November...
Center For Public and Nonprofit Management Honors Nonprofit Partners with Inaugural Hope Awards
Three local nonprofit partners were honored virtually from UCF Downtown at the 20th Annual UCF Nonprofit Partners Conference on October 1...
UCF Public Administration Faculty Named President and President-Elect of the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration
Jeremy Hall, a professor of public administration and academic program coordinator for the public affairs doctoral program, was appointed by the Southeastern Conference for Public...
UCF Center for Public and Nonprofit Management Announces New Director
Maritza Concha, a lecturer in the School of Public Administration, has been named the next director of the UCF Center for Public and Nonprofit Management...
Building Resilient Cities: UCF Public Administration Faculty Member Awarded Fulbright
Naim Kapucu will travel to Australia to teach and conduct research on urban resilience to disasters...
Knights Do That Podcast with Claire Connolly Knox
The latest episode features one of UCF’s emergency management experts...
Faculty Members Honored with UCF Incentive Awards
Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the 2021 UCF Teaching Incentive Program and Research Incentive Award...
“I am Graduating Especially for the Working Mothers Who Think They Can’t.”
A master’s student reflects on her second try at graduate school while enduring challenges with motherhood, losing loved ones, COVID-19 and work before completing her...
25 Faculty Members Receive Promotion
In recognition of their commendable performance in assigned teaching, research and service, 25 faculty members from the UCF College of Community...
UCF Public Administration Student Addresses Affordable Housing Crisis Through Comprehensive Lens
The Master of Public Administration program prepares students to lead more holistic and lasting change...
UCF Researchers Work with Public Agencies to Examine Pandemic Efforts, Effects
From predicting COVID-19 infection rates to the pandemic’s influence on domestic violence, UCF experts contribute to national and international knowledge...
UCF Faculty Member on National Pandemic Task Force
Public administration faculty member, Claire Knox, joins a pandemic task force for national organization...
30 UCF Graduate Programs Rank Among the Best in the Nation
U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Graduate Schools rankings once again reflects UCF’s excellence in emergency and crisis management, engineering, public administration, and other...
UCF Student Seeks to Shine a Light on the Pandemic’s Effects on Nonprofits
Tiffany Chinwuba will be presenting her research during UCF’s virtual Student Scholar Symposium later this month...
23 Students to Receive UCF’s Highest Honor
The 2021 Order of Pegasus recipients includes 15 Burnett Honors College students, six LEAD Scholars, six Student Government leaders, three President’s Leadership Council members, one...
UCF’s Gospel & Cultural Choir Lifts Every Voice
Watch this powerful rendition of the Black National Anthem by the choir, a student organization that started more than 40 years ago and has added...
How a UCF Alum Helped a Presidential Election Campaign
David Mariutto '12 spent the past six months working on a mail targeting program for a presidential election campaign from his family’s house in Plantation...
College of Community Innovation and Education Faculty in Top 2 Percent of Their Fields
A new study finds that UCF researchers are in the top 2 percent of their fields...
UCF Student Elected to Help Protect Local Natural Resources
Raquel Lozano begins her role this week on the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District as she works toward her degrees in political science...
From the Classroom to the Emergency Operations Center
When Destini Johnson arrived to escort more than 60 elementary students to after-school care on February 14, 2018, the last thing she expected was to...
Easing Solar Power Restrictions May Benefit Florida’s Economy and Environment, Study Finds
Current state regulations are not conducive to allowing power purchase agreements for solar energy production in Florida, according to the new study...
UCF Voting Precinct Tops 100% Turnout
UCF’s reputation as a voter friendly campus is reinforced thanks to a 107% voter turnout during the 2020 election, which saw eight Knights re-elected to...
UCF Project Will Study Smart Tech to Improve Risk Communication in Central Florida
The NSF-funded, $1.2 million project also involves developing community partnerships and building a regional data-sharing platform to help with emergency responses...
National Science Foundation Grant to Research How Intra-Government Units Work Together
Public administration faculty member, Christopher Hawkins, will be continuing a decade's worth of research through a new National Science Foundation grant...
UCF Faculty Member Receives Volunteer Florida Grant
Thomas Bryer, a professor of public administration and program director of the Office of Downtown Community Engaged Scholarship, received more than $73,000 as a planning...
Hall Selected to Join the National Academy of Public Administration
Jeremy Hall, professor and academic program coordinator for the doctoral program in public affairs...
Championing a More Walkable Central Florida
This alumni is the executive director Bike/Walk Central Florida, where she builds on the skills and experiences she gained while at UCF...
The CPNM Partners with Orlando-based United Abolitionists to Combat Human Trafficking
The Center for Public and Nonprofit Management (CPNM) and the Orlando nonprofit, United Abolitionists, are collaborating to pursue research, develop policy-related solutions, and educate and...
Colonel Mike Murdock Scholarship Recognizes Students Committed to Public Service
Colonel Harry Michael “Mike” Murdock ’74 dedicated his life to public service. He is described as immensely committed to impacting society and encouraging others to...
Students Explore Program Evaluation through Podcasting
Students in Dr. Maritza Concha's program evaluation courses are diving into the podcast trend with the ElevateEvaluate podcast...
Public Administration Alum Helps Orange County Fight COVID-19
Orange County's procurement division might work behind the scenes, but Carrie Mathes and her team help the government run...
UCF Student Reflects on Pulse Shooting 4 Years Later
Graduate criminal justice student Zoe Williamson was visiting from England and on a police ride-along when she stepped up to assist first-responders and victims at...
Alumna at the Ready to Help Orlando Airports in Emergencies
Public administration graduate assists aviation authority to earn ‘gold seal’ in preparedness and crisis management...
Meet the 2020 Outstanding Alumni from the School of Public Administration
Five alumni from the School of Public Administration are honored for their commitment to changing communities for the better...
From Food Insecurity to Food Manager: Graduating Senior Works to Combat Hunger
Naseeka Dixon, who will graduate May 2, has spent much of her time at UCF helping food-insecure students because she was once in their shoes...
From Intern to Emergency Team Leader for Seminole County
Graduating senior Andres Acosta is leading a team of 10 as they help the people of Seminole County during COVID-19...
Into the Heart of a Crisis
The inaugural class of UCF’s master’s program in emergency and crisis management is graduating having already gained varied experiences from the biggest crisis of our...
New Certificate Explores Social Justice Issues in Public Service
Debuting this fall, the social justice in public service graduate certificate will give students the opportunity to explore the changing needs of society...
The Public Servant’s Heart
Kyler Gray is the recipient of both the Order of Pegasus and the Founders' Award...
Mapping the World
Drishtie Patel ’08 ’12MNM is part of a team mapping the world’s missing roads to provide life-saving resources to people in times of crisis...
UCF Master’s Programs in Emergency Management, Nonprofit Management Rank Among Top 5 in the Nation
In their recent 2021 Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News & World Reports ranked 27 UCF graduate programs among the top 100...
Out of Moves
Orlando’s affordable housing is a game of chance...
Peace Corps Ranks UCF in Top 25 Volunteer-Producing Universities
UCF was ranked today by the Peace Corps at No. 24 among large U.S. schools on the agency’s 2020 list of top volunteer-producing universities and...
Rebuilding Orlando One Homeowner at a Time
Abby Lemay ’15MNM awakens each day at 7 a.m. in order to arrive to the Rebuilding Together Central Florida office by 8:45 a.m...
24 Students Honored as Order of Pegasus Recipients
UCF’s most prestigious student award is based on academic achievement, university involvement, leadership and community service...
CPNM Welcomes International Visitor Leadership Program
The Center for Public and Nonprofit Management (CPNM) collaborated with the World Affairs Council of Central Florida, a network dedicated to educating and engaging Americans...
UCF Soccer Stars Headed for Pro Leagues
Cal Jennings ’19 and Jonathan Dean ’18 have new places to call home after the 2020 MLS SuperDraft while the Orlando Pride picked up Konya...
New UCF Project Will Put Downtown Orlando Air Quality Data in Residents’ Hands
More than 100 air sensors will be installed throughout Downtown Orlando and will provide near-real-time data about air quality to residents via smart devices...
Volunteering is Always in Season
Winter is a chance to reflect on the past year while spending time and sharing gifts with loved ones. Over the holidays, consider this as...
Nonprofit Conference Encourages Community Engagement and Innovation
If you want to go far, go together.
It is that sentiment etched in the wall of the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons at UCF Downtown, and...
UCF Receives $3.4 Million Grant to Develop Easily Accessible Program to Help Homeowners Evaluate Property Risks
The idea isn’t to limit where people should live based on potential risk, rather to give renters and buyers a more complete picture of potential...
UCF Adds 1st Public Policy Graduate Program in State University System
The Master of Public Policy will help fill the need for public-service leaders who are well-versed in program evaluation and policy analysis...
Out of State Internships: A Different Perspective
Internships provide opportunities for growth and development for both graduate and undergraduate students. Internships, including out-of-state internships, are opportunities to expand your network, explore other...
Students Help Others Work to Overcome Addictions
At 23, Richard Paul ’16MNM didn’t expect to see his next birthday. His addiction to alcohol and drugs was killing him and he didn’t see...
UCF Grad Lands Emergency Management Job After Hurricane Experiences
After working with the local and state government to manage crises, the soon-to-be alum will use her expertise to help with hospital operations...
UCF Expert Debunks 4 Myths about Hurricanes
Claire Connolly Knox is an associate professor in the School of Public Administration and serves as the emergency management and homeland security program director...
UCF Students, Recent Graduates Earn Scholarships, Present at Governor’s Hurricane Conference
A team of UCF researchers will brief emergency responders from across the state about their work looking at the impact of recent hurricanes...
Kojelis Family, US Baltic Foundation Scholarship Helps Dual-Degree Program Students With International Travel, Living Expenses
Through the generosity of the Kojelis Family, the U.S. Baltic Foundation’s $250,000 donation to the UCF Foundation will support students in the new dual undergraduate...
Why Look for a Career Mentor?
College provides opportunities to explore personal interests, try new things and develop plans to achieve academic and professional goals. With multiple options, many students question...
4 Honored as Pegasus Professors for Impact, Career Achievements
UCF celebrated faculty, staff and students today at the annual Founders’ Day Honors Convocation. Among the honorees are four Pegasus Professors and three Reach for...
SPA Professor Presents to the National Academy of Public Administration
Jeremy L. Hall, professor and director of the master’s in public administration program for the School of Public Administration, led a panel presentation entitled "Enhancing...
27 UCF Graduate Programs Ranked Among the Top 100 in the Nation
Twenty-seven UCF programs were nationally ranked today in the top 100 of their fields by U.S. News & World Report, and 35 graduate programs total were included in...
Agreement Creates New Study Abroad Opportunities for Students
As the discipline of public administration continues to expand internationally, the need for future public servants to be exposed to a variety of cultures and...
Public Administration Research Conference Examines Evidence-Based Policymaking
The Public Administration Research Conference attracted attendees from around the world, including Nigeria, Russia, the United Kingdom and several other countries. Nearly 100 students, faculty...
Students Gain Hands-On Experience at Annual Conference
The Alliance Management Institute (AMI) conference, hosted by the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, brings hundreds of students and nonprofit practitioners from across the country together for...
UCF Student Spearheads Nonprofit Dedicated to Addressing Homelessness in Orlando
UCF graduate student Eric Camarillo ’16 had planned to start an organization after graduation to help the homeless in Central Florida with food, clothing and other necessities...
UCF to Partner with Lithuanian University for Dual Degree
UCF is partnering with Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania to offer dual bachelor’s degrees in nonprofit management from UCF’s School of Public Administration and public administration from...
Student Spotlight: Marellys Moreno
Planning is an interdisciplinary field of study that focuses not only on urban and regional development efforts but also on current and potential impacts of...
UCF Center Celebrates 10 Years of Service to the Community
In 2008, the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management was established as the research extension of the UCF School of Public Administration. Now, in 2018...
School of Public Administration Honors Dr. Mary Ann Feldheim
Many would describe Feldheim as a trailblazer. That can be seen through her accomplishments at the School of Public Administration and UCF at large, including...
American Planning Association Donates $26,000 Scholarship Fund to Newly Accredited Planning Program Students
Students pursuing their master’s degree in urban and regional planning in the School of Public Administration have an additional opportunity to apply for financial support...
8 UCF Alumni Elected to Florida Legislature
Anna Eskamani ’12 ’15MNM ’15MPA, a Democrat and first-time candidate, was elected in District 47 in Orange County...
UCF’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning Receives Accreditation
The School of Public Administration celebrates the accreditation of the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (M.S.URP) program by the Planning Accreditation Board. This accreditation...
Many People Who Are Stalked Never Tell Anyone
According to survey data from more than 2,100 adults, one-quarter of Americans who have been stalked never told anyone about it. The finding comes from...
UCF Alumnus Directs Lockheed Martin’s Relief Efforts for Hurricane Maria
Forty horses. Sixteen cars. One commercial airplane. What do these things all have in common? They each weigh roughly 80,000 pounds, the amount of relief...
UCF Alumna Brings Passion For Community To Career At City Hall
It’s no secret that Orlando is growing exponentially. Recently, the metro area’s population surpassed 2.5 million for the first time ever. With the seemingly endless...
Master of Nonprofit Management Earns First Accreditation in the World
UCF’s Master of Nonprofit Management (MNM) has been a trailblazer when it comes to “firsts.” It was the first graduate degree to be offered online...
Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and UCF Graduate
When UCF graduate student Jaha Dukureh started Safe Hands for Girls in 2013 to help end female genital mutilation, she admittedly...
Emergency Management Alumni Help Communities Prepare For, Recover From Disaster
After Hurricane Maria’s category five winds died down and the pounding rains ceased, Puerto Rico was left devastated and in darkness. Millions of people were...
UCF Program Prepares Leaders to Work in Nonprofit Sector
The University of Central Florida is producing nonprofit leaders, social justice advocates and community servants to impact communities in Central Florida and around the world...
Doctoral Students Study Public Affairs and Education to Impact Communities
UCF students Jennifer Sanguiliano and Rachael Mack have found that interdisciplinary studies in public affairs and education are essential for learning about the communities around...
European Commission to Fund New International Exchange Program with UCF
The European Commission will fund a new international collaboration between UCF and Kaunas University of Technology in Kaunas, Lithuania, thanks to an exchange agreement signed...