The University of Central Florida will have a new president on July 1. Thursday, Florida's Board of Governors unanimously approved Dr. Dale Whittaker as the school's next leader. Whittaker succeeds Dr. John Hitt, who is retiring as president after more than 25 years in the job.
Whittaker is no stranger to UCF. He's been the university's provost since 2014, and was promoted to executive vice president in 2015. Whittaker told the Board of Governors that UCF has a unique opportunity. "As the only public research and graduate institution in the fastest-growing region in Florida, and one of the fastest growing in the United States, we have, at UCF, the opportunity to drive innovation for the 21st Century," he said.
UCF named Whittaker its president-elect on March 9. He'll spend the next few months working with Hitt on making a smooth transition between leaders. Hitt retires June 30. Whittaker begins his term the next day.