UCF President John Hitt gets community sendoff on last day

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - John Hitt, who has served since 1992 as president of the University of Central Florida and has overseen massive growth at the Orlando school, received a community sendoff on Wednesday.

Dr. Hitt took part in his last official function as president at a state Board of Governors meeting in which he was recognized for his 26 years of service.  The meeting was followed by a campus rally that included the Marching Knights and UCF's cheerleaders.

Under Hitt's tenure, the school has become the nation’s largest university.  

“I make this decision of good health and of my choosing. The time is right for this decision because I’ve never felt better about UCF,” Hitt said, when he announced his retirement last year.

At the time Hitt took over at UCF, the university was known as a commuter school. 

“When we first visited campus, we had a powerful feeling that UCF was a special place.  We never could have imagined then how very special it would become,” said HItt. 

The Knights have seen a night and day difference under Hitt.  Structurally, 100 new buildings have gone up under his leadership.  Academically, the school keeps getting more competitive.  This fall’s incoming freshman class boasts a GPA averaging 4.05 and there are 88 National Merritt Scholars among them.  Hitt said his proudest achievement has been the approval of UCF’s medical college. 

After a robust national search, the UCF Board of Trustees in March announced that Dr. Dale Whittaker would replace Hitt as the school's fifth president.  Whittaker had been serving as UCF Provost.

UCF had an enrollment of 66,000 students in fall 2016, according to the website.