The UCF Report, Vol. 19 No. 20, May 2, 1997

              Volume 19 • No. 20 • May 2,1997       A publication for faculty and staff
The largest
graduating
class in UCF
history wiU be
at center stage on Saturday, May 3.
Atlastcount'3,010degre^wereto
be awarded. Commencement *
ceremonies, in the UCF Arena, are:
CoUege of Arts and Sciences, 8
a.m.; CoUege of Education, noon;
CoUege of Health and PubUc
Affairs, 3:30 p.m.; and CoUeges of
Business Administration and
Engineering, 7 pan.
Business
college
hires boss
A nationwide search for the dean
of the CoUege of Business
Administration has ended with
the hiring of a candidate with strong
ties to the state of Florida.
Thomas Keon, associate dean at
Florida Atlantic University for four
years, wiU assume his duties at UCF
on Aug. 1. He is currently dean of the
CoUege of Business and
Administration at Southern IUinois
University.
"I am deUghted that Dr. Keon has
accepted our offer to lead the CoUege
of Business Administration," Provost
Gary Whitehouse said. "His
experience as a sitting dean at SIU, his
community involvement there and
his famiUarity with higher education
in Florida were factors that
distinguished him from the strong
candidates who emerged in the
course of the search."
Keon was associate dean at
Florida Atlantic University from 1990
to '94. He has also served in
administrative posts in the business
school at the University of Missouri.
After earning his Ph.D. at Michigan
State University in 1979, Keon taught
at the University of Notre Dame and
Missouri.
He has had many professional
articles pubUshed, is sought after as a
Please see BUSINESS, page 6
Heavenly sounds
The UCF Orchestra attracted a full house for its recent
performance at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Oviedo. The
orchestra routinely performs in the community.
Legislators
smile on
university
Legislators were expected to
approve a large budget increase
for UCF during the closing days
of this year's session in TaUahassee.
Although final budget figures
were not available at press time, Dan
Holsenbeck, vice president for
University Relations, predicted that
UCF would receive a substantial
budget increase in all categories.
"Based on what we know, we
expect a very good year," he said.
UCF wiU receive $8 milUon of the $20
milUon the Legislature plans to
delegate to the State University
System for Equity and Undergraduate Enhancement, which will
address the funding disparity that has
existed for years at UCF.
"That is a major accompUshment
for President John Hitt and for the
central Florida delegation, led by
House Speaker t)an Webster and
Senate President Ton! Jennings,"
Holsenbeck said. "UCF's priorities
were addressed at every stage of the
legislative process." He also gave
credit to Rep. Lee Constantine, Sen.
Buddy Dyer, Rep. BiU Sublette, Rep.
Please see SESSION, page 2
Businessman pledges $2 million gift
MThe endowed fund will provide scholarships for UCF's
Hospitality Management Program and Tangelo Park residents
A personal commitment to attract
the best and brightest students
to the hospitaUty industry and
to improve conditions in one of
Orlando's poorest neighborhoods has
inspired businessman Harris Rosen to
make a $2 miUion gift to UCF.
The gift, which wiU be matched
by the state of Florida, wiU be used to
create a $4 milUon endowment fund.
The Harris and Trisha Rosen
Endowed Fund wiU be divided
equaUy to provide scholarships to
students in UCF's HospitaUty
Management Program and to
residents of Tangelo Park, an 840-
home community near Orlando's
International Drive. President John
Hitt announced the Rosen gift late
last month.
"We are truly grateful for this
magnificent gesture," Hitt said.
It is anticipated that the
endowment wiU generate
approximately $220,000 each year.
The endowment wiU be administered
by the UCF Foundation Inc.
If that estimate is on target,
$110,000 wiU be used to fund 44
$2,500 scholarships in the HospitaUty
Management Program. The
scholarships wiU be awarded to
juniors with a grade point average of
at least 3.0. Recipients wiU be those
with a financial need, and at least half
wiU be children of parents working in
the hospitaUty industry.
Another $110,000 wiU be
aUocated to the Tangelo Park PUot
Program for scholarships in any
discipUne. The only requirements will
be that students be Tangelo Park
residents with a financial need.
Tangelo Park has a history of high
crime, poor school attendance and
high dropout rates. A private sector
Please see GIF, page 2
Next issue of The UCF Report is May 16 •   Deadline is noon, May 7
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