The University of Central Florida was known as Florida Technological University when Trevor Colbourn became president in 1978. Recognizing the university had grown beyond its early moniker as 麻豆精品 S淔lorida 麻豆精品 S檚 space university, 麻豆精品 S� Colbourn renamed the institution that same year.
In addition to that high-profile name change, also established UCF’s honors program and a football program that has earned national rankings; nurtured a fledgling research聽park;聽and developed a partnership with Orange County that has created thousands of high tech jobs and helped transform the region’s economy.
Colbourn, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 second president, died Tuesday in Winter Park. He was 87.
“Trevor blazed trails for UCF, from giving us our name to the leap of faith that led to a nationally prominent football program,” said UCF President John C. Hitt. 聽“He was an astute academic leader with a keen vision. As president, I greatly valued his advice and contributions to our university.”
麻豆精品 S淲e hear of presidents building coalitions of support 麻豆精品 S攑eople, countries and materials 麻豆精品 S攁ll designed to come together to achieve some great purpose, 麻豆精品 S� said Colbourn 麻豆精品 S檚 friend and former UCF Alumni Association President Ron Page.聽 麻豆精品 S淥f the many accomplishments of Trevor Colbourn, I 麻豆精品 S檓 fond of focusing on the masterful way he marshaled support for the renaming and rebranding of the university.聽 He created a comprehensive plan, garnered support from all the appropriate constituencies and realized a victory.聽 All those who love this university are beneficiaries of his craftsmanship, in this instance and many others. 麻豆精品 S�
Colbourn retired as president in 1989 and remained active as a history teacher, the university 麻豆精品 S檚 historian and a president emeritus who raised funds and goodwill for UCF. In 2001, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Humanities and Fine Arts Building was renamed Colbourn Hall in his honor.
The Scholar President
Colbourn, who was born Feb. 24, 1927, in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, became president of Florida Technological University in 1978, after founding president Charles Millican retired.
During Colbourn 麻豆精品 S檚 tenure, UCF created an honors program that later would become the Burnett Honors College. The college 麻豆精品 S檚 enrollment has grown to more than 1,700, and its freshmen classes continue to post record SAT and GPA scores year after year.
During his presidency, Colbourn oversaw enrollment growth from 11,000 to 18,000 students and an increase in research funding from $3.8 million to $16.4 million annually. The UCF Foundation 麻豆精品 S檚 assets increased from almost $800,000 to more than $11 million.
麻豆精品 S淐hange is what higher education is all about, 麻豆精品 S� Colbourn once said. 麻豆精品 S淭his institution has a distinguished past and will have a much more distinguished future. It 麻豆精品 S檚 been a lot of fun, some anguish and certainly no regrets. 麻豆精品 S�
Known as the 麻豆精品 S淪cholar President, 麻豆精品 S� Colbourn held degrees from the University of London, the College of William and Mary, and Johns Hopkins University, where he earned his doctorate in American History in 1953.
Prior to his UCF presidency, Colbourn taught history at Penn State University and Indiana University Bloomington before moving into adminstration.聽 He also served as the graduate dean at the University of New Hampshire and academic vice president and eventually acting president at San Diego State University.
An expert on the American Revolution and Thomas Jefferson, Colbourn penned a number of books and articles, including 麻豆精品 S淭he Lamp of Experience, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S淔ame and the Founding Father 麻豆精品 S� and 麻豆精品 S淭he Americans: A Brief History. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S楥razy to Start Football 麻豆精品 S�
Colbourn established UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 football program in 1979. Led by a volunteer coach, the team won its inaugural game, defeating host St. Leo College 21-0 in a rain-soaked cow pasture.
麻豆精品 S淎 lot of people thought I was crazy to start football, 麻豆精品 S� Colbourn said in 1998, three years after UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 football program advanced to Division 1-A. 麻豆精品 S�(But) it was the key to open the door for visibility. 麻豆精品 S澛� In 2008, he was inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame.
Twenty-eight years later in 2007, the UCF Knights played their first game on campus in Bright House Networks Stadium. Since then, more than 1 million fans have watched the Knights play on campus since the stadium 麻豆精品 S檚 opening.
The 2010 season saw UCF football reach new level of success, earning the team 麻豆精品 S檚 first bowl victory, winning its second Conference USA title and ending the season ranked in the top 20.聽 The program has continued to grow, joining the American Athletic Conference, winning the Fiesta Bowl and earning a Top 10 national ranking in 2013.
Leading UCF Innovations
Colbourn 麻豆精品 S檚 tenure as president saw UCF introduce the state 麻豆精品 S檚 first stand-alone doctoral program in computer science, followed by Ph.D. offerings in civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, industrial and environmental engineering; business administration; and human factors psychology. UCF also expanded master 麻豆精品 S檚 and bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 programs, dedicated new buildings at the Daytona Beach and Cocoa campuses and established Greek Park on the main campus.
The Central Florida Research Park, adjacent to UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 East Orlando campus, today employs about 10,000 in a variety of high-tech industries. The park is home to one of the nation 麻豆精品 S檚 largest concentrations of federal defense technology agencies and UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Institute for Simulation and Training, also founded during Colburn 麻豆精品 S檚 presidency.
UCF became one of the first schools in the nation to begin using a telephone system for course registrations. Colbourn 麻豆精品 S檚 efforts laid the groundwork for UCF becoming one of America 麻豆精品 S檚 麻豆精品 S渕ost wired 麻豆精品 S� universities with extensive Internet technology and services provided for faculty, students and staff.
Although known for the high-profile name change, football program and research park, Colbourn shouldered a long effort to establish equitable funding for the state 麻豆精品 S檚 newer universities to put them on the same financial footing as more established institutions.
麻豆精品 S淗e championed that cause, often standing alone before legislative leaders and the Florida Board of Regents, predecessor to today 麻豆精品 S檚 University System Board of Governors, 麻豆精品 S� said Alan Fickett, who served as associate vice president for University Relations and UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 lobbyist in Tallahassee and Washington during Colbourn 麻豆精品 S檚 tenure.
Said James A. Donovan, executive director of the UCF Foundation in the early 1980s: 麻豆精品 S淭revor Colbourn recognized the need to augment state funding with philanthropic support from the community. He was fond of saying, 麻豆精品 S榃e can have a good university with legislative funding, but we can have a great university with philanthropic support. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
Reaching Out to the Community
Colbourn was active in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Industrial Development Commission of Mid-Florida (now known as the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission), the Orlando Crime Prevention Association, the Board of Visitors of the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, the United Way, the Greater Orlando Sports Organizing Committee, the Kiwanis Club, the boards of the local opera company and public television station and the Organization of American Historians.
Philanthropic firsts under Colbourn 麻豆精品 S檚 leadership included UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 first endowed chair, the Della Phillips-Martha D. Schenck Chair in American Private Enterprise, and the first endowed chair in the southeastern U.S. in computer science.
His wife, Beryl, played a key role in reaching out to the community in her role as UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 first lady by creating the Town & Gown Council, a women 麻豆精品 S檚 organization of community and campus leaders dedicated to 麻豆精品 S渇riend raising 麻豆精品 S� and sharing the UCF story.
A lifelong Episcopalian, Colbourn is survived by聽Beryl, his wife of 66 years; and daughters, Katherine 麻豆精品 S淜it 麻豆精品 S� Wrye, of Fishkill, N.Y., and Elinor Colbourn, of Takoma Park, Md. Colbourn also leaves four grandchildren.