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When I started my first term as mayor in 2003, sadly, there weren 麻豆精品 S檛 a lot of people wearing UCF gear around town 麻豆精品 S� and you 麻豆精品 S檇 see even less Black & Gold around the state. At the same time, there was a sense that UCF graduates weren 麻豆精品 S檛 particularly interested in sticking around and living in our community. They had visions of going to the 麻豆精品 S渂ig city 麻豆精品 S� and
wanted to pursue their dreams in places like New York, Chicago or Washington, D.C.

Depending on who you talked to, UCF was either a sleeping giant or a scrappy underdog of collegiate academia and athletics, or somewhere in between.

Many of the same comparisons were made about Orlando. We were a city with 麻豆精品 S渓oads of potential, 麻豆精品 S� which is a polite way of saying we had lots of work to do.

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UCF has become The University for the Future, at the same time Orlando has become a city for the future.

As UCF and Orlando continue to grow alongside and in partnership with one another, we will continue to diversify our economy and create high-quality jobs for UCF graduates. This is evidenced by our partnership to create the UCF Downtown campus in Creative Village, which solidifies Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 reputation as one of the nation 麻豆精品 S檚 largest hubs for video
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Today, you can 麻豆精品 S檛 go anyplace 麻豆精品 S� a city park, a grocery store, a restaurant 麻豆精品 S� without seeing someone wearing a UCF shirt or hat. And when you talk to recent UCF graduates, so many of them can 麻豆精品 S檛 wait to tell you that they love living, working and putting down roots in Orlando.

So when I think about the shared future ahead for The City Beautiful and its hometown university, my memories take me back to that night in 2018 when I saw nothing but UCF supporters and a sea of Black & Gold that was indicative of our city 麻豆精品 S檚 love for Knight Nation.

I love Orlando. I love UCF. And what I love most is what we 麻豆精品 S檝e built in partnership together and the future that lies ahead 麻豆精品 S� and that Orlando and UCF will continue to Charge On together.

Buddy Dyer is Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 longest-serving mayor, with his first term starting in 2003. He received an honorary Doctor of Public Service from UCF in 2018.