ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A familiar face will take over as the next president of UCF. The Board of Trustees selected provost Dale Whittaker to take over for Dr. John Hitt when he retires in June.
Some people may have considered Whittaker the front runner because he currently works at UCF as provost. However, some of the trustees say it was not a guarantee. His performance during a final round of interviews today likely earned him the job. He went before the Board just after lunch-time today to explain his vision for the University.
When asked about one his failures today, Whittaker mentioned the initial challenges in obtaining funding for the UCF downtown campus, which was vetoed at first, but the Governor later signed off on the money.
They started discussing them one by one just after 3 o'clock. About two hours later, Whittaker was one of two candidates left. And then the announcement was made. The Chairman of the Board says he plans to work on an employment agreement over the weekend.