UCF in the News

Juneteenth celebration week starts tomorrow in the town of Eatonville. The federal holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved Black people in Texas learned slaves were freed. Scot French is a digital public historian and associate professor at UCF specializing in the study of cultural landscapes and sites of memory associated with African American and Southern history. He’s also the author of “Social Preservation and Moral Capitalism in the Historic Black Township of Eatonville, Florida.” He joins Engage to explain how the Sunshine State was on the leading edge of acknowledging Juneteenth and how Eatonville grew from a southward migration of Black Americans that took place during Reconstruction.

This year's Sally's Night celebration of Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, is coming to the Orange County Regional History Center. The annual, nationwide event meant to celebrate women's contribution to STEM, is on Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the museum located at 65 East Central Blvd. This year’s Sally’s Night will feature a presentation by astronaut scholar Samantha Stoltz called “Paving Our Path: A Journey Through Life and Space for Women in STEM” at 7 p.m. A graduate from the University of Central Florida and a recipient of the Order of the Pegasus award, Stoltz will share her experiences studying and working in fields that support the aerospace industry. There will additionally be a wide variety of space-themed events for families and students, including a pop-up planetarium, exhibits about NASA, artifacts related to space travel and freeze-dried candies.

College graduations are in full swing, and many students are gearing up to enter the workforce. But with fierce competition and changing job market dynamics, the search for that first job can be daunting. It takes three to six months for the average college grad to secure employment right after graduation and about 53% of college grads are either unemployed or working a job that doesn’t require a degree. Now, it’s time to put that degree to work. Here are some things to keep in mind to prepare you for the job market. “Internships, internships, internships, internships, internships, undergraduate research – whatever it might be to get these richer experiences while they’re here so that they’ll have so much more to share when it comes time for interviews,” explained Lynn Hansen, Director of Career Services at the University of Central Florida. But if you didn’t get any experience before graduation, spend this summer doing an internship to beef up your resume. Second, networking is key. Attend career fairs, alumni events, and professional networking mixers to connect with potential employers. Also, have a good social media presence. “We encourage students to have a very strong LinkedIn profile,” said Hansen.

Thanks to the growing popularity of online degree programs in recent years, U.S. veterans and service members can now pursue college-level studies remotely and at their scheduling convenience. College can help service members prepare for future careers, either in or out of the military, even while they are still on active duty. Military-friendly online colleges offer dedicated benefits for current and former members of the U.S. armed services. These benefits may include tuition assistance, dedicated advisors and a supportive network of fellow military personnel. We’ve run all accredited, nonprofit online colleges in the U.S. through a methodology to determine this ranking of the best military-friendly online colleges. We’ve assessed tuition costs, military retention rates, financial aid options and several other factors to help veterans and service members choose the best online degree programs for their goals and careers.

It's going to be a long, hot Summer. You can finally get away with not wearing sunscreen at Aquatica Orlando waterpark. During the evening, with the humidity finally letting up and the sky getting dark, the water park comes alive, glowingly, for the after-hours special ticketed event that runs from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on select nights thru Aug. 10. Tickets start at $49.99. Aquatica Orlando’s new experiment — its longest and most ambitious nighttime event — is happening more at Orlando’s water parks. While special ticketed events are more common at theme parks, water parks are starting to launch them too, said Carissa Baker, a University of Central Florida assistant professor who studies theme parks.

The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority is getting ready to offer its second round of free English language classes to employees at the airport and its partner companies. The English on the Fly program provides airport employees with eight weeks of English language classes, with the goal of improving English proficiency. The program is run by UCF Global that also conducts similar courses for workers at Rosen Hotels, Avanti Hotel, Gaylord Palms and Amazon in Central Florida. Director Jennifer Haddad said the first cohort at the airport had over 60 participants.

K9 Partners for Patriots, an organization created for veteran suicide prevention, sees it every day, for each veteran and K9 partner together regaining their purpose. But, don’t take our word for it. Recent findings from UCF’s School of Social Work indicate that the use of Service Dogs has gained scientific evidence of working well in many situations and for many veterans. More evaluation from both the service dog industry as well as independent scientists is now underway to further determine the helpfulness of service dogs for veterans.

We are well into leisure and hospitality season with summer travel increasing and more folks going out to restaurants and bars. That fun-seeking, plus the rising wages nationwide that were also highlighted in Friday’s numbers, translate into more jobs. Prices at restaurants and entertainment venues may be higher than in the past, but we Americans do like to treat ourselves. Per Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting: “The owners of the restaurants and hotels and these other leisure and hospitality-related industries need to hire additional workers.”

The clearest view of America’s economic conundrum is from the sunny beaches of Miami. The city has been growing quickly and jobs are plentiful. But prices, especially the cost of housing, have risen so fast that workers can’t keep up. The 2.7% unemployment rate in the Miami metro area is among the lowest in the country. But inflation was higher than in any other major metro area in April, and housing costs have doubled in just six years. Wages have been rising—but not enough to keep up with prices. Sean Snaith, the director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting, described the Miami region as the poster child for the challenges the Fed faces. Typically, higher rates cool demand and lead to higher unemployment and weaker inflation. “The usual trade-off between unemployment and inflation is just not happening in this tightening cycle,” Snaith said. The experience of cities such as Miami would be a reason for the Fed to hold off on cutting rates this year, Snaith said.