John Hitt

John C. Hitt
4th President of the University of Central Florida
In office
March 1, 1992 (1992-03-01) – June 30, 2018 (2018-06-30)
Preceded byRobert A. Bryan (acting)
Succeeded byDale Whittaker
Personal details
Born(1940-12-07)December 7, 1940
Houston, Texas, U.S.
DiedFebruary 20, 2023(2023-02-20) (aged 82)
Spouse
Martha Hitt
​
(m. 1961)​
Children2
Alma materAustin College (BA)
Tulane University (MS, PhD)
Profession
  • Academic
  • administrator
WebsiteOffice of the President
The John C. Hitt Library, with the Reflection Pond in the foreground

John C. Hitt (December 7, 1940 – February 20, 2023) was an American professor and academic administrator, who served as the fourth president of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida from 1992 to 2018.[1] He was named the Orlando Sentinel's Central Floridian of the Year in 2005, and twice Orlando's most powerful person by Orlando Magazine. He was the dean of Florida's university presidents, as the longest tenured president in the state.[2][3] His reputation was materially tarnished by auditor findings that tens of millions of dollars were improperly spent on construction during his tenure as president.[4] He acknowledged the spending and resigned from his compensated fundraising role.[5] His successor Dale Whittaker and the university's chief financial officer Bill Merck also resigned because of the scandal. Four other financial officers were fired.[6]

  1. ^ Meet the President University of Central Florida Office of the President.
  2. ^ "UCF's Hitt among nation's 10 highest-paid public-university presidents". Orlando Sentinel. April 3, 2011.
  3. ^ Maxwell, Scott (December 29, 2008). "Who is the most powerful person in Central Florida?". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 29, 2008.
  4. ^ Staff (February 22, 2019). "Colbourn Hall Controversy Investigation Records, Deposition Transcripts". KnightNews.com. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  5. ^ Klawe-Genao, Joseph (December 23, 2018). "Hitt Goes Rogue: Past President Contradicts Current UCF Leadership, Ties It To Colbourn Hall Controversy". KnightNews.com. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "UPDATE: UCF to Sever Ties with John Hitt over Misspent Funds". January 22, 2019.