Florida SB 1776: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Education for Athletic Coaches

Bill Text

1776 
UCF Day 
2026-01-26T07:05:18Z 
Designating January 27, 2026, as “UCF Day” in Florida, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
SR 
Resolution 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1776 

 By Senator Smith 

 17-02154-26 20261776__ 
 1 Senate Resolution 
 2 A resolution designating January 27, 2026, as “UCF 
 3 Day” in Florida. 
 4 
 5 WHEREAS, the University of Central Florida (UCF) is a 
 6 public research university in Orlando which was founded in 1963 
 7 as Florida Technological University, and 
 8 WHEREAS, Florida Technological University was created to 
 9 meet the technical and engineering workforce needs of the 
 10 state’s growing aerospace and defense industries and the 
 11 expansion of the nation’s space program along Florida’s Space 
 12 Coast, and 
 13 WHEREAS, in 1978, Florida Technological University was 
 14 renamed the University of Central Florida to reflect its 
 15 expanded academic mission, growing student enrollment, and 
 16 broader service to the Central Florida region and the entire 
 17 state, and 
 18 WHEREAS, UCF has now grown into one of the largest 
 19 universities in the United States, enrolling more than 70,600 
 20 students, and is the largest university in this state by 
 21 enrollment, and 
 22 WHEREAS, UCF’s 12 colleges offer more than 250 academic 
 23 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and 
 24 professional levels, and 
 25 WHEREAS, under the leadership of President Alexander N. 
 26 Cartwright, UCF has expanded enrollment in engineering and 
 27 technology-related programs to more than 21,000 students since 
 28 2020, representing an increase of approximately 25 percent and 
 29 strengthening this state’s pipeline of talent in high-demand 
 30 fields, and 
 31 WHEREAS, UCF is classified as a Carnegie Research 1 
 32 institution, recognizing very high research activity, doctorate 
 33 production, and significant contributions to innovation and 
 34 discovery, and 
 35 WHEREAS, UCF is closely connected with the Central Florida 
 36 Research Park, one of the largest research parks in the United 
 37 States, allowing for collaboration among industry, government, 
 38 and academia, support from hundreds of companies, and growth in 
 39 high-wage jobs aligned with defense, aerospace, modeling, and 
 40 advanced technology sectors, and 
 41 WHEREAS, UCF is recognized as a national leader in 
 42 modeling, simulation, and training technologies, an industry 
 43 cluster that generates billions of dollars in economic activity 
 44 for Central Florida and the entire state, and maintains 
 45 longstanding partnerships with federal agencies, including the 
 46 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of 
 47 War, and the United States Space Force to support research, 
 48 education, and workforce development in space-related 
 49 disciplines, and 
 50 WHEREAS, the Princeton Review and PC Gamer have recognized 
 51 UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy graduate game 
 52 design program as one of the top two programs of its kind in the 
 53 world 5 of the past 6 years, from 2019 to 2025, and 
 54 WHEREAS, according to U.S. News & World Report, UCF has had 
 55 the No. 1 emergency and crisis management graduate program and 
 56 the No. 9 best online undergraduate programs in the nation two 
 57 years in a row, 2024 and 2025, and its computer science programs 
 58 are ranked among the nation’s top 25 for 2025, according to 
 59 cyberdegreesedu.org, and 
 60 WHEREAS, UCF established the Pegasus Partnership Program in 
 61 2019 to create structured, long-term collaborations with leading 
 62 private-sector employers which align academic programs, 
 63 research, and workforce development with industry needs, and 
 64 WHEREAS, UCF has developed strategic partnerships with 
 65 major global employers through the Pegasus Partnership Program, 
 66 including BNY, Lockheed Martin, and Siemens, which have expanded 
 67 student internship opportunities, applied research 
 68 collaborations, and corporate investments in Central Florida, 
 69 strengthening the region’s innovation-driven economy, and 
 70 WHEREAS, UCF is nationally recognized for expanding access 
 71 to higher education and promoting economic mobility among its 
 72 graduates, and 
 73 WHEREAS, UCF has produced more than 400,000 alumni 
 74 worldwide, many of whom contribute to this state’s workforce, 
 75 economy, and civic life, and 
 76 WHEREAS, designating a day in recognition of UCF also 
 77 provides an opportunity to honor the legacy of Florida 
 78 Technological University, NOW, THEREFORE, 
 79 
 80 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 
 81 
 82 That January 27, 2026, is designated as “UCF Day” in 
 83 Florida in recognition of the University of Central Florida’s 
 84 contributions to higher education, research, innovation, 
 85 workforce development, and economic growth. 
 86 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with 
 87 the Seal