{"id":267187,"date":"2026-05-11T21:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T21:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/267187\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T21:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T21:53:11","slug":"universal-ucf-launch-school-to-shape-future-of-themed-entertainment-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/267187\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal, UCF launch school to shape future of themed entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Universal Destinations & Experiences and the University of Central Florida<\/a> are going all in on the future of themed entertainment.<\/p>\n

The two Orlando powerhouses announced the launch of the Universal School of Experience Leadership and Innovation<\/a>, a first-of-its-kind program designed to train the next generation of immersive experience leaders.<\/p>\n

Backed by a $10 million investment, the new school is housed within UCF\u2019s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. It pairs hospitality leadership, immersive storytelling and advanced technology with the college\u2019s existing School of Hospitality Leadership in a first-of-its-kind dual-school model.<\/p>\n

Left: Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, right: UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright (Universal Destinations & Experiences)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Universal School of Experience Leadership and Innovation unites creativity, technology and the practical application of business, marketing, and guest service to develop tomorrow\u2019s leaders in themed entertainment and immersive experiences,\u201d said Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences.<\/p>\n

The partnership also introduces a new Hospitality Technology Lab \u2014 a hands-on research space where students, UCF faculty, Universal professionals and industry stakeholders will collaborate on emerging tech, including service robotics, AR and VR simulation, AI and digital twins.<\/p>\n

Universal, UCF leaders introduce the Universal School of Experience Leadership and Innovation to shape future of themed entertainment. (Universal Destinations & Experiences)<\/p>\n

The announcement deepens a relationship more than 20 years in the making. Rosen College has long served as a key talent pipeline for Universal, with thousands of graduates contributing across its parks and operations. UCF\u2019s themed experience program has also played a direct role in preparing the workforce behind Epic Universe<\/a>, producing graduates who go on to become show set designers, art directors, producers, and creative directors.<\/p>\n

\u201cUCF was built to power what\u2019s next for our students, for industry, and for the State of Florida,\u201d said UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. \u201cThis collaboration with Universal Destinations & Experiences represents our mission at its best, creating an environment where students are learning in direct connection with the people and ideas shaping the future of immersive experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Universal is also UCF\u2019s first entertainment-sector Pegasus Partner and the first to enter a master research agreement with the university \u2014 unlocking new opportunities for applied research and workforce development at scale.<\/p>\n

In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops<\/p>\n

Sign up for the ClickOrlando.com In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops newsletter, sent every Friday.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Universal Destinations & Experiences and the University of Central Florida are going all in on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":267040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[558,113,6113,1335,139,141,140,2411,7219,3434,2103],"class_list":["post-267187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-business","tag-education","tag-epic-universe","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-theme-parks","tag-ucf","tag-universal-orlando","tag-university-of-central-florida"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}