<\/p>\n
(Left to right) UCF President Alexander Cartwright and Vice President & Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir address Orange County commissioners Monday about a proposal to use tourist development tax revenue to build separate soccer and track and field venues on campus. Board of Governors on Tuesday signed a three-year extension through 2029 for President Cartwright without a pay increase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bryan Gonzalez <\/p>\n
The UCF Board of Trustees convened a virtual meeting on Tuesday to consider a three-year contract extension for President Alexander Cartwright.<\/p>\n
This extension would allow him to continue serving as university president through December 2029.<\/p>\n
During public comment, four people spoke against the contract extension, including Nelson Chapiro, junior civil engineering major. Chapiro is one of a group of students claiming they were denied<\/a> the chance to make public comment during September\u2019s Board of Trustees meeting.<\/p>\n Chapiro said Cartwright prioritizes administrative interests over students\u2019 financial struggles, citing rising tuition and housing costs, delayed financial aid and the need to balance work with full-time coursework.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the reality we face, and none of Cartwright\u2019s achievements listed on the agenda for today speak to that or even acknowledge it,\u201d Chapiro said.<\/p>\n Cartwright has served as UCF’s president since April 2020<\/a>, when he began his initial five-year term.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other speakers, including UCF student Alexander Sheridan, criticized Cartwright\u2019s administration over cuts to student resources, including the closure of LibTech<\/a>, faculty pay and UCF\u2019s participation in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u00a0287 (g) agreement<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cUCF brags about hundreds of million dollars of investment and long-term financial strength and President Cartwright’s role in bringing that forward,\u201d Sheridan said. \u201cHowever, this stands completely at odds with the cutting of student resources and refusing to pay its staff the amounts that they agreed to.\u201d<\/p>\n Sheridan questioned why UCF\u2019s reported financial success has not led to increased funding for student resources and faculty pay. He criticized what he described as a lack of transparency surrounding the university\u2019s public and private partnerships.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Cartwright is so unpopular with the student body that students boo him publicly, and there are whole social media pages dedicated to students’ disdain for him,\u201d Sheridan said to the board during public comment.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the Florida Board of Governors amended regulations allowing university presidents to receive<\/a> contract extensions of up to three years. This is allowed\u00a0if their institutions earned at least 70 points in the state’s performance-based funding system for a majority of their tenure.<\/p>\n Previously, contract extensions could only be extended by one year.<\/p>\n His contract has since been extended twice, most recently in 2025<\/a>, when trustees approved an agreement extending his employment through December 2026.<\/p>\n According to agenda materials<\/a>, the university highlighted several accomplishments during Cartwright’s tenure, including:<\/p>\n An increase in UCF’s four-year graduation rate from 46.3% to a record 68.1%.<\/p>\n A performance-based funding score of 91 points in 2026, up from 87 in 2025 and 85 in 2024.<\/p>\n A record $162.5 million raised by the UCF Foundation during the 2025-26 fiscal year.<\/p>\n More than $130 million in state appropriations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Growth in the university’s endowment to $311.5 million as of June 2026.<\/p>\n After the vote, President Cartwright made brief remarks and thanked student speakers for their input, and highlighted their similar goals.<\/p>\n \u201cThey care about the university and the people who work here, and so do I. And we will continue to do everything we can to move this university forward,\u201d Cartwright said.<\/p>\n The university\u2019s accomplishments resulted from the work of many people at UCF rather than his efforts alone, Cartwright said. He reflected on growing up with a single mother who raised three children and earning his GED, bachelor\u2019s degree and doctorate, describing those experiences as a source of motivation.<\/p>\n \u201cI meet a lot of students, and their stories feel very familiar,\u201d Cartwright said. \u201cMany of them first-time\u00a0in college, and we need to stay focused on how we open the doors for them, giving them the opportunity to work with the amazing faculty and staff, and giving them every opportunity to do the extraordinary work that’s going to allow them to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposed contract extension will not change Cartwright’s existing compensation or benefits, including his $1.2 million annual base salary<\/a>.<\/p>\n