The UCF Board of Trustees has looked to one of its own as its pick for the university's next leader.

Trustees on Friday, picking from four finalists, tapped UCF Provost and Executive Vice President Dale Whittaker after a lengthy interview process.

The Board had been searching for his replacement since the fall semester, and it had narrowed the list to four people, university presidents from across the country. The other three finalists were:

  • Suresh Garimella, Ph.D., executive vice president for research and partnerships, Purdue University
  • Mark Kennedy, MBA, president, University of North Dakota
  • Matthew Wilson, J.D., president, University of Akron

The Board was looking for someone who can take its 20-year vision of expanding and growing UCF with both an academic and business mind.

Whittaker has been UCF's provost since fall 2014 and was promoted to executive vice president in 2015. He holds degrees in agricultural engineering from Purdue and Texas A&M, and before coming to UCF served in multiple faculty and leadership positions at both institutions.

At UCF, Whittaker has led efforts to bring a campus to downtown Orlando, recruit and hire more than 200 faculty members and develop faculty "clusters" of researchers for collaboration.

The Florida Board of Governors still needs to approve UCF's pick, which is scheduled to take place March 29.

Hitt announced earlier this year that he was retiring after more than 26 years serving as president of what has become one of the largest universities in the nation under his tenure.

In an interview with Spectrum News 13, Hitt said he would have a hard time leaving the position he loved but would do so when the timing felt right. His retirement will be effective in June.

The university said Hitt will work with Whittaker in the next few months to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

Check back for updates on this developing story.