As a senior statesman of the university and the state’s higher education system when he departed, Hitt’s legacy was marred by a misspending scandal. The problem was only discovered after Hitt had departed the school.
During Hitt’s administration, UCF was revealed for unlawfully shifting millions of money to fund other initiatives, such as upgrading the outdated Trevor Colbourn Hall on campus.
But Hitt’s life narrative demonstrated the value of a college education.
Hitt, a native of Texas, was the first person in his family to enrol in college. At Austin College, he was an offensive lineman for the football team. It was there that he first met Martha, the woman he would later wed in 1961.
John Hitt Cause Of Death: How did the former UCF President die?
The institution expanded from a small campus to one of the biggest in the nation under John Hitt’s direction.
John Hitt, a former president of the University of Central Florida (UCF), passed away on Monday. Throughout his 26-year tenure, he oversaw the school’s tremendous expansion in Orlando.
Hitt, 82, retired in 2018, but the institution could not immediately provide a cause of death for him.
With more than 68,000 students, the institution under Hitt’s direction expanded from a modest, peaceful campus to one of the biggest in the nation. By constructing a football stadium, a medical school, a hospitality college along the tourist route, and a campus in the heart of Orlando, Hitt’s vision enabled the school to expand ambitiously.