•1. Academics: I'm starting here because I know how important it is for university presidents to include like-minded institutions that value scholastic excellence. Did you know UCF has more National Merit scholars than the University of Texas? Did you know UCF's football program — and its overall athletic program — had the highest graduation rate of any public university in the nation last year? If UCF were in the Big 12 right now, it would be the second-most selective academic institution in the league, but first in number of degrees awarded.