About


We want all students at the university to know that UCF not only cares about their academic success, but their overall wellbeing. Life can get difficult at times, especially while in college. Many students are faced with stressors and challenges that begin to impact their success as a student. These stressors can appear in many different forms: difficulty adjusting to university life, family issues, financial difficulties, abusive relationships, etc. Our goal is to “build a culture of care, one knight at a time, where every UCF Knight cares about the health and safety of one another.”


UCF CARES Goals

Assist the UCF Community with:

  • care related resources and programs focused on health and safety
  • finding an appropriate network of support
  • connecting with advocacy
  • education and training

There are many resources at UCF to assist students with getting connected on campus. UCF Cares focuses on the key areas of safety and wellbeing, respect, sexual violence, and mental health.

 

Who is Involved?

We want everyone in the UCF community to be a part of our culture of care. The core UCF Cares team includes faculty, staff, and students who work with all areas of the UCF community to get the message out about UCF Cares to students, faculty and staff. UCF Cares is successful because of its strong partnerships throughout Student Development and Enrollment Services and its connections
with student.

Dear Knights,

Since the UCF Cares initiative started in 2012, our campus community has been working steadily towards creating a culture of care. UCF started this initiative because students, staff, and faculty all identified that there were ways to improve and expand the services students needed in times of crisis, distress, or
instability. We can all agree that UCF is a large institution, but our strength is in our numbers. If each
of us takes a small, but active part in this initiative we can make UCF a safer, stronger and more inclusive environment for everyone.

I encourage all who read this letter to make a commitment to yourselves and the campus community. Familiarize yourself with the resources available. While you may not need to use them directly during your time here, there is a good chance that someone you know may need your help. By taking that extra step to connect a student to UCF Cares, you could be saving a life.

Some ways to get involved with UCF Cares include:

  • Review the UCF Cares resources available on campus
  • Refer and support those who need help
  • Join the UCF Cares Ambassadors student group
  • Follow us on Social Media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram)
  • Attend events and presentations
  • Tell other Knights about UCF Cares
  • Have a UCF Cares Team Member come talk to your student organization/department/class

Thank you for taking the time to visit UCF Cares and learn more about how we can build a culture of care together.

Go Knights! Charge On!

Dana Juntunen Headshot

Dana Juntunen

Assistant Dean of Students