Thanks to a generous $3.95 million donation from Federal Credit Union, what has been previously known as the “UCF Arena” will, for the next seven years, be officially called, “CFE Federal Credit Union Arena,” or “CFE Arena” for short. In the world of academia, donations—such as this one from Federal Credit Union—clearly warrant a significant name change on one of the receiving university’s newest buildings.
The donation put UCF over the $100 million mark for their six-year capital campaign to raise funds in the hopes of building a teaching hospital and expanding the university’s performing arts center in the near future. UCF’s Foundation CEO, Robert Holmes, reported that he hoped that this $3.95 million gift from Federal Credit Union would encourage more donations from surrounding Orlando theme parks.
Perhaps this checkpoint was reason enough for the arena name change, but is it catching on? I am a UCF student and I just now, in September, found out about the name change that was announced in this past May. I do have some serious doubts about whether or not the new name will stick with faculty and students who have only ever known the arena as the “UCF arena” since its arrival just a few years ago.
It’s not exactly a name that rolls off the tongue, but I’m sure the CFE Arena name will catch on just in time to be changed again to the moniker of the next highest bidder—Disney Arena has quite a ring to it!