Cornerstone Member of the UCF Family Celebrates Retirement

This year, after 42 years of service, the College of Sciences’ esteemed Associate Dean, Dr. John M. “Jack” McGuire, will retire. In honor of his retirement, the College of Sciences will host a reception Monday, June 30, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Jack comments, “After 42 years at FTU, [now] UCF, I’m ready to move on to another phase of life.”

Dr. McGuire began his career at what was Florida Technological University (FTU) in 1972, now the University of Central Florida. He came to UCF from the Somerset County Guidance Center in New Jersey, where he served as a Post-doctoral Senior Psychologist.

As a new faculty member Dr. McGuire helped found the Clinical Psychology Master’s program, one of UCF’s first graduate programs. He individually trained and mentored many of the current leaders of the mental health community in Orlando. Dr. McGuire became nationally known during this period from research that helped to understand ethical decision making in the clinical profession and the role of confidentiality as a key component of the therapeutic relationship.

He served as chair of Psychology for eight years. In 2003, he was named an Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences. He played a key role in setting up the College of Sciences when it was formed, and was responsible for many of the college’s successes. His service at UCF spans the terms of all four UCF presidents, and growth from under 2,000 to nearly 60,000 students.

Dr. Enrique Del Barco, Associate Physics Professor, has fond memories of Dr. McGuire as a mentor and colleague. “Jack has the ability to catch solutions on the fly. I have sat with him in many meetings with people of all kinds at UCF. . . Jack listens and looks at the team in a way that you know he is pondering the best out of several possible solutions. . . And then, as if coming out of the blue, he has the ability to express his view . . . in a way delegating responsibilities immediately on the team. . . this is what I admire most of  his personality.”

“His work ethic is his personality,” comments David Abbott, a longtime friend and colleague of Dr. McGuire. “As an administrator, he followed what I have always seen as most important in a leader. He assigned a task and then stayed out of the way as the worker performed it, builds great team spirit and develops great worker ability.”

Abbott also praised Dr. McGuire as someone who gave great advice when needed. “Told me to stop trying to be ahead of everything and never needing a hand from others. Said friends actually enjoy being needed to give a hand.”

After his many great years with UCF, friends and coworkers have fun theorizing about what will come next for Dr. McGuire. “My guess is that Dr. McGuire will not ‘retire’, but rather ‘refire’, contributing in many ways to UCF and the community, while also having more time to focus on his family, and especially his grandchildren, as well as his many personal hobbies and interests. Many do not know that he has spent many years growing orchids; I expect he’ll do more of that,” said Dr. Richard Tucker, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCF and liason for LIFE at UCF. He suggested Dr. McGuire could do anything from going on tour with his flute skills, to visiting his lake house in North Carolina, to traveling with his wife, Sharon, to Ireland, to even becoming a star player in a 65+ basketball league. (Dr. McGuire was a “Little All-American” as an undergraduate at Eckerd College, one of his three alma maters.)

Dr. Del Barco feels Dr. McGuire’s talents would be better put to use with another skill. “Poker! He would fool anybody sitting on the other side of the table if he wished.”

Burton Blau, another close friend of Dr. McGuire’s, feels Dr. McGuire’s retirement is “long overdue” given the many years of hard work and many contributions he’s made. He feels what Dr. McGuire will miss most about his position is  “[connecting] with people and his gentle guiding, fostering completeness and achieving maximum potential.”

As a cornerstone member of the UCF family, Dr. McGuire will be keenly missed by his colleagues and co-workers. Fortunately, Dr. McGuire has graciously agreed to assist the College of Sciences for a year after his retirement to help with the transition.

The College of Sciences and all of those affected by Dr. McGuire’s leadership, humor and kindness cannot thank him enough for his past contributions and his continued dedication to UCF. He exemplifies the commitment and guidance we strive to provide to every student and staff member on the UCF campus.

Congratulations on your retirement Dr. McGuire. You’ve earned it!

 

To read more about Dr. McGuire and what he’s thinking of pursuing next, read the Central Florida Future’s article on his retirement.