UCF Professor Retires after 53 Years  

Roger Handberg’s milestone marked with a celebratory last lecture. 

By: Emily Dougherty | April 24, 2025 

Professor of Political Science, Roger Handberg, Ph.D., in The School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs (SPSIA) within the College of Sciences is retiring after over five decades of research, teaching, and administration at UCF.  

Before his journey as a Knight, Handberg received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State University in 1966. Three years later, he served in the United States Army as a Captain until 1971, while he pursued his doctoral degree in political science from the University of North Carolina, which he was awarded in 1970.  

During his military service, which he began in 1969, Handberg started his teaching career as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of North Carolina until later that year he was hired as a Political Science Instructor for the Military Assistance Officer Program in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. In 1970, Handberg taught as an Instructor for the University of Maryland Extension Division (Far East), in Seoul, South Korea. 

Now an Emeritus Professor, Handberg made his way to Knight Nation as an Assistant Professor of Political Science in 1972, when UCF was still Florida Technological University. He says the campus that students know and love today looked quite different during this time.  

“When I first came here there was no Teaching Academy, the library was completely different, and some classes took place in portable trailers,” Handberg says. 

Along with seeing the buildings and classrooms on the main campus flourish over the years, Handberg says the student body has considerably grown too.  

“Back then there were only a few hundred student residents on campus,” he says. “After noon on a Friday, you wouldn’t see a person on campus.” 

Over the course of his time here, Handberg has had the opportunity to impact many students’ educational journeys. He shares that he encouraged student success with all the Knights he taught and told them to never limit themselves, even when their time as a Knight had ended.  

“Around the time when I first started here, I naturally became the Pre-Law advisor,” he says. “I created ‘Pre-Law Day’, inviting six law schools to visit UCF and meet with students, providing them with insight on their next steps to get into law school.” 

On April 22, the College of Sciences held a special event to honor Handberg through his last lecture, celebrated with his family, friends, and colleagues. Kerstin Hamann, Pegasus Professor and Senior Associate Dean in the College of Sciences, took a few moments to share how he strived to promote student success. 

“It is truly remarkable that some of his former students, now established and successful leading in their careers, created an endowed scholarship just a few years ago,” Hamann says. “Student success is a priority for the College and University and Dr. Handberg’s contributions to student success have been significant.” 

In addition to helping his students reach for the stars, Hamann looked back on the way he has helped shape SPSIA.  

“Roger was instrumental in building the Lou Frey Institute, the Kurdish Political Studies Program, The India Center, and much more. It is because of the groundwork that Roger did that SPSIA is what it is today,” Hamann says. 

SPSIA Director and Professor Bruce Wilson also shared remarks about the 30 years he worked with Handberg.  

“Roger has had an amazing academic career. He has published 170 publications and nine books during his career,” Wilson says. “That is over three publications per year during his 53 years here. Roger is the kind of faculty that we hope to have work here at UCF.” 

Wilson lightheartedly shares that someone could spend half a day reading Handberg’s Curriculum Vitae, to learn about the fascinating topics that he has researched over the years. There was one specific area of research that Handberg grew a special interest for and which he happened to make the topic of his final lecture— space policy. 

“I wanted to open this lecture with the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon,” Handberg says. “There are not many things that I get emotional about, but that is one because it was a tremendous accomplishment by humans to travel to the moon.” 

He explained how curiosity about what lies beyond the Earth is the motivator to continue space research and exploration.  

“Let’s be candid, that’s what keeps space exploration going; the awe and wonder,” Handberg explains. “This kind of research and exploration was done to justify space. To me, what justified it is the quest itself.” 

After Handberg concluded his milestone lecture, the room filled with celebratory applause, honoring his impactful career and marking the beginning of his well-earned retirement. 

To contribute to the Dr. Roger Handberg Scholarship Fund, a scholarship provided to a UCF undergraduate student annually majoring in the Department of Political Science, please connect with Tony Pomonis, Executive Director of Advancement for the Colleges of Sciences, at tpomonis@ucf.edu.