About Me

Dr. Michael Preston has served as Executive Director of the Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities since July 2015 where he works with Florida International University, The University of Central Florida, and The University of South Florida on collaborative projects designed to increase retention, improve graduation rates, and ensure graduates are career ready. Previous to taking on this unique role, Dr. Preston served the students of The University of Central Florida since 2011 as the Director of the Office of Student Involvement where he oversaw a comprehensive involvement program including entertainment programming, student organizations, volunteer and service programs, and student government.

Dr. Preston has worked in higher education for nearly 20 years and is commonly asked to speak and present on topics such as student affairs assessment, personal career development, student engagement practices, and developing student leadership competencies. In addition to his work in student affairs at UCF, Dr. Preston is also a faculty member in the Higher Education and Policy Studies department where he teaches on the subject of Organization and Administration in Higher Education.

Previous to UCF, Dr. Preston worked in student affairs for 13 years at Stephen F. Austin State University where he also worked in student engagement and involvement programs. Dr. Preston is a graduate of East Carolina University and Southern Illinois University – Carbondale and earned his Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration and Policy Studies at Texas A&M – Commerce in 2011. A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, Dr. Preston grew up in Homestead, Florida. When Dr. Preston is not working you can find him along with his wife Nicole and daughter Caroline at Walt Disney World, a place they call their second home.