Education and Culture

The University of North Florida offers distinct educational and cultural resources and state of the art performance spaces that are available to the community.

Library

The Thomas G. Carpenter Library is 199,000 sq. ft. and seats 2,000. The facility has 300 public workstations, 37 study carrels, and 17 group study rooms, and has wireless connectivity. The library is open to the general public, and is used by a cross-section of the Jacksonville area. Anyone with online access can search the Library's catalog, digital collections, and research guides prepared by library staff. The Library's reference services provide information and research assistance to area business people and the general public. The Library faculty and staff also provide resources to the community, including author talks, lectures, and special programs.

*Source: Thomas G. Carpenter Library

Courtesy borrowing privileges are extended to students, faculty, and staff of Florida's state universities and community colleges, and for local faculty and staff of Jacksonville University and Edward Waters College. Students in the International Baccalaureate program at area high schools are also eligible for courtesy borrowing privileges. The UNF Alumni Association currently provides library cards to local Alumni. In addition, area educators, business people, and other professionals can apply to become Special Borrowers with an annual fee and limited borrowing privileges.

The Library also houses Special Collections, which includes University Archives, Manuscripts/Personal Papers, Rare Materials, and the Florida Heritage Collection. Currently, the public can schedule an appointment to view the items in the Special collections. An effort is also underway to digitize many of these holdings for easier public access. Special Collections also sponsors changing exhibitions and offers research materials on Jacksonville history.

Theatre and Art

The Fine Arts Center offers a variety of programming throughout the year, providing the Jacksonville community with more opportunities to experience national and international productions such as The Tempest, Chicago Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, The Langston Hughes Project, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Sleeping Beauty on Ice.

The English department also offers opportunities for the community to experience theatrical performances. They have produced plays such as New Beginnings by Jessica Rich, Down from the Mountain by Acacia Bush, Day of Absence by Douglas Turner Ward, and more. The UNF Undergraduate Theatre Club has performed The Maids by Jean Genet and Krapp's Last Tape by Samuel Beckett to name a few. Additionally, Explorations in Documentary provides the opportunity to showcase student films, paintings, texts, and installations to the public.

Music

The UNF Fine Arts Center includes the Lazzara Performance Hall, which seats 1,400 guests for major events. The Center also has a 200 seat recital hall, four large rehearsal rooms, 44 individual practice rooms, and specially designed teaching studios and classrooms.

Musical offerings range from the inaugural performance of soprano Kathleen Battle in 2002, to jazz singer Dianne Reeves, to eight-time Grammy award winner, Natalie Cole. The Music department has 10 performing groups that provide concerts to the public. These include the UNF Chorale, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Opera Ensemble, Drumline, and Wind Ensemble. UNF puts on the Great American Jazz Series, which brings in jazz artists as residents, and the Feast of Carols with world-renowned composers. Last year the Opera Ensemble put on its first complete, vocally suitable operatic work with orchestra. Many of these groups also provide performances throughout the community, including at local elementary schools and other venues.

The UNF Jazz Ensemble I has the reputation of being one of the finest collegiate jazz ensembles worldwide. They have won numerous group and individual awards and have been recognized by several national publications. The Ensemble has performed all over the United States and abroad. They also perform annually at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival.

Major Speakers

UNF provides the Jacksonville community with the opportunity to hear distinguished speakers on an array of topics relevant to current events and societal issues. There are currently eight different speaker series throughout the campus, including the Presidential Lecture Series, the Irish Studies Performance, and Distinguished Voices Lecture Series which includes the Inquiry and Insight Lecture Series. Past speakers have included documentarian Ken Burns, Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria, German historian Daniel Goldhagen, and noted author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi. The Inquiry and Insight series, funded by the Office of Academic Affairs, provides free lectures which are open to the public and "promote dialogue among visiting scholars, community supporters, students, faculty members, and staff."

There is also an annual Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship Luncheon, a program celebrating the non-violent teachings and ideals of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Past speakers for the luncheon include actor Ossie Davis, comedian Dick Gregory, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and television/radio personality Tavis Smiley.

Table 9: Recent Speakers

*Source: Inside UNF Online December 2006, Volume 12 Number 11

Sports

While more of this information will be revealed through future phases of the project, the sports program at UNF offers the opportunity for the Jacksonville community to attend a variety of events. Facilities include the Dusty Rhodes Batting Facility and the Hayt Golf Learning Center. The UNF Arena has been used for a variety of concerts, the Orlando Magic Training Camp, area high school graduations, and even hosted the 2004 U.S. men's and women's Olympic teams. Inside the arena, the community can view the UNF Athletics Hall of Fame, presented by the PLAYERS Championship. Community sports enthusiasts can also enjoy the friendly rivalry with Jacksonville University at the SunTrust River City Rumble.

Environmental

The 1,300 acre UNF campus includes a nature and wildlife area with lakes and trails. The wildlife refuge is not only used by faculty and students for scientific research, but also as a rich resource for all members of the local community.

The UNF Environmental Center hosts the UF Master Naturalist Program and various conferences, including one in conjunction with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Center for Ethics, Public Policy, and the Professions on "Ethical Aspects of Urban Development." They also hosted a conference with the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. District IV on "Water Matters?"

Faculty and students also conduct research that impacts our local environment, including a multidisciplinary study of the economic, political, sociological, cultural, anthropological, historical, scientific, hydrologic, and engineering aspects of the St. Johns River.

Media

UNF faculty and staff regularly appear on local news programs, providing their expertise on current events in easily accessible mediums to Jacksonville area residents. These programs include In Context on WJCT 89.9 FM Public Radio, Ask the UNF Expert on WJXT TV channel 4, and regular newspaper coverage.9 Faculty appearing on local television draw in an average of 50,000 to 60,000 area viewers per appearance.

UNF also produces a half hour, monthly public affairs talk show called Campus Connection. This show airs on CW-17 and Comcast in the Jacksonville area, and also airs on public access channels throughout Florida and across the country on the DISH Network. The University provides an online expert guide for members of the media to conveniently find a professor on a variety of topics to easily request information.

UNF was mentioned in various national and international media outlets in 2007, bringing recognition to the region. This included The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, USA Today, Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, MSN Money, The Washington Post, The New York Post, The Chicago Tribune, and MSNBC. In addition, the University had 5,539 total media placements in 2007, which is an average of 15 per day.

Faculty and students in the Communication department participate in the annual Florida Times-Union Community News series and the Volunteer Jacksonville Award series. A Communication faculty member also served as Executive Producer of Field Segments for the WCWJ-TV 17 In Tune with Jacksonville show,19 and a Criminal Justice faculty member has his own weekly radio show.

For the latest updates on who is appearing in the media from UNF, visit the Media Relations website. There you can find links to newspaper articles, listen to radio interviews, or watch television appearances.

Humanities

The University also promotes the humanities through various projects. These publications and projects provide a rich cultural opportunity for Jacksonville area residents to read the works of UNF faculty and students, and even publish their own works or participate in some of the events and workshops.

Mudlark | Mudlark Website

Mudlark is an electronic journal of poetry and poets that was founded in 1995. It is edited and published by a Professor Emeritus in the department of English. It has been featured at Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conferences, is a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, and listed on The New York Public Library "Best of the Web" list for Online Literary Magazines.

Poetry Fix

Poetry Fix is an annual journal of fiction and poetry published in print.

Eat

An independent CD Magazine based at UNF, Eat features Essay, Poetry, Sound, and Song.

Caribe

Caribe is a journal of Caribbean culture and literature that is published with the support of the College of Arts and Sciences.

River House 

A website sponsored by the English department, River House is devoted to facilitating artistic and scholarly efforts among students, faculty, and the Jacksonville community.