EL: Creative, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial

Examples of Creative, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial Activity

• UNF Shakespeare: Collaboration, Craft, and Community Impact

  

  UNF Shakespeare’s Fall 2025 production of Macbeth welcomed over 1,200 attendees to two sold-out performances in UNF’s Robinson Theater for a fully realized, student-centered theatrical experience. One of the university’s most visible examples of project-based, UNF Shakespeare centers interdisciplinary experiential learning, as each show brings together over 40 students from dozens of majors to tackle the full lifecycle of theatrical production. Overseen by Prof. Will Pewitt (Assistant Director, Hicks Honors College), productions such as Macbeth engage students in every phase of creative, logistical, and scholarly work—from early concept development and dramaturgy to design, construction, performance, community outreach, and public-facing talkbacks.

  Across each production, students enact applied knowledge from their coursework to solve real-world challenges. Engineering majors draft scenic schematics and build the textural world; ASL interpreting students coordinate accessibility, working alongside professional interpreters; Communication and English students served in stage management roles requiring interpersonal tasks under pressure; Business and Marketing students built promotional campaigns. All work with the faculty lead to build out the finalized product, which brings in audiences from high schools throughout Northeast Florida. This blend of expertise has allowed UNF Shakespeare to function as a laboratory where theory meets practice, mirroring the collaborative ecosystem of Early Modern theatre.

  Assessment data from recent productions show marked growth in students’ project management (91%), adaptability and problem-solving (87%), as well as team collaboration and personal accountability (83%)—skills that translate across academic pathways and career aspirations. UNF Shakespeare’s commitment to high-impact learning has earned national and international attention, partnering with the Globe Theatre in London and gaining the rare invitation for performance at the Shakespeare Association of America. Information on future performances, involvement, or support can be acquired by contacting will.pewitt@unf.edu. 

• Engineering Senior Design - Innovation Day

  One of the strongest aspects of engineering education at UNF is the Senior Design experience; it is the cornerstone of the engineering curriculum and ensures a never-ending pipeline of quality engineering students and faculty. Senior Design is a key component to infusing industry and community-engaged projects into the curriculum and directly contributes to our aspiration of having undergraduate engineering programs ranked among the best in the country.

  In early September, Senior Design students are assigned to teams and subsequently work together to develop multiple solutions to a design challenge. Nearly all projects come from the Jacksonville community: nonprofit organizations, local government, and industry partners including the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Saft Battery, and BMW. Students work diligently to develop the best solution to the problem presented by their client within the given constraints.

  Furthermore, the engineering teams receive direct feedback on their projects from professionals and experts in their respective disciplines. In Civil Engineering projects, a board of professional engineers from the Jacksonville engineering community scrutinizes the student designs. For Electrical and Mechanical Engineering teams, projects include design, build, and test requirements. Professors and community mentors review the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering projects and designs following a procedure that mimics design reviews in the industry.

  Each year, the graduating class of engineers generates posters to feature their work at Innovation Day. Industry/community partners, guests, fellow students, and experts are invited to attend and ask questions of the student engineering teams – the more challenging, the better. This event showcases ways that UNF is preparing the next generation of engineers to overcome engineering challenges, and how our engineering students will positively impact Northeast Florida. Innovation Day is also an opportunity for potential employers to find their next great employee.