Thanks to new strategic funding from the Florida Legislature and the UF President’s Office, the College was able to launch a range of new initiatives that will benefit students, faculty and staff in the near term.

CJCxDC

As part of CJC’s strategy to provide immersion opportunities outside of Gainesville, the College is establishing an educational and professional presence in Washington, D.C., with an initiative modeled after our CJCxNYC program. The program is open to all students but focused on immersion experiences for journalism and public relations majors.

RESEARCH ADVANCEMENTS

To enhance existing labs to better support faculty and student research, funds were used to purchase new desktop computers, iPads and laptops; add new desks, tables and chairs; and remove old technology. To better manage and elevate research initiatives and expand international outreach, CJC hired Cloe Zeidan as a full-time research project manager.

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NEWS DESKS

Funds were used to support new immersion opportunities in the Innovation News Center (INC), including:

• DISASTER DESK: The INC is building an ad hoc team of reporters and visual journalists to cover major weather events and other emergencies. The desk will focus on public service reporting about underrepresented communities who may live in less-durable housing, may have language barriers or may not be able to afford to evacuate or go to area or regional shelters.
• ENVIRONMENT & AG DESK: This news desk provides environment, climate and agricultural news focusing on Florida’s rural news deserts and statewide accountability reporting. Journalist Rose Schnabel joined CJC as a Report for America corps member focusing on coverage and connections in rural areas.
• POLITICAL REPORTING: This program provides students with more experience in political journalism. Four students traveled to the Republican National Convention and four to the Democratic National Convention. Six students attended the presidential inauguration from Jan. 18–21 to provide coverage for the North Central Florida community.
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GATOR GAME DAY

Funding was also used to create a Gator football pre-game show modeled after ESPN’s GameDay program. CJC alumnus Kat Orr was hired to oversee production of seven home-game broadcasts with both live and pre-recorded content, including a game preview, insightful breakdowns and analytics and profiles of UF athletes and coaches.

ORANGE & BLUE FILM FESTIVAL

Funds were used to create the Orange & Blue Film Festival, the only state-wide collegiate/high school film festival hosted by a Florida public university. The two-day event, held in April 2024, included film screenings, workshops, industry panels and awards. Twenty-two films from 61 submitted were screened for a sold-out attendance. An immersion course was created for the festival in Fall 2024, enrolling 37 students to help manage the 2025 event.

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ATLAS LAB

Strategic funding helped the College’s digital media analysis lab launch two new social media listening platforms — Talkwalker and Brandwatch. Access to these new platforms will help students gain skills with tools that are in wide use in the communication industry.

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SUMMER MEDIA INSTITUTE

Funding was provided to CJC’s summer program for high school students to provide “Out of Stater Gator” scholarships to out-of-state students and help position the program as one of the nation’s best. Funds helped 14 out-of-state students afford the week-long program, including money for travel costs.

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