Across the University of Florida, our 16 colleges, numerous institutes, and health care facilities embrace our shared mission of outreach and service to improve and enrich our community, nation, and the world. UF in the Community spotlights the impact of UF in our region.

Although UF has students and employees throughout the state, North Central Florida is home to much of our faculty and staff and to our 50,000+ students. Like all area residents, we want a vibrant, safe, healthy, and equitable place in which to live and thrive. Here are some of the ways in which we are enhancing our shared community.​

FANFARES & FIREWORKS will return to Gainesville on Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 6 p.m. at the University of Florida Bandshell at Flavet Field. Admission is free. The title sponsor for the event is VyStar Credit Union with additional support from the City of Gainesville and GRU.

The event features an opportunity for families to picnic on the grass and enjoy a variety of musical performances. A fireworks display by Skylighters of Florida, set to the music of the Gainesville Community Band, will begin at 9:40 p.m.

The University Athletic Association has issued the following statement to help educate and provide guidance regarding the State of Florida Name, Image, and Likeness legislation that is effective July 1, 2021. While there could be future federal and NCAA legislation, this is an outline of the key components of state law. 

UF Health researchers are joining an ambitious global effort led by The Rockefeller Foundation to better track the coronavirus and its variants and set up a network of collaborators to stop any nascent pandemic in the future.

UF is working with the University of Central Florida as one of The Rockefeller Foundation’s “U.S. Regional Accelerators of Genomic Surveillance” to establish a network of institutions and laboratories in Florida and, ultimately, throughout the Southeast.

UF medicinal chemists report promising results from a study focused on new ways to of treating several types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, advances that may help in the battle against MRSA, tuberculosis and other infectious pathogens.

The University of Florida and the University of South Florida ranked among the top 15 schools in the world to be granted U.S. utility patents last year, according to a new report. The University of Florida ranked at No. 11 with 140 awarded and USF came in at No. 15 with 123 — a record number for the school.

Jim O’Connell, assistant vice president and head of UF Innovate, said areas like the Silicon Valley and Boston, known for innovation, are largely driven by their universities. He believes universities in Florida could do the same for the state.

For the fourth year, UF MBA has been named among the top 5 MBA programs in the nation with the highest return for graduates earning $100,000-plus in a new ranking from U.S. News and World Report.

UF MBA’s salary-to-debt ratio is 5.7-to-1, making it the No. 2 MBA program in the nation for return on investment. In 2020, UF MBA reported graduates of the Full-Time MBA program earning an average salary and signing bonus within three months of graduation of $129,227, while their average debt was $22,705. With an overall ranking of No. 26 in the nation and No. 9 among public schools, UF MBA is among the highest rated full-time MBA programs by U.S. News & World Report among MBA programs with strong ROIs.

Wilmot Botanical Gardens, located in the heart of UF’s academic health center, was created in the 1950's as a memorial garden for Royal James "Roy" Wilmot. These gardens now provide a peaceful and verdant respite for patients, faculty, staff, and the public. The mission of Wilmot Botanical Gardens is dedicated to advancing patient care, research and education through its vibrant and growing therapeutic horticulture program.

The gardens are open and free to the public year-round and boast a collection of camellias unrivaled in north central Florida. Convenient parking is available.

Address: 2023 Mowry Road, UF campus