Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Orlando's FREE College-Sponsored Events- March 2013

No scan-trons or tests required.

Few of us remember that another benefit of being surrounded by higher ed institutions is the free programming that every school builds for the community. Having spent a few more years in higher ed than my degrees warrant (judgement-free zone), allow me to guide you through the many free events that only students get to hear about:

University of Central Florida


Residing near the 2nd largest college in the States has its benefits! The college is able to pull in speakers, artists, and events that we locals would otherwise have to pay to attend.

'Banning Landmines' Free Forum
Check out UCF's events calendar for daily, weekly, and monthly events. Here are just a few FREE gems this week (locations vary):

This office is where I've seen Nobel Peace Prize laureates, former Presidents and world leaders, fantastic global activists, authors, journalists, etc. It's worth stalking students for a parking spot to catch one of these speakers. Get on their newsletter for upcoming events.


Rollins College


On the smaller side, Rollins College is the educational anchor of beautiful Winter Park. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in charm and history (Rollins is the oldest recognized college in Florida), wealthy donors, and a sizable endowment. For our purposes, this means guest speakers (um, Maya Angelou! Robert F. Kennedy, Jr!! Jane Goodall!!!) and free events with food.

Head over to the Rollins calendar of events for free events sprinkled throughout the student events. Here are a small sampling of FREE highlights coming up in the calendar:

The institute organizes public lectures and readings, symposiums, seminars, master classes, interviews, and special-interest sessions -- all for the community at large. They were responsible for bringing Jane Goodall last year just as Disney's Chimpanzee was coming out.

Valencia College

Valencia Brazilian Film Festival
Last Year's Poster (2013 TBA)

Valencia has multiple campuses and that means multiple places to catch free events.

Another great events calendar to keep bookmarked. Here are a small sampling of FREE events coming up in the calendar:

Seminole State College






3 comments:

  1. Speaking of that judgment-free zone, this list of events is making me wish I wasn't in school half the week! Who would of guessed there is so much going on? Thanks for the GP shout out!

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  2. Neil deGrasse Tyson to speak at University of Florida on April 3rd at 7pm for free!!!

    http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/upcoming-appearances

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  3. Andi!!! Just found out about this site via Shaina's instagram.. and i'm so happy I did, this is great LOVE it!!!

    ReplyDelete