Social and Cultural Opportunities

Cultural events at the University of Bridgeport offer entertainment of high quality. Art exhibits, theatre productions, dance ensembles, classic cinema, lectures and concerts by UB groups, including the Jazz Ensemble are regularly scheduled.

Special programs in the fine arts bring distinguished visitors to campus each year. The Mertens Contemporary Composers Festival honors significant living American composers in a campus appearance featuring lectures on and performances of their work. Two of the most recent honorees were Stephen Sondheim and the late Leonard Bernstein. The Lucille Lortel Distinguished Guest Artist Series has brought such theatre luminaries as Geraldine Fitzgerald and June Havoc to campus and underwrites occasional bus trips to Off-Broadway theaters.

Special events include a diverse selection of music, theater, dance and art exhibitions. Many of the artists spend days in residence giving classes and lecture-demonstrations prior to their performances. Past seasons have brought the Kronos Quartet, cellist Yo Yo Ma, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, The Ohio Ballet, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, The Negro Ensemble Company and Chuck Mangione. The Art Gallery mounts exhibitions in sculpture, photography, graphics, painting and illustration and an annual Student Art Exhibit.

Student organizations of the University plan a wide range of social programs from the weekly movies to mixers, rock concerts, international festivals, lectures and comedy acts.

The University's schedule of events in the fine and performing arts is complemented by its location in the center of Fairfield County, one of the country's most desirable recreational and cultural areas. New England village greens and historic communities are within easy reach of the campus. The Southern Connecticut area is home to the Westport Country Playhouse and New Haven's Long Wharf and Yale Repertory theatres. The unlimited cultural resources of New York and Boston are within convenient traveling distance by car, bus, or train.

International Activities

The University of Bridgeport offers a wide range of opportunities for students to learn about other cultures and to understand American culture. Students from 60 countries attend the University. Through formal events such as the annual International Festival and The World Scope Series sponsored by the Office of International Affairs and the International Relations Club, and through informal contacts in and out of class, students from different cultures are able to meet and get to know one another.

Study Abroad

There is opportunity for foreign study and travel. Students may choose to spend a summer, a semester, or an entire academic year abroad. They may receive credit for work done at a foreign university provided they follow the usual procedure of obtaining permission to take courses off-campus. In the past, students have pursued such programs at The Institute for American Universities in Aix-en-Provence, France, The American College in Paris, University of Grenoble, University of Madrid, University of Valencia, the Young Judea Year Course in Israel, and The London School of Economics. Students interested in such programs should consult with their department chair. Through the Italian HISP committee a scholarship is awarded for a summer program in Italy at the University of Siena.

Computing Facilities

Academic computing facilities are located throughout the campus. Computers in most laboratories are connected via local area networks. Microcomputer laboratories are located in many schools and departments, including Business, Science and Engineering. A wide variety of computer programs are available on IBM PCs, Machintoshes and Sun Sparc workstations. Some of the programs available are: compilers, CAD/CAM, CASE tools, databases, simulators, word processors, statistical analysis software. Also avaiable are state of art packages like Mentor Graphics, Oracle and Nastran. The University Academic Computing Network, UBNet, links the computers in the School of Science, Engineering and Technology and the main dormitory, Bodine Hall together with the University's T1 connection to the Internet. Implementation plans are underway to connect various campus buildings to UBNet via fiber optic cables. UBnet is operational 24 hours a day year around. Students can obtain 24 hour access permits to various computer laboratories on request.