The University of North Florida (UNF) and the Veterans Museum have introduced a new interactive kiosk aimed at sharing the stories of military veterans and their families. The unveiling took place Wednesday at the Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History, located in the Thomas G. Carpenter Library on the UNF campus.
The Veterans Museum is a nonprofit, virtual institution based in Jacksonville that works to preserve the legacy of U.S. veterans and their families. The new kiosk allows users to access video interviews and personal accounts from veterans across the country, organized by military branch. Users can search videos using keywords and metadata, and veterans have an option to sign up to share their own stories. The kiosk also provides resources for veterans.
At the ceremony, UNF President Moez Limayem acknowledged the contribution of the Veterans Museum. “This kiosk will be where today’s students — and all of us — can learn from the service and sacrifice of generations past,” Limayem said.
Bill Cousins, director of UNF’s Military and Veterans Resource Center (MVRC), described the value it brings to campus: “It brings more visibility to the accomplishments and sacrifices of our local veterans,” Cousins said.
William Harrell, founder of the Veterans Museum and retired U.S. Navy officer, spoke about why his organization partnered with UNF: “This university brings extraordinary value to our community, and one of its important aspects is that it serves veterans,” said Harrell. “That led us to approach UNF about adding a kiosk on campus.”
Scott Mythen, CEO of the Veterans Museum, highlighted this as a milestone for his organization: “This is the first university kiosk that we have,” said Mythen. “To be here at the University of North Florida where there are so many military-connected people is a perfect spot for us.”
UNF has been recognized nationally as a top institution for military-connected students, with more than 13% of its student body having ties to the U.S. Military. This year, UNF was also named among the Top Ten Military Spouse schools out of over 8,800 institutions.
More information about the Veterans Museum can be found on its website.
