CAMPUS GETTING READY TO ROC

Jax State broke ground this spring on the highly anticipated Randy Owen Center for the Performing Arts (ROC). Named in honor of one of the university’s most famous alumni - country music legend Randy Owen - the new facility is designed to inspire a love of the arts in all students, engage lifelong learners seeking to elevate their passions, and enrich the campus community.

In 2023, the university acquired the former First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, which plans to construct a new building across town. The expanded footprint adds 6.65 acres of land and nearly 51,000 square feet of building space to the property, which will allow the ROC to similarly grow programming and services.

Like Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the former church is being repurposed into a new music center to include a 450-seat recital hall, general education classrooms, office/studios, a music academy for the community, creative cooperative spaces and campus event spaces. Just south of the existing structure, a 1,000-seat concert hall is under construction with a primary lobby, recording studio and backstage suite.

The world-class facility will take Jax State to the next level – rivaling any arts program in the nation. In December, the community got a sample of the kind of programming it can expect at the ROC when four country music stars performed at a benefit concert on campus. Randy Owen, Jamey Johnson, Riley Green and Gordon Mote took the stage together at Stone Center, raising funds for the ROC and student scholarships.

During the sold-out show, it was announced that Johnson is establishing a music series on campus. Led by the artist himself, the Jamey Johnson Music Series will provide cultural and educational opportunities to Jax State students – from performances by visiting musical artists, to class talks, songwriting workshops and seminars.

“We are proud to count such a successful group of country artists among Jax State’s alumni,” said President Don C. Killingsworth, Jr. “It all started with Randy Owen, who has inspired generations of musicians across the world since his band, Alabama, redefined country music in the 1980s. The ROC will give us the opportunity to pay tribute to him while supporting the education and training of the next generation of artists.”

The anticipated opening for the ROC is slated for early 2026.

TAKE YOUR SEAT:

In addition to multiple naming opportunities for spaces within the ROC, we’re running a Take Your Seat Campaign. Leave a legacy for yourself or a loved one by naming a chair in the new performance hall. Seats are $5,000 in Rows 1-2 and $1,000 in Rows 3 and up. Learn more at jsu.edu/roc.