2007-2008 News Highlights
Need some current information on Flagler College development and accomplishments? Below is a round-up of recent news summaries compiled by the Public Information Office. Click on the headlines to get more information and pictures.
See our fact sheet for basics like enrollment and student-faculty ratio, and check out our publications and press releases for the latest Flagler news. You can also view the 2006-2007 News Highlights here.
‘Amaro’s Army’ fights for consumer rights. Flagler College students partnered with First Coast News consumer advocate Ken Amaro to create and share money-saving tips with the public. In April 2008, the group, called “Amaro’s Army,” started producing videos, blogs and other online resources to help First Coast News viewers cut costs. The college’s award-winning Students In Free Enterprise team developed the idea for Amaro’s Army, and they teamed up with students from Flagler’s Reality Programming class to create the content.
College contributes $166M to local economy during 06-07. Flagler College may be best known for its visual impact on the Northeast Florida landscape – about 35,000 visitors take paid tours of Flagler’s beautifully restored main building and National Historic Landmark, the Hotel Ponce de Leon, each year – but few people realize the college’s significant economic impact. A recent study found that, during the 2006-2007 fiscal year alone, Flagler College contributed $166 million to the Greater Jacksonville community. One of every $20 spent in the City of St. Augustine was a result of the college’s presence.
New gallery means new events and opportunities. The new Crisp-Ellert Art Museum hosted Flagler’s first juried student art show this spring, giving students from all majors a chance to show off their talent and have their work judged by professionals. Exhibition artwork and prizewinners were chosen from approximately 300 submissions. The high-profile gallery space at 48 Sevilla St. is the latest addition to Flagler’s campus.
Public administration students land funding for community. Flagler public administration students recently brought nearly $1 million in funding to local public safety initiatives – just by doing their homework. St. Johns County Sheriff Deputy Ricky Domingo and 911 Emergency Systems Engineer Michael Banks received grant money after writing proposals for their Finance Development and Grant Writing class at Flagler. Banks’ grant from the State of Florida funded a new 911 emergency communication system for St. Johns County.
Public relations campaign wins awards. Students Jessica Echterling and Bailey Toombs swept the student category at the Jacksonville-area chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association’s 2008 Image Awards. They won for their 5K for United Way fundraising campaign, which they produced for Dow Advantage Group, a Flagler non-profit public relations group run entirely by students.
Religion professor/Fulbright Scholar gets fellowship. Timothy Johnson, associate professor of religion and chair of Flagler College’s liberal studies department, was the only North American scholar invited to speak at a summer 2008 symposium on space and paradox in medieval culture in Lake Como, Italy. He also received a summer research fellowship in Bavaria, Germany. Fluent in German and Italian, Johnson got to work with an international group of scholars at the Research Center for the Comparative History of Religious Orders.
CASE recognizes Flagler Magazine. Flagler College’s alumni magazine won a Special Merit Award from the 2007 Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s District III Regional Awards competition. The annual competition judges submissions from colleges and universities throughout the southeastern United States.
Writers-in-Residence brings ‘Mystic River’ author. Flagler College welcomed renowned author Dennis Lehane as part of its Writers-in-Residence program in February 2008. Lehane has written several novels, including “Mystic River,” which was made into an Academy Award-winning film starring Sean Penn and directed by Clint Eastwood. Another Lehane novel, “Gone, Baby, Gone,” is the basis of Ben Affleck’s directorial debut film of the same name.
Communication Week gets bigger, better. As the presidential primary debates heated up, Flagler College communication students got to hear an insider’s perspective on campaign coverage from CNN reporter Candy Crowley. Crowley, an award-winning senior political correspondent covering CNN’s “America Votes 2008,” was one of several prominent media speakers at Communication Week in March 2008. The annual event brought a variety of professionals to the college, including Cheryl Diaz-Meyer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer for “The Dallas Morning News.”
Buildings earn historic preservation honors. Flagler College received two honors from the 2008 Florida Trust Annual Statewide Preservation Awards. The Molly Wiley Art Building was recognized for “Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Adaptive Use” and Markland Cottage for “Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Restoration/Rehabilitation.” The Molly Wiley Art Building was renovated in 2007, converting the 120-year-old building’s boiler room annex into a two-story studio, gallery and office complex. A matching grant from the State of Florida helped the college rehabilitate Markland Cottage, which currently houses the Florida Public Archaeology Network’s regional center.
Surf team wins. The surf team at Flagler won first-place honors at this 2008 National Scholastic Surfing Association East Coast Championships. The top two spots in College Men's went to Flagler surfers Eric Taylor and Ben McLeod.
Student business group sets records. Flagler’s Society for Advancement of Management team won an unprecedented eighth national title in April 2008. No other SAM teams have won more than three of the awards. Flagler’s SAM chapter also landed several other honors, including its seventh Campus Chapter Performance Program national title, which recognizes the best SAM chapter in the country.