Flagler College

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Flagler College, often abbreviated as Flagler, is a private four-year liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida, USA.

The college has been named in recent years by US News & World Report as one of the southeast region's best comprehensive liberal arts colleges^[2], and is included on its list of "America's Best Colleges".^[3] Its 2006-2007 tuition of $11,810 (excluding room and board) remains lower than that of similar institutions.^[4] Flagler is also known for its high selectivity, its acceptance rate being an average of 25 to 30 percent of its annual applications.^[5]

The Princeton Review ranks Flagler in the top tier of southeastern colleges^[6], and its campus as one of the most beautiful in the United States.^[7] It is currently included in the Princeton Review's Best 366 Colleges Rankings.^[8]

Flagler College is home to WFCF/88.5Mc. (Channel 203), which is a community-run station. As of the 2006-2007 school year, the college also broadcasts on local public access television as FCTV. It also publishes a campus newspaper, The Gargoyle,^[9] and an annual literary journal, The Flagler Review.^[10]

[edit] History

The school is located on 19 acres, the centerpiece of which is the Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1888 as a luxury hotel. The architects were John Carrere and Thomas Hastings, working for Henry Morrison Flagler, the industrialist, oil magnate and railroad pioneer. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Since its founding in 1968, the college has spent more than $43 million restoring the historic campus and adding new buildings. The two newest buildings are the Cedar Hall male dorm rooms, and the Ringhaver Student Center. The campus is located in the heart of St. Augustine, just four miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Flagler's 19-acre athletic field is two miles from campus.

Lawrence Lewis, Jr., was the driving force behind the development of Flagler College. It was his vision to create a small, private liberal arts college on the grounds of the old hotel. Mr. Lewis served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Flagler College for more than 20 years, guiding the College through a re-organization in 1971. He directed millions of dollars through foundations, family and personal funds into new construction, restoration projects, endowment and various other programs to ensure the continued success of Flagler College. ^[11]

[edit] Academics

The College offers 20 majors, 26 minors and two pre-professional programs in selected studies emphasizing liberal arts, education and business.

The business program has a proven record of success. The college's two business organizations, Students In Free Enterprise and Society for the Advancement of Management, have consistently competed at the highest level and have beaten major universities such as UNC-Chapel Hill, Boston College, University of Florida, and University of Arizona. Both organizations have won their respective national title as recently as 2007^[12][13]. SIFE has also placed second internationally in 2004 in Barcelona, Spain as the United States representative (among 800 other US colleges)^[14].

The school is also well known for its Deaf Education program. The college is the home of a branch of the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, headquartered at Gallaudet University^[15], and is strategically located in the same community as the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. The location allows students many opportunities to learn and grow from experienced deaf education professionals.

Flagler offers membership in six honor societies, including Alpha Chi, Alpha Psi Omega, Kappa Delta Pi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Psi Chi, and Sigma Tau Delta. In addition, there are over 25 active student clubs and academic organizations on campus.

[edit] Majors

• Accounting
• Business administration
• Communication
  • Broadcast
  • Journalism
  • Public Relations
• Education
  • Art
  • Deaf
  • Elementary
  • Exceptional student
  • Secondary
    • Drama
    • English
    • Social science
• English
• Fine arts
• Graphic design
• History
• Latin American studies/Spanish
• Liberal arts
• Philosophy/religion
• Political science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Sport management
• Theatre arts

[edit] Minors

• Accounting
• Advertising
• Anthropology
• Art history
• Business administration
• Communication
• Creative writing
• Economics
• English
• Fine arts
• Graphic design
• History
• Illustration
• International studies
• Journalism
• Latin American studies/Spanish
• Latin American studies
• Philosophy
• Political science
• Pre-Law
• Psychology
• Religion
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Theatre arts
• Youth ministry

[edit] Athletics

Flagler competes in 12 varsity sports (basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and tennis for men and women, baseball for men only, and volleyball for women only) that compete in the NCAA. Its teams are nicknamed the Saints.

[edit] Campus

The Flagler College campus comprises fifteen buildings, some of which are located several blocks from the center of the campus. Ponce de Leon Hall is the focal point of the campus, where the female dormitories, as well as the dining hall, are located. The individual rooms consist of the former hotel rooms along with the former hotel employees' rooms. The male dormitories are located at Lewis House, which opened in 1987, and Cedar House, which was constructed in 2004. Most classes are taught in Kenan Hall, which is adjacent to Ponce de Leon Hall. Classes not taught here can be located in the Ringhaven Student Center,Proctor Library, in the Communications Building at 31 Cordova Street, in the Art Building directly behind Kenan Hall, or in the Flagler College Auditorium at 14 Granada Street. The campus is located in historical downtown St. Augustine. The school recently purchased the Florida East Coast Industries buildings.

[edit] Gargoyle Controversy

Since September 2006, the college has gained a reputation for the perceived censorship or alteration of articles within the college newspaper, The Gargoyle. During the first incident, which was covered by many major print and broadcast media outlets in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, issues of The Gargoyle were pulled from stands due to a fact error in the headline, according to college president William T. Abare, Jr.^[16] The headline read "Campus growth forces tuition hike," which Abare said was factually incorrect. The subhead, which indicated that the college had entered debt for the first time, was also said to be incorrect. Students and newspaper staff argued that the issue would not have been pulled if Parents Weekend had not followed the publication date.^[17] The editors also argued that it was their responsibility to make the corrections themselves, and that they should have been allowed to make the changes without pulling the issues. ^[18] However, in the March 2007 issue of The Gargoyle, President Abare provided information that tuition will increase by 25 percent, the largest increase in Flagler College's history.^[19]

In April 2007, the college administration again exercised editorial control over the paper due to alleged fact errors.^[20] Students rallied and organized a protest against any type of censorship of the newspaper, calling for a free and independent student press. ^[21] The editors of The Gargoyle sought clarification on the purpose of The Gargoyle, but were told that the newspaper is primarily to enhance the college's image, which prompted the resignation of the co-editors. The editors and students all agreed that as a private institution, Flagler had the right to edit content. They argued, however, that a free paper was crucial to their educations, and that Abare's goal for The Gargoyle as enhancing the college's image conflicted with the core values of journalism. ^[22]

As of September 2007, working on The Gargoyle is no longer required of communication majors due to the April controvsery. An advisory board and operating guidelines have been set up to handle any future situations which may arise, and also to help outline the function of The Gargoyle. President Abare, Gargoyle adviser Brian Thompson, and communication faculty members expressed hope that the new advisory board and guidelines will be helpful and beneficial, though some communication majors expressed doubts in the changes. ^[23] Most of the previous year's staff did not return to work on The Gargoyle, and the size of the paper will be cut in half for the 2007/2008 academic year. Tracy Halcomb, the head of the communication department, says that the communication faculty is still looking into starting an independent paper. ^[24]

[edit] Full Time Faculty

[edit] Art

• Chris Smith, Assistant Professor, Chair
• Donald C. Martin, Professor
• Laura Mongiovi, Assistant Professor
• Patrick Moser, Associate Professor
• Randy Taylor, Assistant Professor
• Mel Shanks, Associate Professor
• Leslie Robison, Assistant Professor
• Sara Pedigo, Assistant Professor
• Diana Lodi, Instructor

[edit] Business Administration

• Yvan J. Kelly, Associate Professor and Chair
• Robert Berger, Instructor, Economics and Law
• Michael Chester, Associate Professor, Accounting
• Thomas DeLaughter, Assistant Professor
• Gary L. Hoover, Associate Professor
• William J. Lavelle, Assistant Professor, Accounting
• Felix R. Livingston, Professor, Economics
• James S. Makowski, Assistant Professor, Accounting
• R. Nicholas Panepinto, Assistant Professor
• Louis R. F. Preysz III, Associate Professor
• Stephen C. Thomas, Instructor
• Tracy Upchurch, Instructor, Law

[edit] Communication

• Tracy Halcomb, Ph.D., department chair
• Rob Armstrong, retired professional-in-residence
• Jim Gilmore: former producer for the Christian Science Monitor and award-winning documentarian
• John Lynch
• Victor Ostrowidzki
• James Pickett, Ph.D., assistant professor
• Helena Särkiö, Ph.D., assistant professor
• Rosemary Tutt
• Dan McCook, station manager, WFCF 88.5 FM
• Matthew Wysocki, Ph.D., assistant professor

[edit] Education

• Dr. Michele Gregoire, Professor, Department Chair
• Dr. Paul Crutchfield, Professor
• Dr. Sandra Davis, Associate Professor
• Dr. Kathleen Eide, Associate Professor
• Dr. Margaret Finnegan, Professor
• Dr. Jude Lupinetti, Assistant Professor
• Dr. Tom Pace, Professor
• Dr. Carl Williams, Professor

[edit] English

• Dr. Todd M Lidh, Assistant Professor, Department Chair
• Dr. Darien Andreu, Assistant Professor
• Dr. Carl Horner, Professor, Director of Creative Writing
• Dr. Hadley J. Mozer
• Dr. Vincent Puma, Professor
• Dr. Liz Robbins
• Connie Marie St. Clair-Andrews, Instructor
• Dr. James M. Wilson, Assistant Professor, Director of Composition
• Dr. Tamara Wilson, Assistant Professor

[edit] Liberal Studies

• Dr. Timothy J. Johnson, Associate Professor of Religion and Chairperson of the Liberal Studies Department
• Dr. Rachel Cremona, Assistant Professor of Political Science
• Dr. John F. Diviney, coordinator for the Spanish and Latin American Studies program
• Dr. Thomas Graham, Professor of American History
• Agnieszka (Aggie) Johnson, Spanish Instructor and Coordinator of the Language Lab
• Dr. Hugh Marlowe, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
• Judge Richard Poland, Professor of Liberal Studies and Director of the Pre-Law Program
• Dr. James L. Rowell, Assistant Professor of Religion
• Barbara E. Schulman, Assistant Professor of History
• Martha Shinn, Coordinator of the Young Life/Youth Ministry Program
• Dr. Art Vanden Houten, Assistant Professor of Political Science
• Steve E. Voguit is Instructor of History and Geography

[edit] Mathematics, Science, and Technology

• Bariaa Shatila, Department Chair
• Sriram Balasubramanian, Instructor
• Carrie A. Grant, Assistant Professor
• Michael G. Insalaca, Instructor
• Julie A. Jurgens, Associate Professor, Coordinator of Computer Studies
• Thomas Nickler, Instructor
• Donald M. Robbins, Assistant Professor
• Paulette Zeller, Instructor

[edit] Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Mel W. Barber, Sociology
• Lynn Brueske-Walton, Psychology
• Dr. Elizabeth Higgs, Anthropology/Psychology
• Tina Jaeckle, Sociology
• Dr. Jerry A. Noloboff, Psychology
• Michael J. Sherman, Anthropology/Sociology
• Dr. Emily Splane, Psychology
• Joseph D. Vlah, Psychology/Sociology (Department Chair)
• Dr. Stephen P. Willard, Psychology

[edit] Sport Management

• Dr. Bernadette M. Twardy, Department Chair
• Dr. Brian E. Pruegger, Assistant Professor

[edit] Theatre Arts

• Phyllis M. Gibbs, Associate Professor, Department Chair
• Andrea McCook, Associate Professor
• Britton Corry, Technical Director
• Sean O'Casey, Costume Designer
• Thomas P. Rahner, Associate Professor Emeritus
• Ellie Potts Barrett, Visiting Instructor

[edit] Outstanding faculty

• Rob Armstrong, former reporter, CBS News - Professional-in-residence, journalism
• Barry Sand, former producer, Late Show with David Letterman - Professional-in-residence, television scriptwriting

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Henry Flagler
• Flagler College - Tallahassee Campus
• Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Flagler College's Campus Newspaper - The Gargoyle
• Flagler College - Tallahassee Program
• 'Salt Run', a novel set in St. Augustine and featuring Flagler College