Flagler College

Flagler College is a private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida. It was founded in 1968 and offers 33 undergraduate majors and 1 master's program.[3] It also has a campus in Tallahassee.

Flagler College
TypePrivate, liberal arts
Established1968 (1968)
Endowment$69.9 million (2019)[1]
ChancellorWilliam L. Proctor
PresidentJoseph G. Joyner
Students2,574[2]
Location
St. Augustine
,
Florida
,
United States
Campussuburban, 19 acres (7.7 ha)
ColorsCrimson and Gold
   
NicknameSaints
Websiteflagler.edu

History

Founded in 1968, the campus comprises 19 acres (77,000 m2), the centerpiece of which is the Ponce de León Hotel, 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.

Lawrence Lewis, Jr., was the driving force behind Flagler's development. It was his vision to create a small, private liberal arts college on the old hotel grounds. Lewis was Chairman of Flagler's Board of Trustees for more than 20 years, guiding the college through a reorganization 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 Flager's continued success. Lewis was related to Henry Flagler through his mother, Louise Wise Lewis Francis, who was the niece of Mary Lily Kenan Flagler, who married Henry Flagler in 1901 making him Lewis' great uncle.[4]

In 2014, Flagler College was ranked eighth among regional colleges in the South according to the U.S. News & World Report college survey. But in February 2014 the college's vice president of enrollment management resigned after it was determined that he had been altering student test scores, GPAs, and student rankings to enhance the college's image, standing, and reputation.[5] The college hired a Jacksonville law firm to investigate.[6] The report indicated that the college had been reporting false information since 2004 to various organizations, including the U.S. Department of Education and various ranking organizations.[7]

Proctor Library
Proctor Library

The Proctor Library, in the northwest corner of campus, is Flagler's sole library facility. It is named after William L. Proctor, Flagler's chancellor, who was president of the college from 1971 until 2001. Like many of the historic buildings on campus, the Proctor Library's architectural design reflects the Gilded Age style popular during the time of Henry Flagler's construction of the Ponce de León Hotel in 1888. The Proctor Library was built in 1996, replacing the demolished home of artist Felix de Crano, which had been the last classic Shingle Style house in St. Augustine.[8] The library's collection contains approximately 102,047 printed volumes, 212,689 electronic books, 4180 audiovisual items, 630 periodicals, and 5 newspapers, as well as almost 44,000 full-text electronic periodicals and 50 online databases.[9] The library provides students with a wide variety of computer and technology related services including, scanning, printing, faxing, photocopying, and phone charging stations. In addition, Mac and PC computers are available for students on the first floor of the library as well as Wireless Internet access throughout the building.[10] Access to and the use of the Proctor Library is limited to Flagler College students, faculty, and staff, and is not open to the general public without a written request.[11]

Student life

Organizations

Flagler offers membership in 11 honor societies, including Alpha Chi, Alpha Psi Omega, Alpha Phi Sigma, Sigma Beta Delta, Pi Sigma Alpha, Kappa Delta Pi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Alpha Theta, Psi Chi, Alpha Kappa Delta, and Sigma Tau Delta. In addition, there are 3 student organizations, 30 campus clubs, and 9 academic organizations. Flagler also has 6 sports clubs, including club hockey, dance club, men's lacrosse club, men's soccer club, winter guard, and a quidditch team.[12]

Athletics
Main article: Flagler Saints

Flagler competes in 14 varsity sports (basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer, and tennis for men and women, baseball for men only, and volleyball and softball for women only) in Division II that compete in the NCAA. Its teams are called the Saints. In the 2009–10 season Flagler athletics began to play in the Peach Belt Conference.[13] In 2009 the Flagler College Lady Saints volleyball team made it to the national championship, and finished in the top four of Division II volleyball teams in the nation. In 2010, the Lady Saints made it to the regional finals, finishing top 16 in the nation.

Newspaper

The Gargoyle is the college's student-run newspaper. In 2010, it went online-only.[14] At the 2012 Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence Region 3 awards, The Gargoyle took first place for best independent online publication and first places for editor Michael Newberger in online opinion writing and sports editor Mari Pothier in online sports reporting.[15]

Since becoming online-only, The Gargoyle has won nine Regional Mark of Excellence awards and published three more from Flagler Communication Department classes. Before 2010, the publication had only won two SPJ awards in its history.[15] In 2007, the publication was a finalist in the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Awards.[16]

In 2006 and 2007, there were several allegations of censorship or alteration of articles in the Gargoyle by the college administration. In 2006, one issue of the newspaper was removed from circulation due to an alleged error in its headlines about rising tuition.[17][18][19] In April 2007, the college administration again exercised editorial control over the paper due to alleged factual 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]

After September 2007, working on The Gargoyle was no longer required of communication majors. An advisory board and operating guidelines were set up for The Gargoyle.[22]

Notable alumni
  • Courtyard of Ponce de León Hall
  • Proctor Library
  • Lobby inside Flagler College.
  • The Dining Hall with Louis Comfort Tiffany's stained glass windows.
  • The Flagler Room, originally the hotel's Grand Parlor. One can see Tiffany Austrian crystal chandeliers and a massive onyx Thomas Edison clock (one of the first ever to be used in a public building).
  • A statue of Henry Flagler, who constructed the Ponce de Leon Hotel, stands guard at the King Street entry to Flagler College.

See also

References
  1. As of June 30, 2019. "U.S. and Canadian 2019 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2019 Endowment Market Value, and Percentage Change in Market Value from FY18 to FY19 (Revised)". National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  2. "College Navigator". U.S. Department of Education. 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  3. ADAM AASEN. "Flagler changes, yet remains the same as it approaches 50th anniversary - Jacksonville.com". jacksonville.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  4. "Remembering Molly Wiley" Flagler College Magazine
  5. Gardner, Sheldon (2014-02-18). "Flagler College VP resigns after investigation". StAugustine.com. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  6. "Flagler College hires Jacksonville law firm to look into doctored student stats | jacksonville.com". Members.jacksonville.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  7. Bob Morse and Diane Tolis (September 25, 2014). "Update on Flagler College's Data Misreporting". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  8. "The Proctor Library". Flagler College. Flagler College. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  9. "About Us". Flagler College Proctor Library. Flagler College. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  10. "Services". Flagler College Proctor Library. Flagler College. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  11. "Policies". Flagler College Proctor Library. Flagler College. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  12. College, Flagler. "Clubs & Organizations | Flagler College". www.flagler.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  13. "Montevallo and Flagler to Join Peach Belt Conference" Peach Belt Conference
  14. "Flagler Gargoyle earns website honors" The St. Augustine Record.
  15. "Gargoyle wins best independent web site at SPJ regional conference" The Gargoyle.
  16. "2007 ACP Online Pacemaker Winners" Archived 2012-07-18 at the Wayback Machine Associated Collegiate Press
  17. "Newspapers Pulled from Shelves at Flagler" Archived 2007-06-20 at Archive.today WJXT Jacksonville.
  18. "College confiscates newspapers" The St. Augustine Record.
  19. "College paper pulled from stands for faulty headline" Archived 2006-10-02 at the Wayback Machine Student Press Law Center.
  20. "Administration, newspaper staff at odds at Flagler College" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Florida Times-Union.
  21. "Cry of censorship rallied Flagler College students to protest decision" The St. Augustine Record.
  22. "Gargoyle establishes advisory board" The St. Augustine Record.

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