Six Flagler College students recently returned from a 10-day adventure in Belize, where they worked on research to help save the critically-endangered Hicatee turtle, experienced first-hand living sustainably deep in a tropical rainforest, witnessed wildlife thrive in its native habitat and snorkeled the country’s barrier reef.

Two Flagler College professors, four alumni and two current students recently attended a symposium commemorating the 800th anniversary celebration of the 13th-century Franciscan leader Saint Bonaventure. The conference, held at The Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University in New York in mid-July, was dedicated to the cultural and religious dynamics that shaped the scholar’s theology and spirituality.

Flagler College students witnessed first-hand the changes Cuba is experiencing, as the socialist country grapples with the impact of its revolutionary past and uncertain future. As part of this summer’s study abroad trip to Cuba, Assistant Professor Tracey Eaton guided students on a Cuban adventure. They met Cuban entrepreneurs, artists, farmers, guides and other locals who shared their perspectives on economic and social conditions, mass tourism, property disputes between the United States and Cuba, the Cuban missile crisis and more.

Flagler College has joined the international arena of historic preservation. Dr. Leslee F. Keys, the college’s assistant professor of History and director of Historic Preservation and Special Initiatives, has been elected to the 21-member Board of Trustees of the United States chapter of the International Commission on Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS).  She is the member representing Florida, and one of four newly-elected trustees.

This summer as part of Dr. Michael Butler’s course “The American War: The Struggle for Independence in Vietnam,” Flagler College students visited the places and listened to the voices in Vietnam that they read about in course texts — those that shaped the narrative of the Vietnam War through the eyes of the Vietnamese.

For Flagler students in the college’s Natural Sciences department, the classroom is as much the marsh, wetlands or any other coastal habitat surrounding St. Augustine as it is the lab on campus. Their studies in the field often yield valuable research and play a significant role in better understanding the area’s ecosystems.

Flagler College is being featured across the country in travel journalist Burt Wolf’s “Travels and Traditions,” which is airing on PBS affiliates.

This week officially marked the start of Dr. Joseph G. Joyner’s tenure as the fourth president of Flagler College. He succeeds Dr. William T. Abare, Jr., who served in the role for 16 years before retiring this June.

Brian Thompson, who has written an award-winning, weekly column for The St. Augustine Record since 1998, has been named to the board of directors for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Thompson, who is also News and Information Director for Flagler College, will serve as the chair of the organization’s national awards contest.

Flagler College’s library services is now more mobile-friendly, thanks to a new automated system. The Proctor Library upgraded last week from a system known as Voyager to another called Sierra.

Managing disasters is not what Linda Stoughton envisioned she’d be doing 30 years ago. She had studied forestry, and wanted to pursue that field wholeheartedly. But in 1985, she took a job with St. Johns County as a fire rescue dispatcher, and before she knew it, had progressed to the role of emergency management director.

Historic Tours of Flagler College was recently awarded a 2017 Certificate of Excellence from the popular travel website Trip Advisor. The business, created by the college’s student organization Enactus in 1998, offers tours of the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a former luxury hotel famous for its Tiffany Windows, ornate murals and Spanish-Renaissance architecture. The national historic landmark is now home to Flagler College. Approximately 40,000 guests enjoy the tour each year.

Gaining a cross-cultural perspective is not only about crossing borders and learning a new language, but living lives like those of others. Ten students, along with Assistant Professor of Spanish Aggie Johnson, recently returned from living with host families in Spain and experiencing Spanish culture first-hand.

Twenty-six high school students from across the state participated in Flagler College’s week-long humanities seminar this week, titled “Pirates, Protest and Preservation: Exploring the Stories of St. Augustine.” The seminar, funded by a $20,000 grant from the Florida Humanities Council, offers high school students a preview of college life and the opportunity to explore the nation’s oldest city through a number of humanities disciplines, including history, literature, women’s studies, rhetoric, and Spanish. Students also applied humanities-based questions in non-humanities fields by considering the connections between coastal biology, ethics and natural resource management.

Flagler College’s Town and Gown Advisory Committee recently released its first progress report, outlining accomplishments and highlights of the 2016-2017 academic year and future priorities.

Flagler alumnus Jeff Philbin, ‘12, has claimed a spot in the “MasterChef” reality television show and will be featured in its eighth season, airing Wednesday, May 31.

As Hurricane season starts June 1, now is the time to download Flagler’s LiveSafe app, which is used by the college to communicate during emergencies. The app is replacing E2Campus as Flagler’s primary communication tool for emergencies.

More than 450 people paid tribute to retiring Flagler College President Dr. William T. Abare Jr. on Wednesday night, with a sendoff that included the announcement that a new student residential complex will be named Abare Hall and the presentation of a presidential medal. 

The Crisp-Ellert Art Museum will host an interactive performance June 2 through June 4, where visitors will find themselves amongst the performers as story of lives lived, loves lost and dreams delayed are told through memories, music and song.

Flagler College and the University of Florida have announced a new bridge program for undergraduate students at Flagler who may be interested in pursuing a graduate degree at UF in the area of Sport Management.