After 16 years, Flagler College President Dr. William T. Abare Jr. handed out diplomas to graduates for the final time on Saturday. Abare is set to retire as president this June, serving in the position since 2001. He has worked at the college for 46 years, and has the distinction of being at every Flagler graduation and seeing every one of the college’s nearly 17,000 alumni cross the stage.

If anyone had a reason not to cross the graduation stage today, it would have been Cassandra (Honour) Kelly. The Flagler College Education major has battled a rare form of bone cancer since childhood — one that leaves her with a feeling of arthritis deep in her bones — and was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. But those obstacles have done nothing to slow her tenacious drive.

Flagler College junior Jessica Rowan was recently awarded a prestigious international reporting grant from The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting in-depth engagement with underreported global affairs.

The “Spotlight” series offers a glimpse into the lives of those who work behind the scenes to provide an enriching experience for Flagler College students. Faculty and staff featured in the series will be included in the bi-weekly faculty and staff newsletter.

More than 350 seniors will receive diplomas when Flagler College holds its spring graduation ceremony Saturday, April 29, at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre.

For the first time ever, Flagler College is hosting a Fulbright scholar. Dr. Maraisa Lopes, from the Federal University of Piaui Teresina, Brazil, is working with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program in the Education Department to study differences between Brazilian and American higher education experiences in the field.

Flagler College alumnus William Windle, ’16, will present a reading of his play “Will’s War,” adapted from his grandmother Janice Woods Windle’s novel of the same name on Tuesday, May 2 at 4 p.m. in the college’s Gamache-Koger Theater. It is free and open to the public.

The Crisp-Ellert Art Museum and Flagler College will be featuring its annual juried alumni exhibition from May 5 to June 16. In conjunction with the college’s Alumni Weekend, the exhibition will open with a reception for the artists on Friday, May 5, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Flagler College will be raising money for student scholarships and financial aid on Tuesday, May 9, as part of its annual “Giving Day” campaign. This year’s goal is $25,000 — the lead gift amount the college’s Board of Trustees will be donating, and the amount the Board challenges alumni, donors and friends to match, in honor of retiring President William T. Abare, Jr.

Thirty Flagler College seniors will be presenting their design portfolios on April 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the college’s Ringhaver Student Center, located at 50 Sevilla Street.

Approximately 400 Saints will return to their alma mater May 4 to 7 to reconnect with their Flagler family during the college’s annual Alumni Weekend. Alumni will reunite with old friends at Markland’s festive party, enjoy a family campus picnic and pool party and surf the waves of St. Augustine Beach during the Hugh Shaw Memorial Surf Contest. Outstanding alumni will also be recognized during the Alumni Awards Luncheon on Friday, May 5.

Tours of the Hotel Ponce de Leon, a national historic landmark now home to Flagler College, will kick-off its summer schedule by running tours on the hour starting Monday, May 8 through August 13. Tours will be canceled Thursday, May 18 for the annual Power of the Purse event at Flagler College.

Flagler College student Chloe Petito, a triple major who balances working 35 hours a week with taking six classes, was recently awarded, for the second time, the retired faculty’s annual scholarship of $1,000 on April 17.

The Jacksonville-based historic arts and music venue Florida Theatre is considering ways to improve its operations, thanks to presentations by 41 Flagler College students in Instructor Leslie Gordon’s Consumer Behavior course.

The Crisp-Ellert Art Museum and Flagler College will be presenting its spring exhibition of work by students graduating from the Department of Art and Design from April 27 to April 29. The exhibition will open with a reception on Thursday, April 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will be on view on Friday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, April 29 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The founding director of Flagler College’s Law program, Professor Richard Poland, is retiring this year after serving the college for 25 years. Judge Poland, as he is often referred to on campus, has taught nearly 30 courses, fulfilled various leadership roles — including Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs — and has twice received the Faculty of the Year Award (2007-2008 and 2009-2010).

Flagler College recognized its best and brightest students in its various majors Wednesday during an Honors Day awards ceremony, organized by the Student Success Committee and College Relations.

The “Spotlight” series offers a glimpse into the lives of those who work behind the scenes to provide an enriching experience for Flagler College students. Faculty and staff featured in the series will be included in the bi-weekly faculty and staff newsletter.

Dr. John N. O’Brien, an instructor in Flagler College’s Public Administration Department (PAD), provided a presentation to members of the Cato Institute — a public policy research organization in Washington, D.C. — on ways to increase employment opportunities for displaced and unemployed workers. During his visit, he also met on Capitol Hill with staff members of seven legislative offices to discuss strategies for developing legislation that embodied his presentation’s concepts. The proposal itself was developed in large part after class discussions while teaching a PAD course titled “The Public Economy,” which illuminates how U.S. government develops and executes economic policy.

FLARE: The Flagler Review, the student-produced literary journal at Flagler College, will mark the publication of its Spring 2017 issue with an unveiling and readings at Flagler’s Markland House on Thursday, April 20, at 6 p.m.