Flagler College co-authors Dr. Jim Wilson and Professor Emeritus Constantine Santas will share and discuss their newest book, “The Essential Films of Ingrid Bergman,” on March 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the Markland House at 102 Markland Place. The event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and both authors will provide opportunities for signing.

Tracy Upchurch, director of the Frank D. Upchurch Sr. endowed Law Program at Flagler College, has been appointed mayor of St. Augustine following a unanimous vote by the City Commission on March 4. Upchurch was selected for the position after Mayor Nancy Shaver resigned to concentrate on her recovery from a stroke.

This academic year, Flagler College welcomed Clint Weinberg, adjunct professor of applied voice and pep band director, to our faculty. Since joining us, he has made major progress in the music department by heading the new pep band and coaching voice students to victory.

On Saturday, March 9, the bi-annual tradition of more than 200 Flagler College students, faculty, staff and alumni coming together for a community day of service will take place across St. Johns County. Many of the participating nonprofits hosting the volunteers are repeats, but the student-led group organizing the event said that there is still time to express interest in having volunteers come to your nonprofit.

Professor Tracy Halcomb has had a whirlwind 2018 sabbatical, touring the festival circuit with her documentary on women in poker called “Cracking Aces: A Woman’s Place at the Table.” She and the film’s director, James H. Gilmore, have been everywhere to promote the film and have gained many accolades along the way.

From Feb. 21 - 23, Flagler College will host the “Deeper Than Indigo: Southeast Textile Symposium.” The symposium provides an opportunity to investigate the rich history of St. Augustine and the Southeastern United States through the lens of the indigo trade and the repercussions of slavery and colonialism. Programming includes speaking events, a self-guided field trip day, public art project, national juried fiber exhibition, documentary film and a luncheon. All speaking events are free and open to the public. Fees are associated with the luncheon and some field trip experiences.

Tracy Halcomb, professor and internship coordinator of communication, spent the week of Nov. 4-9 in Los Angeles for the Television Academy Foundation Faculty Seminar as one of 25 Faculty Seminar Fellows selected from colleges nationwide. The seminar provided attendees the opportunity to meet top executives in television development, production and programming.

During the winter break in Dec., Associate Professor Chris Balaschak participated in an international symposium on photography and capitalism hosted by the National Institute for Art History and the University of Paris, Pantheon-Sorbonne. He presented a paper on the work of African-American photographer and filmmaker Robert van Lierop during the Mozambique War of Independence during the early 1970s.

The first local showing of the award-winning documentary, “Cracking Aces: A Woman’s Place at the Table” will take place during the St. Augustine Film Festival’s screening of it on Friday, Jan. 18 at 1:45 p.m. and at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19. Tracy Halcomb, communication professor at Flagler College and a producer on the film, will be in attendance.

Flagler professor heads gopher tortoise study with national research reserve

by Jayda Barnes, '20 Flagler alumna Emily Wright, ’16, saw a spotlight on Dr. Joanna Krajewski, assistant professor of strategic communication, and saw an opportunity to connect with her alma mater. She was developing a summer program at Georgia Institute of Technology. Wright’s office, the Center for Education Integration Science Math Computing (CEISMC), hosts many summer programs at Georgia Tech, including Pursuing Urban Sustainability at Home, or PUSH. This year, PUSH’s topic was about water and science communication, an area of expertise for Krajewski, who spent time doing research on water sustainability, water poverty and climate change before her time at Flagler.

by Jayda Barnes, '20 “The Oldest City Underwater,” a film by Flagler alumna Mallory Hopkins, ’18, was recently accepted to the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) and the St. Augustine Film Festival. The two festivals are managed by the same CEO and festival director, Gregory von Hausch. The film explores the realities of sea level rise in St. Augustine, Fla.

For one group of students in Professor Tracey Eaton’s Advanced Reporting class, today is like their final exams. The process of reflection begins tomorrow as students evaluate and reflect on their performance with their project.

On Nov. 1, 1993 at 6:59 a.m., the Flagler College radio station, WFCF 88.5, broadcasted over the radio waves for the first time. This year on Nov. 1, WFCF celebrated its 25th anniversary with a block party with Flagler College students, faculty and staff. Alongside the radio, the station’s manager, Dan McCook, also celebrated his 25 years with the college.

On Friday, Oct. 26 the Colloquium on Culture and Religion in La Florida began with a Tibesar Lecture from Dr. John Worth of the University of West Florida. His presentation was titled, “Exploring the Franciscan Legacy in Spanish Florida: Historical and Archaeological Evidence.”

The Flagler College department of art and design has announced a 24-hour “Designathon” to begin Friday, November 16 at 5 p.m. Event organizers are planning for it to become an annual fixture on the calendar for local nonprofits to have their design needs realized.

More than 300 Flagler College students, faculty, staff and alumni participated on Saturday, Oct. 27 for a day of community service. The Reach Out Raise Up event is student-organized each semester by Flagler College Volunteers (FCV).

Eric W. Hoffman, Ph.D., associate professor of communication and director of the Flagler College Breathe Free campaign, received the American Cancer Society's "In It to Quit It Award" during the Tobacco Free Generation Campus Initiative annual conference in Atlanta.

On Oct. 25, Sherry Johnson, Ph.D, professor of history at Florida International University in Miami and research associate at the Historic St. Augustine Research Institute, will share with the audience the ways in which Florida and Cuba connect. Her presentation, titled “Florida and Cuba: Five Centuries of Shared History and Culture” is part of Flagler College’s Ideas & Images series.

From Nov. 7 – 11 in the Flagler College Lewis Auditorium, the Flagler College Department of Theatre Arts will present “All Shook Up,” a musical production based on the music of Elvis Presley and featuring Broadway actor Justin Matthew Sargent. Sargent’s credits include last fall’s “Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE!” (ensemble, John Legend understudy) on NBC, “Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark” (Peter Parker) and “Rock of Ages” (Drew). He will play the role of Chad, a teenager full of angst in a 1950s world of clashing ideas on race, gender and sexuality.