Her journey began with the College’s opening and continued through nearly a decade of dedicated service in various staff roles. A recent chapter of benefaction has brought her story full circle, with pledges to support the place and the people who are central to her identity.
“Flagler College is just a part of me,” Carmichael said. “When I come here, I get the same feeling walking on campus that I did the first day I came.”
Inspiration for giving back to her alma mater
Through gifts toward the historic preservation of Ponce Hall and the Donald and Beverly Copeland '72 Carmichael Family Endowed Scholarship for FlagSHIP to sponsor immersive student learning experiences abroad, Carmichael shows her affinity for Flagler’s mission to cherish the past and blaze a new path forward.
“I only had an extraordinary opportunity to attend Flagler College when it started because I was awarded a full scholarship, which included room and board,” she said. “I owe my career to that scholarship. So, that’s what I want to do today - not only help to preserve that magnificent, beautiful Ponce where I ‘grew up,’ but to help give another student such an opportunity.”
Without her scholarship, Carmichael said she would not have been able to afford college, especially at a private institution. She felt deeply indebted to Dr. Edward Carlson, the first Vice President of Flagler College, for selecting her for the presidential scholarship, which was honored throughout her four years at the College.
Because of the doors her scholarship opened, Carmichael had the opportunity to “meet students from all over,” and be “inspired by brilliant, resourceful faculty from around the world.”
First Impressions: The grandeur of Ponce Hall
Carmichael vividly recalls the Friday evening of her arrival in the fall of 1968, when she became the very first student to set foot on campus. As the younger sibling of a student at the College’s sister school, Mount Ida, she was selected to come early to campus to help set up the Student Government Association (SGA) and welcome the nearly 200 new students to campus.
It was her first time seeing the grandeur of the College's grounds in person.
“I was from a very small town, South Athens, Ala., and so I hadn't been around very much,’ she said. “I had hardly been outside of Alabama.”
She was struck by the “faded elegance” of the Ponce, adorned with original posh furniture and ornate wallpaper designs from the hotel that had closed a year earlier.
“We had a fantastic setup when we came,” Carmichael said. “The rooms were just like they were when it had been a hotel. All the original furniture was here; the lobby and the Flagler room were just incredibly gorgeous.”
One of Carmichael's favorite anecdotes from that first weekend involves her roommate, Sally Cowin (Glei) ‘72, who arrived at Flagler with her horse, “Forgee,” in tow. The College, however, was unprepared for students bringing horses and had no stables for boarding.
“Sally, I don’t think we have room for all those clothes,” Carmichael recalls saying, assuming the horse trailer was filled with an extensive wardrobe.
So, her first official act in welcoming students to campus was finding a place off-campus for her roommate to board her horse.
“The next day, Sally’s parents went out and bought her a car because she didn't have any way to get to her horse to ride it,” she said. “It was a white Opel Station Wagon... We were going to have a lot of fun.”
This marked the beginning of many adventures and the forging of lifelong friendships. Carmichael said she treasures the enduring bonds she formed with classmates like Cowin and the strong sense of camaraderie that characterized Flagler's pioneering cohorts.
“When you see us together, it's kind of amazing,” she said. “It's sort of like we all grew up together in those early years.”
She fondly described the unique charm of those early days as "very different” from what it is today. Carmichael recalls spending countless hours exploring St. Augustine with her peers, socializing at the beaches, and inventing their own fun. With a much smaller student population, she said Flagler didn't feel very "college-y" at first. Instead, the students were a tight-knit group of friends simply "doing college things."
Collaborating with former President Proctor
Carmichael served on the Student Government Association (SGA) throughout her college experience.
During her servuce to SGA, she organized things like the inaugural Parents Weekend (see left) and the first formal freshman orientation program, playing a key role in shaping Flagler’s early student life and activities.
Elected President of the Student Government Association during her junior year, Carmichael formed a lasting bond with Dr. William Proctor, the College’s new president in 1971.
"He’s the reason this college is on the map,” she said.
On topics like curfew and visitation rules, Carmichael joked that they “didn’t always see eye to eye.”
Yet, she recalls having a strong sense that Proctor “knew what he was doing,” and would be the hands-on leader Flagler needed to ensure its survival and accreditation.
From classroom to administration: Early career at Flagler
Following her graduation in 1972, Carmichael embarked on a brief teaching stint at Evelyn Hamblen Elementary, all while residing in the Ponce and serving as a Resident Supervisor in the dormitory.
“Then, Dr. Proctor asked if I would be interested in working for him or if I still wanted to teach,” she said. “I said, ‘Oh, I would love to work for you here at Flagler.’”
Carmichael went to work in Student Affairs as an Assistant to the Dean of Students. After receiving a promotion from the Dean, she advanced to the position of Assistant Dean of Students which she held from 1973 to 1976.
“I was very excited, but it was a lot of responsibility,” she said about this role, which involved roommate assignments, the first-ever student trip to Disney, and student discipline.
However, accreditation remained the institution’s “main priority” at the time.
“When you have a goal like that, everybody has to work together towards something. It's a very good thing to pull [people] together.”
During this time, Dr. Proctor introduced her in the community as “Flagler’s oldest living graduate.”
“At that time, I was in my early 30s, and everyone thought that was quite humorous. Now, it seems like a sort of special title which I’ve held all these years.”
She admired Proctor’s role as a guiding light with such a mission in mind and enjoyed being a part of it.
Academic pursuits and professional milestones
Her next chapter saw an exciting move to Washington, D.C., where she pursued her master's and doctorate at George Washington University. Alongside her studies, Carmichael took on pivotal roles as associate executive director of the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education and director of development for the American Association for Community and Junior Colleges.
Throughout this chapter of her life, Carmichael was asked to help establish and serve as the first president of the Flagler College Alumni Association. She travelled semiannually to St. Augustine for the early board meetings and Alumni Weekend. (See left for Carmichael and other alumni from founding classes gathered years later).
During her decade in D.C., Carmichael's impressive professional and academic achievements caught Proctor's attention. He invited her back to Flagler as the College's first Director of Development, with her first major project being to raise $2 million for the first renovation of the Dining Hall.
After three years in that role (1986–1989), Carmichael married, had a daughter, Hope, and the young family left Florida for Green Bay, Wis., where Carmichael’s husband, Don, managed a TV station for 20+ years.
Carmichael volunteered extensively in Green Bay, helping to establish the Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay, serving as president of Encompass Child Care, and vice president of the Service League of Green Bay. She and her husband adopted three daughters during this time, keeping her “pretty busy as a mother.”
Final chapter at Flagler: Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Carmichael began her Wisconsin career as a partner at the Winston Group, a consulting firm specializing in capital campaign fundraising. She then joined the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where she led a successful capital campaign using skills honed as Flagler's Director of Development. From 2010 to 2013, she served as Assistant Chancellor for University Advancement, playing a key role in establishing the UW-Green Bay Foundation.
In 2013, an opportunity arose for Carmichael to return to sunny St. Augustine and her cherished Flagler College. Under the leadership of President Bill Abare, Carmichael saw a chance to conclude her career where it began.
“When Bill Abare asked me if I would like to come back here, I was very touched and honored,” Carmichael said about the offer to serve as Flagler's Vice President of Institutional Advancement (IA). “I knew that this [job] would be the last thing I would do before I retired.”
She embraced this opportunity as another way to give back to the college that had profoundly influenced her life.
“Anytime I can help Flagler, I will!” she said. “I think there are a lot of people [from] the early days who would do anything we could for this College because it has meant a lot to us in a lot of different ways.”
From 2013 to 2018, Carmichael played a crucial role in securing funds for the construction of Pollard Hall and navigating IA through the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. During her return to her alma mater, she founded the Women of Vision Advisory Board, the Business Advisory Board, and the Hospitality and Tourism Advisory Board.
Carmicheal with Women of Vision scholarship recipient (2015)
Her legacy is defined by dedication, leadership, and unwavering support for the institution she helped build.
“Dr. Carmichael’s work in advancement has helped to well position Flagler College for the next 50 years,” Former President Joe Joyner told local reporters upon her retirement. “Dr. Carmichael remains a visionary for the association and the College.”
A lifelong advocate: Supporting Flagler in retirement
In retirement, Carmichael remains a dedicated advocate for Flagler College, actively driving its mission as part of the Flagler Forward Campaign Steering Committee. Her contributions to the campaign underscore her lifelong commitment to the College's success and growth.
Mrs. Carmichael & husband at Flagler Forward campaign event
She expressed deep gratitude for being part of something as monumental as the founding and accreditation of her own alma mater.
“Flagler is a part of my life in a way that college may not have been had I not gone here,” Carmichael said. “Very few people have had [the unique experience of] helping to start a new college as a student.”
To learn more about how you can contribute to the preservation and enrichment of the Flagler College experience, visit Flagler.edu/FlaglerForward
*All archival images are courtesy of the Flagler College Digital Archives
