It began 40 years ago with a plan that must have seemed a bit crazy to some: Take a former luxury hotel that had seen better days and convert it to an all-women’s liberal arts college in the heart of the Nation’s Oldest City.

Three retiring professors look back on 73 years at Flagler

One is an accomplished historian and long-distance runner. One’s a retired Florida Army National Guard Captain and management whiz. The third is a career educator with a quick laugh and a charming southern drawl. Three distinct personalities, three distinct careers.

“I still get a rush every time it happens,” Thomas Graham said. “Every time I see a student out in the world, achieving something, and I realize that’s the same quiet girl who sits in the back of my class. These students are high achievers — they’re doers. I’m always pleasantly surprised by the capabilities of my students.”

Crisp-Ellert Art Museum hosts the inaugural juried student show

Nearly 300 students compete to have their works exhibited

The new Crisp-Ellert Art Museum hosted Flagler’s first juried student art show this spring, giving students from all majors a chance to show off their talent, have their work judged by professionals and – in a few cases – make some money.

Trip to the Titanic

Archaeologist and adjunct professor Michael Arbuthnot shares his underwater adventures

The claustrophobia set in when Michael Arbuthnot was about 700 feet underwater, crunched into a space barely seven feet wide with Hollywood director James Cameron. At that depth, the last traces of sunlight disappear.

Their tiny submersible descended to the ocean floor with 5,600 pounds of pressure per-square-inch crushing against it. Outside, strange creatures occasionally drifted by in the sandy abyss until out of the darkness, the giant hull of an “unsinkable” ship emerged — the Titanic.

Cuba: Looking back, and forward

Communication professor talks about his days as a journalist in Havana, Cuba, meeting Fidel Castro and his thoughts on the future of the communist island

There’s a marker on the tip of Key West that proclaims Cuba a mere 90 miles south of American soil. As tourists stare out across the water trying to catch a glimpse of the communist nation, it seems as if the gulf between these two nations is bridgeable and small.

But distances can be misleading, as communication professor Tracey Eaton will tell you, and there is much more between the two countries than just water and miles.

When looks mean everything

In Tasha Walden’s classroom, six fourth-graders sit around a table in silence. When Walden asks a question, three arms dart up to answer. When one girl is picked, she walks to the Smart Board, touches a set of numbers and slides it across the screen.

“Put the numbers in order from least to greatest,” Walden says. As she talks, her hands are a flurry of movement, stretching apart on the word “from” as if pulling taut a piece of string. When a student gazes at his notebook-sized white board, Walden taps the desk in front of him to get his attention. When the whole group works together to find an answer, she smiles and cheers, “Yaaaay! Good job,” her hands rising above her shoulders and fingers wagging…

Help from above

Alumnus helps transport wounded soldiers from combat zones to medical treatment

When wounded soldiers are being transported out of Iraq on a massive, medically-equipped C-130 or C-17 transport plane, there’s a good chance they will find Flagler alumnus Thomas “Jerry” Ricketson there to help treat them until they reach the safety of a military hospital abroad. [...]

Rise of technology, death of community

Flagler sociology associate professor Mel Barber sees cars, television and air conditioning as forces that pull people apart
Photography By Scott Smith (‘04)
Click play to hear excerpts from an interview with Mel Barber

Like most Americans, Mel Barber has made technology part of his everyday life. He drives to work, sends e-mails, tinkers with the thermostat in [...]

Wartime Psychology: Alumna counsels soldiers who are back from war

While her peers completed internships in crisp, well-lit offices, Capt. Jessica Parker, Ph.D., wore battle fatigues and slept in a tent during a 106-degree Texas summer. She ate dehydrated food and went without showers for a month. She held her own during convoy operations, firing her weapon and dodging snipers.
To become a clinical psychologist [...]

Shooting the waves

Seth Stafford doesn’t really have an office. He works at the beach. As a photographer for Transworld Surf magazine, the 1997 Flagler alumnus gets paid to travel the world, don a wetsuit and wander into the ocean with a camera.