FLAGLER COLLEGE

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee of St. Johns County Inc. hosted its 37th annual commemorative breakfast at Flagler College on Monday.

Former University of North Florida President and Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney is set to become the permanent president of Flagler College, after serving as interim president since July.

Dave Barnett has been coaching for a long, long time and nabbed quite a few honors along the way.

One of the best players in Flagler College basketball history isn’t going anywhere.

The Flagler College men's basketball team reached the NCAA Division II Final Four for the first time this season. The best season in Flagler College men’s basketball history came to an end on Thursday night. The Saints never led and couldn’t slow down heavyweight Northwest Missouri State in a 77-46 loss in the NCAA Division II national semifinals. Third-seeded Flagler (18-3) had never been to the national tournament since it made the move from the NAIA to Division II in 2009. 2 in the tournament, have won Division II national championships in 2017 and ’19, and will play for their third on Saturday afternoon against top-seeded West Texas A&M.

Flagler College's Jaizec Lottie was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II All-American Team on Tuesday morning. Next stop: the NCAA Division II Final Four. Third-seeded Flagler will face second-seeded Northwest Missouri State in the Final Four on Thursday at 9 p.m. Jaizec Lottie had 29 points for Flagler, Derrick Ellis had 17 and Chris Metzger had 10, none bigger than his final two. Truman State’s final shot was a heavily contested look by Turner Scott that never had a chance.

Flagler College's Jaizec Lottie was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II All-American Team on Tuesday morning. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jaizec Lottie added another first to Flagler College’s incredible basketball season. The Saints’ senior guard was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II All-American Team on Tuesday morning. He’s led the Saints to the NCAA Division II national championship’s elite eight for the first time. In NCAA Division II, the Saints had never been this deep into the postseason.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Starting next year, former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney will take over as chairman of the North Florida Land Trust’s board of directors, the organization announced Tuesday. Delaney, who joined the NFLT board in November 2019, will work alongside vice chair David Barton, secretary Ryan Switzer and treasurer Patrick Carney, according to a news release. The board also welcomed four new members – Lisa Barton, Scott Keith, Connie McDaniel and Ted McGowan – who will begin their terms in January. “I look forward to working alongside all of the officers as we continue to focus on preserving environmentally sensitive lands throughout North Florida.”Delaney, a former two-term mayor and University of North Florida president, is set to become interim president of Flagler College beginning in July. He is currently a shareholder at the Rogers Towers law firm and a principal for The Fiorentino Group, a Jacksonville-based lobbying firm.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Former Jacksonville mayor John Delaney will serve as the interim president of Flagler College starting next year, the school announced Monday. Delaney, who was president of the University of North Florida for 15 years and mayor of Jacksonville for two terms, will start July 2021. He also joined the North Florida Land Trust Board of Directors last year. “I’m confident that Mr. Delaney’s background and career experiences will allow him to continue the forward momentum of the College,” said Rick Groux, Chair of the Flagler College Board of Trustees. Flagler College said the appointment of Delaney will allow the Board’s Presidential Search Committee the time needed to conduct a national search to find the fifth President of Flagler College without the COVID-induced travel restrictions and gathering limitations happening now.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A clash between protestors and counter-protestors in the streets of downtown St. Augustine on Saturday landed two men in jail. The altercation that involved dueling groups centered around Flagler Board of Trustees member Mark Bailey. St. Augustine police deemed the protests unlawful and arrested two people. Even though the monument has already been moved, it was a continuing call by protestors for Bailey’s resignation. “I sincerely apologize to any individual that was the target of violence or any hateful and racist comments.”Flagler College has not publicly issued a statement regarding the protests, nor Mr. Bailey’s position on the board of trustees.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Flagler College alerted its community Wednesday that a database that stores information on alumni, donors and friends had been the target of a ransomware attack. Flagler College said no credit card information, bank account information, Social Security numbers or academic records were compromised in the attack. Blackbaud told Flagler College it has made changes to protect the data from any future attacks. “We take your privacy very seriously at Flagler College, and we are exploring all options to ensure this type of breach does not happen again, including revisiting our relationship with Blackbaud,” Flagler College said. “We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as necessary,” Flagler College said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida ranks among the nation’s best public universities, according to the latest rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. For the second year running, the magazine recognized UNF on its list of “Best National” universities – this time ranking No. The university, located on Jacksonville’s Southside, also distinguished itself as a “Top Public” university, as well as one of the top choices for social mobility and the least amount of student debt. “This prestigious recognition affirms the tremendous ongoing efforts UNF puts forth to build one of the finest universities in the nation,” UNF President David Szymanski said. 4 “Best Regional College” for the South region by U.S. News & World Report.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As colleges and universities open across the country, some are reporting hundreds of COVID-19 cases. According to the University of North Florida, there have been 27 new positive cases since Aug.18, the day after classes resumed. Jacksonville University reported two active cases as of Thursday afternoon, according to the school’s online dashboard. If a Flagler student tests positive, Dr. Miles said they conduct contact tracing and the student isolates on campus or can be picked up by a parent.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – You can now explore the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, which is now the current home of Flagler College, virtually. But college officials at Flagler’s Legacy Historic Tours have created a solution to share the history of the former Hotel Ponce de Leon through a virtual tour option. Flagler’s Legacy partnered with local St. Augustine company Listing Solutions to capture 3D images of the interior of the former hotel. Plus, the virtual tour has more information than can fit into the one-hour, in-person tour. “The new tour was created more as an added bonus to our Flagler’s Legacy Tours, rather than a replacement,” said Flagler’s Legacy Assistant Director Nikki Liberatore.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Flagler College became the latest Florida university to make the decision to move to online classes as a precaution during the coronavirus outbreak. The private college in St. Augustine announced Thursday that it will cancel class Friday and move to online classes following spring break, which begins next week. The decision came a day after the Department of Health announced a confirmed case of coronavirus in St. Johns County. Flagler College said its campus and regular services will remain open to students, faculty and staff during the two-week period. By Wednesday, most major universities announced they will temporarity suspend in-person classes and move all instruction online temporarily.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – An army of rubber ducks joined a fake gator head in the Flagler College pool Friday after students decided to prank maintenance staff’s silly solution to trespassing mallards. Last week, Flagler College, a private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, tried to solve its pesky duck problem at the pool by placing a fake gator head in the middle. The solution was short lived when the waterbirds made friends with the fake gator head just hours after it’s introduction to the water. However, the pool contention also fueled comedic relief among students at Flagler College in the form of a prank. It remains to be seen whether or not the fake ducks will win out over the real duck invaders.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Florida problems call for Florida solutions...Flagler College, a private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, believes it may have a solution to its pesky duck problem around the student pool area: a faux disembodied alligator head. Ducks make a mess of the water and pool area so we are testing different methods to make our pool less inviting. The ducks seem to have adopted him so we now have a floating alligator head. Please keep the alligator head in the pool so we can see if it is effective. Maintenance is asking that students leave the fake alligator head in the pool.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - A former assistant professor at Flagler College is suing the private school, claiming she was fired in retaliation after she accused another faculty member of sexual misconduct. Bolante joined Flagler College after retiring from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. According to the suit, an investigation into Jaeckle was opened a month after she came forward with the allegations against Bolante. Jaeckle was not interviewed by Flagler College, and was fired in June 2018. Jaeckle had been a professor at Flagler College since 2003, records show.