Flagler College breaks ground on new welcome center

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An artist's rendition of Hanke Hall

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (11/16/2011)(readMedia)-- Flagler College has begun construction on a new 12,000-square-foot, $3.8 million building that will serve as the college's Admissions and Financial Aid center and be the first point of contact for prospective students.

Flagler College President William T. Abare, Jr., Ed.D., joined faculty and the Board of Trustees on Oct. 26 to break ground on Hanke Hall, which will be located on Cordova Street.

"We recognize that students have a wide array of colleges from which they may choose, and we believe that it is important for us to make a good first impression on prospective students and their families," said Abare. "Additionally, we have outgrown Wiley Hall, the current location of our Admissions and Financial Aid offices, and we needed to create a new space that would accommodate both offices and would be attractive and functional in design."

Abare said many small colleges like Flagler have begun recognizing the importance of welcome centers in their student recruitment programs, and have either constructed new buildings or renovated existing buildings to improve the student experience when they visit.

The facility will be named after Board of Trustees member Col. G. F. Robert Hanke, USMC (Ret.)

"Col. Hanke expressed an interest in this project soon after he joined the board," said Abare. "He recognized the importance of the building to our student recruitment program, and he decided to make a major gift to help pay for the construction of the facility."

The project will be overseen by A.D. Davis Construction Corp., which has worked with the college on projects since 1975. Ken Smith is the architect.

Hanke Hall is expected to be finished on July 3, 2012.

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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,600 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost; tuition is $22,500, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.