Flagler welcomes incoming class at 2013 convocation ceremony

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Photo Credit: Danielle Brooks. Incoming freshmen sign the College's new honor code as they enter Wednesday’s convocation ceremony.

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (08/29/2013)(readMedia)-- More than 800 incoming Flagler College freshmen were handed railroad spikes, a symbol of Henry Flagler's legacy, as they entered Wednesday's convocation ceremony, a gesture meant to represent the student's college education as the first spike in their own life legacy.

Flagler College president William T. Abare Jr. spoke to a packed Lewis Auditorium about the journey the new students would soon embark on.

"You bring fresh ideas that will help to enrich our campus and community," said Abare, who was later presented with banners of Flagler's new honor code that had been signed by the incoming class. "We want you to succeed and ultimately your success will be our success."

The convocation speaker was Dr. David E Shi, President Emeritus at Furman University in South Carolina, who also spoke on the promise of the student's future.

"You are not here to receive an education, you are here to claim one," said Shi. "In doing so, you will become who you were meant to be."

Flagler launched the Building Your Legacy program for freshman this year. The program includes First Year Advisers, a four-day orientation spent in a variety of academic and social events to ease the transition from high school to college and an honor pledge, among other things.

The program is designed to make sure that all first year students begin with a solid foundation for what will become their legacy. Flagler faculty and staff have spent two years studying, developing and implementing the initiative, which is part of the college's larger First Year Experience initiative.

Flagler College fall semester classes begin on Aug. 29.

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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 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. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.