JAIZEC LOTTIE REALIZES DREAM OF PLAYING PRO BASKETBALL

It is every basketball player's goal to play professionally. For Jaizec Lottie, '22, his dream came true when he signed with BBC Monthey-Chablais of the Swiss Basketball League (SBL).

"I've dreamed of playing pro basketball since I can remember," said Lottie. "It feels great to have achieved it, but my goal is set on the NBA and I won't stop until I get there.” He made an immediate impact for the team in his first season.

Lottie was selected as the Hoops Agents SBL Player of the Week to begin the month of October. He poured in 39 points, dished out seven assists and added three rebounds in Monthey's season opener against Fribourg. Through four games so far this season, he is averaging 26.5 points and 4.5 assists per game.

Lottis said he was enjoying his time in Switzerland, and the mountainous landscape was very reminiscent of his hometown of Aurora, Colo. "I love walking out of my house and seeing the mountains all around me," he said. "Switzerland is a beautiful country and the people are nice."

The pro basketball leagues in Europe restrict the number of U.S.born players, and the league Lottie plays in is no different. The team is allowed four Americans.

"The big differences are that you have players who are a lot older than you," said Lottie.

As with many European clubs, Lottie's living expenses are taken care of and he has a car to get around. However, the region of Switzerland is predominantly French speaking.

"A lot of my teammates speak English, but I am taking French lessons and trying to learn the language," said Lottie.

Lottie, a 6-foot-2 guard, transferred to Flagler from NCAA Division I member the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He was a two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) AllAmerican, as well as being a two-time Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year. Despite only playing two years for Flagler, Lottie is 13th in scoring in the program's history with 1,197 points.

In Lottie's first season, he helped the team win their first PBC Tournament title and then went on to capture the NCAA Division II South Region crown. The Saints made the elite eight and won their first game ever in a NCAA Division II national tournament.

"Both teams I was on were amazing when it came to being a family," said Lottie. "I loved making the final four as well and I will never forget that feeling. It was the best two years of my life."

FLAGLER COLLEGE HITS $1 MILLION MILESTONE WITH 2023 GIVING CHALLENGE

By Becky Short, '15

More than 2,000 donors contributed to Flagler College’s fifth annual Roar and Raise Giving Challenge this past March, raising a record-breaking $1.1 million in support of students, faculty, staff and historic facilities.

To date, it is the College’s most successful fundraising effort ever and will propel the school into a new era of philanthropy and education.

“Year after year, Flagler’s community of supporters demonstrate their devotion to and belief in our College mission through this giving challenge,” said Kristy Myers, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Flagler College. “Their continued investment empowers us to foster our students’ personal and professional growth while providing the transformative education for which our College has become known.”

Roar and Raise is Flagler College’s biggest fundraising event of the year. First launched in 2019, the annual 48-hour giving challenge unites Saints worldwide behind undergraduate success and the advancement of the College’s student-centered educational mission.

Since its inception, Roar and Raise has gained tremendous momentum within the Flagler community. The College enjoys record-breaking turnouts each year, and the challenge’s proceeds are exclusively invested into priority areas of need like scholarships, program innovation and facility enhancement.

“No matter the cause, our Flagler community of supporters always rises to the occasion,” Myers said. “They place their trust in us, and because of them we are able to deliver an education of enduring worth.”

The Five Star Plan is the most ambitious plan Flagler College has ever undertaken with more than $22 million invested in campus capital improvements, and more to come. But it is about more than just a punch list of projects, and instead a strategic initiative by Flagler President John Delaney to transform the College on every level and deliver the best possible academic experience for students.

“We’ve developed a plan for a series of campus improvements that range from a complete overhaul of our IT system with upgrades of our WIFI and fiber optics to a restoration of the Ponce that includes enhancements to every element of the building,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from students about the types of amenities they would like to have here on campus. All kinds of things students have told us they would like to see on campus."

Delaney sees it as a long-term initiative with an impact that will be felt for years to come, and raise Flagler’s stature and reputation.

“The heart of it, of course, is that we get a great education from terrific faculty,” he said.

Projects for the Five Star Plan began shortly after he arrived at the College in 2021, and range from upgrades to the pool area and a kayak launch on the Sebastian River behind Abare Hall to the purchase of Sebastian House, a local hotel that has been transformed into a residence hall. Renovations to campus residence halls including Ponce Hall, the historic centerpiece of the Flagler campus, have also been a major focus.

The plan is focused on four critical areas – facilities, technology, campus enhancements and the student experience. Technology updates like new Enterprise Resource Planning software and better Internet connections will provide students, faculty and staff with a modernized and more efficient user experience.

For students, the plan has added funding for new academic and social opportunities on and off-campus ranging from events and field-trips to getting more involved in the community. In addition, Flagler launched its new Core Curriculum – a distinctive offering of courses that incorporate our core values and introduce students to skills and values necessary for a well-rounded education. Read more in this section about the many improvements Flagler is making.

COLLEGE PURCHASES ST. AUGUSTINE RIVERFRONT HOTEL FOR NEW RESIDENCE HALL

Flagler College added its newest residence hall this spring with the purchase of a St. Augustine riverfront hotel that has been named Sebastian House. The 95-room property near the entrance to downtown is less than a mile east of campus.

Sebastian House also includes grab-n-go dining options, an exercise room, a pool, 102 parking spaces and other dorm amenities. A continuous shuttle runs back and forth to campus for students.

The College started leasing rooms in the former hotel last year as it began its multi-year comprehensive improvement plan for the Flagler campus that included renovations in Ponce, Lewis and Abare Halls. With work continuing on Ponce Hall East and Abare, and because the hotel proved to be popular with students living there, the College decided to purchase the property and convert it into a full residence hall.

The property sits on 2.25 acres near the Ponce de Leon Boulevard/U.S. 1 and King Street intersection, and it overlooks the San Sebastian River with views of Flagler’s historic towers. This will increase the total number of dorm rooms for campus and allow the College to meet the increasing need for additional student housing.

The College has also agreed to work with the city of St. Augustine to develop a riverwalk along the east side of the San Sebastian River that runs in front of the new residence hall and connects to downtown for walking and biking.

LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER EXPANDS IN PROCTOR LIBRARY

Flagler’s Learning Resource Center (LRC) moved into an expanded space in the Proctor Library offering additional tutoring services in one-on-one and small group settings. The LRC is a tutoring center by Flagler students for Flagler students.

Highly-trained peer tutors are available for appointment-based sessions that are supervised by lab coordinators who are experts in their diverse fields. The LRC exists to support students in their coursework, providing dedicated academic assistance and a convenient place to study.

The move allowed the center to expand into a larger space, as well as make use of the many resources within the library, including the open-concept setup of the first floor.

Dr. Lisa Van Zwoll, director of the center, said the mission is to support students, no matter where they are in their academic journey.

“We work closely with students from all backgrounds and disciplines, and offer tutoring in a variety of disciplines, from writing and math to French and physics,” she said. She said the new space is a great way for all students to meet, study and work together. “It's a really active and fun space, so nobody's intimidated to come into the area and ask for help,” she said. “That's one of my goals: to make it a place that all students visit.”