News Release

For Immediate Release

November 23, 2013

Contact: (904) 687-5594

Megan Denneny
Public Relations Director
MDenneny@flagler.edu

A Major Opportunity for Flagler College's Natural Science Department

Flagler College is developing a new Coastal Environmental Science major in order to
support growth and offer numerous employment opportunities for future graduates. The
major would prepare students for careers in: sustainable business, environmental law,
project management and planning, environmental consulting, education, and community
service. If approved by the college's Board of Trustees, the major will be launched in the
fall of 2013.
Terri Seron is the Natural Science coordinator at Flagler College, as well as an assistant
professor whom is helping develop the program. Seron helps students understand the
impact of what they are studying and how science interacts with other fields of work such
as: politics, ethics, business, and health. You look out the window, you walk down the
street, and there's a living classroom. We are surrounded by a coastal laboratory. Nothing
is better then immersing students in the environment, so this is the perfect location, said
Seron.
Flagler College will partner with local research facilities and nature reserves like
Marineland, the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuary Research Reserve, and the
University of Florida's Whitney laboratory for Marine Bioscience, taking advantage of
hands-on experience available in Florida's coastal environment.
Flagler College currently has only a Natural Science minor. It concentrates on
familiarizing students with the natural world by providing a sound foundation of
knowledge concerning our planet, diverse Floridian and global ecosystems, natural
processes, and ecological sustainability. In the past, many environmental science students
have strived to help the community.
Flagler College is a private liberal arts institution located in St. Augustine, FL. There are seven full-time
Natural Science faculty members as well as two more part time members at Flagler College. In 2010,
Flagler College students provided research presentations to educate people, along with working towards
solving some local issues such as: sea turtle nesting, dune vegetation, and by-catch. Flagler College owns
land in the Bahamas that would act as a research facility for students to travel to.

###