Visit Florida, the state’s official source for travel planning, has awarded a $2,000 Cultural Heritage and Nature Tourism Grant to Flagler College for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, which began July 1, 2012.

“The purpose of these grants is to help non-profit entities and local governments stretch their tourism marketing dollars in an effort to expand cultural, heritage, rural and nature tourism activities in Florida,” said Chris Thompson, President and CEO for Visit Florida.

“We were pleased that Visit Florida and Enterprise Florida selected us from among a large number of grant applicants, during their most competitive grant cycle to date,” said Holly Hill, Assistant Director of College Relations. “These funds will be used for Flagler’s 2013 Community Lecture Series and will help us better position and market St. Augustine as a desirable destination.”

The 2013 Flagler College Community Lecture Series will be titled “The Hotel Ponce de Leon Deconstructed: Building the Future for Modern America.” The series is part of the 125th anniversary celebration of the Hotel Ponce de Leon.

Visit Florida, a private/public partnership, is Enterprise Florida’s day-to-day operating corporation for tourism.

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 2,500 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; tuition is $23,690, 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.

Source: Flagler College