Posts tagged Flagler Forum
News from Flagler College
Nov 11th
Filmmaker Helen Whitney continues “Ideas and Images” series at Flagler College Nov. 13-14
Mormons. Trappist monks. Gang kids. Pope John Paul II. 9/11. The Rwandan genocide.
Helen Whitney has spent a lifetime examining people and subjects from all walks of life. 
The acclaimed writer, producer and director will speak on “A Life in Film; Spiritual Landscapes,” a retrospective of the last 40 years of her life and work, with an emphasis on the defining spiritual themes as part of Flagler College’s “Ideas and Images” series.
Whitney, whose series began on Nov. 6-7 will return to the college for two more lectures at 7 p.m. Nov. 13-14 in the Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St.
“It is an exploration of a wide variety of topics, among them: juvenile crime, the McCarthy Era, contemporary presidential politics, Papal authority, the troubled relationship between Jews and Christians, our dysfunctional mental health system the oppression of gay men and women, the birth of a new American religion, Mormonism, the spiritual aftershocks of 9/11, the complexities and contradictions of the new forgiveness and many other subjects,” said Whitney.
Whitney’s lectures will also touch on filmmaking issues from journalistic ethics and narrative structure to the language of film and the special challenges inherent in making films about spirituality.
Whitney’s features have aired on PBS, HBO and ABC including “Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero,” PBS’ two-hour special on 9/11 which explored the spiritual aftershocks of this horrific event. Amongst her many accolades are an Oscar nomination; two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards; a George Foster Peabody Award; an Edward R. Murrow Award for distinguished journalism; an Emmy Award; and awards from The Writer’s Guild of America, The Director’s Guild of America, The Hamptons International Film Festival and The San Francisco International Film Festival.
Whitney is a sought after lecturer and frequently speaks at universities, divinity schools, museums and art institutes. She has served as the Director of the Board of Film Forum in New York City and has been artist in residence at six universities and is a Woodrow Wilson scholar.
“Ideas and Images: Visiting Scholars and Artists Program” will feature an international composition of artists and authors, introducing a fresh and creative component to the greater St. Augustine community.
Each event is free and open to the public. Call (904) 819-6282 or visit www.flagler.edu/our-community for more information.
Locker speaks on post-election politics at Flagler Forum event Nov. 15
No matter who wins the election on Nov. 6, Ray Locker says the political campaigning and wrangling will not be over yet.
“We still have the upcoming lame-duck Congress and a bunch of key issues to hash out by the end of the year,” said Locker, the Washington enterprise editor for USA TODAY who will speak at Flagler College on Nov. 15 as part of the 2012 Forums on Government and Public Policy lecture series.
Locker, who will speak on “It’s Not Over Yet: The 2012 Election and the Stakes for a Lame-Duck Congress,” believes the outcome of the election will come down to important factors such as Hispanic and minority voter turnout as well as the discussion on future of major entitlement programs such as Medicare and health care.
He also believes the outcome of this race could determine how campaigns are run in the future.
“This year will be the test between advertising and campaign organization,” said Locker. “I believe it will lead to fundamental changes in how pollsters do business in future elections.”
As the Washington enterprise editor for USA TODAY, Locker supervises the investigative work in the organization’s Washington bureau. He has been the paper’s White House and politics editor and national security editor in the seven years since joining USA TODAY in 2005. His work as an editor and reporter was nominated for Pulitzer Prizes in 2008 and 2010.
Before joining USA TODAY, Locker ran the Associated Press bureau in Sacramento and coordinated the news service’s coverage of California government and politics, including the 2003 recall campaign that led to the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He worked for the Los Angeles Times and spent 13 years as a reporter, columnist and editor at The Tampa Tribune.
All forums take place at Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St., at 7 p.m. Forums are free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of speakers who donate their time in support of the series. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign language interpreters are provided. Call (904) 819-6400 for more information.
Source: Flagler College
Flagler College names AARP Bulletin editor Jim Toedtman as new Flagler Forum director
May 13th
Jim Toedtman, editor of AARP’s Bulletin, 
has been named director of the Flagler College Forums on Government and Public Policy lecture series.
has been named director of the Flagler College Forums on Government and Public Policy lecture series.
Toedtman, a speaker at the program for the last 13 years, succeeds Victor Ostrowidzki, who passed away this past spring after battling cancer. Ostrowidzki, 80, was a veteran journalist and former White House reporter who covered every presidential election from 1964 to 1988. He joined the faculty at Flagler in 1997, founded the Forum series and taught classes on elections and the media.
The Forum brings nationally-recognized journalists and authorities to St. Augustine to discuss issues of local, federal and global importance. Past speakers have included Robert Novak, Mark Shields, David Broder, Joe Klein, Anne Coulter, Pat Buchanan and Chris Matthews.
“I am delighted with the opportunity of continuing and enhancing the Flagler Forums in ways that enrich the academic lives of Flagler students and benefit the St. Augustine community,” Toedtman said. “I look forward to the challenge of building on the solid foundation set by my friend Vic Ostrowidzki.”
Toedtman has had a distinguished career as reporter and editor for the New York daily newspaper, Newsday, and as an editor for Hearst Corp. newspapers in Boston and Baltimore. At Newsday, he was part of a team of reporters investigating Long Island land scandals that won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for public service. From 1986 to 1995, he served as managing editor of New York Newsday and helped develop and direct the staff, which won numerous awards including the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting. He was named Newsday’s Washington Bureau Chief in 1995.
He was named editor of the AARP Bulletin in 2005. Since his appointment, the Bulletin has been consistently recognized for excellence in covering a range of public policy and consumer issues. It is published 10 times a year and has a circulation of 22 million. He also helped develop AARP’s online news and information website.
Toedtman graduated from the College of Wooster and earned a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. He also studied at the University of Queensland, Australia, as a Rotary Foundation Fellow.
Flagler College President William Abare said, “I am delighted that Jim Toedtman has agreed to accept our offer to serve as the director of the Forums. Over the past 13 years, Jim has become a good friend of the College and a close personal friend.”
Abare added, “We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Jim’s experience to lead this important program. He is a well-respected journalist who has a great network of friends and colleagues from which to draw Forum speakers. He is very familiar with our campus and our community and will be a great addition to our staff.”
Source: Brian Thompson, Director, News and Information, Flagler College.
