Elon College and the First World War, part 1: On the eve of The Great War
By Randall Bowman, Archivist and Assistant Librarian. November 11, 2018, is the 100th anniversary of the cease-fire that ended World War I, often ironically called “The War to End All Wars.” What was Elon like in the early years of the Twentieth Century, before this First World War? When William Allen Harper became Elon College’s fourth president in 1911, the school was very different from the university it is today. In the fall of 1911, total enrollment for the college was only 234, although that was the largest enrollment since the school opened its doors in 1890. Dr. Harper, then thirty-one years old, was an 1899 alumnus of Elon College, and the first graduate to serve as president. He set out on an ambitious program to expand the school’s physical size, allowing for an increase in enrollment. He was also determined to standardize and expand the curriculum. In addition, Harper…
Read MoreElon College’s Finest Hour: Convocation with Lady Margaret Thatcher
Julia Mueller April 2, 2015 On April 28, 1995, Lady Margaret Thatcher spoke at Elon College’s Spring Convocation. The theme of the event was academic excellence, community service, and philanthropy. Lady Thatcher discussed the purpose of universities in her speech titled “The Challenges Facing the 21st Century” and encouraged individuality among students. She was critical of communism, President Clinton, the separation of church and state, educational trends, and welfare. While some in the audience disagreed with her political stances or thought the event was too political, many were impressed by the conviction of her opinions.
Read MoreElon’s First Library: The Reading Room
Randall Bowman August 1, 2014 Elon’s very first library was a far cry from the libraries of today. It wasn’t even a separate building like Carlton, McEwen, or Belk Libraries. According to George Troxler, in his book From a Grove of Oaks: The Story of Elon University, “…the library and reading room occupied two adjoining rooms on the second floor of the college building.” It served the college for thirty-three years, from 1890 to 1923. Along with most of the college’s book collection, both rooms in the Old Main Administration Building were incinerated in the 1923 fire that destroyed this building.
Read MoreRare Chant Book Now Available Online!
Katie Nash April 25, 2014 The Elon University Archives and Special Collections is happy to announce that pages from a rare 18th century chant book in their collections is now available online. Scans of the original pages along with the Latin and English translations for each page can be seen and searched on this page . The chant book, also known as the manuscript missal, was donated to the Archives and Special Collections in 2003 by Elon alum Royall Spence, Jr. It was created sometime in the mid-late 1700s, with parts of it possibly created in the early 1800s. A complete description of the book can be found on the website listed above. Many thanks to Etherington Conservation Services for digitizing the entire book, and a big thanks to our two Latin/English translators!
Read MoreMartin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Celebration–“His Past. Your Future. One Dream.”
Julia Mueller January 17, 2014 The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Celebration at Elon University commemorates the life and service of MLK, Jr. It also celebrates tolerance and diversity on campus. Elon Teaching Fellows, DEEP, the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, the Multicultural Center, the Black Cultural Society, the National Panhellenic Council, the Office of Student Activities, and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life organized the 2014 program.
Read MoreThe Literary Societies of Elon College
Randall Bowman December 13, 2013 In 1913, the first yearbook was published at Elon College, the PhiPsiCli. The name was derived from the three literary societies that existed at Elon during its early years; the Philologian, Psiphelian, and Clio Societies. These three organizations were founded soon after the college opened its doors; like most college literary societies, they no longer exist. Literary societies were a mainstay of college life from the colonial era to the early twentieth century. Often just called “societies,” they usually had names derived from either Latin or Greek. Societies organized debates and social events, and members wrote original compositions such as essays, poetry, and music. Since most college graduates were men who went into law, the ministry, or teaching, literary society activities supplemented the classical education students received. Their debates gave members the chance to practice their oratory and rhetorical skills.
Read MoreState of the art: The Carol Grotnes Belk Library
Randall Bowman December 6, 2013 By the mid-1990s, it was very obvious that the Iris Holt McEwen Library was woefully inadequate to serve as Elon College’s library. The college was growing and progressing as an institution; the student body was not only increasing in size, but in quality. Planning began to build an innovative library that would be a key component of Elon’s increasing emphasis on engaged learning. Fundraising for the new library was part of the Elon Vision, a five-year, $40 million strategic plan for strengthening academic programs. An Elon Vision brochure established that this library would be something new. “The new library will be located at the center of campus, serving as a dynamic intellectual hub between instructional facilities to the south and residential halls to the north. This 75,000 square foot facility will combine the traditional library collection with the latest electronic information capabilities and an array…
Read MoreWGS Program Turns 25
Jennifer Smith November 15, 2013 The 2013/2014 academic year marks the 25th anniversary of Elon University’s Women’s/Gender Studies program. A minor in Women’s Studies was first offered at Elon in the Fall of 1988 after having been approved during a February 1988 faculty meeting. In the mid-1980s Elon professors, Dr. Seena Granowsky and Dr. Martha Smith attended a conference on Women’s Studies programs at Duke University and were inspired to create a program at Elon. The two worked together to create the minor and the program of Women’s Studies in order to expose students to women’s issues through courses in English, History, Philosophy, Economics, and other related fields. Some examples of early course titles included Introduction to Women’s Studies, Feminist Approaches to Literature, and History of Women in the United States.
Read MoreKCSL Celebrates 25 Years!
Julia Mueller October 30, 2013 This academic year the Kernodle Center for Service Learning is celebrating its 25th anniversary! The Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement provides a variety of volunteer opportunities to students, faculty, and the community. The goal is to promote leadership, student learning, and citizenship through community engagement. The Center for Service Learning was founded in 1988 when Habitat for Humanity was chartered at Elon College. In 1989, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter promoted Habitat for Humanity during his visit to Elon. In 1990, Elon Volunteers (EV!) was founded as a part of the Chaplain’s Office. In 1992, the Center for Service Learning hired its first paid staff member, which was funded through a grant given to the college from the United Church of Christ. The academic year from 1992-1993 were the first years that volunteer hours and number of volunteers were tracked. The Service Learning…
Read MoreAdvertising Elon
Shannon Tennant October 28, 2013 Think back to when you first heard about Elon University and first considered coming here. What influenced your decision? At some point in the process, you saw an ad that extolled the virtues of the school. In magazines, on billboards, in brochures, on the internet – Elon’s advertisements are everywhere. Universities have come to realize that they are businesses, and they need to reach prospective customers. Elon has to market its image to attract top quality students in this competitive environment. But what that image is, and how to best present it, has changed over the years. Here is an ad from the Asheville newspaper in 1917. Some of the attractions Elon lists seem amusing now. Well water is not so important when we all drink bottled water. What about no outbreaks of “dangerous sickness?” They obviously don’t mean the cold that you caught from…
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