Elon Scholar: Breanna Carrie Detwiler
Rachel Stas – Archives Intern March 30, 2012 Breanna Carrie Detwiler (native of Warrenton, Virginia) graduated from Elon University in 2009 with a degree in Environmental Studies. As a student, she was an honors fellow and a member of the National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi. Moreover, she managed the Elon Community Garden, was a member of Whole Earth and College Democrats. She also worked on the Student Environmental Sustainability Council and was the student coordinator for the Elon Academy. Additionally, she was selected to present at the 23rd National Conference on Undergraduate Research, presenting on, “Examining the Contributions of Community Gardens to Social Capital.”
Read MoreWomen’s and Gender Studies at Elon
Jennifer Smith March 23, 2012 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 MoreAfrican-American Commencement Speakers
Shaunta Alvarez February 24, 2012 The first African-American commencement speaker at Elon appears to have been Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Evans, who spoke at the 1979 spring commencement. Rev. Evans was the national secretary of the United Church of Christ from 1967 until 1983 except for a year when he was elected president in 1976, becoming the United Church of Christ’s first and only African-American president. Rev. Evans’s message to the class of 1979: “My wish, my prayer, my yearning for each of you of this graduating class in these grand and awful times is that life will be kind to you…Life will be kind to you if you base it on a meaningful set of values…We are sustained over the long haul not by the abandonment to the ecstasy of the moment, but by what we trust and believe.”
Read MoreWilhelmina Boyd
Shaunta Alvarez February 9, 2010 Wilhelmina Boyd came to Elon in 1987 as an assistant professor in the English Department. At that time, she was the only African-American professor at Elon. When she retired in 2005 after 18 years of service, she had taught at Elon longer than any other African-American professor. She was not the first African-American professor at Elon, but she has left an indelible mark on the school’s history.
Read MoreElon’s Radio Players
Miriam Pace – volunteer in Archives May 24, 2011 If you’re old enough to remember a time with no TV, no internet, no Nook or Blackberry, then you will remember the radio. The family gathered around that early entertainment center and listened to “The Jack Benny Show” or “One Man’s Family” or “Your Hit Parade” and thought themselves lucky to have a radio in their home. By 1947, Elon had completed a radio broadcasting studio in Whitley auditorium on the second floor facing the stage and was ready to launch the Elon Radio Players over WBBB, the Burlington, N.C. station that would carry the plays. The room, the wiring, and installation of equipment was done by Professor A.L. Hook and students from his physics classes.
Read MoreCommon reading enters 19th year
Pam Richter – Class of 2011 September 15, 2010 On Tuesday, September 21, Rob Gifford will be speaking at Elon University for this year’s common reading lecture. Gifford is the author of China Road, which was selected as the common reading book for the campus this year. Each spring a committee consisting of faculty, staff, and students choose a book for the Elon community to read for the following year. Often times these books are integrated into the Global Experience or Elon 101 classes and often times the author of the book deliver a lecture on campus during the fall.
Read MoreSummer school has deep roots in Elon’s past
Pam Richter – Class of 2011 July 20, 2010 Currently there are 2013 students enrolled in both summer school sessions at Elon University. Students are in the midst of the second session at Elon. In addition to 62 classes on campus, many online classes are currently offered as well this summer.
Read MorePhi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Oak
Katie Nash April 15, 2010 On April 13, 2010 a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, one of the most prestigious liberal arts honor societies in the country, was established at Elon University. This is the not the first academic honor society that has been present on Elon’s campus. The Order of the Oak was established by faculty at Elon in 1962 and bestowed privileges of membership to outstanding students at the college. According to the Constitution of the Order of the Oak, the purpose was “to recognize superior scholarship, to encourage intellectual achievement, and to foster the liberal and critical mind.”
Read MoreFirst-edition of Walden resides at Belk Library
Pam Richter – Class of 2011 Feb. 19, 2010 Tucked away in a corner on the second floor of Belk Library, the Archives & Special Collections is home to many treasures. But for any literature buff, one of the most interesting pieces of the collection may be the first edition of one of the greatest American novels.
Read MoreCelebrating Study Abroad at Elon
Katie Nash Jan. 20, 2010 Forty-one years ago, professors Jim Elder and Gerard Priestley led a group of Elon students to London, England on the school’s first study abroad trip. At the time, no one envisioned the study abroad program flourishing and holding the number one spot in the nation among master’s-level colleges and universities for the number of students who study abroad (according to the Institute of International Education’s 2008 Open Doors report). Today, 71% of Elon undergraduate students study abroad at least once. Moreover, in 1995 there were 295 students who studied abroad, compared to the 1184 students in 2008. This Winter Term, more than 600 students are studying abroad and 50 faculty and staff are accompanying them.
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