CONTENTS T M of E | S
16
COVER STORY
AN AUDACIOUS PURSUIT BY JALEH HAGIGH, MEGAN MCCLURE, KATIE PEOPLES ‘06 AND MADISON TAYLOR
The public launch of the Elon LEADS Campaign marks a historic effort to expand access to an Elon education.
24 CONNECTING THE DOTS BY OWEN COVINGTON
A personal connection is driving Michael Dryzer ’19 to use his postgraduate studies to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.
26 NATURAL WONDER BY ALEXA BOSCHINI ’10
Elon faculty and students explore how outdoor environments enhance children’s thinking and learning.
31
FROM THE ARCHIVES
BOXING AT ELON BY KEREN RIVAS ’04
Boxing gloves used to be a popular accessory for Elon students in the 1930s and 1940s.
32 A FAMILY LEGACY BY ERIC TOWNSEND
The Hon. Sarah Neely Lanier l’10 now presides from the same bench her father once occupied.
2 Under the Oaks 11 Long Live Elon 14 Phoenix Sports
34 Point of View 35 Alumni Action 39 Class Notes
ON THE COVER
STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED BY SCHOLARSHIPS AT ELON CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT:
Andrew Veilleux ’21, Weisenburger Business Fellow; Haileigh Houser ’21, Tims Access Scholar, Georgeo Scholar in the Odyssey Program & Presidential Scholar; Emmanuel Tobe ’21, Presidential Scholar; and Holly Miranda ’20, Elon Engagement Scholar.
I AM ELON BY KIM WALKER
Although Charlotte Murphy ’19 arrived at Elon unsure if she could be an artist, once she took a fundamentals design class her first semester, everything changed. Pushed to engage her innate curiosity, Charlotte was drawn to using her hands to build and experiment. She switched her focus from digital design to painting, interested in expanding painting to be more sculptural while investigating nature, community and food sources. Charlotte’s academic path reflects her upbringing. She grew up in a large farm house in Vermont, hiking every Saturday with her family and spending the summers barefoot, venturing into the outdoors. “There’s so much creativity in nature, and my desire to be an artist comes from wanting to reflect that. I think environmentalism needs more than just scientists. I see the need for art to offer a more metaphorical view.” Working as a resident assistant within the Sustainable Living Learning Community in the Colonnades Neighborhood has been instructive in other ways, teaching Charlotte leadership and communication skills. She says one of the most significant lessons has been refining her listening skills. “It’s humbling to hear people first and then respond,” she says. Charlotte is finishing her senior thesis, which focuses on nearby Cane Creek Farm. Passionate about food, she wants her art to be a vessel promoting local, sustainable farms. She’s using the farm’s red clay soil to create sculptural paintings, abstractly illustrating the farm’s land and animals. “A beautiful landscape painting doesn’t interest me. I prefer to let the materials inform my work and expand the boundaries of art beyond a white wall gallery.” Nearing graduation, Charlotte says she’ll miss the closeness she’s found at Elon and the ability to overlap her interests and learn on a broad scale. “I love being here because I’m not locked into certain communities and I’m always exploring and learning. It’s never boring.”
Charlotte is Elon. Visit elon.edu/magazine to see more stories that are part of our “I Am Elon” series.
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▶ from the PRESIDENT
Investing in Elon’s
BRIGHT FUTURE
I facebook.com/ElonConnieBook twitter.com/ElonConnieBook
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like the name of our comprehensive fundraising campaign, Elon LEADS. It is a simple truth about our community and culture. We understand the power of an Elon education to stage our graduates for the important work the world needs. With each graduate, the hope exists that our mission of human transformation—a commitment to remaining open to learning throughout our lives and a deep awareness that our lives around the world are interconnected—ensures a better future for us all. As we celebrate the public launch of our ambitious $250 million campaign (you can read more about it on page 16), I am reminded that every element of this fundraising effort is about student success. That cornerstone from our founding has been a constant value of Elon’s rise, and staying singularly focused on student success is sure to continue to advance Elon University into the next decade. Elon LEADS does that through four key efforts. The first and primary work in the immediate years ahead is to raise endowed support for student scholarships. In truth, scholarships are living testaments to our community’s values. Named scholarships tell the world we invest resources in mentoring and student success. When I meet students who have named scholarships, the name of those scholarships is said in the same breath as Elon University. Kenneth Brown ’19 told our community in a celebration of the public launch of Elon LEADS, “I was excited to be accepted into Elon—over the moon—but I knew I couldn’t enroll without significant financial aid. I was extremely blessed and grateful to receive the Leon and Lorraine Watson Scholarship in the Odyssey Program, which has changed my life.” Scholarships for our Fellows programs; to support Elon engagement opportunities in our experiential learning programs like study abroad, undergraduate research and internships; and to
offset the cost of tuition constitute the majority of our fundraising effort in this campaign. It is a privilege to advocate for resources to support these critical aspects of an Elon education. Another aspect of the Elon LEADS Campaign is to support faculty and staff mentors who play a vital role in student success at Elon University. President Emeritus Leo M. Lambert and Peter Felten, who leads our Center for Engaged Learning, are poised to publish a book this fall detailing the powerful impacts of mentoring in higher education. As I interact with Elon alumni, it is clear their time at Elon was defined by moments when a mentor— whether a faculty member, student life professional, classmate or friend—said or did something that set their lives in a new direction. Elon LEADS recognizes this role and we are seeking additional resources to permanently endow mentoring moments and the programs designed to support this work. The final aspect of the Elon LEADS Campaign is investing in our campus buildings and spaces that support learning and engagement. When I visit other university campuses, I always walk away thankful that Elon has kept faculty and students engaged in the planning and implementation of each of our spaces. You can feel that difference as you walk through buildings and see students utilizing the spaces, engaged with each other and faculty
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{ From left: L’Tanya Richmond, Glenda Phillips Hightower & President Connie Ledoux Book }
Determined to Succeed
G { President Connie Ledoux Book speaking at the public launch of the Elon LEADS Campaign on April . }
and staff. You can feel that difference when you drive through campus at night and see buildings lit up with activity, dining halls with students around tables huddled together laughing and sharing a meal, and, my personal favorite, as I walk toward my car in the evening, the sounds of a cappella groups practicing in Whitley Auditorium. Our dreams for Elon sometimes seem beyond our reach, and this campaign certainly feels like a stretch goal. But as leaders, we know we cannot achieve greatness by only working to achieve what is easy, what we can see. We must reach for what we can imagine. Elon University is leading—each and every year, advancing our model of teaching and learning in higher education and the investment provided by an Elon degree. We now stand at 30,000-plus alumni and with your commitment and help, we will achieve the vision outlined in the Elon LEADS Campaign. I’m 100 percent confident—bullish, in fact—because Elon LEADS through you. This is the time to come together to demonstrate our leadership and to prepare the next generation of bold, resilient leaders to guide us into the future. Join us as we advance Elon University to national prominence through this campaign. Connie Ledoux Book PRESIDENT
lenda Phillips Hightower, Elon’s first black full-time student who opened a path for future black students to attend the university, was presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters April 4 during Elon University’s Spring Convocation. “‘Thank you’ is woefully inadequate to express my gratitude, my humility, my honor and my great satisfaction at being included in a celebration of education and grandness,” Hightower said. “I thank you so much for creating for me a healing. I didn’t realize at the time that what I was doing was leadership, but I certainly am glad it was interpreted as leadership.” Hightower arrived at Elon in September 1963 at a time when school integration around the South was marred by violence and protests. She received a full scholarship to Elon but was not offered the opportunity to live on campus with most undergraduates. She carried with her an internal drive to succeed, but she felt cut off from her classmates and many professors. She felt unwelcome in the dining hall and library, and only entered either a handful of times during her nearly three semesters at Elon. A clarinetist since high school, she found a home in Elon’s marching band. Presenting the honorary degree to Hightower was L’Tanya Richmond ’87, the former director of Elon’s Multicultural Center who researched the history of Elon’s African-American students, including Hightower, while pursuing a master’s degree from Duke University. “She left an indelible mark on me, and with courage and grace, Glenda Phillips Hightower left an indelible mark on the Elon community by demonstrating the power each of us has to make our world a better and more just place,” said Richmond, who is now the dean of multicultural affairs at Smith College in Massachusetts. “We are a stronger and more inclusive community because of Glenda Phillips Hightower, who inspired us to be our best selves.” President Connie Ledoux Book noted that Hightower “exemplified our mission and reflected Elon’s values in a way that we had not yet done” when she attended the school. “We’re a place made stronger because of your resilience.” Hightower fell ill in the fall of her sophomore year and later moved to Washington, D.C. Though she left Elon, her commitment to an education did not leave her. She earned a nursing and general science degree from the University of Iowa in 1974, becoming a critical care nurse for Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals first in Iowa and then in Durham, North Carolina. Elon’s annual Black Excellence Awards now carries her name, along with that of Eugene Perry, who became Elon’s first black graduate in 1969.
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The Magazine of Elon | . , .
Mike Schrage
The Magazine of Elon is published quarterly for alumni, parents and friends by the Office of University Communications. © , Elon University
NAMED HEAD MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH
EDITOR
Keren Rivas ’ DESIGNERS
Garry Graham Bob Nutt Billie Wagner PHOTOGRAPHY
Andrew Krech ’ Kim Walker E D I T O R I A L S TA F F
Alexa Boschini ’ Owen Covington Roselee Papandrea Taylor CONTRIBUTORS
Belk Library Archives and Special Collections Oliver Fischer ’ Sonya Walker ’ Noah Zaiser ’ Leila Jackson ’ V I C E P R E S I D E N T, U N I V E R S I T Y C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
Daniel J. Anderson EDITORIAL OFFICES
The Magazine of Elon Campus Box Elon, NC - () - elon.edu/magazine
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ike Schrage was named Elon’s 18th head men’s basketball coach on April 8. He joins the Elon program after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio State for head coach Chris Holtmann. During his career, he has worked with several of the best college basketball coaches of all time. Schrage succeeds Matt Matheny, who led the Phoenix for the past 10 years. “Mike has learned under some of the game’s best coaches in Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Johnny Dawkins and Chris Holtmann throughout his career,” said Director of Athletics Dave Blank during a news conference in Schar Center. “His success at academically-rigorous institutions and his commitment to the total student-athlete experience make us excited to have him as the leader of our men’s basketball program.” Members of the Elon community and Phoenix fans
met Schrage, who was joined by his family, wife Amanda and children Andrew and Sophia, at the event. He said he is “absolutely honored” to be the new head coach. “This is a dream come true for me,” Schrage said. “This isn’t just a good university. This is a great university. This is a tight-knit community.” In his two years as an assistant at Ohio State, Schrage helped the Buckeyes exceed expectations with two trips to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Before going to Ohio State, Schrage spent one season on Holtmann’s staff at Butler University and eight seasons as an assistant coach for Johnny Dawkins at Stanford. Schrage previously spent nine seasons at Duke as the director of basketball operations from 2002 to 2008 and was the program’s academic and recruiting coordinator from 1999 to 2002.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, CHAIR
Edward W. Doherty ’ Saddle River, New Jersey
ELON ALUMNI BOARD, PRESIDENT
Michelle Wideman Snavely ’
Boulder, Colorado
YO U N G A LU M N I C O U N C I L , P R E S I D E N T
David Campbell ’
Charlotte, North Carolina PAR E NT S CO U N C I L , CO PR E S I D E NT S
Paul & Mindee Blanco ’
Fairfield, Connecticut
SC H O O L O F CO M M U N I C ATI O N S ADV I SO RY B OAR D, C H AI R
Roger Bolton
New Canaan, Connecticut SC H O O L O F L AW ADV I SO RY B OAR D, C H AI R
David Gergen
Cambridge, Massachusetts MARTHA AND SPENCER LOVE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS BOARD OF ADVISORS, CHAIR
Patricia Chadwick ’ Old Greenwich, Connecticut PHOENIX CLUB ADVISORY BOARD, CHAIR
Mike Cross
Burlington, North Carolina
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Remembering L.M. Wood
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he Elon community gathered to remember and mourn the loss of L.M. Wood, a long-time associate professor of art who died in her sleep March 9. An accomplished teacher and artist in her own right, Wood was remembered as a kind, strong woman who cared deeply for her students, family, friends and colleagues. “She shared so much of what she had with everyone,” said Gabie Smith, dean of Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences, who joined the faculty at the same time as Wood in 2000. “She was gentle but brave.” In her teaching, Wood believed students were central partners in learning. Many students and alumni who attended the remembrance event told stories of how her kindness touched them in countless ways, inside and outside the classroom. That’s not to say she was an easy professor, but rather an artist who was so passionate she wanted to make sure all her students succeeded at their craft.
Her legacy goes beyond the students she taught and empowered at Elon. She and husband David Schaeffer established Eclectic Moose Studio in 1991 and the couple was active in the artist scene in nearby Saxapahaw, North Carolina, where she contributed to the Saxapahaw Museum. “Anyone she touched, she made a better artist,” said J.P. Lavoie, a multimedia developer who worked with Wood on some of her classes. “I’m a better artist because of her.”
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Campus Compact has named Lucy Jones ’20 a Newman Civic Fellow in recognition of her community-oriented work. A philosophy major who is minoring in political science, religious studies and poverty and social justice, Jones collaborates with members of the university community to improve political awareness and civic engagement on campus. She is part of a cohort of 262 fellows selected for 2019 that will receive a variety of learning and networking opportunities.
Derrick Luster ’20 is a finalist for a 2019 Truman Scholarship, a prestigious national fellowship
awarded each year to college juniors who seek to work in education, government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors, or elsewhere in public service. The political science major who is minoring in sociology and African and African-American Studies was among 840 applicants for the award, which funds up to $30,000 for graduate study.
Elon continues to build upon its track record of mentoring successful Fulbright U.S. Student Award recipients, with nine alumni now studying, teaching or conducting research overseas as recipients of the prestigious international fellowship. Among 159 doctoral/professional universities in the country, Elon produced the most Fulbright U.S. Student Award winners for 2018-19. Five recent Elon graduates are currently abroad on Fulbright English Teaching
Assistant Awards: Isabelle Fagen ’18 (Spain), Megan Graves ’18 (Spain), Melody Titus ’18 (Spain), Bryanna Schoenblatt ’18 (Spain) and Madeline Wetterhall ’18 (Germany). Four recent graduates are abroad on Fulbright Study/Research Awards: Brianna Birchett ’17 (India), Anya Fredsell ’18 (India), Samantha Friedman ’18 (United Kingdom) and Sarah Holdren ’18 (Finland). The Pendulum, the student-run newspaper of the Elon News Network, Phi Psi Cli yearbook and Colonnades Literary and Art Journal all won Best of Show awards in February from the North Carolina College Media Association. The awards were presented at the association’s conference for college media students and advisers. Students honored in the individual categories as well included Caroline Brehman ’18, Matthew Cesari ’18, Maddy Gross ’18, Stephanie Hays ’18, Olivia Ryan ’18, Alexa Baer ’19, Kendall Brewer ’19, Elena Hernandez ’19, Jordan
Levine ’19,Emmanuel Morgan ’19, Alexandra Schonfeld ’19, Matthew Simmons ’19, Laurel Wind ’19, Anton Delgado ’20, Meghan Kimberling ’20, Allison Simmons ’20, Alex Toma ’20, Jack Haley ’21 and Myasia Ragland ’21.
Three Elon students will travel overseas this summer as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship Program to further their study of foreign languages critical to U.S. diplomacy and outreach. Styrling Rohr ’19 will study Hindi in Jaipur, India, at the American Institute of Indian Studies; Shariq Ali ’20 will study Arabic in Ibri, Oman, at the Noor Majan Training Institute; and Ashley Jutras ’20 will study Arabic in Tangier, Morocco, at the Arab American Language Institute.
Elon University was recognized this spring by several organizations for its Peace Corps volunteers, strategic communications, physician assistant studies and part-time MBA programs. • For the second consecutive year, Elon was named one of the top producers of Peace Corps volunteers. Elon tied for No. 18 among mediumsized schools (those with between 5,000 and 15,000 undergraduates) on the agency’s 2019 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. Nineteen Elon alumni currently volunteer worldwide and more than 130 have served all-time.
U.S. News & World Report
• U.S. News & World Report ranked Elon’s physician assistant studies program No. 37 in the country among 170 programs. The 2020 national rankings mark the first set of rankings Elon’s PA program has been eligible for since receiving accreditationcontinued status by the national accrediting body. The first class of 37 physician assistant students arrived at Elon in 2013 and graduated in 2015.
U.S. News & World Report
School of Communications
• Elon’s part-time MBA program is ranked among the top 100 programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The program tied for No. 89 in the 2020 rankings, up from No. 92 in the previous year’s rankings. Part-time MBA programs were ranked based on factors including peer assessments, recruiter assessments, the starting salaries and bonuses of graduates and student selectivity. • Elon’s School of Communications was named Education Program of the Year at the annual PRWeek Awards, held in March in New York City. In their assessment of Elon, the PRWeek judges commended the school’s “hybrid faculty members” who possess both terminal degrees and significant professional experience.
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“Government is more than who the president is. Government is all of us. Every single one of us. And as we work through what I know are really challenging times, what are really hard times, think that not only have we been there before, but we persevered.” — Loretta Lynch, former U.S. Attorney General, during the Distinguished Leadership Lecture at Elon University School of Law on Feb. .
“I believe the young people of today understand the need to think globally, to build in-depth people-to-people links, to try to understand each other. I think young people today have a sense that who we are is being changed by the movement of people and ideas, and that ultimately, who we are is improved as we embrace newcomers, new ideas and new cultures.” — Julia Gillard, the th Prime Minister of Australia, delivering the Baird Lecture and Spring Convocation address on April .
Elon Law Professor Henry Gabriel has been awarded the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Law at the University of Trento in Italy for spring 2020, a recognition of his significant publication and teaching records. The Distinguished Chair Awards are viewed as the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program and comprise approximately 40 annual lecturing and research awards ranging from three to 12 months. During his time at the University of Trento, Gabriel will teach undergraduates and doctoral students in the university’s renowned program in comparative law as well as research the effect of soft law on international legal norms. Three professors in the College of Arts & Sciences have published books. Professor of Mathematics Crista Arangala and
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Associate Professor of Mathematics Karen Yokley collaborated with N.C. A&T State University’s Associate Professor of Mathematics Nicholas Luke on “Mathematical Modeling: Branching Beyond Calculus.” The book focuses on exposing a broad audience to mathematical modeling and is aimed at second- and third-year STEM students. The textbook covers a variety of topics including visualization, interpretation, optimization, simulation and differential equation modeling. Associate Professor of Spanish Mina Garcia also published a book, “Idolatry and the Construction of the Spanish Empire.” The book, Garcia’s second, explores religious orthodoxy and unorthodoxy during Spain’s medieval and early modern period and examines the role played by the shifting concept of idolatry in the conquest of the Americas.
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Vice President for Access and Success Jean Rattigan-Rohr makes it her mission to prepare teacher candidates so they leave no child behind. There is no better example than the “It Takes a Village” Project, a tutoring program she founded in 2008 that assists struggling young readers in the local community through the involvement of their parents and Elon volunteers. The recipient of the 2013 Periclean Award for Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility, Rattigan-Rohr advocates for social responsibility and participatory citizenship and leaves a lasting impression on all who work with her.
Jean Rattigan-Rohr
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BY KARA COWDRICK ’
he best learning extends beyond classroom walls and takes place during memorable life-changing experiences. These experiences engage, challenge and empower students even after they conclude. Elon Professor Jean Rattigan-Rohr truly understands the power of these valuable experiences. As an elementary education major, I enrolled in Professor Rohr’s “Methods for Teaching Struggling Readers” course my junior year. In this course, Rohr did not just teach research-based literacy pedagogy. She required that we put our newly acquired knowledge into practice by intertwining course learning objectives with a meaningful service-learning experience: participating in the “It Takes a Village” Project. Each Wednesday evening, I boarded the Elon BioBus with Rohr and my classmates and traveled to May Memorial Library in nearby downtown Burlington. There I tutored a fourthgrade student alongside his parents. The first night I quickly learned firsthand about the complexity of teaching reading and that I had a lot more to learn. However, as the semester progressed, my confidence in my abilities to teach reading skills and to create meaningful student-teacher-family partnerships increased. Years later, I know that this service-learning experience continues to positively impact my life as an educator today. Rohr explicitly modeled how educators need to think globally and act locally in order to support all students, from struggling readers in elementary school to novice preservice teachers in higher education. I regularly use the foundational lessons I learned about teaching reading when I teach my fifth-grade students, all of whom are just like my tutee: English learners who need a lot of effective reading instruction. Moreover, Rohr continues to show me how positive results can be multiplied when we intentionally unite educators, students, families, universities, businesses and community partners to a common goal. I am certain my successful Village experience propelled me to create the Chesney Champion Bookmobile, a collaborative summer literacy initiative that supports students in my local school community. Rohr’s endless encouragement for this initiative means more to me than she will ever know. Professor Rohr equipped me with the necessary tools, beliefs and passion to reach beyond the walls of my fifth-grade and my university classrooms. I will forever be grateful to her for that. Her influence will never end.
Kara Cowdrick ’10 teaches fifth grade at Chesney Elementary School in Duluth, Georgia. She is also an adjunct professor at Mercer University, where she obtained a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction.
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Fostering creativity and innovation
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he Elon community gathered in April to celebrate the generosity of Sheldon and Christine Gordon P’16 P’19 and the Gordon family in establishing an endowed professorship in entrepreneurship. Surrounded by Elon students, faculty, staff and friends in the Ernest A. Koury, Sr. Business Center, Christine Gordon was presented with a plaque recognizing the support the Gordon family has provided to the university. Sheldon Gordon, a visionary real estate developer from West Haven, Connecticut, died in 2017. The Gordons were both members of Elon’s Parents Council and Christine is still a council member. “My husband’s entire career and even those interests he pursued outside of his professional world all had to do with this creative zest to do things that really hadn't been done before,” Gordon said. The event also honored Haya Ajjan, associate professor of management information systems, who will serve as the first Sheldon and Christine Gordon Professor in Entrepreneurship. The endowed professorship, which was established in 2016, seeks to infuse an entrepreneurial spirit and foster creative thinking across campus. During the event, President Connie Ledoux Book said entrepreneurship at Elon helps students learn strategies for developing systematic approaches
{ From left: Associate Professor of Management Information Systems Haya Ajjan, Elon President Connie Ledoux Book, Christine Gordon P’ P’ & Katie Gordon ’ } to problems through design thinking and assists them in finding their purpose. “The Gordon Professorship is a commitment to supporting faculty members who instill these values in our students,” Book added. Gordon was joined at the event by her daughter, Katie ’19. Her other daughter, Martine ’16, lives and works in New York City.
BIO C: Terror of the Deep
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he common fangtooth fish would probably make you recoil. Its head is too big for its scaly body, it has tiny milky grey eyes and sharp, needle-like teeth so large that it can’t close its mouth. This creature is frightening, but it’s so small that you could easily hold it in the palm of your hand. It only reaches a maximum size of six inches and the chances you’ll ever encounter it are close to none. That’s because the common fangtooth fish lives 600 to 6,500 feet down in the ocean, in zones where the sun cannot reach, and the pressure is so great that it would instantly crush any organism that does not possess the proper survival mechanisms. Students learn about unique inhabitants like this one and ecosystems of the deep sea in BIO 105 C: Terror of the Deep, a new Winter Term course taught by Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Mike Kingston. Little is known about the ocean in general, and even less about its deepest parts. People once followed the azoic theory, the idea that no life outside of tiny bacteria lived in the deep ocean. Humans across cultures have long been fascinated with the ocean and told stories about mythical sea creatures that roamed the waters. Some believed that the Kraken, a giant octopus, attacked sailors in Norway and the Isonade, a huge shark, dragged down boats to the depths of the ocean off the coast of Japan. As part of the course, students explore the five zones of the ocean and animal adaptations in mid-to-deep ocean zones since food can be scarce and pressure and temperature are extreme. Some animals like the giant squid have become huge over time, and some fish in mid-ocean zones are bioluminescent, producing light to attract prey or distract predators. They also learn about the mostly negative impact humans and climate changes are having on the deep ocean. “People are starting to think about the deep ocean
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BY LEILA JACKSON ’
because they realize it’s a great source for tin, gold, cobalt, a lot of the precious metals that we use in computers and we use for machinery,” Kingston says. “We’re going to start mining the deep ocean and that’s kind of scary to me.” Besides readings and lectures, field trips are embedded into the course. In January, students traveled to the Nature Research Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the hyperbaric chamber at Duke University Hospital in Durham. “It’s doing the science that’s the fun stuff ; it’s not learning from the book, it’s learning from nature,” Kingston says, adding that while the cold temperatures prevented this year’s class participants from conducting experiments outside, they were able to visit places where they saw science in action. Kingston hopes that by taking this course, future science classes seem more approachable to non-science majors. “I want them to get an overall feel for how ecosystems function and concern for ecosystems that are far from our daily life,” he says. ABOUT THE PROFESSOR Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Mike Kingston joined the Elon faculty in 1991. As a marine biologist, his research focuses on the ecology and vertical migration behavior of microscopic algae that live in the sands of freshwater streams, estuaries and ocean beaches. During the summer, he serves as an adjunct professor of marine ecology at the Duke University Marine Laboratory. RECOMMENDED MATERIALS • “Creatures of the Deep: In Search of the Sea’s Monsters and the World They Live In” by Erich Hoyt • “Creatures of Light Underwater” (2016) PBS/NOVA Documentary film
ELON LEADS CAMPAIGN { The Elon community came together on March to celebrate Elon Day. }
A RECORDSETTING DAY
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housands of people around the world joined together on March 5 to support the university and show their pride on Elon Day, the university’s annual day of giving. Their record-setting support totaled 6,376 gifts and more than $2.3 million—the greatest day of giving in the university’s history. Since 2014, Elon Day has inspired donors to contribute over 23,000 gifts and more than $7 million to the university. “Elon Day shows how much our community believes in Elon, and the difference we can make for our institution when we come together,” said John H. Barnhill ’92, associate vice president for university advancement. Giving challenges throughout the day supported multiple scholarships, including: Two new scholarships totaling $115,000 to provide access to engaged learning experiences, made possible by Jim and Nancy Point P’95 and John and Valerie Thomas P’20. Three new Elon Engagement Scholarships totaling $300,000 sponsored by Allison Fox ’15, Robert and Kim Graybill P’21, and Rich ’87 and Laurie Johnson P’17. One new $500,000 Odyssey Scholarship sponsored by the family of a sophomore student.
Elon Trustee Jeanne Robertson P’89 GP’17 GP’22 matched gifts to athletics designations dollar for dollar up to $100,000 through the “Join Jeanne” match. In addition, a group of generous donors matched gifts to Elon’s Greatest Needs up to $100,000 through the “Together Elon” match. Other donors who sponsored Elon Day giving challenges and matches include Jen Porter and Elon Trustee Dave Porter P’11 P’19, Lori and Elon Trustee Eric Sklut P’14, Susan and Steve Paneyko P’20, Robbie and Shawn Ellsworth P’20, Cindy and Steve ’80 Ellington, Cam Tims ’00, Jill and TJ Rose ’00, Jon Shutt ’05, Kim and Steve Klinger P'20, Angela and Michael Simon P’17, Debbie and Stephen Ellick P’18 P’20, Helen and Chris Leupold P’21, Bill Vaughan L’11, Debbie and Michael Bunder P’18 P’22, Lisa and Leonard Dick P’20, Heidi and Michael Brodsky P’21, Sandra and Jordan Walder P’22, Linda and Mark Posner P’20, and Debi and Harris Gellman P’22. On-campus events included a special College Coffee, a Senior Toast for the Class of 2019 and an all-student Elon Day Mardi Party with fireworks. These events and 38 alumni chapter parties around the world drew more than 3,950 attendees. For photos from the day’s festivities, see this issue’s inside back cover.
On April 5, the university officially launched the Elon leads Campaign, the largest fundraising campaign in university history with a goal of raising $250 million by May 31, 2022. Below are the four key priorities of the campaign. You can read more about it on page 16 or by visiting elonleads.com.
$140M
The amount the community will invest in scholarships—including Odyssey, Elon Engagement and Fellows Scholarships— to support exceptional graduates the world needs.
$10M
The funds that will support access to engaged learning experiences, such as global engagement, undergraduate research, service, internships, leadership and other innovative programs.
$10M
The amount that will be used to enhance student learning by supporting faculty and staff mentors who matter and make a difference in the classroom and beyond.
$90M
The funds to enhance Elon’s iconic learning environment, which promotes collaboration, sparks bold ideas and seamlessly blends academics and co-curricular experiences.
Source: Office of University Advancement
SPRING
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The 2019 undergraduate Commencement ceremonies will take place on Friday, May 24. An outdoor ceremony on Scott Plaza will be followed by two separate diploma-awarding ceremonies in Schar Center. For more information about Commencement events, visit elon.edu/commencement. WEDNESDAY, MAY
Senior Class Picnic with Faculty and Staff, noon The Office of Alumni Engagement hosts a farewell picnic for all graduating members of the senior class and Elon faculty and staff. THURSDAY, MAY
Baccalaureate, p.m. Address by The Rev. Jennifer Bailey, founder and executive director of the Faith Matters Network and an emerging leader in the multifaith movement for social justice.
Legacy Reception for Graduates and their Alumni Parents, Grandparents and Siblings, : p.m. Alumni who are parents, grandparents or siblings of 2019 graduates are invited to this reception hosted by the Office of Alumni Engagement.
Al Drago ’ to deliver commencement address
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ward-winning photojournalist Al Drago ’15 will return to Elon University May 24 to deliver the undergraduate commencement address to the Class of 2019. Drago covers the White House, Congress and national politics in Washington, D.C., as a contract press photographer, with his work regularly appearing in The New York Times. His images have also been published by the Wall Street Journal, Paris Match, TIME, Rolling Stone, NBC Nightly News, The New Yorker, ESPN and others. After receiving his journalism degree from Elon in 2015, Drago landed a position as a photo intern at CQ Roll Call in the nation’s capital before beginning his work for The New York Times in June 2016. He covered the final months of Barack Obama’s presidency as well as the presidential transition, inauguration and presidency of Donald Trump. He is among the photographers for The New York Times who follow the president everywhere he goes, whether it’s in the motorcade for a speech in Washington or traveling on Air Force One. Drago’s work has been recognized by the White House News Photographers Association, the National Press Photographers Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the North Carolina Press Photographers Association and the Hearst Journalism Awards.
{ Al Drago ’ }
Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Drago was deeply involved in student media while at Elon. Since graduating, he has delivered lectures on photography, journalism and the use of social media at The Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Poynter Institute. He often returns to campus to speak to classes and advise student journalists. Drago will deliver his address during an outdoor ceremony on Scott Plaza in front of Alamance Building that will also include a processional of students, the student speaker and the president’s charge to graduates.
A PERFECT BOOK ENDING
FRIDAY, MAY
th Commencement Ceremony, : a.m. Award-winning photojournalist Al Drago ’15 will deliver the undergraduate Commencement address for the Class of 2019.
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{ ABSS Superintendent Bruce Benson, center, receives a check from President Connie Ledoux Book & Vice President of Access and Success Jean Rattigan-Rohr. }
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resident Connie Ledoux Book presented a check for $10,000 to Alamance-Burlington School System Superintendent Bruce Benson on April 12 to fund the purchase of 1,000 books for local schools. The donation represented the generosity of nearly 1,000 donors who contributed to the Honor President Book Drive that led up to Book’s installation as Elon’s ninth president. “I’m very proud of the Elon community for raising $10,000 to make more books available to the Alamance-Burlington School System,” Book said. Talking to a group of students at
Elon Elementary as she read “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein, Book explained the importance of reading, noting that “If you can read, you can learn anything.” The drive was just one of the many partnerships between the university and local schools. Elon students in the School of Education work with local students as part of their coursework and student teaching assignments, and programs such as the Elon Academy and “It Takes a Village” Project provide resources to help local students succeed in K–12 and beyond.
LONG LIVE ELON
{ An estate gift by Edna Truitt ’ & Doug Noiles will endow scholarships to support students from Alamance County who are selected for the Odyssey Program. }
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he late edna truitt noiles ’44 and her husband, Doug, believed so strongly in giving back to her alma mater that they made many generous gifts to support top priorities of Elon University. Now the couple’s estate gift will fund 10 endowed scholarships in the Odyssey Program, a highly selective program for students with exceptional ability and significant financial need. All 10 scholarships are designated for students from Alamance County who are selected for the Odyssey Program. Four of the scholarships will have a first preference for students who live or have lived in the Morgan Place community in Elon, also known as the Ballpark neighborhood, adjacent to the university’s campus. These students have been historically underrepresented at Elon. The first of these annual scholarships, to be called the “Edna Scholars,” are expected to be awarded beginning in fall 2020. President Connie Ledoux Book praised the Noileses for making a historic investment in Alamance County students. “Our community is indebted to the late Edna Truitt Noiles and her late husband, Doug, for their generous spirits and for recognizing the power of scholarships to change lives,” Book said. “Edna and Doug deeply understood the ability of quality education to lift up communities and individuals. Their legacy will live on in the promise of 10 full scholarships that will provide opportunities for Alamance County students who will enrich our learning community. We can only imagine the impact these students will have on a world in need of courageous leaders.” The Odyssey Program is part of the university’s Center for Access and Success, which is led by Jean RattiganRohr, who serves as vice president for access and success. “The Odyssey Program is a stronger initiative because of
Making an Elon education accessible BY JALEH HAGIGH AND MADISON TAYLOR
the generosity of the Noiles family,” Rattigan-Rohr said. “These scholarships will plant the seeds for meaningful change in our communities and the world for generations to come. We are truly grateful.” In addition to scholarships, the Noileses have made lead gifts to launch several signature university programs, including the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and the Elon Academy, which is a national model for college access and success programs for high school students in Alamance County. Edna grew up just two miles from Elon’s campus. After receiving her degree in history and English in 1944, she served in the hospital corps of the U.S. Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) program. It was through her service to WAVES that she met Doug, with the pair marrying in 1945. Doug, who became a pioneer in the development of medical and orthopedic devices, died in 2016. Edna passed away in 2017, the same year that her granddaughter, Josephine Gardner, graduated from Elon.
{ Edna Truitt ’ & Doug Noiles }
LONG LIVE ELON
Siblings honor parents with gift Archie Israel ’39 and his wife, Adelaide, made a generous gift in 1985 to establish the Archie and Adelaide Israel Scholarship to bring deserving students to Elon. While the couple passed away within 10 days of each other in 2004, the scholarship they endowed more than three decades ago is now being continued by their children to provide even greater financial assistance for high-achieving students who might not otherwise be able to attend Elon. Stephen Israel, Marjorie Israel Chayette and Barbara Israel recently made an additional gift to Elon to further the original scholarship to become part of Elon’s Odyssey Program. The four-year program is highly selective and its recipients are among Elon’s top-performing students and campus leaders. Members of the Israel family say they are excited to make this { Archie Israel ’ & Adelaide Israel } gift to honor their parents and to assist students who would be unable to attend Elon without financial assistance. “Education was something they were very supportive of,” says Barbara, who is a professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. “We were fortunate that our parents had the resources to send us to college and cover our educational expenses. I was desirous of going in the direction of the Odyssey Program because the focus of the scholarship is on students who are highly qualified but don’t have the financial resources to attend Elon.” Steve, vice chairman with Korn/Ferry International in New York, says when Rhodes Stadium opened in 2001, his father and mother returned to Elon often for football games and struck up a strong relationship with now President Emeritus Leo M. Lambert and his wife, Laurie. “We were very inspired by Leo. The Odyssey Scholarship Program helps people. It was important to Leo and part of his legacy and we wanted to be part of that,” he adds.
Alumnus supports The Inn at Elon
A generous gift from alumnus and Elon Trustee Dr. William N.P. Herbert ’68 and wife Marsha will support construction of The Inn at Elon, which will address the long-standing need for on-campus lodging and
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{ Dr. William N.P. Herbert ’ }
conference facilities. The three-story, 80-room inn is under construction next to the Ernest A. Koury, Sr. Business Center. The facility will include a restaurant, lounge and event space, among other amenities. It will be owned by the university’s endowment, with net operating revenues supporting need-based scholarships. The Herberts’ gift will also establish an Elon Engagement Scholarship in honor and memory of Bill’s mother. The Madaline Cates Herbert ’31 Memorial Scholarship will assist admitted students who are eager to participate in Elon’s renowned engaged learning programs. Preference for the scholarship will be given to students from Alamance County, North Carolina. Bill Herbert says he and Marsha were excited to support two top university priorities. “The inn will be an incredible place to stay for alumni, parents and prospective families visiting the campus,” Herbert says, adding that scholarships are also an important priority for his family to support. “I was the recipient of a number of small scholarships when I was at Elon, which I appreciated a great deal. Education is expensive today and every little bit of assistance helps. I know my mother would be pleased.”
Parents endow Engagement Scholarships An endowment gift from Robert and Kim Graybill P’21 will create The Graybill Family Elon Engagement Scholarship. The couple has also made a valuable fouryear annual commitment to assist students in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. Robert Graybill is the owner, president and chief executive officer of FMS Solutions Holdings LLC, a provider of accounting and { Kim & Robert Graybill P’ } consulting services to independent retail grocers in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean and northern South America. The Graybills are members of Parents Council and their son, Dylan, is an Elon sophomore. The Graybill Family Elon Engagement Scholarships will be awarded annually to two students. The scholarships include a grant earmarked for each student to participate in one of the Elon Experiences, including study abroad and internships. This aspect of the program appealed to the Graybill family. “The Elon Experiences were very much what attracted us to the Engagement Scholarship. It’s a whole school experience that some students don’t have access to because of money, unfortunately,” Robert Graybill says. “Those experiences are not just about learning but also about growing up.”
LONG LIVE ELON
▶ MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Creating new opportunities BY MEGAN MCCLURE
{ Bill & Kristy Woolfolk P ’ }
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rue joy is seeing your child experience something that changes them for the better. True generosity is making sure others have the same opportunities. Through their remarkable support of Elon, Bill and Kristy Woolfolk P’17 have done just that. The Woolfolks’ son, Spencer, thrived at Elon. Inspired by his experience, the couple created the Frechette Family Foundation Fund for Global Education and the Frechette Elon Engagement Scholarship. Both benefit students in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. “We feel that every student should have the chance to study abroad and benefit from experiential learning,” Kristy says. Today, the Woolfolks serve on the President’s Advisory Council for the university. They have expanded their impact on campus by joining fellow council members to establish two Leo M. Lambert Odyssey Scholarships. They also support the Phoenix Club, which provides scholarships for student-athletes. Both scholarships and access to engaged learning are key priorities of Elon LEADS, a fundraising campaign that aims to invest $250 million that will secure Elon’s future. “We hope our gifts will make a significant and genuine difference for a number of students who wouldn’t have
these opportunities otherwise,” Bill says. Monika Znosko ’19 felt the impact of the Woolfolks’ generosity firsthand when she studied abroad in Barcelona. “My experience studying abroad allowed me to dive deeper into the Spanish culture,” says Znosko, who will join Bloomberg L.P. as a financial product analyst in New York City after graduation. “I developed a stronger global perspective that I will carry with me throughout my career.”
The impact of many Cedric Pulliam ’12 was born in Burlington, North Carolina, but he didn’t stay in the Tar Heel state for long. His father’s service in the U.S. Army took their family across the country. At Elon, he found a home away from home. Like many students, Pulliam experienced ups and downs in college. Yet at Elon, he found a supportive network who encouraged him along the way. “My experience at Elon was beautiful. It challenged me in a positive way and brought me some of the richest friendships I could ask for—faculty members like Chalmers and Pam Brumbaugh, who took me in as their adopted Elon son,” he says. “The affection, compassion and dedication from those four years still resonates with me today.”
{ Cedric Pulliam ’ } They also inspire Pulliam to give back to Elon every year. His contributions count toward Elon LEADS. He supports areas across campus, including Elon’s Greatest Needs, the Elon Academy and the Black Alumni Scholarship—a designation he is deeply connected to. “It’s my duty to give back to that particular scholarship,” he says. “I want to support black students who are excelling in the classroom.” He also serves on the Young Alumni Council, which seeks to strengthen connections between young alumni and the university. “It’s so important that alumni serve in these roles. My alma mater is near and dear to my heart, and that keeps me motivated to stay involved.”
All gifts to Elon count as part of the Elon LEADS Campaign, which the university officially launched April . For more on the campaign, see page or visit elonleads.com.
PHOENIX SPORTS
▶ elonphoenix.com
Ready for a VIKING CAREER BY ANDREW WILSON
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“[Oli] came to Elon, committed to the process, developed as a football player and as a man. He’s ready for this opportunity and this challenge and I’m really excited for him, his family and Elon football.” - Head Football Coach Tony Trisciani
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oming to the Elon football team as a first-year student in the summer of 2014, Olisaemeka Udoh wouldn’t even turn 18 until February 2015. But standing 6’5” and weighing 380 pounds, the offensive lineman knew he had an opportunity to turn heads, both academically and athletically, over the course of his time at Elon. Nearly five years later, Udoh, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, found out just how far he had come when on April 27 he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL Draft, becoming football’s third student-athlete selected in the draft since the program moved to the Division I ranks in 1999. “We’re really excited for Oli and this opportunity,” says head football coach Tony Trisciani. “He came to Elon, committed to the process, developed as a football player and as a man. He’s ready for this opportunity and this challenge and I’m really excited for him, his family and Elon football.” While Udoh has become the latest Elon athlete to represent the Phoenix at the professional ranks, he’s one of many that have used their time at Elon as a launching point for not only careers in athletics, but also future careers in their field of choice. An exercise science major and a biology minor, Udoh spent his first year at Elon redshirting to focus on losing weight, gaining strength and learning the skills required to play in the trenches on the offensive line in the Colonial Athletic Association— one of the top football conferences at the FCS level. Though not ready to contribute his first year on the field, Udoh built on his strong high school academic background to shine in the classroom on the way to earning Athletic Director’s Honor Roll recognitions each of his first two semesters on campus. The son of parents in the medical field, Elon offered Udoh a chance to balance his love of science with the ability to play football at a high level.
“When I was visiting schools, my parents kept stressing that I should make my choice based on academics,” Udoh says. “I thought that Elon presented me with exactly what I wanted to do academically, and it allowed me to stay fairly close to home. My family has always been really supportive, so it meant a lot to have them close enough to come to my home games and continue that support.” Graduating last May, Udoh exercised his fifth year of eligibility to take some additional science courses and continue his football career. That’s when he started garnering serious attention from NFL scouts. Starting all 11 games in 2018 and all 45 contests the Phoenix has played since his redshirt season, Udoh became a mainstay on Elon’s offensive line that helped Elon’s offense reach the top of the conference in rushing and touchdowns. Along the way, Udoh thrived in the classroom while making a name for himself on the field. He took difficult science courses, worked closely with professors and was an integral member of group projects from day one. Caroline Ketcham, a professor of exercise science who had Udoh in her senior seminar course, says he was one of the most innovative students she has ever taught in her 15 years in higher education. “Oli is both respectful and respected—a quiet leader who facilitated a group to develop a complex idea and present outcomes to diverse stakeholders with a sophisticated and digestible approach,” Ketcham says. “His talent, work ethic and confidence are not front-forward, but they’re unmistakable for those who are fortunate enough to work alongside Oli for a sustained period of time.” Now set for the next chapter in his career, Udoh worked his way on the field from a kid that wasn’t ready for the gridiron in year one, to earning multiple All-America honors and putting Elon on football’s biggest stage at the East-West Shrine Game, the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine and now the NFL Draft—all while earning a degree to succeed off the field when his football career comes to a close.
PHOENIX SPORTS
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TYLER SEIBRING ’19 BY NOAH ZAISER ’20
THROUGHOUT HIS COLLEGIATE CAREER, TYLER SEIBRING ’ has demonstrated his prowess on the Elon men’s basketball team. During his first season with Elon, the 6-foot-9-inch forward was named to the ncaa All-Rookie Team and was Rookie of the Week three times. He finished his sophomore year as the team leader for scoring and rebounding and was named the 2016–17 caa Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. As a junior, he became the program’s 40th player to reach 1,000 career points, and scored 82 three-point shots, which was ranked second-most in program history. Continuing to balance his student-athlete performance, this season earned him the 2018–19 caa Male ScholarAthlete of the Year and the caa Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Tyler is a proven leader both on the court and in the classroom, but there’s more to the senior than meets the eye. He sat down with The Magazine of Elon to share more.
He’s ambidextrous. Tyler writes exclusively with his left hand, even though he’s distinctly known for shooting right-handed. His dad encouraged him to try a multitude of sports with his left hand, and as a result, “my off hand can knock some points down, but I keep that for casual shooting sessions,” he says.
He follows a strict pregame ritual. Before any game, Tyler eats his favorite snack: a PB&J sandwich. Starting with his shorts, he then puts on his jersey, the right sock before the left, and finally his right shoe prior to the left. “I have to put my uniform on in that order; it’s always been my own way of preparing for the game,” he says. “I won’t tie my shoes until I get to the court.”
He enjoys fishing. Tyler found his appreciation for fishing while visiting Minnesota during a family gathering with his cousins when he was 8 years old. Speaking to the laid-back nature of the activity in comparison to the fast pace of basketball, he says: “I enjoy the peace of it; it’s nice to be able to find another way to enjoy life by how simple it is.”
He loves watching baseball. As a Cubs fan from Illinois, Tyler played a considerable amount of baseball in his youth. “It’s funny, I used to play and I hated it, but I love watching the game,” he says, adding that he finds it relaxing to attend Major League Baseball games. “It’s one of those things that when you go to a game, you always know you’ll get to enjoy a nice day.”
He lives by a quote. Tyler’s favorite quote by American author John Steinbeck summarizes his outlook in life: “It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world.” Explaining the quote’s impact on his life, he says: “It has a way of defining purpose as the effect that you have on other people, which I think is extremely important.”
COVER STORY
AN AUDACIOUS PURSUIT 16  the MAGAZINE of ELON
The public launch of the Elon LEADS Campaign marks a historic effort to expand access to an Elon education
{ President Connie Ledoux Book surrounded by scholarship recipients during the April 5 event that launched the public phase of the Elon LEADS Campaign in Schar Center. }
BY JALEH HAGIGH, MEGAN MCCLURE, KATIE PEOPLES '06 AND MADISON TAYLOR
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{ Dora Muratovic ’ & Kenneth Brown ’ take a selfie during the April 5 campaign kickoff event in Schar Center. }
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efore coming to Elon, Kenneth Brown ’19 and Dora Muratovic ’19 didn’t know how much they had in common. After fleeing war-torn Kosovo as a child, Muratovic and her family immigrated to Orlando, Florida, hoping for a better life. Brown grew up the oldest of nine children in Greensboro, North Carolina, where his family often struggled to make ends meet. Faced with adversity, both knew getting an education would be the key to their success. When time came to choose a college, they both fell in love with Elon, but knew that without financial aid it would be impossible to enroll. Now about to graduate, Brown and Muratovic are among Elon’s most active and engaged student leaders who embody the power that scholarships have to change lives.
Scholarships opened doors for Brown to study abroad in Scotland, present at professional conferences and create programs for student organizations as student body president. He plans to pursue a career in higher education. Scholarships also allowed Muratovic to study in Argentina, Chile and Peru and complete two internships at Goldman Sachs in New York, where she will start a job following graduation. Transformational stories such as these are at the heart of the Elon LEADS Campaign, the largest fundraising initiative in the university’s history focused on increasing funding for scholarships. The university launched the public phase of the campaign on April 5, setting out to raise $250 million by May 31, 2022. More than half of that goal is designated for scholarships. “Keeping college affordable is the great challenge at every institution. We understand that, and this effort is the cornerstone of the Elon LEADS Campaign,” says Elon Trustee Dave Porter p’11 p’19, who is chairing the campaign during its first year. Work on the campaign goes back to 2015 when members of Elon’s board of trustees began the planning phase that resulted in four main funding priorities. In addition to scholarships, the campaign will increase access to Elon’s renowned engaged learning programs called the Elon Experiences, support faculty and staff mentors and continue developing Elon’s iconic learning environment. “Our four main goals are all designed to promote student success,” says Elon President Connie Ledoux Book. “We will help them afford to come to Elon, to thrive in this amazing environment for learning and to form the relationships that will set them on a course to improve our world.” Brown understands firsthand the role philanthropy plays in making that possible. “When you create a scholarship, you show students like me that no matter where we come from, we belong at Elon,” says Brown, who received the Leon and Lorraine Watson Scholarship in the Odyssey Program. “You demonstrate that when given an opportunity and the resources to grow, we can change the world.
AN AUDACIOUS PURSUIT
Every Gift Counts
ON THE ROAD | Elon Trustee Dave Porter P’11 P’19, who is
chairing the campaign during its first year, speaks at the regional Elon LEADS launch event in Chicago, one of eight planned for 2019. To learn more about the campaign, attend an event, make a gift or follow the progress, go to elonleads.com.
I know that Elon has definitely changed mine.” Muratovic, too, is grateful for the life-changing support. “I always knew I wanted to make a difference in the world, but before Elon, I wasn’t sure how,” says the Business Fellow and Susan Scholarship recipient in the Odyssey Program. “I now have the tools to understand what I can offer the world—and that is my leadership.” Because Elon LEADS is a comprehensive campaign, all gifts to the university count toward the $250 million goal. So far, donors have contributed $168 million. “The Elon LEADS Campaign represents a historic opportunity to drive Elon to new levels of distinction and national prominence,” Book says. “Elon leads as an institution because each of us leads as individuals. We need every member of our community invested in this campaign and in Elon’s future, because Elon leads through you.”
CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP
Following Dave Porter’s service as first-year chair of Elon LEADS, the second year of the campaign will be chaired by Elon Trustee Chris Martin, a 1978 graduate and parent of a 2013 alumnus. The third year will be co-chaired by alumni Maity Interiano ’07, Garrett Turner ’08 and Parker Turner ’06. For a full campaign leadership list, visit elonleads.com.
“The most important contribution this campaign is going to make is to elevate Elon’s greatest asset, which is its commitment to engaged learning and its impact on students and our society. I believe you have to be personally engaged with every single element of the educational process. The amount of innovation that comes from that is spectacular. This is what makes Elon special.”
With an ambitious goal of $250 million, the Elon LEADS Campaign calls for broad support across the Elon family. Everyone has a role to play, because every donor and every gift count toward the goal. “Campaigns are about more than the dollars they raise. They are about what those dollars will do to change lives,” says James B. Piatt Jr., vice president for university advancement. “Our top priority for Elon LEADS is to encourage donors to support scholarships through endowed, annual and planned gifts. Their inspired generosity will help Elon remain a best { James B. Piatt Jr. } value and provide access to the university for students of all financial backgrounds.” Donors can support the campaign’s four key priorities through: • annual gifts of any size • estate and other planned gifts • endowed support for scholarships, professorships or programs • gifts to capital projects Now is the time to begin a tradition of supporting Elon or to expand your impact by committing to a monthly gift throughout the life of the campaign. The collective impact of Elon’s donors will propel the university forward for decades to come. Make your impact today at elonleads.com.
—Allen Gant, Elon trustee and chair of the Elon LEADS Campaign Cabinet sprING
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Supporting graduates the world needs In a nutshell: We will expand scholarships to support a dynamic community of learners eager to participate in Elon’s nationally recognized high-impact learning environment by endowing additional Odyssey, Fellows and Elon Engagement Scholarships, as well as through annual gifts.
{ Tim Boles ’ }
Goal: $140 million KEY FIGURES: So far campaign donors have endowed: Odyssey Scholarships ($500,000 minimum endowed gift commitment) Fellows Scholarships ($250,000 minimum endowed gift commitment) Elon Engagement Scholarships ($100,000 minimum endowed gift commitment) ANNUAL IMPACT: Make a gift of any size to Elon's Greatest Needs, Phoenix Club or the School of Law Annual Scholarship. donors who give $ = $10,000 in scholarship support
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im Boles ’20 is the quintessential Elon student. As a human service studies major, he is passionate about improving the lives of children. His ultimate goal: Join a nonprofit where he can work directly with children while addressing the systems in society that work against many of them. At Elon, he’s found an environment that is preparing him well to make a difference. “So many of our classes are servicebased learning, so we apply what we learn in class to the field,” he says. “Those experiences have helped me figure out what I want to do with my life.” That includes completing a practicum with the local Boys & Girls Club, which he calls “a dream come true.”
Two important forces helped bring Boles to Elon. His two older siblings both attended the university, opening his eyes to the possibilities of an Elon education. He also received an Elon Engagement Scholarship, which provides annual tuition assistance and a one-time grant for an engaged learning experience. These scholarships enable many students to choose Elon over other schools, turning their goal of attending Elon into reality. “Elon wants to keep cultivating critical thinkers. It’s hard to do that if you have the same kind of students,” Boles says. “Scholarships bring students with different experiences to our campus, which facilitates new narratives and contributes to the critical thinking environment that thrives here.”
“We are proud to support Elon in many ways, including by endowing a number of Odyssey Program scholarships to support first-generation students, and by helping to build a vibrant alumni network in New York and around the world. We feel it’s important to invest in this university and its incredible students because the world needs more Elon graduates.” —Elon University Board of Trustees Chair Ed Doherty P’07 and wife Joan Doherty P’07, co-chairs of the Elon LEADS Campaign Planning Committee the MAGAZINe of eLON
AN AUDACIOUS PURSUIT
Providing access to engaged learning experiences In a nutshell: We will broaden access to the Elon Experiences, Elon’s hallmark engaged learning programs that provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s complex world. These include global engagement, internships, undergraduate research, service, leadership and other innovative approaches to learning. Goal: $10 million KEY FIGURES: $, minimum endowed gift commitment
ANNUAL IMPACT: Make a gift of any size to provide access to the Elon Experiences: donors who give $ = $1,125 to support a global engagement experience donors who give $ = $1,500 to support a leadership experience donors who give $ = $1,200 to support a service experience
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ne Elon Experience wasn’t enough for Holly Miranda ’20. During her fall 2018 semester in Tanzania, she took on three of the five at one time— global study, undergraduate research and service. The public health and international studies double major from Hampton, New Hampshire, traveled alone to the African nation where she conducted research focusing on the roles of traditional healers, religious healers and Western medicine on lower respiratory tract infections. Miranda immersed herself in service in the small village where she called members of her host family mother, father, sisters and brothers. While there she studied Swahili, aided the elderly, taught English in primary schools and helped with HIV/AIDS testing in a community where 25 to 30 percent of people are impacted by the disease. Miranda is the recipient of an Elon Engagement Scholarship and made the most of it.
{ Holly Miranda ’ }
“I learned what it takes to create a research project where you are the primary investigator, the one doing the research on a topic, the one to organize and interpret the data. I was a one-woman show in a culture where I was learning the language—all of our research was conducted in Swahili. It was really empowering to learn that I can do it, which is a big deal to say as an undergraduate. Additionally, it reaffirmed that my place in this world is to work in international aid.” —Holly Miranda ’20
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Enriching relationships with mentors who matter In a nutshell: We will invest in outstanding faculty and staff who inspire curiosity and creativity, foster innovation and discovery and transform lives through collaborative mentoring. We will do so by creating new endowed professorships and emerging scholar endowments. Goal: $10 million KEY FIGURES: $1 million minimum gift commitment to endow a professorship $, minimum gift commitment to create an emerging scholar endowment ANNUAL IMPACT: Make a gift of any size to any academic unit: donors who give $ = $2,500 to support a school or program
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hen she graduates in May, Jasmine Jones ’19 will walk immediately into a job with MetLife Insurance Co. as a database analyst. Such an outcome seemed unlikely when she arrived at Elon from Waldorf, Maryland, as a shy computer science major. That was before she met Haya Ajjan, Elon’s Sheldon and Christine Gordon Professor of Entrepreneurship and director of the Center for Organizational Analytics in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. Jones left the comfort of a computer lab to be an intern working with Ajjan at the center. Under Ajjan’s mentoring, Jones developed computer code that enabled a local insurance company to access data within minutes rather than days. More importantly, Jones presented her ground-breaking work before a gathering of 200 people at a conference of insurance software experts. It was a nerve-wracking assignment Jones says she
{ Haya Ajjan & Jasmine Jones ’ }
would not have been able to face without her months of working with Ajjan. After the presentation, she had her pick of jobs. Ajjan says the student-mentor relationship is powerful and often long-lasting. She admits to being inspired by her students as she also learns from them. “It’s work that’s so giving. It feels like you have connected with someone on a deep level,” Ajjan says. “We build friendships for years to come. With Jasmine we’re going to have a lifetime relationship. She’s going to come back to me with stories and friendship for years to come.”
“Before I joined the Center for Organizational Analytics, I was that stereotypical computer science student. I didn’t talk much. I was very technical, not personal at all. Haya was able to bring out the professional development side of me. Haya pushes you to do something outside your comfort zone. She pushed me to take more of a leadership role in the center and it helped dig out the skills within me.” —Jasmine Jones ’19 the MAGAZINe of eLON
AN AUDACIOUS PURSUIT
Enhancing our iconic learning environment In a nutshell: We will expand and steward one of the nation’s finest collegiate campuses, providing new academic and residential facilities and supporting programs, operations and initiatives that enhance Elon’s seamless learning environment. Goal: $90 million KEY FIGURES: Multiple naming opportunities exist for: » The Inn at Elon » STEM and Engineering Facilities Completed: School of Communications expansion anchored by Dwight C. Schar Hall, Steers Pavilion, Snow Family Grand Atrium, Citrone Plaza and Turner Theatre; Schar Center; Richard W. Sankey Hall; Koenigsberger Learning Center; LaRose Student Commons ANNUAL IMPACT: Make a gift of any size to student organizations, religious life designations, alumni affinity groups or club sports. donors who give $ = $3,750 to support an organization or program
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duardo Gonzalez ’21 was among the first students to take a class in Richard W. Sankey Hall when it opened in fall 2018. In many ways, Sankey Hall, constructed during the silent phase of the Elon LEADS Campaign, is designed with students like Gonzalez in mind. Built to mirror the modern workplace, Sankey Hall offers students in all majors spaces for collaboration, creativity and discovery. Along with McMichael Science Center and future STEM and engineering facilities, Sankey Hall will be part of a planned discovery quad that connects business, entrepreneurship, engineering and science. The STEM and engineering facilities are the next major capital priorities of the campaign. Gonzalez, of Nashville, Tennessee, is majoring in engineering and minoring in entrepreneurship. He already utilizes the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship within Sankey Hall and looks forward to what’s next in the continued growth of Elon’s campus.
{ Eduardo Gonzalez ’ }
“It’s one thing to learn in a classroom and another to design and create in a lab or an incubator. There has to be opportunities for people to create new things and experiment with what they have. It’s a more effective way to become an engineer. The STEM facilities will be a place where you can do exactly that.” —Eduardo Gonzalez ’21
For more information about how you can take part in the Elon LEADS Campaign, visit elonleads.com. sprING
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A personal connection is driving Michael Dryzer ’19 to use his postgraduate studies to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. 124
“I strongly believe that she has been the greatest teacher in my life, in terms of my emotional health and teaching me empathy for other people. She is proud of me, and I love that.”
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enior Michael Dryzer’s curiosity has led him down different paths throughout his time at Elon. An Honors Fellow and Lumen Scholar, he was initially interested in astrobiology, the study of life on other planets. But a project as a first-year student at Elon soon shifted his focus to the human brain as he examined artificial intelligence and its potential long-term impact. “What I wanted to do is to look at AI from a neural network standpoint, and try to emulate what happens in the brain, but on a computer,” says Dryzer, of Knoxville, Tennessee. “I was thinking that if we could figure out ways to model regular brain function in a person, then we could also try to do that for people with some sort of intellectual disability, such as autism, then look at how the models differ.” His renewed interest in the brain would coincide with a change in his relationship with his older sister, Danielle, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 5. During a study abroad
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experience in Australia his sophomore year at Elon, Dryzer watched a TED Talk by the late comedian, journalist and disability advocate Stella Young, who insisted that people not set low expectations for those with disabilities. The focus should instead be on supporting them and empowering them. As a child, Dryzer often didn’t know how to treat or understand his sister because she was different. Growing closer to her in middle school, he started showing her love and respect, but he also pitied her. Hearing the lessons and insights from Young, Dryzer’s attitudes about his sister shifted again. “Watching that TED Talk, I realized that there are certain things that my sister can do and understand better than I can,” he says. That shift—to now understanding and appreciating his sister’s differences—was reaffirmed by a visit to Elon’s campus in February 2018 by Temple Grandin, an animal science professor at Colorado State University and a voice for the autistic community. It also solidified his desire to dive into autism research once he leaves Elon. He will pursue a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University after graduation. There, Dryzer will focus on neural engineering at the Kennedy Krieger In-
CONNECTING THE DOTS
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{ Michael Dryzer ’19 & Associate Professor of Engineering Scott Wolter ’85, who has served as his mentor at Elon. Opposite page: Michael & older sister Danielle, whose autism diagnosis is influencing his research. }
stitute, where he will work in a leading research center for autism and related disabilities. Driving him will be a desire to positively impact the lives of many who have autism spectrum disorder like his sister. “I strongly believe that she has been the greatest teacher in my life, in terms of my emotional health and teaching me empathy for other people,” Dryzer says. “She’s proud of me, and I love that. I love making her happy, and proud.”
Grounded in research
Dryzer was drawn to Elon, and the Honors Fellow Program in particular, because it offered him the opportunity to conduct research. “I really liked the guarantee that you’re going to be doing research,” he says. “With the Honors Fellow Program, I knew I’d be provided the resources to find a mentor and would have the guidelines I would need to succeed.” Indeed, Dryzer will begin his doctoral work at Johns Hopkins with years of research experience that few undergraduates can list on their resumes. As a recipient of Elon’s Lumen Prize, its most prestigious undergraduate research award, Dryzer has been exploring ways to create reliable and effective sanitation solutions for communities around the world. This research with mentor Scott Wolter ’85, an associate professor of engineering, is part of an effort that includes researchers from Duke University who are participating in the “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge,” an initiative backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. If successful, Dryzer’s work will contribute to an innovative toilet that could operate “off-the-grid” in a cost-effective and sustainable way. The experience in the lab and in presenting the research, both
at conferences and in front of Gates Foundation representatives, has been invaluable, he says. Working on the project, he’s already built relationships with researchers around the country and the world while learning how to work within an expansive and complex team. For Dryzer, graduate school provides an opportunity to build upon this and other experiences he’s gained as a researcher at Elon and work on a project with the potential to deliver a tangible and overwhelmingly positive impact on people’s lives and health. “I want to help my sister, but I want to do it in a way that increases her potential for the person she is, and maintain respect for what she wants,” Dryzer says. “For right now, the goal is to try to understand how people with autism are different. Then we should set the goal of adding things in our communities that are more inclusive for those with autism, similar to how we have ramps for people in wheelchairs.” Pursuing a doctoral degree will also continue Dryzer’s fascination with how the human mind works, while allowing him the opportunity to demystify science for those not as well-versed in the field. His Lumen Prize research has helped him work toward becoming a stronger science communicator, a role that he sees grow more valuable each day as many in society appear to turn their backs on science. “In this age when people are starting to lose faith in science, I think it is increasingly important for people to become more scientifically literate,” he says. “I have learned how to distill very complex scientific concepts and principles, and then convey them to people without a STEM background.”
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Elon faculty and students explore how outdoor environments enhance children’s thinking and learning. BY ALEXA BOSCHINI ’10
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group of preschool students work in the school garden when suddenly something catches their eye—a large pile of seeds on the ground. They gather around and point out the pile to their teacher. “I see what you’re noticing,” the teacher responds. “What do you think it is?” The students begin to speculate about the mysterious seeds and where they came from when they look up and notice a large sunflower drooping above their heads. They make the connection between the position of the sunflower and the location of the pile and deduce that they are, in fact, sunflower seeds. The teacher knew this all along, but rather than giving them the answer, she asked the students open-ended questions to help them solve the puzzle on their own. “If she had just said, ‘Oh those are sunflower seeds,’ it wouldn’t have been a big moment,” says Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, professor of psychology and director of Elon’s Center for Research on Global Engagement. “Instead it was a process of exciting discovery. They built up all this enthusiasm for the question.” This interaction is one of many pieces of data Vandermaas-Peeler has collected in more than 20 years of studying early childhood development. Her research explores the intricacies of how children learn and how teachers and parents can guide that process most effectively. In recent years, her work has focused extensively on how children learn in natural outdoor environments and how those experiences foster a spirit of inquiry. “The natural world is never going to be the same twice,” Vandermaas-Peeler says. “There are going to be animals and flowers and life that are different, so it’s a constant source of entertainment and learning.” But as more children in the United States spend less time outside, both at school and in their free time, these nature encounters are diminishing. Assistant Professor of Education Scott Morrison points to author and journalist Richard Louv’s writings on “nature-deficit,” which links children’s lack of exposure to the outdoors to issues like technology dependence and behavioral problems, as well as education writer David Sobel’s concept of ecophobia. “There are snakes, spiders, bees, poison ivy, sunburn, stranger danger, pollution, sharp objects and you might get dirty. All of those factors lead to kids spending less time outside,” Morrison says. Like Vandermaas-Peeler, Morrison has witnessed firsthand the benefits of outdoor learning environments, not only in early childhood but throughout students’ entire education. He explores it extensively in his own research with students at Elon. “There is a culture in the U.S. in which many parents want to reduce the
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{ Cara McClain ’14 was inspired by the experience with her mother’s preschool to conduct research about how children learn through exploration. }
NATURAL WONDER
“Being outside for an hour and 40 minutes makes [my students] feel different. They’re calmer and more relaxed, more energized, more focused. They’re actually reciting what the research says happens to people when they’re outside.” —Assistant Professor of Education Scott Morrison
{ Professor of Psychology Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, far right, focuses her research on children’s behavior in natural world contexts. }
amount of risk that children experience,” Morrison says. “That actually has negative consequences for their physical and psychological development because they’re kept from opportunities to ascertain what is safe and not safe.”
A LESSON IN RISK-TAKING Throughout her career at Elon, Vandermaas-Peeler has studied the ways children learn through everyday activities, such as learning measuring skills by cooking with a parent or developing math or literacy skills by playing. She shifted her focus to children’s behavior in natural world contexts when she began mentoring Cara McClain ’14 on her Honors Fellows thesis and Lumen Prize research. McClain’s mother
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is the founder and co-teacher at Children First, a nonprofit preschool in Durham, North Carolina, rooted in the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy, which focuses on exploration and experiential learning. The school has a substantial outdoor curriculum, and through her research McClain wanted to better understand how outdoor experiences impact preschoolers’ social-emotional, cognitive and physical development. “The preschool is in the bottom floor of my house, so I grew up around preschoolers and was always interested in their development,” McClain says. “It’s a school where children have seamless access to indoor and outdoor spaces and also take weekly trips to a river near the school, so I had a sense that it was important from seeing the kids spending time outside and also
NATURAL WONDER
“The natural world is never going to be the same twice. There are going to be animals and flowers and life that’s different, so it’s a constant source of entertainment and learning.” —Professor of Psychology Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler experiencing nature myself.” McClain and Vandermaas-Peeler spent a year interviewing and collecting video of the Children First preschoolers at the river and at a creek and garden on the school’s property. They coded their observations and their findings revealed a multitude of examples of how children learn through exploration. McClain and Vandermaas-Peeler observed some children who had no qualms engaging in “risky play” with environmental features, splashing in a rushing creek or climbing atop a tall rock without hesitation. Others were more uncertain but learned to navigate obstacles, like a student who wanted to join his classmates on a rock in the river. He didn’t want to get wet, but after some guidance from his teacher, he asked a peer to give him a hand as he stepped onto the rock from the river bank. “Risky play provides opportunities for children to make good decisions,” Vandermaas-Peeler says. “They might go too high up a tree and realize it’s more challenging to get down, but they also realize they can do it.” In addition to learning about plant and animal life, being outdoors also allowed the children to develop their mathematical and scientific thinking in a real-world context outside the classroom. In the garden, the preschoolers counted seeds and measured green beans before harvesting. They learned about spatial orientation as their teacher asked them to help her figure out how nine plants could fit into a square patch of soil. One student inferred that bugs don’t like the cold, because after spending a lot of time in the garden in the winter he noticed he didn’t see many bugs anymore. Vandermaas-Peeler says the right adult guidance is crucial in helping children develop a sense of inquiry. In her research at Children First, teachers encouraged children to observe, question, predict, evaluate and compare as they noticed things in their everyday environments. Rather than asking questions with one correct response and providing answers, teachers afforded students the time to investigate and discover for themselves. “The questioning process is really important,” Vandermaas-Peeler says. “We need to support a learning process in which people develop the agency to ask questions and find evidence to answer them. They don’t look to others and they don’t just believe an opinion. They understand there are empirical ways to answer questions and we should search for the answers. That process is research and it’s fun.” McClain and Vandermaas-Peeler’s research resulted in three publications, a book chapter and several presentations. The study was so robust that it counted for McClain’s master’s thesis in her doctoral program at the University of Tennessee.
For Vandermaas-Peeler, the research sparked a new passion within her broader early childhood development work. She spent a semester in Denmark teaching a course on children in the natural world and continues to research children’s learning and behavior in outdoor contexts with other undergraduate students.
MAKING NATURAL CONNECTIONS
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hile Vandermaas-Peeler’s research is rooted in developmental psychology, Morrison’s scholarship and teaching are more focused on practical applications in the classroom. When he arrived at Elon in 2013, he didn’t intend to incorporate environmental education into his teaching, but it happened organically as a result of his own experience. Morrison spent 11 years as a sixth grade English and social studies teacher in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. He wasn’t required to connect his students with nature, but when he did, he recognized a distinct shift in their energy inside the classroom as well. “I wasn’t required to build a school garden. I wasn’t required to take my students outside,” Morrison says. “I was trying to give my students a different experience in school and cultivate some environmental values that were positive.” When he left the classroom to pursue his doctorate, Morrison began researching the ways in which different environments influence how teachers teach and how students learn, even in schools where outdoor learning isn’t a focal point. He carried those values with him to Elon and joined the Sustainability Faculty Scholars program. He was challenged with integrating sustainability into his coursework, which ultimately led to the creation of three nature-focused courses taught entirely outside and an environmental education minor. Morrison initially taught his environmental education course inside, but he realized a more hands-on way to teach his students about the importance of outdoor learning for children. He created an outdoor classroom at Loy Farm based on the forest school model, which originated in Denmark and prioritizes learning in natural spaces. “Being outside for an hour and 40 minutes makes [my students] feel different,” Morrison says. “They’re calmer and more relaxed, more energized, more focused. They’re actually reciting what the research says happens to people when they’re outside.” The introduction of more outdoor learning-focused courses at Elon has also paved the way for undergraduate research opportunities. Morrison and a student are conducting a study at
NATURAL WONDER
{ Assistant Professor of Education Scott Morrison’s outdoor classroom at Loy Farm prioritizes learning in natural spaces. }
a Title I school in Burlington that incorporates some forest school practices into its curriculum for at least an hour a day. They are analyzing whether time spent outside has an impact on preschool children’s language development. Another recent study explored how elementary school students with autism respond to outdoor learning environments. After working with their teachers outside two to three times a week for several months, Morrison and Samantha Friedman ’18 found the children’s communication skills improved inside the classroom. “Nature does not care what socio-economic group you come from or what your ability levels are,” Friedman says. “When you’re outside, there are easy opportunities for scaffolding without alienating children who may need extra assistance.” Through his research and teaching, Morrison has also seen a myriad of ways for teachers to start conversations with students about core subjects outdoors. For example, if a young student gathers a cluster of sticks, the teacher can ask them to count how many sticks they have or review the letters of the alphabet in the word stick. The key, Morrison says, is teachers embracing their own creativity to apply their learning objectives in different environments. He requires students in his environmental education course to create lessons that involve natural areas and a literacy, math, science or social studies component. “I’m trying to help them see the connections with how they can do interdisciplinary planning while they’re outside in a forested area,” Morrison says.
IGNITING A SPIRIT OF INQUIRY Despite the benefits their research indicates about outdoor learning, Vandermaas-Peeler and Morrison both say some of
obstacles are preventing the practice from becoming more widespread. One challenge is a lack of school resources. At schools in more urban areas without easy access to natural spaces, Vandermaas-Peeler urges teachers to bring the outdoors to their students. They can help children interact with potted plants in the classroom or take field trips to parks. “It’s not equivalent by any means, but it’s a good substitute,” Vandermaas-Peeler says. Even at schools that do have outdoor resources, Morrison says a culture of support is essential. Morrison and Amber Adams-Kuebler ’17 conducted research at a nearby elementary school with ample outdoor resources—outdoor classrooms, a nature trail, gardens, animal habitats—but they found the teachers rarely used them. Adams-Kuebler and Morrison surveyed the teachers and learned they felt connected to nature, valued environmental education for children and felt supported by their administration. But they also felt they didn’t have the expertise to use the resources and lacked time in their schedules amid the pressures of testing. “They saw it as purely science-based, as something extra they had to tack onto their very busy schedule rather than something they could integrate into their course curriculum,” Adams-Kuebler says. Morrison hopes to mitigate that attitude by introducing environmental education practices while future teachers are still in college. “There might be barriers they perceive right now, but they’re actually not barriers,” Morrison says. “They can actually enhance the work that you do.” Encouraging children to embrace the outdoors also requires a shift in mindset for parents who don’t prioritize it for a number of reasons, like a busy, inflexible schedule or an aversion to risk. In Vandermaas-Peeler’s experience, the best way to get people to care about the environment is to spend time outside when they are young with an adult who is passionate about all that outdoor spaces have to offer. Whether children are engaged in outdoor learning at school or not, parents can ignite their spirit of inquiry and wonder at home. “The connections between school and home are really important,” Vandermaas-Peeler says. “I think some parents fear that they don’t have all the answers to [their children’s] questions. We need to empower people to say it’s OK to not know the answers because you can look for them together.”
From the ARCHIVES
Boxing at Elon Boxing gloves used to be a popular accessory for Elon students in the 1930s and 1940s. BY KEREN RIVAS ’04
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here was a time when it was common for college athletes who were looking to develop speed and quick thinking and build self-confidence to turn to boxing as an addition to any team sport they played. Elon athletes were no exception. It’s not clear when exactly the sport started to take hold at Elon, but the first reference to boxing found in the university archives appears in the 1921–22 Bulleting of Elon College, as part of an advanced gym course offered by the Department of Physical Culture. A note in the Feb. 5, 1931, edition of the Maroon and Gold reported that a gym for boxing was near completion in the basement of North Dormitory, a three-story building that housed rooms for men. The note pointed out that many of the boxing and wrestling classes that semester were already full, which suggests there was much interest in the sport. Later that spring, a boxing exhibition was held on campus by the Boxing Club to gauge the interest of students in forming a school team. { Boxing teams at Elon from the 1930s, It wasn’t until 1936 that boxing when the sport was popular among was added as a regular club sport male athletes. } “for the first time in the history of athletics at Elon College,” according to that year’s Phi Psi Cli, with former University of North Carolina football star Ellis Fysal serving as coach. The boxing team held three meets during its inaugural season without much success—it lost each time to Oak Ridge Military Institute, UNC and Duke University, respectively— though the writers of the yearbook remained optimistic about the team’s prospects. They had good reason to be. Many Elon students had been involved with the sport even before it was officially recognized as a minor sport, which made it easier for the school to have a good pool of athletes as it began
formal competition. Among them was Webb Newsome ’37, a dominant force in both football and baseball during his years at Elon and the only undefeated boxer at the school, according to a Mach 24, 1977, article in The Pendulum. Another well-known star was fullback Joe Golombek, who made a name for himself in boxing amateur circles in 1937 and 1938, putting Elon in the national spotlight. He was described as “a large boy, weighing over 200 pounds, well-built and a hard fighter” in the March 1939 edition of The Elon Alumni News. He won several regional heavyweight championships in the Carolinas Golden Gloves tournaments between 1937 and 1939 and competed against other colleges in the national collegiate meet in New York City each year, only to be defeated in the finals. The sport was blossoming but then, World War II happened, and like many other athletics programs, boxing had to be put on hold in the 1940s as men enlisted to fight. There is a mention of an unofficial team competing in a regional tournament in 1943 and an attempt to “get down to the regular grind of training” in a March 31, 1945, Maroon and Gold article, an effort that was moot after the area Golden Gloves tournament was canceled. The writer of the article went on to lament such change in fortune for a team that just years earlier had “walked off with practically every trophy that the Burlington and Greensboro Chambers of Commerce owned” and even gotten all the way to the national finals in Madison Square Garden, referring to Golombek, whose own college career was put on hold due to the war. He finally graduated in 1948. By the early 1950s, there is only a casual mention in the Maroon and Gold that boxing wasn’t a formal sport any longer, with students interested in the sport fighting as members of local squads instead. And while the sport is no longer practiced at Elon, the memory of the program’s success lives on in the university’s archives.
A family
Legacy The Hon. Sarah Neely Lanier L’10 now presides from the same bench her father once occupied.
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BY ERIC TOWNSEND
t wasn’t until she was in high school that Sarah Neely Lanier l’10 realized how much work her dad handled as a North Carolina District Court judge. All it took was a new phone. After she and her father spent the better part of a day running phone lines upstairs in the family’s 1920s farmhouse in Randolph County, where the then-teenager could chat with friends from the privacy of her bedroom, sleep proved tough to find. The phone rang three times that night. In each instance, a social service worker on the other end of the line sought permission from the Hon. William “Bill” Neely to remove a child from a dangerous home environment. “I didn’t realize how much the phone rang in our home until I got one in my room,” Lanier recalls. “[My dad] couldn’t talk about work … there are a lot of things to it that people don’t recognize.” It’s now Lanier’s turn to help lead her community as a North Carolina District Court judge on the same bench her father once occupied. Lanier, the second Elon Law alum elected judge in the school’s young history, took her ceremonial oath of office in early January before dozens of family members, friends and legal professionals packed inside the Randolph County Courthouse. Lanier won a three-way race last fall with 61 percent of the vote. “I’m very proud of my daughter and have all the confidence that she and her family will do a good job representing the county,” says Bill Neely, who helped his daughter into her judicial robe as soon as she completed her oath. Neely served on the bench from 1980 through his retirement in 2008. “Sarah grew up in the country and I think she’s gotten a good feel for what it’s
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“I’m very proud of my daughter and have all the confidence that she and her family will do a good job representing the county.” —Bill Neely
A FAMILY LEGACY
like to be a regular person here, and to understand the problems of those in the community.” District Court judges deal with a lot. Traffic tickets and divorces. Adoptions and misdemeanor charges. Yous can also handle first appearances in high-profile crimes. And there are many people affected by your decisions, even if they never set foot in the courthouse. Both Lanier and her father point to the need for humility in a jurist. “He’s taught me that you have to stay down to earth and use common sense, and really listen to every side,” Lanier says. “Be quick to listen and slow to speak. Don’t jump to conclusions and give people an opportunity to be heard.” Lanier had been thinking about running for judge for a few years but wanted to first spend time in private practice. Her particular passion is children. Even before law school, she worked for three years in Asheboro with a restitution program for juvenile defendants. At Elon Law she focused her studies on family law. Times have changed since Bill Neely sat on the bench. The judicial district, once as large as four North Carolina counties, is now exclusively Randolph County. Even so, the caseload also has expanded. The county has implemented new strategies to make the courts more efficient for those who find themselves caught up in the legal system. Lanier sees additional opportunities to improve courthouse efficiency by building off programs like Randolph County’s Family Court. Also in the works is her ABA-recognized Child Welfare Law Specialist certification through the National Association of Counsel for Children. She’ll balance her judicial work with the demands of motherhood. Lanier started to measure support for a possible candidacy shortly before learning she was pregnant with her first child. She and her husband welcomed their son in a hospital room where the mom-to-be was placing orders for campaign signs during labor. “Some of the nurses figured out what I was doing and started teasing me,” Lanier says. “But you have to multitask!” The addition of a new family member brings full circle a story of family legacies. With her husband holding the Bible in one hand and their son in another, Lanier took her ceremonial oath of office on Jan. 2, 2019, in the William Marcus Neely Courtroom, a courtroom named in honor of the same man who installed phone lines in a teenage Sarah’s bedroom all those years ago.
POINT of VIEW
Healing through art and activism BY KALI CLOUGHERTY ’22
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he day was Feb. 14. It was supposed to be a Valentine’s Day like any other, until a gunman entered my school—Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—and opened fire, killing 17 students and staff members and injuring 17 others.
Just like that, everything changed. An entire community was grieving. Local schools held walk-outs in support of us. Schools in other states sent banners to show their love for us. More importantly, my peers started to speak up. Classmates were on the news talking about gun control. They started social media campaigns and held rallies. And they weren’t alone. Results from a 2018 survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling showed 52 percent of the high school counselors surveyed across the country said they have seen increased activism among students. Almost overnight, a generation of technology users became social activists. Watching all this unfold, I knew I couldn’t sit around and do nothing. I had to take part in making some sort of change so no one else in this country would have to go through what I went through. After these 17 people died, many people felt that enough was enough. There was a rush of activism from students at Stoneman Douglas High School—students who were infuriated and devastated—and high school students around the country who were terrified they might be next. It wasn’t just a fight for those who died, but for the lives of every young person alive. of
I took part in the early days of March for Our Lives. As rewarding as that was, I had started to neglect myself, my friends and even my family. I needed a break from the madness to heal and grieve in my own way. That’s when I started to look for a different way to participate in activism. I realized everyone heals and fights in different ways. Some people are OK on the frontlines while others take a different approach on the sidelines. It wasn’t until my high school friends in the drama program created an organization called “Shine” that I found the right path for myself: healing and activism through art. “Shine” gave a voice to a group of kids who felt their own weren’t being heard but wanted to contribute to this flood of activism that came out of something so tragic. The group wrote a song about how our town of Parkland was going to “get back up again and shine.” It was a positive message about moving forward and healing, something I desperately needed. This idea of activism through art inspired me as a person, performer and an artist. It has followed me to Elon, where I’ve had the opportunity to direct a play about gun violence and organize an event to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the shooting. I foresee activism will continue shaping me beyond college. I have learned there are many forms of activism and different ways young people can get involved, and it doesn’t require standing in front of a camera. Social media platforms allow us to reach multiple audiences all at once, including policymakers and other parties who can work together to get results. We can go out in our community and organize rallies, fundraisers, forums or events that promote awareness about issues we care about. We can all spread a positive message through art as a way to reach people without using words. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: a realistic way to prevent mass shootings. Whether that’s a ban on certain firearms, better help for those with mental health problems or reforming gun laws, the end goal is to prevent as many deaths as possible. Even those with the smallest voices can take action. My generation is young, and people may not want to listen to us, but we are the future of this world, and we have the power to shape it. Our voices matter.
Kali Clougherty ’22 graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where one of the deadliest school shootings took place in 2018 during her senior year. She is now pursuing degrees in music theatre and arts administration at Elon.
ALUMNI ACTION
Increasing the value of an Elon education Dear alumni,
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hen I reflect on my term as Elon Alumni Board president, grateful is the word that comes to mind. During the past year, I was honored to serve our amazing alumni network, participate in President Connie Ledoux Book’s historic inauguration and witness the launch of our Elon LEADS Campaign. As I think about our future, excited is the word that comes to mind. We have established the Elon Alumni Board Elon Engagement Scholarship to help legacy students experience Elon for generations to come. Under President Book’s leadership, we’re also embracing new technology that will foster alumni communication, professional development and career mentoring. By investing in both
future students and alumni, we are increasing the value of an Elon education. While our campus continues to grow, the heart of Elon remains the same. Th is is a place built on lifelong relationships and development of the whole student. As alumni, we help determine where Elon will go next. Please stay connected to our alma mater. Attend a regional alumni chapter event, visit campus, sign up for volunteer opportunities and support Elon fi nancially. In doing so, I think you will realize that Elon’s future is better when we all participate as partners, advocates and investors. Michelle Wideman Snavely ’00 President, Elon Alumni Board
ELON LEADS THROUGH YOU Elon LEADS: Our University Campaign is officially underway. This ambitious fundraising effort calls for donors to invest in Elon and secure its future together. Thousands of alumni have already led the way by giving back. Their names will be placed on the chairs of graduating seniors at Commencement to show the Class of 2019 the important role alumni play in creating opportunities for Elon students. If you still need to make your gift this fiscal year, join them in giving back by May 31. Your gift of any size, to any designation, will count toward the Elon LEADS Campaign. elon.edu/makeagift
ALUMNI ACTION
A Successful Elon Day T
hank you to everyone who attended an Elon Day party this year! Thirty-eight regional alumni chapters held events on March 5 with more than 800 attendees, contributing to the record-breaking success of Elon Day 2019. We hope to see you at another chapter event soon!
{ Denver }
{ Cincinnati }
{ Triangle }
{ Seattle }
OTHER CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
{ Chicago }
On Feb. 23, the New York City alumni chapter { Tampa Bay } volunteered at The Bowery Mission in the Lower East Side. The group worked on lunch service, organized the pantry and assisted with delivery. This was the chapter’s third service outing of the academic year. Have you recently moved? Make sure to update your information at elon.edu/alumniupdate to learn about upcoming events in your area.
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{ New York }
ALUMNI ACTION
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Elon LEADS in your city
n April 10, President Connie Ledoux Book officially launched a special Evening for Elon event series to bring the excitement of the Elon LEADS Campaign to cities across the country. Adler Planetarium provided stunning views of the Chicago skyline as alumni, parents and friends of Elon spent the evening reconnecting with { Charlotte } fellow members of the Elon network and learning about the four priorities of the campaign. The Chicago event marked the first of many regional events to celebrate leadership and philanthropy. Be on the lookout for more information about how to register for an event in the » June 12: Los Angeles (OUE Skyspace LA) following cities or visit elonleads.com. » June 13: San Francisco (The Fairmont Hotel)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
Sept. 5: New York (The Lincoln Center)
»
Sept. 18: Washington, D.C. (Newseum)
Each year, Elon’s largest alumni chapters host professional development events that provide lifelong learning opportunities to alumni in the area, as well as offer a chance to listen to alumni stories and network.
talented alumni. The audience included alumni, parents, students in the Elon in LA program and prospective families.
On Jan. 24, the Charlotte alumni chapter hosted an event centered on the theme of “Ingenuity in the Workforce,” with a panel of alumni from different backgrounds and expertise, » On April 11, the Triangle which included Mike Mooney ’93, alumni chapter hosted an Ariene Bethea ’00, Vince Powell G’03 alumni panel atop the Capital and Melissa Neal ’04. Club building in downtown Raleigh. The panel included » The Los Angeles alumni chapter’s Marybeth Caulfield ’91, “A Night for Elon Excellence” event Kate Payne ’06 and Ryan Vet ’13. on Feb. 28 featured the work of 19 »
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{ Los Angeles }
Upcoming event: May 22 – BOSTON
ALUMNI ACTION
TOP 10 UNDER 10:
Young Alumni Recognized
{ From left: (back) Sam Slaughter ’09, Barrett Wilbert Weed ’11, Zora Stephenson ’15, Emily Favret ’09 & Wyn Ferrell, Jr. ’09; (front) Jasmine Gregory ’12, Alanna Vagianos ’13, Hannah Lane ’11 & Josh Norris ’11. }
Surrounded by their family, friends and Elon mentors, young alumni were honored April with the Top Under Alumni Awards. The annual ceremony, which was held in the Snow Family Grand Atrium of the Dwight C. Schar Hall, recognized alumni who graduated between and and who have achieved major professional success, served as difference-makers in their communities and loyally supported Elon. Recognized were: ✪ Emily Favret ’, director of global communications, Nike
✪ Barrett Wilbert Weed ’, Broadway actor (New
✪ Wyn Ferrell, Jr. ’, owner, Mile High Spirits Distillery and
✪ Jasmine Gregory ’, associate attorney, Payne & Associates,
✪ Sam Slaughter ’, food and spirits editor and author, The
✪ Tyler Marenyi ’ (NGHTMRE), DJ and electronic dance
✪ Hannah Lane ’, postdoctoral research fellow, University
✪ Alanna Vagianos ’, women’s reporter, HuffPost (New
(Portland, Oregon)
Tasting Bar (Denver, Colorado)
Manual (Greenville, South Carolina)
of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics (Baltimore, Maryland)
✪ Josh Norris ’, NFL writer and podcaster, NBC Sports and
Rotoworld (Norwalk, Connecticut)
of
York, New York)
PLLC (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
music producer (Los Angeles, California) York, New York)
✪ Zora Stephenson ’, anchor and reporter, Fox31 KDVR-TV
(Denver, Colorado)
CLASS NOTES
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Ernest Koury Sr. P’82 GP’11 GP’18 recently celebrated his
100th birthday surrounded by his family and closest friends, including Jo Watts Williams ’55. Ernest served as an Elon trustee from 1976 to 1996. The Ernest Koury, Sr. Business Center, which houses the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, was named in his honor. Now retired, he is enjoying life and being with family and friends.
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In December, Dan Hoopes was able to reminisce with Buck Bayliff ’70 and Tim Fowler about their time at Elon during a lunch in Leesburg, Va. Buck was the manager of the campus shop when it was located in Long Building, and Dan and Tim worked in the shop between 1969 and 1973. Dan reports a good time was had by all. Buck and wife Babs ’70 live in Phoenix. Tim and wife Nancy ’75 live in Sunderland, Md., and Dan and wife Gwen live in Winchester, Va.
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Betty Burton Thayer and Henry Morris were married 7/27/18 after being together for 19 years. Their ceremony took place in Italy, followed by a threeday celebration at their home on Lake Como and in Bellagio. About 100 friends and family members attended the wedding. Betty and Henry are retired and live in Wengen, Switzerland.
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Kristin Wolter Hasbrouck
retired this year after teaching in the Wake County (N.C.) Public School System for 33 years. She also served as a coach, athletic director, mentor
coordinator and department chair. Kristin lives in Zebulon with husband Jonathan Hasbrouck ’86 and their three sons, Ian, Eric and Brendan.
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Roger Knick was named
winner of the Youth Player Development Award by the Metropolitan Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. A sports performance specialist, Roger is the founder of the Golf Performance Center, which offers customized golf coaching to aspiring athletes, and the Junior Gold Hub, an online community for up and coming junior golfers, parents and college coaches. He received the award for his involvement in the promotion and development of junior golf at the club level, supporting junior golf and his outstanding character. Roger lives in Ridgefield, Conn. • Kathie Niven was included in the “2018 New Top Restaurant Executives” list by Nation’s Restaurant News, a leading food service industry magazine. Kathie serves as the president of Biscuitville Fresh Southern, a family-owned restaurant chain headquartered in Greensboro, N.C. In that role, she has provided leadership and vision for the company. Before becoming president, Kathie served as chief brand officer at Biscuitville, where she was responsible for defining and accelerating the creation of the company’s Fresh Southern brand positioning.
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Elizabeth Scarce has been
promoted to associate vice president at Dewberry. The director of marketing in the
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Elon alumna and trustee Deborah “Debbie” Yow ’74, who serves as
North Carolina State University director of athletics, has been selected by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics as the recipient of the 53rd James J. Corbett Memorial Award. She will be honored at a special luncheon on June 11, in conjunction with the 2019 NACDA & Affiliates Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando. Presented annually, the Corbett Award is the highest honor one can achieve in collegiate athletics administration. Debbie will also be recognized during the luncheon as a 2018–19 Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year.
Southeast, Elizabeth has been with the firm for more than 25 years and is responsible for implementing strategies and marketing plans for the division, which includes nearly 500 employees. She is based in the firm’s Danville, Va., office.
elon.edu/classnotes
ALUMNI ALBUM
TURN YOURSELF IN! Help us keep you in touch with your Elon classmates.
Ernest Koury Sr. ’40 P’82 GP’11 GP’18 & Jo Watts Williams ’
(l-r): Dan Hoopes ’, Babs Bayliff ’, Buck Bayliff ’, Nancy Fowler ’ & Tim Fowler ’
Betty Burton Thayer ’80 & Henry Morris
CLASS NOTES
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Jon Guza is excited to announce he has opened HiFi Records, a record store and craft beer bar located in Graham, N.C. Before that, he worked for 23 years at a local engineering firm, a job he obtained as a result of an internship as an undergraduate at Elon. His new store offers a variety of new and used records and rotating beer and wine options. He invites all his Elon friends and families to come out, revive their vinyl collection and meet new people.
He lives in Whitsett, N.C., with wife Molly Feudsale. • Mark Nunn, a TV producer with University of North Carolina at Charlotte, won an Emmy Award at the 33rd Midsouth Regional Emmys in Nashville in the “Community/Public Service (PSA) Campaign” category. Mark’s winning entry was “Niner Nation Gives 2017,” a video series that supported the university’s annual 49-hour digital fundraising effort. Mark lives in Concord with wife Jennifer Nunn.
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Alan Stein Jr., a corporate
performance coach and speaker, has written a book called “Raise Your Game.” In the book, published by Center Street, Alan shares how the same strategies that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level can be utilized in business to build a winning culture. He has a daughter and twin sons and lives in Gaithersburg, Md.
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Alecia Pynn Bah Bioh
assumed the role of social media manager at Rivals.com
A recognition of SERVICE BY NOAH ZAISER ’20
Sam Burgess ’78 received the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine in February for his service as a local government employee and his contributions to his community. BY OLIVER FISCHER ’20
S
{ Sam Burgess ’79 received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the most prestigious awards given by the North Carolina governor in recognition of service. }
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am Burgess ’ doesn’t like to call attention to himself. For the past years, he has served his community in Wilmington, North Carolina, as a New Hanover County senior planner and as a volunteer with several organizations. So when he found out in December that he was being nominated for the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, considered among the most prestigious awards given out by the governor of North Carolina, he provided biographical information without thinking much about it. When he learned in February that he had been selected, Burgess felt grateful for the recognition. “I’m extremely flattered just knowing that there is only a select group of individuals that are actually tapped to this award each year by the governor’s office,” he says. “I just feel very proud and honored to accept the award.” The Order of the Long Leaf Pine was created in and honors persons who have a proven record of service to the State of North Carolina or some other special achievement, and to others as a gesture of friendship and good will. In his Wilmington community, Burgess has been active in the Boy Scouts program as a troop scoutmaster. He is also a member of the State Employees’ Credit Union Board, an active church member at Winter Park Presbyterian Church and a member of the Terry Benjey Bicycling Foundation. In he was recognized by the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners with a Five Star Award, the highest staff award that recognizes employees who share the county’s values of professionalism, integrity, innovation, stewardship and accountability. While Burgess’ contributions stand out in their own right, fellow alumnus and Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity brother Perry Warren ’ says Burgess is not looking for attention. “Sam Burgess is the quiet guy at the back that gets everything done,” he says. “He doesn’t look for any recognition.”
CLASS NOTES in September. She manages the company’s sites for the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles. Her responsibilities include graphic design, managing social media accounts, video editing and email database marketing. Alecia lives in Holly Springs, N.C., with spouse Desire Bah Bioh. • Michele Levy is the new individual donor adviser at Trees for the Future, an international development organization. She lives in Rockville, Md., with husband Joshua Levy and their two sons.
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Mike Kanner has been
ranked 32nd in the U.S. among financial advisers under the age of 40 by On Wall Street. He works for Morgan Stanley, where he was named an executive director in February. Mike lives in Vero Beach, Fla., with wife Cami Kanner.
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Jonathan Lindberg G’18
was recently named director of corporate strategy at BioDelivery Sciences International, a Raleigh, N.C.-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on helping patients suffering from chronic pain. In his new role, Jonathan will be leading the company’s enterprise and growth strategy initiatives. He and wife Sarah King Lindberg ’02 live in Raleigh with their 5-year-old daughter, Scotland. • Renita Webb was crowned Mrs. Black North Carolina USA 2019 in March. She plans to use this platform to help people recognize when they are going through refinement processes in life so they can be more positive and productive. She and husband Jarred Webb live in Elon, N.C.
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Lindsay Boatwright and Andrew Hammond were married 11/3/18. Alumni in attendance included Kristin Dube ’04, Mathea Gulbranson Jacobs ’04 and Meredith Nevin ’04. Lindsay and Andrew live in LaGrange, Ga. • Alexandria Gilkey and Phillip Perry were married 4/21/18. Alumni in attendance included Ryann McMillan Calder, Kara Ege Clasing, Alex Ellis, Gillian Ruttkay Feldman, Alexandra Hacking Hadfield, Keegan Heise, Christina Pilafas Jackman, Kathy Schwartz Knipe, Melissa Villemarette
Scanlon, Andrea Ronzoni Wierengo, Travis Wierengo, Lauren Plate Hamilton ’06, Bobby McAleer ’06 and Kacey Wells McAleer ’07. Alexandria
and Phillip live in Washington, D.C. • Brian Pickler and Kara Pickler welcomed son Wade Franklin on 10/4/17. The family lives in Ohio.
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Meagan Braswell and Erik
Thomas were married on 12/22/18. Alumni present included Eric Schumann ’05, Kyle Hendrix, Patrick Bowen ’07 and Christina Campbell Wires ’07. Meagan is a therapist at Carolina Sexual Wellness Center. They live in Raleigh, N.C.
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James Cobler has been promoted to vice president of creative services at Trailer Park Inc., a Hollywood-based full service entertainment agency specializing in content creation and marketing. Since joining the company in 2014, James has led the creative process from start to finish on a broad range of projects, including theatrical, television, corporate, live and in-home entertainment campaigns. Some of his clients include HBO, Netflix, Amazon Studios, Universal Studios, Sony Pictures Television and Feld Entertainment. He lives in Burbank. • John Kalas was recently elected to a law partnership at Hollingsworth LLP in Washington, D.C. John lives with wife Meghan Kalas in Sea Girt, N.J.
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In February, writer and filmmaker Elizabeth D. Foggie launched “The Foggie Wanderer,” a documentary travel series that explores human stories in unfamiliar places of the northernmost Arctic, Nordic and Baltic regions of the world. Through intimate storytelling, beautiful imagery and personal relationships, Elizabeth introduces audiences to immersive travel in the hopes of enhancing human empathy and self-awareness across cultural boundaries. She is the founder of The People’s Studio LLC and lives in Oakland, Calif. • Brandon Shore has been promoted to vice president of football administration with the Miami Dolphins. He first joined the organization in 2010, and in that time, he has served on multiple capacities including as senior director of football administration.
Charitable Gift Annuities CAN PROVIDE INCOME FOR LIFE
a charitable gift annuity of $10,000 or more to Elon will guarantee a fixed income for the rest of your life. With market interest rates near historic lows, a gift annuity is an attractive way to increase your income and make a gift to Elon at the same time. You will receive immediate tax benefits and can defer capital gains. The payment rate of a charitable gift annuity depends on your age at the time of the gift—the older you are, the higher the rate.
NEW RATES ONE BENEFICIARY
TWO BENEFICIARIES
AGE
ANNUIT Y R ATE
AGE
ANNUIT Y R ATE
60
4.7%
60/65
4.3%
65
5.1%
67/67
4.7%
70
5.6%
71/73
5.2%
Annuity rates are subject to change. The annuity rate remains fixed once your gift is made.
To explore a gift annuity for you, your spouse or a family member, visit ELONLEGACY.ORG. Talk with us today about how you may benefit from a life income gift to Elon and other gift-planning opportunities. please contact: Carolyn DeFrancesco, Director of Planned Giving 336-278-7454 ■ cdefrancesco@elon.edu ■ elonlegacy.org
{ Members of the cheerleading squad from 1953. }
CLASS NOTES
09|
An unexpected
CAREER PATH
BY SONYA WALKER ’20
M
andy McGill ’ didn’t always know that she would one day end up working in law enforcement. But as she looks back at her eight years with the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, it’s now clear to her that her Elon education has helped shape her and her passion for serving her community. Helping people has always been a calling for McGill and she is able to do that every day in her work. Her dedication has not gone unnoticed. Last year her coworkers nominated her for the Circle K Ranch Cowgirl Up Award, which recognizes community members who consistently give back without expecting anything in return. In November, she learned she had been selected for the honor, a recognition that caught her off guard. “As someone who is never lost for words, I was speechless,” says McGill, now a sergeant with the department. McGill’s career in law enforcement has not been the only outlet to serve her community. As a single mother of two who worked hard to complete her college degree, she started making an impact in her community right after graduating from Elon in . She served as a community outreach coordinator at Crossroads Sexual Assault and Resource Center in Burlington, helping victims of sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Eventually the grant funding that supported her position ran out and McGill found herself in search of a new job, which is how she got involved with law enforcement. She now volunteers with the Hospice and
of
Palliative Care Center of Alamance-Caswell and serves as the sheriff’s office Special Olympics coordinator. Looking back at her time at Elon, McGill fondly remembers building confidence in a public speaking class. The skills she learned then inform much of her daily work. As for the journey that led her to the sheriff’s department, McGill highlights just how important it is to
“listen to life and where it is taking you.” In her experience, paths aren’t always linear and yet, they can lead you to great places.
Chelsea Wagner Counsell and Travis Counsell ’11 are
the owners of Bikedelic Hawaii, a bike shop in Waikiki that specializes in rentals and tours. Travis, who biked across the country while attending Elon, is working toward a master’s degree at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. They live in Kailua. • Kirsten Holtje Jewett and Jeremy Jewett welcomed daughter Ellis Maeve on 1/1/19 in Pretoria, South Africa. Kirsten is an elementary school teacher and Jeremy works for the U.S. Department of State. The family lives in Kigali, Rwanda. • Christopher Milano and Kaitlyn DiVanno were married 10/13/18. Alumni in attendance included Rob Kiser ’06, Lindsey Gannon Benedetti ’08, Vince Benedetti, John Edgington, Molly Boyce Edgington, Seth Gleeson, Tim Graham, Drew Johnson, Kevin Monahan, Kris Moody, Dave Schenkel, Keith Sullivan, Sara Butters Wajda, Scott Wajda, Jason Williams, Derek DeAndrade ’11 and Nolan Elinburg ’11 {Interactive Media ’12}. Christopher is a publisher strategy manager for the Americas at Criteo. He and Kaitlyn live in Boston. • Sam Slaughter’s first cocktail book, “Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum? and Other Cocktails for ’90s Kids,” will be published by Andrews McMeel this June. Sam is the food and drink editor at The Manual, a men’s lifestyle magazine, and is thankful to be able to make a living by eating, drinking and writing. He lives in Greenville, S.C., with wife Amy Ellis.
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Sheila McGregor and Colin Gilmore ’11 were married
10/27/18 at the Stone House at Stirling Ridge in Warren, N.J. Jessica Taylor Duffy served as bridesmaid and Henry Clougherty ’11, Dan Rutherford ’11, Nick Siciliano ’11 and Zack Widdoss ’11 served as groomsmen. Other alumni present included Connor Donohue ’09, Mike Barg, Laura Brainer, Alex Einstein Donohue, Ross Draper, Ryan Duffy, Caroline Ellis, Dan Henaghan, Kelly Barnhurst Maloney, Ryan Mihajlov, Jeff Thurm, Vincent Ayube ’11, Braeden Bumpers ’11, Steve Fales ’11, Allaire Guralnik ’11, Dan Montalvo ’11, Matt Mueller ’11, Christy Nagle ’11, Greg Orfe ’11, Raleigh Richards ’11, Taylor Risley Siciliano ’11, John Woodson ’11, Michael Warren ’12, Julia Warren ’13 and Zach Roeder ’22.
CLASS NOTES ALUMNI ALBUM
Roger Knick ’89
Kathie Niven ’89
Alan Stein Jr. ’99
Mike Kanner ’02
Lindsay Boatwright ’05, Andrew Hammond & friends Sheila is a corporate event planner at Citigroup and Colin is director of marketing at LogicSource. They live in Stamford, Conn. • Rachel Zeilinger and Joseph “Buddy” Christovao ’12 were married 11/3/18 in New Orleans. Alumni in attendance included Bruce Kylle Brown ’81, Graham Rountree ’09, Martha Browning Midgette, Chelsea Anderson Peele, Christopher Peele, Grace Trilling Rountree, Taylor Brown Thomas, Christopher Markwood ’11, Matthew Morales ’11, Matthre Trucksess ’11, Bryan Vivona ’11, Brian Andrews ’12, Lexi Andrews ’12, Carson Byrne ’12, Garrett Green ’12, Brandon Gurney ’12,
Jon Guza ’97 & Molly Feudsale
Mark Nunn ’97 & Jennifer Nunn
Renita Webb ’04
Alexandria Gilkey ’05, Phillip Perry & friends
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Nolan Elingburg {Interactive Media ’12}
called on some superstar power for a video he created to reveal the gender of the baby he and his wife, Danielle, are expecting later this year. An associate director of Duke University’s Blue Devil Network, Nolan works primarily with Duke’s men’s basketball program. So he decided to ask basketball sensation Zion Williamson to help with the reveal by having him dunk a miniature basketball on a Duke practice court, releasing a flurry of blue confetti to announce the couple will be having a boy. The video has since been featured by USA Today, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, FOX News and CNN, among other national news outlets. Nolan and Michelle live in Durham.
CLASS NOTES
A SECOND CHANCE AT How a decision to become a stem cell donor impacted the lives of Ryan Corning ’18 and a complete stranger. BY LEILA JACSKON ’22
{ Ryan Corning ’18, right, & Julio Rivera }
W
hen Ryan Corning ’ joined the Gift of Life Marrow Registry the summer prior to coming to Elon to study mathematics, he never fully expected that he would one day become a donor. Then during his sophomore year in college, he got a call saying he was a match for someone who had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a rare and rapidly progressing form of blood cancer. “I know a lot of people in the registry now who have never been called and I honestly thought I was just going to be a number in a presentation,” Corning says. Three years later, he got to meet Julio Rivera, the man who he was able to give a second chance at life. For patients with blood cancer, a stem cell or bone marrow transplant can potentially save their lives. Many people who join donation registries have a small chance of being a match since finding a donor can be complicated due to factors such as tissue type and ancestry. Corning joined the bone marrow and stem cell donor registry in after hearing a presentation from Gift of Life at a summer camp where he was a counselor. He was hesitant at first since he was only years old, but he eventually decided to join the registry, which involved a cheek swab and providing some medical history. “I found out how easy it was to join the registry and what sort of impact it could have on someone’s life,” Corning says. After getting that phone call from Gift of Life in , Corning agreed to be a stem cell donor. He flew out to Hackensack, New Jersey, just after his final exams that spring semester for lab tests and a physical to make sure he was in good health. The donation process typically lasts five to six hours, but since Corning’s recipient needed more stem cells than usual, his case took just under eight hours. Donors do not meet recipients beforehand as the registry has a policy of anonymity in case the donation is unsuccessful, but they do receive periodic updates about how the recipients are doing. All Corning knew at the time of the donation was that the recipient was a -year-old man. Then in January, Corning had the chance to
of
meet Rivera when the two were invited to attend a K fundraising event sponsored by Gift of Life in Boca Raton, Florida. The men were emotional when they saw each other face-to-face for the first time. “We just embraced, and I was definitely in tears; he was in tears,” Corning says, adding that they could have been father and son. “I didn’t really know what to expect. It was an unreal feeling because I was going to meet a stranger that I already had such a big connection with.” Although they could have gone their separate ways after the event, the two spent the day together. Both of their families attended the K and got to bond with each other. Even though they had only just met, Rivera and Corning both already felt close to one another. “It feels like my family grew through the donation, like my family just got bigger,” Corning says. “I gained a friend and a brother.” Corning, who has since volunteered at various Gift of Life events to bring awareness to the need for bone marrow and stem cell donors, keeps in touch with Rivera on a regular basis. “It was just as good, if not better, than I could have expected,” he says.
CLASS NOTES Lauren Sessoms Gurney ’12, Harrison Krieger ’12, Eric Menchaca ’12, Kyle Packert ’12, Lauren Girvan Potts ’12, Ryan Potts ’12, Dylan Raila ’12, Charles Weickert ’12, Siaolan Wong Albigese ’13, Colin Cash ’13, Michael Durante ’13, Nicholas Ford ’13 and Jessica Turek Weickert ’13. Rachel and
Buddy live in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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William James {mba ’16} and Kelsey Crowther ’12 were
married 6/23/18 in Beverly, Mass. Alumni in attendance included Elizabeth Palmer ’10, Josh Tate ’10, Kelli Accardi, Kaitlin Buck, Jess Ankney Wilson, Erin Porter Andress ’12, Andrew Glass ’12, Lauren Hansen ’12, Julie Anderson Hartzell ’12, Laura Simon ’12, Kait Winston ’12, Cecilia Smith Amick ’13, Kirsten Ferreira Flowers ’13, Leanna Helton ’13, Janice Spearbeck ’13, Taylor Zachary ’13, Simone Bernstein ’14, Jill Pieciak ’14 and Sarah Hargreaves ’16. William and Kelsey live in Boston. • Manisha Patel {Law} was honored as one of North Carolina’s top lawyers for family law in 2019 for the second year in a row by Business North Carolina magazine. She was also selected as president for the North
12|
Carolina Association of Women Attorneys in September. Manisha was previously on the association’s executive state board, serving as education committee chair, secretary, vice-president and president-elect. She practices law in Greensboro.
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watching CBS’ “The Price is Right” and this January, she was able to attend the show. To her surprise, she was asked to “come on down” and play in the Showcase Showdown segment, which she won. Her loot? About $40,000 in prizes, which included cash, kitchen appliances, three trips and a Jet Ski. She and husband Cody are looking forward to going to Jamaica and Australia. They live in Durham, N.C., where Ashley is a travel writer and destination marketer for Discover Durham.
Samantha Chambers and Jonathan Smith ’14 are happy
to announce they are engaged and plan to get married on 8/17/19. Samantha is an assistant editor and Jonathan is an RTR repair technician for Panavision. They live in Atlanta.
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Elizabeth Capel and Grace Baldrige ’14 were married
8/4/18 in Calabasas, Calif. Alumni in attendance included Caroline Drage ’11, Anna Becker ’12, Jack Ruley ’12, Sudie Brown, Carly Ledbetter, Tina Tozzi, Haley Goss Rafferty ’14 and Sarah Turner Wells ’14. Taylor Martin ’12 and Sara Spadacene ’14 gave readings during the ceremony. Elizabeth is a lawyer with Jassy Vick Carolan LLP. She and Grace live in West Hollywood. • Tracy McBride and D. Frank Story were married 10/6/18 surrounded by Elon friends. Tracy works for the NC Principals and
Ashley Strahm loves
Assistant Principals’ Association and Frank works as a senior associate with IHS Markit. They live in Raleigh, N.C., with their dog, Scooter.
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Sherri Thomas {MBA} has
been named to the board of directors at the Greensboro (N.C.) Chamber of Commerce. The chamber has 60 members and Sherri will be serving two successive three-year terms. Sherri is a chief human resources and organizational
development officer at Truliant Federal Credit Union. She lives in Oak Ridge.
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Gabriela Alvarez and Jack Doyle are engaged and
plan to get married on 10/12/19. Gabriela is pursuing a master’s degree in security studies at Georgetown University while Jack is purusing a master’s degree in statecraft and international affairs at The Institute of World Politics. They live in McLean, Va.
ALUMNI ALBUM
Brian Pickler ’05, Kara Pickler ’05 & son Wade Franklin
John Kalas ’07
Meagan Braswell ’06, Erik Thomas & friends
Elizabeth D. Foggie ’08
Chelsea Wagner Counsell ’09 & Travis Counsell ’11
James Cobler ’07
Kirsten Holtje Jewett ’09, Jeremy Jewett & daughter Ellis Maeve
CLASS NOTES
Invest in YOURSELF!
Business (MBA)
Management (M.S.)
Accounting (M.S.)
Interactive Media
Elon’s nine nationally accredited
(M.A.)
graduate programs combine the power
Education
of experiential learning with the close,
(M.Ed.)
mentoring relationships that are the
Higher Education
hallmark of an Elon education.
(MHE)
Physician Assistant Studies (MS)
Physical Therapy (DPT) JEFF COLGAN MBA CLASS OF 2012 NOW: Owner/Chef of THE MISSION Gibsonville, N.C.
Law (J.D.)
ELON UNIVERSITY GRADUATE PROGRAMS | 336-278-7600 | gradadm@elon.edu | elon.edu/graduate
ALUMNI ALBUM
Christopher Milano ’09, Kaitlyn DiVanno & friends of
Sam Slaughter ’09
Rachel Zeilinger Christovao ’10 & Buddy Christovao ’12
CLASS NOTES ALUMNI ALBUM
Sheila McGregor Gilmore ’10, Colin Gilmore ’11 & friends
Samantha Chambers ’12 & Jonathan Smith ’14
Manisha Patel G ’11
Elizabeth Capel Baldridge’13 & Grace Baldridge ’14
Kelsey Crowther ’12 & William James ’11 G’16
Tracy McBride ’13, D. Frank Story ’13 & friends
TURN YOURSELF IN! elon.edu/classnotes Sherri Thomas G’14
Gabriela Alvarez ’17 & Jack Doyle ’17
IN MEMORIAM Dr. George Pleasant Bullock ’47,
Robert Allen Bew Sr. ’58, Sarasota, Fla., 7/20/18.
Dr. Betsy Mae Allen Parsley ’65, Winston-Salem, N.C., 3/30/19.
Samuel Lee Whitfield ’91, Burlington, N.C., 1/9/19.
Jeanne Meredith Busse ’49,
Marvin R. McMillan ’58, Norfolk, Va., 2/19/19.
Richard Lee Davis ’72, Burlington, N.C., 2/15/19.
Paula Parrish Ryskiewich G’93, Mebane, N.C., 1/8/19.
Elizabeth “Lib” Busick Price ’50,
James Clinton Spencer ’58, Virginia Beach, Va., 1/6/19.
The Rev. Betsy Thompson Severance ’74, Burlington, N.C., 2/11/19.
Jason Drew Haftl ’94, Collegeville, Pa., 2/17/19.
Grover Clinton Anderson ’51,
Ann Stallings Wilson Jones Williams ’58, Willow Springs, N.C., 1/28/19.
Steven B. Slough ’78, Norfolk, Va., 1/20/19.
James Brian Malone ’97, Potomac, Md., 11/21/18.
Raleigh Duke Ellis ’52,
Greensboro, N.C., 3/28/19.
Wesley Burgess Reynolds Sr. ’59, Burlington, N.C., 2/4/19.
Peter Robert Lineberger ’84, Midlothian, Va., 3/11/19.
Steven J. Prazenica ’08, Allison Park, Pa., 2/7/19.
John Williford ’52, Fayetteville, N.C., 8/8/18.
Stuart William Semple ’60, Watertown, Ct., 2/1/19.
Lucille “Lucy” Holt Langston ’85, Gibsonville, N.C., 2/3/19.
Taylor Dennett Broderick ’13, Rumson, N.J., 2/25/19.
Marvin K. Moss ’54, Wilmington, N.C., 1/9/19.
Larry Davis ’64, Asheboro, N.C., 2/27/19.
David Reaves G’90, Reidsville, N.C., 2/18/19.
Elizabeth “Betsy” O’Leary Abelson ’15, Greenwood, Maine, 2/9/19.
Wilmington, N.C., 2/19/18.
Charlottesville, Va., 1/22/19. Greensboro, N.C., 1/10/19. Raleigh, N.C., 3/30/19.
The Elon community came together March 5 to celebrate Elon Day and show their maroon and gold pride. Here are some of the images they shared using #ElonDay on social media.
Office of Alumni Engagement PO Box 398 Elon, NC 27244
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Toll Free: (877) 784-3566 elon.edu/alumni
{ Local children participate in the Spring Games for Alamance County Special Olympics North Carolina, which Elon University hosted April . }