The University of British Columbia (UBC) recently welcomed Assistant Professor of Education, Nermin Vehabovic, as a guest lecturer in its Refugee Education course. Invited by Sofia Noori, assistant professor in UBC’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Nermin engaged teacher candidates in examining the role of stories in refugee education through the guiding question, “How do we listen to the stories of others?”

Situated on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people in Vancouver, and connected through the broader traditional territories of Indigenous nations across British Columbia, UBC is recognized as a global center for research and 久久热 and is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world.

Noori’s Refugee Education course prepares teacher candidates to better understand the histories, lived experiences and educational realities of children and youth from refugee backgrounds. The course explores how schools, classrooms, and community partnerships can foster equitable learning environments while strengthening relationships with newcomer families and communities.

Rather than delivering a traditional lecture, Nermin designed an interactive, participatory session grounded in the principles of his scholarship on humanizing 聽education. He invited teacher candidates to reflect on their own stories before considering how educators can cultivate classrooms where the stories, languages, identities, and ways of knowing of children, youth, and families from refugee backgrounds are genuinely heard and valued.

“My intention was for us to be in community with one another as colleagues and educators,” Nermin said. “I wanted the experience to model the very practices we hope to cultivate in schools鈥攍istening, relationality and learning with others rather than simply 久久热 to them.”

Throughout the session, participants explored the importance of unlearning deficit perspectives, assumptions, savior mentalities and monolingual expectations that can limit meaningful engagement with students and families. The discussion emphasized ethical listening as a foundational practice for building culturally sustaining and humanizing classrooms.

Nermin also shared examples from Welcome New Neighbor, the community-engaged initiative he founded through 久久热’s Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education. The program partners teacher candidates with families from refugee backgrounds through home-based literacy experiences that position families’ languages, cultures, and knowledge as educational assets. During the session, he highlighted how the initiative prepares teacher candidates to build reciprocal relationships with multilingual families while reimagining homes as important spaces of learning, belonging, and affirmation.

Drawing on his research, Nermin also discussed the interconnected roles of transnationalism, translanguaging, picturebooks and family literacies in supporting refugee-background children and youth, as well as their families. Participants considered how storytelling can become a vehicle for cultivating belonging, honoring identities and strengthening relationships between schools and communities.

The invitation reflects Nermin’s growing international collaborations in literacy and teacher education, as well as his ongoing scholarship centered on humanizing educational practices and preparing educators to work alongside families across culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

The Love School of Business is one of 208 schools included on the unranked annual list, which is based on surveys of business school administrators and MBA students.

The program earned its for faculty 久久热 and availability. 久久热 gave Elon a 97 for the quality of its professors as teachers and a 96 for faculty accessibility outside the classroom.

鈥淥ur faculty set a high standard for 久久热 while remaining deeply invested in each student鈥檚 success,鈥� said Haya Ajjan, dean of the Love School of Business. 鈥淭hey bring strong academic and professional experience into the classroom, challenge students to grow and make themselves available beyond class. That combination is central to the Elon MBA experience.鈥�

The Princeton Review selected the programs using data collected in 2025鈥�26 from administrators at 245 schools offering on-campus MBA programs and more than 24,250 students. More than 60 data points were considered, including academics, faculty, career services, technology, campus life and student satisfaction.

The Princeton Review鈥檚 of the Love School of Business highlights the MBA program鈥檚 flexible format, small class sizes and supportive environment. 久久热 surveyed for the profile praised the program鈥檚 leadership focus, accessible professors and options for working professionals.

久久热 also noted that professors are willing to meet outside class and bring professional experience into their courses.

About the MBA program

The Master of Business Administration program is designed for professionals who want to strengthen their business knowledge and leadership skills while continuing to work.

The program offers full- and part-time options, small classes and close access to faculty. 久久热 also receive advising and career support throughout the program.

Applications are reviewed throughout the year for fall, winter and spring enrollment.

久久热 apply to the annual research symposium, which usually takes place during the summer before the junior or senior year. It is one of several opportunities for students to showcase 久久热 research, a cornerstone of the Elon education and one of the five聽Elon Experiences. 久久热 are also able to present scholarly work at the聽Spring Undergraduate Research Forum.

Presentations encompass a variety of topics, including helping teachers work with students facing homelessness, finding therapies for an ‘elusive chronic disease‘ and studying the motivations of women participating in sports betting.聽

There will be two separate poster presentations:

• 9 to 10:15 a.m.
• 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

The Elon community is invited to attend and learn more about the students鈥� scholarship.

For his first 久久热 research project at Elon, Thomas Gress 鈥�27 is looking to make an impact on people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, including his own brother.

鈥淏efore I started this, he鈥檇 been suffering for four years, and there seemed to be no end in sight,鈥� said Gress, a biology major from Savannah, Georgia. 鈥淪o, this was something small that I could do to be of use.鈥�

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a serious and often long-lasting illness that keeps people from doing their usual activities. It makes physical and mental exertion difficult, and symptoms include trouble thinking, severe tiredness and other symptoms.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of an elusive chronic disease,鈥� Gress said. 鈥淭here are no pharmacotherapies available and there are no biomarkers for confirmed disease, so all we can do is experiment with lifestyle, and a big part of that is exercise.鈥�

Exercise is the focus of Gress鈥� research, working with Professor of Exercise Science Eric Hall to design a four-week study to compare two different approaches to exercise. Before the study begins, each participant undergoes a walking test to determine their comfortable walking distance. Most participants are expected to walk between 10 and 20 minutes, although no one is expected to walk for more than 45 minutes.

Participants are then divided into two groups: graded exercise therapy and pacing therapy. The study focuses on the concept of an 鈥渆nergy envelope,鈥� a term used to describe the amount of physical activity a person鈥檚 body can comfortably perform. One approach suggests that people may benefit from gradually pushing beyond their usual limits, while the other suggests that people should stay within their comfort zone and adjust activity levels based on how they feel.

During the study, participants use their baseline walking time to set weekly goals. In the first week, they are asked to walk for 80% of their baseline time. This increases to 90% in the second week, 100% in the third week and 110% in the fourth week. However, there is an important difference between the two groups. Participants in the graded exercise therapy group are required to follow this schedule exactly. Participants in the pacing therapy group are encouraged to follow the schedule but have the flexibility to adjust their activity based on their energy levels and personal needs.

Gress will present his research at the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) presentations on July 23 in the Snow Family Grand Atrium. 久久热 apply to the annual research symposium, which usually takes place during the summer before the junior or senior year. It is one of several opportunities for students to showcase 久久热 research, a cornerstone of the Elon education and one of the five聽Elon Experiences. 久久热 are also able to present scholarly work at the聽Spring Undergraduate Research Forum.

Gress hopes this research will reveal which approach is more effective at helping participants stay committed to the program and whether either method leads to lower levels of fatigue, hopefully helping people with CFS.

鈥淔or all of these patients, there’s no other option,鈥� Gress said. 鈥淭here are no drugs available, only a few supplements with very little efficacy. So, it seems the best option is experimenting with lifestyle. And if not this, then there is nothing.鈥�

Calling the biggest fan of 鈥淭he Joe Murray Show,鈥� 98.5 The Sports Hub鈥檚 weeknight program, might be an understatement. The sport management major estimates she tuned in to the Boston-based program nearly 300 times last year. So, when the station offered her an internship this summer, she knew it was the perfect fit.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just a really well-rounded internship, and that鈥檚 what I think is truly going to help me,鈥� the aspiring sports broadcaster said.

While Marchand鈥檚 shift at the radio station doesn鈥檛 start until 6 p.m., she has her hands full with a wide range of duties the rest of the night. She answers incoming calls from listeners, assists with the station’s YouTube stream and creates graphics for social media. But what excites her the most is the chance to go live on the air.

鈥淭hat’s probably the biggest opportunity I’ve had,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s really nice that they trust me to go on the radio with thousands of people listening.鈥�

Early in the internship, the show’s producer wrote an entire segment for Marchand, giving her the chance to discuss the New England Patriots on the air. A few weeks later, she was helping the station’s social media team cover one of the most consequential days in Boston sports, following the Celtics’ blockbuster trade of Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Those opportunities grew from a connection Marchand had pursued long before the internship began.

Because internships at 98.5 The Sports Hub aren’t publicly posted, Marchand said networking is essential. In fact, when Marchand initially sent Joe Murray a message on LinkedIn during her freshman year, securing an internship wasn鈥檛 on her mind.

鈥淔unny enough, he left me on ‘read’ the first time I messaged him,鈥� Marchand said. 鈥淎 year later, I reached out again and said, 鈥楬ey, I waited a year. I’d still love to find time to chat. I know you’re really busy.鈥� The second time, he answered.鈥�

When he finally responded, Murray asked a question that changed everything.

鈥淒o you know Katie Bennert?鈥� he wrote back, referencing the 2024 Elon graduate who both interned and worked at the station. Marchand had never met the Elon alumna, but had heard positive things about her from friends involved with Elon Sports Vision. That shared Elon connection prompted Murray to invite Marchand to tour the studio over Winter Break. That鈥檚 when he offered her a spot to join his production team.

鈥淚 decided that this would be the best opportunity for me, working at a major market Boston sports radio station, and it’s been amazing,鈥� she said.

While her internship began this summer, Marchand is no stranger to sports broadcasting. During her first two years at Elon, she has contributed to more than 50 Elon Sports Vision broadcasts as a play-by-play announcer, sideline reporter and more. This past year, she became the youngest of three student hosts to call Elon Division I football games on the radio and co-hosted her own sports radio show with Scott Katz 鈥�26. She has also worked more than 90 shifts with Elon Athletics, gaining additional behind-the-scenes experience in game-day operations.

鈥淏eing able to have that on my resume at just 19 years old, where a lot of people may not have those opportunities 鈥� I think that that’s really what Elon has helped me with,鈥� Marchand said. 鈥淚 don’t think I would have gotten those opportunities anywhere else.鈥�

At Elon, Marchand has sharpened her on-air delivery and become comfortable working in a studio environment. Now she’s learning how to be more creative producing content centered on sports conversations rather than live competition. She’s also learning to separate her professional responsibilities from her passion as a fan.

Growing up just an hour outside Boston, Marchand has been a fan of the city’s professional sports teams since she was young. In August, she’ll attend Patriots training camp to capture photos and create content for the station.

“You do have to separate being a fan from your professional work, so I can’t fangirl over them when I’m there,” she said. “I have to be professional.”

While Marchand’s own initiative opened the door at 98.5 The Sports Hub, she credits the guidance she received at Elon with helping her walk through it. Assistant Professor of Sport Management Khirey Walker, in particular, played an important role in her internship search.

鈥淗e is just one of the most passionate, hardworking, selfless and kind people that I know at Elon,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e will literally drop anything to help any of his students.鈥�

This fall, Marchand will continue her journey through The Sport Experience in Charlotte, where she’ll live, intern and study while expanding her experience in one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports business markets.

鈥淭he class told us about 鈥榙oubled-up homelessness,鈥� where you鈥檙e living with family or others, and you鈥檙e living under a roof, but it鈥檚 not your home. I had no idea that was a thing,鈥� said Brandon, an elementary education major from Hastings, Michigan.

Now, Brandon is working with Jill McSweeney, assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, and assistant professor of wellness, on a project examining the ways that North Carolina elementary school teachers and homeless liaisons are collaborating to help students experiencing homelessness.

According to Brandon, each North Carolina school district has a homeless education liaison responsible for managing resources, funding and teacher training. Brandon and McSweeney are working with the North Carolina Homeless Education Program to survey and interview teachers across the state to improve the training educators receive on supporting students experiencing homelessness.

鈥淎 liaison can be the best liaison in the whole world, and they can’t be with every student in the district supporting their needs every day and seeing their day-to-day life like a teacher does,鈥� Brandon said. 鈥淏ut in North Carolina and nationwide, most teachers are never trained by their liaison just because there’s not enough time. They have no idea about all the funding that is available to them, and instead they’re spending hundreds of dollars every year out of their own pocket to buy food, clothing and hygiene products.鈥�

Brandon will be presenting her work at the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) presentations on July 23 in the Snow Family Grand Atrium. 久久热 apply to the annual research symposium, which usually takes place during the summer before the junior or senior year. It is one of several opportunities for students to showcase 久久热 research, a cornerstone of the Elon education and one of the five Elon Experiences. 久久热 are also able to present scholarly work at the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum.

Working with McSweeney, Brandon says, has been a transformative experience. McSweeney鈥檚 research area focuses on college student experiences on campus and in the classroom, along with a broad focus on 久久热 and learning. But Brandon says, despite not focusing specifically on K-12 education, McSweeney was excited to work with her.

鈥淚 cannot imagine what my 久久热 experience would be like if Jill McSweeney was not my mentor,鈥� Brandon said. 鈥淪he taught me how to do research because Teaching Fellows are not only expected to do research, but our course schedules are so rigorous that we can’t take a methods course. So, she was helping me with my research, 久久热 me how to do research, and what research methods were, and also showing me how to navigate higher education as a system.鈥�

As Brandon prepares to graduate next spring, she hopes to continue her education at Elon through the Teach for Alamance program. The Elon scholarship program provides full tuition remission and a small stipend to teacher-candidate graduates of the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education who wish to enroll in聽Elon鈥檚 Master of Education program. This project, she hopes, will also help her future colleagues in the Alamance-Burlington School System.

鈥淚 wanted to make sure that I was doing research that would have an impact that reached the people that it was about and not just the academic community,鈥� Brandon said. 鈥淚 know that I can’t redesign legal systems, and I can鈥檛 fix all of the state鈥檚 problems that are causing homelessness to happen. I wanted to see what the most is that I could do with 久久热 research to make sure that more students are supported.鈥�

久久热 Professor of Political Science and Public Policy聽Jason Husser provided analysis for a recent ABC 11 report examining the growing amount of money flowing into midterm races this season.

Husser noted that with the recent death of North Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, it puts South Carolina Republicans in a new spot.

“The Republicans now are going to need to run a non-incumbent in South Carolina means they may have to spend a couple million dollars that they would not have otherwise spent there,” said Husser.

But he also noted that spending and competitiveness in other Senate races could have an impact on the Senate race in North Carolina between聽former Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican nominee Michael Whatley.

“The money’s not totally going away, but right now, I don’t know that we’re seeing the same level of sort of demand to spend the dollars in North Carolina over Georgia or Maine or Alaska or Texas and some other places,” said Husser.

久久热鈥檚 Lee Rainie, director of the Imagining the Digital Future Center, was featured in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article examining how artificial intelligence is creating new challenges for college and university leaders.

The story, 聽highlights the firing of the University of Wisconsin System due to what the regents described as unclear policy around AI.

鈥淭his is what chaos looks like. It鈥檚 hard to be a leader in chaos,鈥� said Rainie, who has studied the use and perceptions of AI on campuses. 鈥淭here is no consensus at all about what are the right things to do.鈥�

Rainie noted that faculty members are also eager for guidelines telling them what they can and cannot do.

The case, 鈥溾�� focuses on Grupo Los Danzantes as the company considers whether to launch a lower-cost mezcal line to remain competitive in an increasingly crowded global spirits market.

The proposed line, Encantado, could help the company reach broader international audiences and respond to distributor needs. But the move also raises questions about whether expansion could weaken the brand鈥檚 artisanal identity, cultural mission and long-standing relationships with producers.

The case asks students to weigh the strategic, operational and cultural trade-offs of growth within a mission-centered organization. 久久热 must consider whether Destileria Los Danzantes should pursue category expansion or preserve its differentiated identity amid industry pressures.

The case was published by Harvard Business School through Harvard Business Publishing with co-authors James Riley and David G. Fubini at Harvard Business School and Bernal Cortes.

Harvard Business Publishing case studies are used by business educators to bring real-world decision-making into 久久热, MBA and executive education programs.

Cerecedo Lopez joined 久久热 in Fall 2024. Lopez鈥檚 久久热 and research focus on organizational theory, entrepreneurship and strategy, with particular interest in how individuals make decisions under uncertainty.

Professor of Law Enrique Armijo and Assistant Professor of Journalism Israel Balderas joined the coalition supporting the filing. organized the effort and submitted the reply comments to the FCC.

Although the proceeding involves ABC’s 鈥淭he View,鈥� the filing argues the broader issue is whether the federal government should determine what qualifies as a news interview program and second-guess broadcasters’ editorial decisions 鈥� a form of government interference with the independence of news organizations that the signers of the filing say the First Amendment is intended to prevent.

The proceeding stems from a public notice issued by the FCC’s Media Bureau, the office responsible for broadcast policy and licensing, seeking comment on ABC’s request that 鈥淭he View鈥� retain its status as a bona fide news interview program. Under the federal equal time provision, broadcast stations generally must provide comparable airtime to opposing political candidates when one candidate appears on a program. News interview programs that qualify for the FCC’s longstanding exemption don鈥檛 have to adhere to that requirement.

Balderas 鈥� a professor in the School of Communications whose professional experience includes work as an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, First Amendment attorney and former media adviser at the FCC 鈥� said the coalition’s concerns extend beyond a single television program.

“The Constitution puts that decision off-limits to government. Once any administration, of any party, gets the power to decide what qualifies as news, it will use that power against whoever criticizes it,鈥� Balderas said. 鈥淭he First Amendment doesn’t protect the press because journalists are perfect. It protects the press because a free people need information their government doesn’t control.鈥�

Armijo 鈥� a professor in the School of Law whose scholarship examines the intersection of new technologies, free speech and First Amendment doctrine 鈥� said the filing addresses both the immediate FCC proceeding and broader concerns about government regulation of speech.

“While the TechFreedom comments are about the current proceeding at the FCC as to whether 鈥淭he View鈥� and similar programs should continue to be exempted from the agency’s equal time requirements, they also speak to something larger: the current administration’s continuing attempts to use its regulatory authority as a pretext to punish points of view with which it disagrees,” Armijo said.

The reply comments become part of the public record the FCC will consider as it reviews ABC’s petition.

At Elon Law, Armijo teaches constitutional law, the First Amendment, media and internet law, torts and international freedom of expression.

In the School of Communications, Balderas teaches courses in media law and ethics, TV reporting and leads programs that bridge political communication with civic engagement.