The day started in the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement on July 16, 2026, with Queens��� first-ever College Coffee, an Elon tradition that offers students, faculty and staff weekly opportunities during the semester to connect over coffee and pastries.

���This is a powerful morning,��� Queens Acting President and CEO Jesse Cureton said in remarks to attendees. ���You’re going to learn today a lot about Queens and the history of the university, but as I���ve shared with so many, Queens is not just about this campus – it���s about a 170-year history, and it’s about this phenomenal city, one of the fastest-growing in the country. Sports, healthcare, manufacturing, energy – all these things are creating opportunities for our students.���

Following a campus tour for Elon visitors, employees from both locations participated in an interactive professional development workshop, “Own the Moment: Practical Tools for Navigating Change with Confidence,” led by Rochelle Stojnic, director of the Office of Leadership and Professional Development at Elon.

Grounded in the idea that the most meaningful moments during institutional transitions occur in ordinary, everyday interactions, the session provided attendees with strategies to approach organizational evolution with a curious and open perspective.

Employees were encouraged to serve as a steady, grounding presence for colleagues and students, and learned how to leverage personal and collective strengths to fuel community growth.

“This is a historic transition, and navigating it successfully requires an ‘all hands on deck’ approach,��� Stojnic said. ���Leadership isn���t just for a few people at the top. Everyone needs to feel empowered to lead through this change, which starts with understanding how we handle transition personally.���

���At Elon, prioritizing professional development is a core value. We invest heavily in our people because we believe that for our universities to grow and get better, our employees must have the space to expand their skills, navigate uncertainty with balance, and feel genuinely supported along the way.”

Shawn Bowers, director of the General Education Program at Queens, attended the professional development session.

“As an educator, I consider myself a lifelong learner, and I deeply appreciate how both institutions invest in us as holistic individuals. When resources and energy are poured into faculty and staff, it allows us to show up as the best versions of ourselves,��� she said. ���Ultimately, that yields incredible dividends for our students, who are the main constituents we serve.”

The collaborative energy of the workshop and joint sessions highlighted a shared commitment to building a unified, resilient community.

Here���s what employees from both campuses had to say about the exchange:

• “When two universities have this much overlap, there’s a fantastic opportunity to learn from one another and adopt the best processes from both sides. It’s also a two-way street: both Elon and Queens share the benefit of communicating ideas and resources. The prospect of bettering our programs, becoming more efficient, and thriving together is not just rewarding, but exciting. I can’t wait to see where this road leads us.”
  Jackson Mair
  Coordinator, Vandiver Center for Career Development, Queens

• ���The professional development session provided us with practical tools for real-life change. The ���why��� of this exchange became obvious when a Queens colleague and an Elon colleague from the same department shared their experiences navigating the merger. Watching them find comfort and laughter in their shared experience showed the true value of the exchange. It breaks down walls and helps us realize we are building on common ground.���
  Loretta Evivie
  Professor of Practice of Leadership, Queens

• ���The thing that really struck me during my visit is the way in which Elon and Queens share an approach to education. The two student tour guides said many of the same things I���ve told prospective Elon students: small classes, faculty who are available and dedicated to students, a focus on hands-on learning, and even classrooms arranged so that the students can work together. I had the opportunity to meet some of the physics/math faculty, and we talked about ways we can support each other. We���re hopeful that we can develop programs that take advantages of our shared strengths.���
  Jonathan Su
  Associate Professor of Engineering, Elon

• ���I still have many questions about the merger, but I am excited by the prospect of internship pipelines for our students in key sectors like professional sports, medicine, finance, and the arts. I was pleasantly surprised by the lovely Myers Park neighborhood and the look and feel of the campus, which is quite similar to Elon’s. Many thanks to the entire Elon-Queens team for setting things up for our first College Coffee there!���
  Pamela Winfield
  Professor of Religious Studies and Associate Director of International & Global Studies, Elon

• ���By offering College Coffee at Queens, it creates a bridge between our two cultures. Queens has a really nice location for College Coffee in the summer, which is very similar to what Elon offers at Moseley Center. Both places are a great way to escape the heat, grab something to drink or eat, and have a conversation with someone on campus that you don���t get to see in person.���
  Doug Purnell
  Assistant Director of Data Architecture and��Reporting, Elon

消消犯 arriving for Move-In Day will notice big changes under the oaks following summer renovations at Queens that include refreshed campus landscaping, restored building exteriors and updated finishes in Wireman Residence Hall.

Inside Wireman, student rooms are being updated with fresh paint and new furniture. The customizable loft beds, wardrobes, desks and dressers will allow students to easily personalize their spaces.

The building’s shared common areas are also getting a modern, multi-functional makeover. A mix of soft seating and high-low tables will fill these spaces, giving students a flexible environment to study, eat, or relax together.

“Student living spaces are where they spend a great deal of their time. These improvements will help create more comfortable and fresh spaces for students,” said Amber Slack, vice president for student affairs and dean of campus life. “As we continue updating common areas and lobbies across campus, our ultimate goal is to design inviting spaces that naturally bring students together and strengthen our community.”

In line with Queens’ commitment to sustainability and its motto, “Not to be served, but to serve,” the university found new homes for Wireman���s furniture by partnering with Hildrup Moving Companies, Habitat for Humanity and Beds for Kids.

“We knew from the beginning that we didn���t want to send usable furniture to a landfill,” said Leigh Hicks, Queens��� director of capital projects. “We were thrilled to partner with local non-profits to donate these items directly to families in need.”

Student Government Association President Jessica Paredes ’27 lived in Wireman for two years and served on the 消消犯 Improvement Committee, working closely with Slack last year in discussing renovations in Wireman and across campus.

“I am so excited and grateful for the new feel Wireman will have and know that many students will see it as a fresh start for an exciting year ahead,” said Paredes. “Returning Royals will be glad to see their newly renovated ���homes away from home.'”

Queens Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus, is also undergoing a complete stairwell restorations.

“The three classical stone entrances to Queens Hall are being repaired and refreshed with brand-new, uniform light fixtures and hand railings to give the historic building a clean, consistent look,” said David Haught, senior director of facilities for 消消犯’s Charlotte properties. “These renovations are aimed at beautifying and returning the splendor of a grand entrance to this historic campus in the heart of Myers Park, one of the first planned suburbs of Charlotte.”

Nearby, the columns at Sykes Learning Center, the hub of the McColl School of Business, are being replaced with a durable material designed to match the original architecture, while the surrounding brick plaza is being leveled and refreshed.

The summer renovations are on track for completion by late July, well before Royals return to their refreshed campus for the 2026-27 academic year.

That question brought together students, professionals, community members and local government leaders for the Charlotte Decision Challenge, hosted through 消消犯’s Master of Science in Business Analytics Flex program in partnership with the City of Charlotte.

Guided throughout the day by Lakeisha Vance, assistant 消消犯 professor of business analytics, and Vinayaka Gude, assistant professor of business analytics, participants worked in teams using real data and a custom analytics platform to explore potential impacts along the proposed Red Line corridor and develop recommendations aimed at supporting businesses and communities as growth continues across the region.

“One of the strengths of the MSBA Flex program is the opportunity to bring together industry partners, community leaders and learners from a variety of backgrounds to tackle real challenges,” said Mark Kurt, associate dean of curriculum and academic programming at the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. “Partnerships like this allow us to apply analytics in ways that extend beyond the classroom and support the communities we serve.”

For city leaders, the challenge offered an opportunity to bring new voices into conversations that will help shape Charlotte’s future.

“As city leaders, we have to constantly ask ourselves who’s not here and who’s impacted by the decisions we’re making,��� said Charlitta Hatch, deputy chief information officer and chief data and analytics officer for the City of Charlotte. ���Bringing students, professionals and community members into that process helps us see challenges from new perspectives.”

Between July 2024 and July 2025, Charlotte added more residents than any other city in the nation. ��Transportation infrastructure will play an important role in supporting that growth. As city leaders look toward future transit investments, they are also looking closely at lessons learned from previous transit projects and how those experiences can inform future decisions.

The proposed Red Line will bring commuter rail service to communities north of Charlotte, including Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson. Throughout the challenge, participants looked to experiences from Charlotte’s existing Blue Line light rail system and explored themes including business ownership, entrepreneurship and economic mobility.

For Jackie Tynan, data analytics manager for the City of Charlotte, that combination of perspectives is exactly what makes partnerships like this valuable.

“The students here today are a different generation than those in leadership making the decisions,” Tynan said. “By including the voices of our future in the decisions, we can build stronger outcomes that reflect what matters most to them and better prepare them for what���s ahead. ”

Hatch described universities as “community think tanks” and emphasized the value of collaboration between higher education and local government.

“The partnerships are critical because we are limited in what we know and what we can do,” Hatch said. “The breadth that you have, from researchers to practitioners to emerging talent, really helps us make sure we are recommending the best solutions for our community.”

By the end of the event, participants had transformed publicly available data into recommendations for one of Charlotte’s most important future infrastructure projects, demonstrating the role collaboration can play in shaping stronger communities.

“It makes me hopeful about what a larger group can do over a longer period of time,” Tynan said.

Developed in collaboration with the City of Charlotte, the challenge focuses on how local businesses and communities may be affected as the proposed Red Line corridor moves forward. Participants will work in teams to explore real data, uncover insights and develop practical recommendations that can help city leaders better understand potential impacts and identify opportunities for support.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 消消犯 in Charlotte, located at 330 W. Tremont Avenue. No coding, programming or analytics experience is required.

���The Charlotte Decision Challenge reflects the kind of work our MSBA Flex program is designed to support,��� said Mark Kurt, associate dean for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. ���Participants will have the opportunity to use data in a practical, accessible way while contributing ideas that can support real decision-making in the Charlotte community.���

Individuals and teams are welcome to participate. The event is designed for anyone interested in business, analytics, public policy, economic development, transportation, community engagement or civic problem solving.

Breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be provided at no cost.

Applications will be accepted starting Sept. 1, 2026.

The ABA approval clears the way for Elon Law to expand its nationally recognized model of full-time legal education to North Carolina’s largest city. At that point, Elon Law will offer three pathways to a law degree in North Carolina: a full-time program in Greensboro, a full-time program in Charlotte and the part-time Elon Law Flex Program in Charlotte.

“This comes at an incredible moment for Elon Law,” said Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer. “Within the last year, we’ve celebrated historic bar passage rates and employment outcomes for our graduates, along with record enrollment and student applications. The ABA’s approval of our Charlotte program builds on that momentum, allowing Elon Law to bring our signature approach to legal education to one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.”

The inaugural Charlotte class, consisting of up to 75 students, will begin studies in August 2027 on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte. The charter cohort will graduate in December 2029, following Elon Law’s existing 2.5-year, seven-trimester academic calendar in Greensboro. The Elon Law Flex Program will also begin holding its part-time evening classes on the Queens campus in Fall 2027.

The full-time Charlotte program will replicate the innovative curriculum established at Elon Law’s Greensboro campus. The hallmark of Elon Law’s experiential, skills-based, community-centered approach to legal education is the Residency-in-Practice Program: a course-connected placement that pairs every student with a practicing attorney or judge during the winter or spring of their second year.

That experience moves students beyond studying the law to begin living it ��� working alongside attorneys and judges, serving clients and communities, and developing the professional judgment and practical skills expected of new lawyers. 消消犯 return to campus with greater confidence, stronger professional connections and a clearer sense of the kind of lawyer they will become.

Elon Law is in the early stages of hiring a full complement of professors, administrators and student support personnel who will lead the full-time program in Charlotte. The move aligns with the proposed merger of 消消犯 and Queens University, which remains subject to final approval from SACSCOC and the U.S. Department of Education.

Elon leaders are working closely with Queens University to ensure law students benefit from a vibrant campus experience and the resources of a thriving university community.

The expansion also builds on Elon Law’s longstanding relationships throughout Charlotte’s legal community. Already, more than 10 percent of the law school���s alumni live and work in the Charlotte area. Law school leaders plan to strengthen existing partnerships, develop new connections and grow opportunities for students to serve in a region with a need for legal talent, legal services and innovative legal education.

Through clinics, residencies and community partnerships, Elon Law students regularly work alongside attorneys, judges, nonprofit organizations and public agencies to help address unmet legal needs.

“We’ve been in Charlotte all along through our students, alumni and community partnerships,” Kramer said. “This approval gives us an opportunity to deepen our commitment to Charlotte. We’re excited to invest here, build new partnerships and help shape what comes next.”

Additional information about admissions, faculty hiring and program development will be announced in the coming months.

About Elon Law

Elon Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school���s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

Elon Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine���s ���Best Schools for Practical Training��� rankings, maintaining an A+ rating each year since 2023. Elon Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.

The Elon Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched in Charlotte in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it will enroll its third cohort in Fall 2026.

Legalization��has��reshaped��markets across��North Carolina,��and the sports betting landscape continues to evolve. Bockino, Squadron and Tobias��impressed upon��the audience that this wasn���t just a sports story, but it���s actually a��business, data, and policy story, too.��The panelists��explored��the industry’s economic impact, regulatory environment, and the growing role of data and analytics.��They spoke about��consumer trends��and��fan��engagement��and answered questions from the audience about the NCAA���s role in sports betting and how taxes on sports betting��could be used to��support community areas like K-12 public education.

���It���s��always��fun��to talk about sports betting with people from a variety of industries,��� Bockino said.�����This is a growing industry��that affects not only amateur and professional sports but education, finance, and tourism, and I appreciate��the��opportunity to connect with Charlotte’s leaders across all these sectors.���

���Sports betting is having a major impact and��has a lot of elements that people don���t always see,��� Squadron said. ���Elon���s bringing together the Charlotte community to discuss it was��a great opportunity��to explore all the different pieces of this growing area.���

Elon��University��Charlotte will hold future����with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.��Interested in learning more about sports betting? Bockino will��release a book on��the topic on Tuesday, June 2.

When arrived at 消消犯 as a first-year student, she envisioned a future in physical therapy.

Four years later, the graduating senior leaves Elon not only with two majors, but with published scholarship, national conference presentations, and a growing passion for research that ultimately reshaped her career ambitions.

This winter, the native of Walnut Creek, California, served as lead author on a research publication in the , collaborating with Elon faculty members Alex Traugutt, Caroline Ketcham and Eric Hall. The publication represents the latest milestone in a research journey that began during her sophomore year, when she approached Ketcham about becoming involved with Elon BrainCARE.

���At the time, I was an exercise science major planning to apply to physical therapy school, so while I was genuinely interested in concussions and brain health, I also saw research as a way to deepen my involvement at Elon and strengthen my future applications,��� McAfee said.

As she became more involved with research, McAfee���s interests evolved beyond concussions and brain injuries. While reviewing existing scholarship, she became increasingly interested in the ways athletics influence student-athletes off the playing field.

���One article in particular sparked my curiosity about how sports shape athletes beyond their playing careers,��� McAfee said. ���This led me to explore whether competitive sports help develop career readiness and how athlete identity may influence academic performance.���

Those experiences ultimately inspired McAfee to add sport management as a second major, where she met Traugutt during her first course in the department.

���Lucy is an intellectually driven student researcher who, over nearly three years of collaboration, led data collection, identified research topics and conducted analyses that resulted in two first-author peer-reviewed publications before completing her 消消犯 degree,��� said Traugutt, assistant professor of sport management.

Traugutt explained that McAfee distinguished herself through both her intellectual curiosity and her ability to connect research with practical application.

���What sets Lucy apart is her ability to bridge scholarship and practice,��� Traugutt said, noting that she has presented research twice at the Applied Sport Management Conference and participated in multiple SURF and SURE programs.

McAfee said that working closely with Traugutt, Ketcham and Hall helped strengthen both her confidence and critical-thinking skills.

���When I first started doing research, I felt uncertain about my future and my own abilities,��� McAfee said. ���Dr. Alex Traugutt, Dr. Caroline Ketcham and Dr. Eric Hall each played a key role in guiding me, giving me direction, and helping me build confidence in my research skills.���

She especially valued the collaborative nature of the work.

���I particularly enjoyed our meetings �����especially the ones at The Oak House �����where we would dissect the data together,��� McAfee said. ���Consistently learning and discussing research with such knowledgeable professors pushed me to think more critically and challenged me to contribute insights of my own.���

McAfee���s recent publication is not expected to be her last contribution to the field. In addition to a forthcoming publication in Case Studies in Sport Management examining career readiness programming for student-athletes, she and Traugutt recently submitted a third research paper examining the NCAA transfer portal and high school recruiting opportunities in college football to the Journal of Applied Sport Management.

That research grew out of McAfee���s desire to better understand the rapidly changing dynamics of college athletics.

���My interest in the transfer portal stemmed from conversations during my time at the ACC, where its impact on various stakeholders was frequently discussed,��� said McAfee, who completed an internship with the Power 4 conference last summer. ���However, I noticed there was limited research regarding its effects on high school athletes. I saw that as an opportunity to contribute meaningful new knowledge to the field of sport management.���

Traugutt said McAfee���s work stands out for both its academic rigor and its broader relevance within athletics and higher education.

���Her work examining athletic identity, career readiness and student-athlete development is not only carefully designed and executed, but deeply meaningful, directly addressing questions that matter to practitioners and institutions alike,��� Traugutt said.

McAfee also served as an executive intern with Elon Athletics, an experience Traugutt said complemented the practical focus of her research.

After graduation, McAfee will pursue a master���s degree in higher education at Boston College, where she will hold two graduate assistantships ��� one as a student-athlete academic adviser within Boston College Athletics and another with Tufts Medical School���s graduate student services department.

Traugutt said those opportunities speak to both McAfee���s academic growth and the practical focus she brought to her research throughout her time at Elon.

���These achievements reflect a student who takes her work seriously and understands its real-world implications,��� Traugutt said. ���I have no doubt she will carry that same curiosity, independence and commitment into her graduate studies at Boston College and beyond.���

As Commencement approaches, McAfee said her 消消犯 research experiences transformed her Elon journey in ways she never anticipated.

���When I received my acorn at convocation, I never imagined I would be doing research at this level,��� McAfee said. ���Now, as I prepare to receive my sapling at Baccalaureate, I���m incredibly grateful for the opportunities and support that made that possible.���

This work represents an important step forward in the planned merger, which is awaiting a vote from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. That accreditation approval is the first step in a two-step federal approval process before Elon assumes operational oversight of Queens.

As the approval process continues, Elon and Queens are planning to align a number of administrative and operational functions through shared services, beginning June 30. The goal of the shared services model is to strengthen the financial and operational foundation of the future combined institution while ensuring that students continue to receive strong support throughout the transition.

���This next stage is about building the foundation for a stronger future,��� said Jeff Stein, chief integration officer and executive vice president. ���Leaders from both institutions are working collaboratively and deliberately, and drawing on the strengths, talents and traditions of Elon and Queens to design shared functions that serve students well and position the combined institution for long-term success.���

The shared services model will bring together teams in areas such as admissions and financial aid, advancement, career services, communications and marketing, finance, human resources, information technology, academic advising, facilities, library services, study abroad and other key administrative functions. These areas support the daily operations of both campuses and play an important role in the student experience. Leaders have emphasized that the design process is not simply about combining existing structures, but about creating stronger teams and practices that reflect the best of both institutions.

The merger also builds on Elon���s growing presence in Charlotte, including the expansion of Elon Law and future graduate programs. Queens��� deep roots in the city, distinctive 消消犯 experience, Division I athletics program and legacy of civic engagement will remain important parts of the combined institution���s future. Athletics programs at Elon and Queens will continue to operate as distinct and separate Division I programs.

For employees, the transition will include direct communication, HR support and detailed information about next steps. Queens employees whose roles are part of the shared services areas will transition to 消消犯 employment at the end of June and continue in similar roles. Queens employees who transition will move to Elon���s benefits program.

A small number of positions will not continue as part of the shared services structure. Employees in those roles are receiving direct support, including information about open positions at Elon in which they are eligible to apply and career transition resources.

The transition plan also includes onboarding, professional development and culture-building opportunities designed to help newly integrated teams build relationships and establish shared practices. Planned supports include department retreats, leadership workshops, employee resources, buddy programs and ongoing opportunities for feedback and questions.

Throughout the process, Queens will continue to have dedicated leadership guiding campus operations, helping ensure continuity for students, employees and the Charlotte community while federal approvals are pending.

For Elon and Queens, this stage of the work is both practical and forward-looking. It is about aligning systems and teams, but also about shaping a shared future grounded in student success, institutional strength and a commitment to Charlotte.

���The promise of this merger is not only that two institutions will come together,��� Stein said. ���It is that, together, we can create something stronger ��� an institution with deeper resources, broader opportunities and an enduring commitment to the students and communities we serve.���

On Dec. 6, 2025, day started not in Elon, but Charlotte.

By 8 a.m., the Elon senior was already at the Spectrum Center, one of the Queen City���s marquee entertainment venues, helping with operations for a neutral-site college basketball matchup between Dayton and Virginia. Hours later, she was darting through the tunnels of Bank of America Stadium as part of the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game staff, helping coordinate pregame activities, managing an on-field photo experience for youth teams, and assisting with postgame celebrations after Duke���s dramatic victory over Virginia.

In between, there were meetings, setup responsibilities, logistics and constant communication. The football championship game eventually stretched beyond regulation, adding even more chaos to an already packed day.

For Selikoff, though, the day never felt overwhelming.

���It doesn���t really feel like work because I love what I���m doing,��� she said. ���It���s rewarding because you ultimately get to see the experience that it brings at the end of the day.���

That whirlwind Saturday last fall captured much of Selikoff���s Elon experience ��� ambitious, hands-on and deeply connected to the sport industry she hopes to build a career in after graduation.

A double major in cinema and television arts and sport management, Selikoff arrived at Elon from northern New Jersey already knowing she wanted a university where relationships with professors and classmates grew naturally. After visiting campus during her senior year of high school, the decision came quickly.

���The second we drove through campus, I told my parents, ���I���m done,������ she said. ���I knew this was where I wanted to be.���

Once at Elon, she wasted little time getting involved.

Selikoff joined Elon Sports Vision during her first semester and directed her first broadcast before fall break. She also became involved with the Sport Management Society, an organization that shaped much of her college experience, and Women Influencers in Sports. After serving in various leadership roles, she now leads the society as president, helping connect students with industry professionals through networking events, facility tours and guest speakers.

���What stands out most about Abby is her ability to pair intellectual curiosity with real-world execution,��� said Shaina Dabbs, associate professor and chair in the Department of Sport Management. ���She is someone who doesn���t just show up, she fully invests in every opportunity in front of her. Simply put, she says ���yes.��� Whether in the classroom, in research, or in the industry, Abby consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and a genuine desire to learn.���

Selikoff���s willingness to embrace opportunity eventually led her to participate in The Sport Experience in Charlotte during fall 2024, where she balanced 18 credit hours with internships at both NASCAR and the ACC.

At NASCAR, she worked with digital products, supporting the organization���s website, app, fantasy platform and fan rewards program. Simultaneously, she served as a Football Game Day Operations Center intern with the ACC, monitoring games and helping ensure smooth coordination between on-site officials and conference staff in Charlotte.

By the end of the semester, Selikoff had completed more than 500 internship hours.

The experience �����and her work ethic �����opened the door to additional opportunities with the ACC. Over the next two years, Selikoff worked more than 25 football games while also supporting conference championships and events in basketball, gymnastics, baseball and tennis.

One of her favorite experiences came when the ACC sent her on-site to shadow replay officials during football games at North Carolina and N.C. State, attending pre- and post-game meetings in the process.

���Being part of those big-game environments was incredible,��� Selikoff said. ���I got to see firsthand the communication between the game officials and Charlotte, and then bring what I learned back into the office.���

Dabbs said Selikoff fully embraced Elon���s experiential learning model.

���Abby is a great example of a student who maximized the Elon experience by intentionally connecting academics with industry opportunities,��� Dabbs said. ���What is particularly impressive is how she did not treat these as isolated experiences �����she built a cohesive skillset across operations, media and fan engagement.���

Alongside her internships and leadership roles, Selikoff also immersed herself in 消消犯 research under the mentorship of Young Do Kim, associate professor of sport management, and Tony Weaver, associate dean in the School of Communications.

Since fall 2023, she has investigated how professional sports organizations market sustainability initiatives and how those efforts shape consumer perceptions, gaining valuable insights into sustainability, marketing and environmental communications. The research led her to complete IRB approval and CITI certification, present at Elon���s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience and Spring Undergraduate Research Forum, and share her findings at the Sport Marketing Association Conference in Arizona. Additionally, she is currently working on a manuscript based on her results.

���I never thought I would be doing 消消犯 research,��� Selikoff admitted. ���But I���ve loved it throughout the entire process.���

Beyond academics and internships, Selikoff credits Elon���s faculty mentors with helping her grow personally and professionally.

She points to Kim, Dabbs, Weaver and Staci Saltz, chair of the Department of Cinema and Television Arts, as key influences throughout her four years on campus.

���The Sport Management Department is incredibly close-knit,��� Selikoff said. ���It feels kind of like a family. I can go to professors for anything �����whether it���s personal or academic �����and they���ve all had a strong impact on me.���

Fittingly, Selikoff���s Elon experience actually became a family affair when her younger sister, Emily, enrolled at the university two years ago. The two regularly meet for meals, cross paths in the School of Communications, and share many of the same academic interests.

���It���s honestly been really great having her here,��� Selikoff said. ���It���s like having an extra piece of home.���

After graduation, Selikoff hopes to return to Charlotte and continue building a career in sports media, communications or event operations. Whatever path she ultimately takes, she leaves Elon with the kind of hands-on experience many young professionals spend years trying to find.

Beginning this fall, Queens will align its 消消犯 academic calendar with Elon’s 消消犯 calendar. The most notable change will be the reintroduction of Winter Term at Queens, a short, intensive session in January that allows students to focus on a single course or study abroad experience.

���J-Term gave Queens students something rare ��� three weeks each January alongside our closest friends to discover who we were through service, career exploration, and international travel,��� said Queens alumna Staci McBride ���92. ���We forged lifelong memories while living our motto, ���Not to be served, but to serve.��� I am thrilled that this transformative tradition will now be part of the student experience again, and I can���t wait to see the lasting bonds and impact it will have on their lives.���

A highlight for many students is the intentional opportunity to study abroad in January. Both institutions have thriving study abroad programs, from Elon���s nationally ranked participation rate to .

���J-Term gives students the opportunity to engage deeply in a single course, often in a global context, and to complement their learning in ways that are not possible during a traditional semester,��� said Nick Gozik, dean of global education at Elon. ���Expanding this approach to Queens creates a meaningful opportunity as the two institutions come together.���

For LMA Alexander, executive director of the Pulliam Center for International Education at Queens, this new term brings fresh possibilities for JBIP. ���The John Belk International Program is a cornerstone of the Queens 消消犯 experience,��� she said. ���Queens has a long tradition of dynamic, multi-disciplinary faculty-led programs, and the addition of J-term will create new opportunities for innovative programming in collaboration with our Elon colleagues.���

In another integration move designed to expand opportunity for students, the two institutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize a priority-admission pathway for Queens 消消犯s to Elon���s School of Law. Both teams are actively working to share more details with students in the coming weeks.

J-Term gives students the opportunity to engage deeply in a single course, often in a global context, and to complement their learning in ways that are not possible during a traditional semester. Expanding this approach to Queens creates a meaningful opportunity as the two institutions come together.

– Nick Gozik, dean of global education at 消消犯

Evidenced through the service and experiential learning emphasized on both campuses, Queens and Elon share a commitment to civic engagement. This core belief will come to life through the Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN), which recently invited both schools to join its inaugural cohort.

���The DCN highlights some norms or expectations that surround effective dialogues,��� said Naeemah Clark, associate provost for academic inclusive excellence at Elon. ���Active listening, empathic and ethical discourse, and evidence-based argumentation are essential elements that are at the heart of a liberal arts education.”

Margaret Commins, chair of the political science, international studies and sociology department, shared, ���We���re excited about the opportunity to work with a national cohort to learn best practices for integrating deliberation into the curriculum and co-curriculum, and for working with our Elon colleagues to develop creative campus and cross-campus programming in this area.���

The DCN program will bring together two faculty members, one staff member, and 10 students from each participating school. The program will teach best practices and innovative ideas that can be woven into and beyond the classroom. ���消消犯 who can demonstrate these skills will be better learners and leaders in their post-graduation lives,��� Clark added.

The Elon team will be led by Dillan Bono-Lunn, assistant professor of political science and public policy and faculty fellow for civic engagement; Bob Frigo, assistant dean of campus life and director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life; and Andrew Moffa, assistant director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life.

The DCN participants won���t be the only ones working together this summer. With an expected June vote on the merger by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, many administrative departments at Queens are preparing to integrate effective July 1, 2026, officially becoming employees of Elon.

The first phase of integration brings new employee benefits ��� along with understandable questions from staff. To help ease the transition, Jeff Stein and Pamela Davies, co-chairs of the integration team, are holding coffee chats ��� open hours where any Queens employee can sign up to learn more about the process and ask their questions. The plan is to extend these coffee chats to Elon employees as well.

���Mergers are hard work,��� Stein said. ���Yet it’s been exciting to see how collaborations across Queens and Elon have already produced new opportunities and pathways for students ��� an early signal of what becomes possible when we work together to build what students need next.���