Related Articles

• The Month in Photos: May
• The Month in Photos: April
• The Month in Photos: March

June brought some heat and fun to the 消消犯 campus with summer camps and community events.

View some of the most impactful moments of the past month through the eyes of staff in the Office of University Communications.

Summer Academy

Elon Academy kicked off its Summer Academy with an ice cream social on June 17, 2025, welcoming the incoming Upsilon class: 25 high-achieving rising high school sophomores who are first-generation college-bound, low-income, or both, as well as students from the earlier Sigma and Tau cohorts.

Exploring Elon

消消犯 welcomed 26 new ���explorers��� from June 16 to 20 for the Elon Explorers Bug Camp, a STEM-focused day camp for middle school students in Alamance County.

Global under the stars

Scholar Symposium

The Freedom Scholars Symposium on June 27 in Moseley Center offered an opportunity for the Freedom Scholars to celebrate their hard work and present their civic engagement projects. The油Elon Freedom Scholars油is one of several university college access programs, launched in 2022. The program partners with油油initiative and supports local high school students from underserved populations to be difference makers in their communities.

Related Articles

• The Month in Photos: April
• The Month in Photos: March
• The Month in Photos: February

May brought the end of the spring 2025 semester and a farewell to the Class of 2025 as they embark on a new journey as alumni.

View some of the most impactful moments of the past month through the eyes of staff in the Office of University Communications.

Strawberry Festival

The Garden Studio course hosts its annual Spring Strawberry Festival in the beginning of May. Strawberry-themed baked goods are provided, along with student musical entertainment, face painting, a photo booth and dancing.

Faculty Excellence

消消犯 recognized the excellence of faculty and staff in their service to the university and the community at its annual awards luncheon on May 13.油Honored with awards from the university this year were Professor of Chemistry油Kathy Matera, Professor of Biology油Brant W. Touchette,油Professor of Public Health Studies, Human Service Studies and Watts/Thompson Professor油Cynthia Fair油and Professor of Communication Design油Phillip Motley.

Virtual Reality

The Law Life

While Elon School of Law students studied hard for their May finals, Elon School of Law alumni saw the product of their hard work, taking the oath to become licensed attorneys.

CAA Champs

Both the 消消犯 softball team and women’s track and field team became CAA champions in May. The softball win油was Elon���s (33-19) first-ever CAA tournament title and the program���s second overall in its Division I history.

Goodbye and Welcome

The Elon community said “goodbye” to the Class of 2025 as students and ‘”welcome” to the Class of 2025 as alumni, including with the annual Numen Lumen Senior Baachlaurette, Senior Celebration and the university’s 135th Commencement Exercises.

Related Articles

• The Month in Photos: January
• The Month in Photos: February
• The Month in Photos: March

April was a busy time at 消消犯 as students prepared for the end of the semester and spring came into full bloom.

View some of the most impactful moments of the past month through the eyes of staff in the Office of University Communications.

Ending with Elder

The 2024-25 Elon Speaker Series wrapped up on April 3 with the James P. Elder Lecture delivered by Frederick M. Lawrence, CEO of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

Asian Pacific Islander Month

Elon kicked off Asian and Pacific Islander Month with an event on Medallion Plaza on April 3, hosted by the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education. Nationally recognized during May to commemorate the arrival of the first immigrants from Japan to the United States in May 1843, Elon celebrates the heritage month in April.

CAA Champions

The Elon Men’s Golf team and Women’s Tennis team each took home CAA championship titles.

Entrepreneurial Leadership

Dave Porter P���11 P���19, owner and managing partner of Baystate Financial, received the 消消犯 Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership on April 23 inside LaRose Digital Theatre.

Party for the Planet

消消犯 celebrated a multitude of Earth Week events, including welcoming keynote speaker Bill McKibbon and launching the Sustainability Master Plan 2025.

Special Olympics at Elon

The Kernodle Center for Civic Life hosted the Special Olympics of Alamance County in Schar Center.

A blooming celebration

On April 25, 2025 the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life hosted an indoor version of Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors, due to an unpredictable weather forecast.

Time to SURF

Student research was on full display during the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum on April 29.油Every year, Elon suspends all campus activities to highlight 消消犯 research ��� one of the five Elon Experiences. 消消犯 present their work through both poster and oral presentations across campus.

Some of the 268 presentations included research on the油impact of tariffs,油how a book cover impacts reader choice,油a board game to help students adjust to college,油using soft robotics to help with hand mobility and examining behavior changes and long-term health risks related to a student���s transition from high school to college.

���I���m looking forward to the new challenge of covering the White House. What an honor. It���s the kind of job newspaper reporters dream of,��� said Allison, who graduated with a degree in journalism in 2013. ���I worked really hard to get here and I’m excited to learn a new beat.���

In a , The Washington Post leadership called Allison ���a resourceful and energetic reporter who has distinguished herself with insightful coverage of Donald Trump���s political movement,��� noting she will ���join a team dedicated to producing best-in-the-business coverage of the incoming administration, with journalism that is rigorous, revealing and dedicated to holding power to account.���

Allison���s interest in journalism began in high school on Elon���s campus ��� with a visit to the university���s broadcast studio for a high school project.

���I remember walking into the studio and just thinking ���Wow, I could do this as a job, this could be really cool, to go into news,’��� said Allison, a native of Elon, North Carolina. ���I was hooked from the moment I first walked into McEwen.���

When looking at colleges, she chose Elon for the School of Communications, coming to the university as a Communications Fellow, becoming managing editor of The Pendulum and a student worker in the Office of University Communications.

���That was real-world experience that helped me before I graduated from Elon,��� said Allison. ���A lot of my time at Elon was spent working in the field that I���m currently in and Elon was really flexible in making sure that I was able to do all of that.���

���I���m looking forward to the new challenge of covering the White House. What an honor. It���s the kind of job newspaper reporters dream of.”

– Natalie Allison ’13

Several months before she graduated early at age 19, Allison continued getting real-world experience, becoming a night copy editor for the Burlington Times-News and soon working her way to be a full-time police reporter. Allison then relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to work as an evening breaking news reporter for the Tennessean. But she also carved out a side beat covering white supremacist activity ��� about the first white supremacist rally following the Charlottesville, Virginia ���Unite the Right��� event. Her path into political journalism began when she was assigned to cover the Tennessee legislature.

���That was a really big honor and a career change that set me on the course of eventually coming to D.C. and not just covering state politics but covering politics at a national level and covering the most powerful people in the country,��� she said.

Her led to the state House speaker resigning amid a scandal around bribery and kickback charges. In 2021, she and a team of Gannett reporters won the grand prize from the for their project ���Confederate Reckoning,��� a multimedia series exploring the remnant of the confederacy in the American South.

���Natalie represents the best of the press ��� a reporter who knows her First Amendment rights, scrupulously gets at the truth and reveals wrongdoing regardless of the consequences. The Washington Post is fortunate to get her,��� said Anthony Hatcher, professor of journalism and chair of the Journalism Department. ���She will no doubt continue the excellent work she���s been doing for the past dozen years since graduation.���

Hatcher is one of the many Elon faculty members Allison credits with helping her reach this career milestone including Kenn Gaither, dean of the School of Communication; David Copeland, professor emeritus; Colin Donahue, director of student engagement and special projects and instructor of journalism and Janna Anderson, professor of journalism. Allison���s time at Elon also included a Winter Term study abroad program to Europe: ���Gutenberg to the Web: Media���s Impact on Western Civilization.���

���Janna Anderson���s ���Reporting for the Public Good��� class was one class that really made an impact on me as a reporter, learning how to be aggressive and persistent,” said Allison. ���She taught us the importance of shoe leather reporting, going out there and knocking on doors. That���s what I did in my first newspaper job and that���s what I carried with me when I moved to the Tennessean. There are fewer physical doors I���m knocking on in Washington, D.C. but the principle still stands that you have to be persistent.”

���Natalie represents the best of the press ��� a reporter who knows her First Amendment rights, scrupulously gets at the truth and reveals wrongdoing regardless of the consequences. The Washington Post is fortunate to get her.”

– Anthony Hatcher, professor of journalism and chair of the Journalism Department

For the past three years, Allison has worked for Politico in Washington, D.C. ��� covering President-elect Donald Trump���s campaign, including his New York hush money trial and the wider .

���I’m really proud of how I’ve been able to chronicle some of the changes that have happened in the Republican Party,” Allison said. ���I was covering the presidential race when some people were still under the impression that Republicans other than Trump stood a shot at being the nominee. How far we’ve come since then, where Republicans and even people outside the Republican party now couldn’t imagine anyone besides Trump being in that role.���

Monday, August 19

Opening Day
Location: Alumni Gym, Koury Athletic Center
Events start at 8:15 a.m.

Planning Week 2024 kicks off with Opening Day on Aug. 19, first with a community-wide reception on the Koury Athletic Center concourse followed by the presentation of Elon Medallions and named professorships and remarks from President Connie Book in Alumni Gym.

Since 2011, the Elon community has collected school supply items for the children in Alamance County, sponsored by the Student Government Association, Staff Advisory Council and the Kernodle Center for Civic Life. Faculty and staff can bring supplies to the president���s address or drop them off from Aug. 16-26 at various locations around campus. More information about specific items and drop-off locations is available here.

Following the president���s address at 9:45 a.m., a variety of breakout sessions will be available for all members of the Elon community, including:

• HealthEU
• National 消消犯
• Election Year Engagement
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mid-Point Review of Boldly Elon
• Mentoring Next Steps
• The Dynamic NCAA Environment and Setting a Strategic Course

All members of the Elon community are then invited to a picnic on the Lakeside Patio at noon. Members of Elon���s schools and colleges will meet from 1:30 to 4 p.m. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., members of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences will welcome the new Dean Hilton Kelly on Medallion Plaza. President Book then invites new faculty and staff to a reception at The Inn at Elon at 5 p.m.油

Tuesday, August 20

Facilitating Conversations about Election 2024 in Class
Location: Oaks 212
1:30 to 3 p.m.

The session, led by new Faculty Fellow for Civic Engagement Dillan Bono-Lunn, will familiarize faculty with campus resources for civic engagement and offer tips for 消消犯 during politically divisive times.油 The session will help faculty think through approaches to incorporating discussion of the油election, as well as strategies for responding in the moment when these issues arise.

Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
Location: Linder 102
2 to 3 p.m.

This session will provide an overview of artificial intelligence (AI) work at Elon. Presenters will introduce recent advancements in AI and discuss AI���s implications for higher education. The results of the second-year AI readiness survey will be shared. The roadmap for AI, the resources available across campus, and pilot AI programs available for use in 消消犯 and daily work will be introduced. Participants will have time to discuss AI perceptions in small groups and will be invited to share their suggestions about how best to prepare the Elon community as we adjust to generative AI in education.

Wednesday, August 21

消消犯 Safety Discussions
Location: KOBC 101
1:30 to 3 p.m.

New to Planning Week this year will be a discussion on campus safety, open to Elon faculty and staff.

Elon’s Imagining the Digital Future Center: How it can work with you and for you
Location: Sankey 308
2 to 3 p.m.

The Imagining the Digital Future Center is still new on campus and this session will explain its mission to do research and publish findings that are meant to be distributed widely and have notable public impact. The center hopes to work with faculty to create and publish research and have significant student involvement in the research process. Center Director Lee Rainie will use this session to solicit ideas about how the center can integrate well into campus activities.

Loy Farm Open House
Location: 2635 W. Front Street Burlington, N.C. 27215
4 to 5:30 p.m.

Come explore the new EcoVIllage Living Learning Center, a new residential neighborhood that combines sustainable architecture with small house living. 油The first phase of this neighborhood consists of six houses that provide unique sustainable design solutions for the twelve students that will be living in this neighborhood during the 2024-25 academic year.

An aerial view of EcoVillage at Loy Farm, a new living learning community that includes six two-bedroom houses that utilize sustainable design principles and sustainable materials.

An aerial view of EcoVillage at Loy Farm, a new living learning community that includes six two-bedroom houses that utilize sustainable design principles and sustainable materials.

An aerial view of EcoVillage at Loy Farm, a new living learning community that includes six two-bedroom houses that utilize sustainable design principles and sustainable materials.

Thursday, August 22

College Coffee ��� Employee Resource Groups
Location: Phi Beta Kappa Commons (Rain location: Koury Athletic Center concourse)
10:15 to 10:45 a.m.

Learn about the various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) on campus with the academic year���s first College Coffee, a weekly tradition at Elon. College Coffee continues throughout the year on Tuesday mornings from 9:40 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.

ERGs at College Coffee include:

• Advocates for Diversity and Accessibility
• Amazing Admins
• API (Asian and Pacific Islander)
• Black
• Cultivating Emerging Professionals
• Employees with Children
• Global Connections
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Jewish
• LGBTQIA
• Remote Employees (meeting virtually @ 8:30 a.m. PST / 11:30 a.m.EST)
• Supervisors of Student Employees
• Sustainability
• Thrive after 55
• Veterans

Friday, August 23

Move-In Day

消消犯 officially return to campus on Friday, August 23. More information about Move-In Day and New Student Orientation can be found here.

Saturday, August 24

New Student Convocation
Location: Under the Oaks (Rain location: Schar Center)
9 to 10:10 a.m.

New Student Convocation marks the official opening of the academic year and welcomes the Class of 2028 and transfer students. Volunteers are needed to greet guests, assist with seating and answer general questions. You can sign up to volunteer by filling out this . The survey will close on August 16.

More Information

Name Tags

As the university starts a new academic year with some new faces, wearing name tags is important and encouraged.

Name tags for油new employees (hired since June 1) will be delivered to each office by Aug. 14. Please pick yours up from your department assistant. Employees who are unable to get to their offices prior to planning week may stop by the name tag table on Monday, Aug. 19, at the reception beginning at 8:15 a.m. in Alumni Gym. After Monday, the assistant in an employee���s area can help with name tags.

Current employees should wear the name tag they were most recently issued.

University Directory Photographs

All Elon faculty and staff members are encouraged to have their photo included in the university���s online directory. Please make plans to have a new or updated photograph taken. If you are new to Elon, if your photo is missing from the campus directory, or if your photo is more than three years old, please have a new photo taken by the Office of University Communications. No appointment is necessary, simply just drop in during a session that suits you. The portraits are taken from chest up on a gray backdrop in a photo studio.

The photo studio is located in the southwest corner of Alumni Gym, close to West Haggard Avenue.油Please enter through the external doors in the southwest corner of Alumni Gym,油

• Tuesday, Aug. 20: 2 to 4 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 22: 10 a.m. to noon

Once your photo is in the directory, you may download a high-resolution version for your own professional use. To do so, visit油www.elon.edu/directories. Log in at the bottom left, and the editing page will open. Beneath your photo, click the download link to download a high-resolution copy of your portrait to your computer.

Trainings for Active Violence

The 消消犯 消消犯 Safety and Police Department is offering ongoing training to our campus community on Strategies for Active Violence Situations.

Officers of the department are trained to the model of Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE). The CRASE course is designed and built on the Avoid, Deny, Defend strategy and was developed by ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training) in 2004. The course provides strategies, guidance, and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event. Although Elon���s officers train to this strategy, they also take the training one step further to teach concepts about prevention within our campus community.

Upon request, an officer will visit your specific office/location to perform an assessment and take photos of your workspace. Information and photos gathered from that assessment are then built into the presentation, so the training is personal and specific to your area.

To request an assessment and training, please reach out to Community Policing Sergeant Joel Thomas at 336-278-5555 or油jthomas39@elon.edu.

The winning entries from the Office of University Communications were among a pool of more than 4,200 entries submitted by 600 institutions in 28 countries. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Grand Gold recognitions were awarded in 93 categories by CASE, the Council of Advancement and Support for Education, a global association of 97,000 professionals, including top-level decision-makers in advancement���alumni relations, communications, development, fundraising, marketing, and advancement services���at more than 3,100 institutions.

���Our communications and marketing team members are thrilled to be recognized for their outstanding work on behalf of 消消犯,��� said Vice President for Communications and Marketing Michael Haskins. ���We���re proud to be able to effectively showcase the exceptional faculty, staff, students, alumni and programs that make Elon the national leader in 消消犯 education.���

Elon received the in the category of Publications: President’s Reports & Annual Reports for Elon’s 2022 President’s Report, which published as a print edition and online in early 2023. Titled “The Innovators,” the report highlighted the culture at Elon that fosters creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving. The report included feature articles on students, faculty and staff and lifted up the goals of Boldly Elon, the university’s 10-year strategic plan.

What the judges said:

“Excellent use of portraiture and clean yet compelling design make the piece stand out. The stories are very well written and convey a sense of excellence and innovation. The mix of longer and shorter pieces was well-thought out. An excellent president���s report.”

Key contributors to the 2022 President’s Report included Holley Berry, Garry Graham, Alexa Milan and Keren Rivas.

Elon received the in the category of Publications: Student Recruitment series or package for its 2023 package of materials for prospective students. Included in the series of publications was油a ; six school and program brochures; a traditions booklet; a overview of housing, dining, and activities; and a portfolio of other printed and digital materials designed to encourage students to apply and enroll at Elon.

What the judges said:

“We enjoyed the viewbook’s horizontal orientation, effective use of half pages, creative folds, and unique icons. Additionally, great metrics and use of resources.”

Key contributors to the 2023 Student Recruitment Package included Holley Berry, Garry Graham and Roselee Papandrea Taylor.

The Magazine of Elon has been a staple publication for the 消消犯 community for years. Now, with the introduction of The Magazine of Elon: Spoken Stories podcast, this rich content will be brought to life in a new way. Listeners will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the stories, opinions, and ideas presented in the magazine through the spoken word.

���We are thrilled to introduce this new podcast as an innovative way to engage our community,” said Keren Rivas, assistant vice president for marketing publications and editor of The Magazine of Elon. “The Magazine of Elon has always been a powerful platform for sharing stories and ideas. By bringing those articles to life through the spoken word, we hope to create an even deeper connection with readers and listeners.���

What sets this podcast apart is the involvement of Elon students, who serve as narrators and assist as editors, gaining valuable experience in public speaking and audio production along the way.

Listeners can access the podcast on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher and will soon be available on Google Podcasts. This accessibility ensures that anyone with an interest in 消消犯 and its community can easily tune in and engage with the content. With a diverse range of topics covered in each episode, there is something for everyone.

Episodes of the podcast featuring an array of articles from the spring edition of the Magazine of Elon are now available. Subsequent episodes will be released following the publication of each new edition of the magazine.

Visit The Magazine of Elon website for access to the podcast and content from current and past issues.

Vaughn Vreeland ���15, supervising producer for New York Times Cooking, is making a name for himself at just 29 years old. Being featured multiple times on Good Morning America, writing recipes and filming content in his supervisory role with The New York Times and even making , Vreeland is a perfect example of Elon���s alumni in action.

Vreeland originally came to Elon because he thought he wanted to major in acting, but he quickly changed direction, trying to find the best fit for him. He tried several different tracks, from anthropology to political science, but he ultimately landed on a double-major in media arts and entertainment and French. His major naturally led to involvement in other areas of campus, including Lambda Pi Eta, the communications honors society, and interning in University Communications under Dan Anderson. In this role he also was able to refine his writing skills, writing for the Magazine of Elon and the university���s news site. Another thing that he really enjoyed as a student was being a host for E-Talk, Elon���s very own talk show, hosted through Elon Student Television.

For his French major he had the opportunity to study abroad, with the help of a merit-based grant. Traveling to the South of France in the town of Montpellier, he enrolled at a university and focused his studies on visual art. He later returned to the same location his senior year. ���I was able to successfully cross-reference my two majors in each of my senior theses, writing about the power of the director in French cinema as they portray disenfranchised communities, and explaining the use of color theory in Wes Anderson filmmaking. This got picked up for the Elon Journal and I still, to this day, get emails from people asking me about it,��� said Vreeland.

Study abroad was not the only Elon experience that had an impact on Vreeland. Outside of his major-based studies and extracurriculars, Vreeland was incredibly involved. He was a member of the Student Government Association for three years and a tour guide for campus, eventually becoming the student supervisor and holding the title of 消消犯 Visit Assistant, overseeing his fellow admissions ambassadors. He also participated in the Phi Kappa Phi honors society, the Pi Delta Phi French honors society and the Pi Sigma Alpha political science honors society, where he held various leadership roles as well.

The summer of his junior year he had the opportunity to intern with a small fashion magazine in New York as a media intern. As a cinema major, he knew he wanted to create in the realm of videography. ���I thought fashion was going to be it for me, but I left that summer feeling a little lost in the greater media landscape because I didn���t enjoy it as much as I thought I would,��� said Vreeland. ���However, one thing I knew was that I was obsessed with New York.��� And so began his passion to get back to the Big Apple someday.

After graduation Vreeland moved to Thailand to teach English as a second language for half of a year in an effort to continue the global citizenship that Elon instilled in him, and he absolutely loved it. ���I ended up making the promotional video for The Council on International Education Exchange and I realized a lot of what I highlighted in that video was food and how it connected us to the Thai people and Thai culture,��� said Vreeland. He quickly realized that food as a subject was something that he was passionate about, and this became a stepping stone into his current role with The New York Times.

Following his time in Thailand, he returned to his hometown of Raleigh to work for a French-inspired patisserie where he was able to hone his skills as a home cook, and then just a few months later he made the decision to move back to New York.

I moved to New York with no job, and I lived with two Elon alums that I didn’t know, that had posted in the Elon NYC Facebook group. Fortunately, I rather quickly found a job at BuzzFeed, also through an Elon connection,” said Vreeland, explaining the importance of the Elon network for graduates.

Vreeland worked at BuzzFeed for about two years making videos for the sub-brand, “Tasty.”

“I started making recipe videos that mainly went on Facebook and Instagram. Then, I helped start the YouTube team where we focused on creating shows for the brand. They were pretty popular videos. I gained some good exposure and ended up working with someone who then went to The New York Times as the Strategy Director for NYT Cooking,��� explained Vreeland.

He found out that The New York Times was also looking to start an internal video team as well, and so he and his colleague both went to The Times to help with that startup. ���It was just the two of us making the cooking videos for nytimes.com, YouTube and Instagram for about two years, and then we started building our team. We now have about thirteen people on the team total, which is really exciting,��� said Vreeland.

In his role as Supervising Producer, he oversees the recipe and entertainment video operation for NYT Cooking. Some of his favorite work involves more casual videos of him in his own kitchen, such as the video of him cooking himself twenty-seven meals in just one week titled, ������ or a video of him making .

���I ideate and create content based on a whole host of things in the food landscape. This past Thanksgiving, for example, I created a concept with Ina Garten where she developed a menu using store-bought staples���canned cranberry sauce, packaged stuffing mix, boxed mashed potatoes���making them more delicious and seemingly homemade, that we called ‘,’ which featured a video, six recipes and a written piece for the paper,��� said Vreeland.

In his role he also develops recipes and serves as an on-camera personality. He currently has several shows in the works for the channel and is featured on their social media platforms regularly. He even occasionally does national morning and daytime television spotlights to promote the NYT Cooking recipes, such as being featured on . Vreeland does not just produce videos though, he also works as a writer for the recipes that get featured on the site, such as this one about .

Vreeland feels prepared in his current career because of his education at Elon. ���I feel like my hands-on education, specifically in my production classes, really mimicked real-life video creation,��� explained Vreeland. He remembers a class with Tom Nelson where he had to make a video each week without assistance, and he said this prepared him for the fast-paced work environment of BuzzFeed where they were turning out a large quantity of content weekly. Elon also taught him the power of human connection, ���without my connections I made in my time there ��� be they with faculty, my peers, people I met on tour ��� I’m not sure where I���d be,��� said Vreeland. One thing he also learned as an 消消犯 is that he works best under pressure. He said that, although it does not happen quite as often, he still occasionally pulls all-nighters like he did in college.

Vreeland feels that Elon alumni are successful because they receive a deeply experiential education, which better prepares them for life after college. The advice that he would give to current students is: ���Define your comfort zone and work to push those boundaries. I���ve grown the most when I got uncomfortable and took risk���professionally speaking, and within reason, of course���it’s in those moments I learned the most about myself and what I���m capable of.��� For him, seeking out opportunities from the very beginning and asking a lot of questions helped him to foster strong connections that helped him get where he is today.

As for Vreeland���s future, he said, ���Stay tuned. And go Phoenix!���

If you are interested in trying some of Vaughn Vreeland���s New York Times油Cooking recipes for yourself, check them out . Also, check out his latest feature on Forbes Top 30 Under 30 list for 2023, .油油

This fall, Elon LEADS events were held in油Atlanta, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. and saw over 1,200 attendees in total, renewing ties with Elon constituents across the nation and bringing a piece of Elon to them.

���This campaign has taught us that we can never let our attention wander from the
importance of scholarships and financial aid for students,��� President Connie Ledoux Book said.

Atlanta, Georgia

The fall 2022 Elon LEADS Campaign events kicked off with the first event in Atlanta, Georgia on Sept. 7 at the historic Fox Theatre.油Elon LEADS co-chair Christian Wiggins ’03 gave the opening remarks, starting off with encouragement to his fellow alumni to make a difference and step up by joining other donors in giving to the campaign. The importance of scholarships and student aid was a common theme throughout the night.

Cedric Pulliam ’12 also took the stage, detailing how scholarships and fellowships led to real-world experience for him, in the form of internships that shaped the course of his career and life.

���The Periclean Scholars program debuted me into the global public health space that I currently work in,��� said Pulliam, who has worked in public health for over a decade. His career comprises many leadership roles, including stints at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services as the senior advisor for the chief medical officer for the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy and at the CDC in Atlanta as a senior public health advisor in the Division of HIV Prevention. Pulliam shared how he is an example of how gifts from donors assist students and make an impact, because it was his scholarships that allowed him to gain the practical experience he needed for his future.

President Book followed and continued to hone in on the impact of supporting students by urging attendees in their philanthropy. “Make Elon and Elon LEADS one of your priorities. After all, we are funding dreams in this campaign,” Book said.

New York City

The next event followed just on the heels of Atlanta, on Sept. 15 at The Glasshouse in New York City. Ava Rosen ’23 spoke about student impact, and how important funding is for students in need. She discussed how the Inman Family Scholarship in the Odyssey Program and the Business Fellows scholarship gave her the opportunity to pursue her dreams and avoid significant debt following the emotional and financial hardships that her family saw after losing her father to cancer when she was only 13. The funding she received made college affordable for her and made her dreams attainable.

The highlight of the event was a special tribute to Ed and Joan Doherty P���07, who have been inspirational agents of change in their service to Elon. One of their visions was to create a vibrant alumni network in the New York area, which they have helped accomplish by sponsoring yearly Evenings for Elon gatherings at iconic venues across the city for more than a decade. The Dohertys were also instrumental to the Elon LEADS Campaign, serving as chairs of the Campaign Planning Committee from 2014-2016. In recognition of their generous support of Elon, President Book presented Ed and Joan Doherty with the Elon Medallion, the university’s highest honor recognizing exemplary service to the institution.

Closing out the night was a performance of the song “I’ll Be There” by Sidney Wilson ’21, who currently stars in the hit Broadway musical “The Lion King.” President Book emphasized that alumni like Wilson help make Elon one of the top 10 music theatre programs in the nation.

Boston, Massachusetts

The next fall event was held in Boston on Oct. 12 at Fairmont Copley Plaza. Campaign co-chair Priscilla Awkard ’95 opened the night with a focus on Elon’s recent national rankings and recognition.

���Elon���s rise to the national stage is one of the most remarkable stories in higher education, and the generosity of our community has played a pivotal role in that continued rise,” Awkard said.

President Book also focused on these rankings, and said, ���As we saw reinforced last month by the latest U.S. News rankings, Elon���s standing as a top-100 national university means that we increasingly compete in an admissions market with schools with much larger endowment resources. Together, by keeping our focus on student support, we can ensure that Elon has the resources it needs to recruit the finest community of students year in and year out.���

Another major focus of the night was internships and real-world experience students receive through the generous funding of donors. President Book explained that close to 90% of Elon students participate in an internship while in school and that around half of those lead to employment in prominent companies, including many in Boston such as Baystate Financial, Bank of America and more.

Speakers throughout the night focused on the importance of this practical experience. President Book noted that nearly half of internships are unpaid, which is a major barrier for students with limited funds. She then encouraged attendees that this was why funding was so important in providing those opportunities for students, one of the major goals of the campaign.

Los Angeles

The next stop of the campaign was Los Angeles, with an event on Nov. 1 at the Carondelet House. The night opened with remarks from campaign co-chair Maity Interiano ’07. Interiano grew up in Honduras and knew from a young age that she wanted to be an influential journalist. Now a Network News Anchor for Univision, she credits Elon for giving her the opportunities that she needed to succeed in this field.

She explained that she remains committed to helping support the university and students, especially Hispanic, Latinx and international students like herself. Interiano also established the Maity Interiano Annual Scholarship as a part of the Elon LEADS Campaign. She announced that Jose Alex Reyes ’25 is the first recipient of the scholarship. Reyes is the son of immigrants with hopes of becoming a creative director, and it is Interiano���s hope that this scholarship will assist him in making his dreams a reality.

���I was like Jose Alex Reyes at the time, and the most important thing is I know he is taking full advantage of his Elon experience and will achieve everything he sets out to do and more. And that is why tonight, I want to invite you to join the Elon LEADS Campaign too. Think about the legacy you want to leave and remember how there were people, experiences and opportunities that made a difference in your time at Elon,��� Interiano said.

The focus of the night remained on student impact, furthering dreams and making a way for the future of Elon. President Book followed with a focus again on internships and how they lead to career opportunities. With Los Angeles being a major draw for employment in the entertainment industry, she explained that almost half of internships for students at Elon lead to employment at companies in Los Angeles.

Washington, D.C.

The last event was held at The Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 15. Jim Piatt, vice president for University Advancement, took to the stage to explain just how transformative this campaign has been and will continue to be for Elon.

Piatt focused on the four key priorities of the campaign ��� increasing support for students through scholarships, increasing access to engaged learning programs, investing in faculty and staff “Mentors Who Matter,” and adding to the campus footprint through innovative facilities.

He noted that more than 270 new endowed scholarships have been created in the campaign, bringing historic growth to the university’s endowment; more than 50 new endowed funds have been established to broaden access to the Elon Experiences programs, including global study and internships; and that donors have invested nearly $8 million in faculty and staff mentors.

Piatt also shared the profound impact of Elon LEADS on Elon’s iconic learning environment, including eight new facilities strategically added to the campus footprint. One of those facilities is The Inn at Elon, where all revenue beyond operating costs goes to fund scholarships. ���Elon has awarded more than $1.3 million in need-based scholarships thanks to income from The Inn,��� Piatt said.

Next to the stage was Ike Credle ’83. As an Elon alum and a veteran that has served for 20 years in the U.S. Army, Credle said, ���One of my purposes in life is to be a bridge builder. The idea is to build a bridge so that those coming behind you may avoid some of the pitfalls you may have encountered.��� Credle explained the challenge loans had on him following graduation and how he wanted to make an impact on students. He honored his mother by making an estate gift that will endow the Rebecca A. Credle Scholarship. It is gifts such as this one that opens doors for our future leaders.

President Book followed, noting the university’s endowment has grown to nearly $300 million, with 70% of that going to student scholarships, Elon���s top-100 national ranking in U.S. News & World Report, over 34,000 donors giving to the campaign and the announcement that collective contributions total more than $257 million surpassing the $250 million goal for the campaign.

President Book ended the final event by noting there is more to accomplish in the campaign. ���Let���s keep this amazing momentum of the Elon LEADS Campaign going as we move toward its Dec. 31 close, and let���s also look beyond, in partnership and with confidence!���

As the final days of the campaign approach, all donors can find their place in this historic fundraising effort by making a gift at . Every gift, no matter the size, will make an impact for the future of Elon and the university���s students. The final tally for the Elon LEADS Campaign will be announced in January.

The Elon community is invited to celebrate the impact of this historic campaign at an event on Apr. 28, 2023, at the Schar Center, where alumni, parents, students, faculty/staff and friends will gather once more to show thanks for the generosity of donors who continue to support Elon���s mission and growth.

���Mike Haskins is a career communicator and marketer who has a deep knowledge of higher education,��� said President Connie Ledoux Book. ���He will draw upon his experience at three other universities, as well as the professional publishing field, to continue Elon���s long history of excellence in communicating with both internal and external audiences and advancing the university���s national reputation.���

Haskins has led a staff of nearly 30 professionals at the University of South Alabama (USA) since 2014, overseeing branding, communications and marketing for the university and USA Health, a comprehensive healthcare organization with two hospitals serving Mobile, Alabama, and the surrounding region.

���I am thrilled to be joining the innovative, dedicated and creative culture at Elon, which has elevated the university to a place of national distinction,��� said Haskins. ���I look forward to working with every member of the Elon community to further advance the success of the university and enhance the recognition of its history, reputation and bold vision for the future.���

Prior to joining the University of South Alabama, Haskins served eight years as executive vice president for external relations at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. During his tenure there, he led the creation of the Division of Marketing and Communications and managed a staff of 25. He began his work in higher education in 1993 at the University of San Diego, where he served as director of publications and later the senior director of publications and marketing communications.

Haskins was named the 2008 South Carolina Marketer of the Year by the American Marketing Association (AMA) and has made presentations on higher education marketing topics for the AMA and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He and his staff members have received more than 30 CASE awards for outstanding communications and marketing initiatives.

Haskins began his career in 1989, working four years in editorial positions for Genesis Publishing, Inc. in San Diego; and for Standard & Poor���s Corp. and Janet Manus Literary Agency in New York City.

Haskins has a master of business administration (MBA) degree from The Citadel Graduate College, a master of arts in history from the University of San Diego and a bachelor���s degree in journalism and political science from New York University.

Elon���s communications division was established in 2011 and includes 19 professionals serving the university in news, information and media relations; publications and graphic design; web and digital communications; marketing; photography and videography; social media; and communications for 消消犯 School of Law. The division was previously the Office of University Relations and was led for more than 23 years by Daniel J. Anderson, who transitioned to a new role as special assistant to the president in August 2021.