Smaraki Mohanty, Doherty Emerging Professor of Entrepreneurship and assistant professor of marketing, teaches the course to immerse students in a client-facing consulting experience that pairs academic theory with meaningful community engagement. Most digital marketing courses deal heavily with case studies; however, with the course structure, students collaborate directly with local businesses and organizations throughout the entire semester. The course is designed to strengthen students’ understanding of digital marketing fundamentals, including website usability, search engine optimization (SEO), social media strategy, and customer engagement, while requiring them to apply these concepts in professional, real-world contexts.

“Community partnerships are a core component of the Digital Marketing course and are integrated through a semester-long, client-based consulting project,” Mohanty explained. “It begins with students being placed into small consulting teams, which are paired with a local organization. This allows them to analyze each partner’s digital presence and develop data-driven marketing recommendations to help promote their organizations to the community.”

This semester, the community partners included Empirical Wellness Center, Upside Aerial Arts & Fitness, Odessa’s Pots and Prayers, Haand, 64 Harvard, and Fjord, Inc. Through these local partnerships, students engaged directly with business owners and managers, tailoring their work to each organization’s goals and resources.

�þ��� gained increased confidence in applying SEO strategy, understanding keyword relevance and adapting best practices to fit unique client contexts.

“This experience relates directly to my goals after Elon, because with my marketing major and communications minor, I hope to specialize in social media marketing and digital work,” said Skylar Zimmerly ’26. “Being able to make these changes for Upside Aerial as a company, and watch their target audience, engagement and online presence all grow significantly due to my efforts, not only prepares me for working with other clients in the future but also prepares me with the confidence to know I’m capable of succeeding in my field.”

For community partners, the course provides access to research-backed digital marketing insights that many small businesses and organizations may not have access to. These recommendations have the potential to increase website traffic, improve discoverability and support long-term business growth.

“Upside Aerial was missing out on an entire audience to connect with on a new platform,” said Zimmerly on working with Upside Aerial on making a TikTok account. “Soon after creating their account and sharing their story/videos, we saw a large change in engagement. Additionally, as a marketing major, it was most insightful for me to gain hands-on experience with an actual client, mimicking what the future could look like in my career. With this, the client being a Burlington local just goes above and beyond my Elon experience, allowing a positive relationship to grow between the community we’re surrounded with. “

Through its community-engaged approach, the Digital Marketing course demonstrates how academic learning can create tangible benefits for both students and the local community. This course aids in the creation of future professionals while supporting the businesses that help make Alamance County thrive.

For the past 12 years, the Faculty/Staff Health & Wellness Clinic has organized a challenge for Elon employees each fall to walk a set distance of miles to build community, have fun and win prizes. A spring challenge was recently added. Each challenge is themed and, in fall 2025, the theme was, “Let’s Go Racing Elon 200,” inspired by NASCAR.

The challenges are organized by Belinda Day, wellness coordinator for the Faculty/Staff Health & Wellness Clinic. She loves coming up with new themes for the challenges and being creative with the prizes.

“I do the Fall and Spring walking challenge because it keeps me moving, keeps me accountable and reminds me to take time for myself amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life,” she said.

Day added that the challenge provides employees an easy way to practice wellness, both mentally and physically. She coordinates with leadership to schedule the challenges and to ensure the events are aligned with overall wellness goals to foster a more active and engaged work environment while fostering team collaboration and reducing stress.

“I put on the spring and fall walking challenge to give our employees a simple, fun and accessible way to support their health, reduce stress and stay connected as a team.”

-Belinda Day, wellness coordinator for the Faculty/Staff Health & Wellness Clinic

In spring 2025, the walking challenge theme was “Grand Slam Tennis,” which saw a similar number of walkers participating in teams. This year, 118 teams out of the 151 who entered completed 180 cumulative miles. An additional 71 teams finished the challenge with each team reporting a minimum of 360 miles walked.

“It’s a fun and simple way for everyone to step away from their screens and connect with each other,” said Day. “Plus, I love seeing how these programs not only improve physical health but also build a sense of community in the workplace.”

A new walking challenge will be announced during the spring semester.

DeMarco, a human service studies major, started her engagement at Elon as a member of the Service Living and Learning Community. She continued to deepen her involvement as a Service Living and Learning Community coordinator and a leader of an alternative break experience to Asheville.

She has been involved in the �þ��� Kitchen program for several years now, initially as a farm shift coordinator, and now serves as director. DeMarco has been able to strengthen volunteer retention, along with an increased capability of harvesting more produce Loy Farm to help serve those experiencing food insecurity in Alamance County. She is also an advocate for service as the service chair for Elon’s chapter of Alpha Chi Omega.

“Megan has an unbridled passion for service that is infectious to all those who participate with her,” said Abby Wiatrek, associate director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life. “Her leadership style has a natural way of showing the humanity and humility needed when participating in service that makes others feel comfortable to ask questions to learn more about why the service that we are doing is important to our community.”

North Carolina �þ��� Engagement is a collaborative network of colleges and universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. The organization fosters connections between campuses, shares best practice information and resources, recognizes outstanding work, and champions civic and community engagement in higher education.

An �þ��� alumna has published research that bridges two distinct disciplines—visual design and outdoor education.

Mandi Jaffe ’24, who graduated with a degree in communication design and outdoor leadership, co-authored “Mapping the Outdoors: Evaluating Vision Accessibility Through Print Trail Map Design” with Evan Small, assistant �þ��� professor of wellness. Their article appears in the “Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership,” a leading publication in outdoor experiential education.

The article stems from Jaffe’s �þ��� research project, which began during her coursework in Communications. As she explored design principles, she became increasingly interested in how those concepts could support accessibility in outdoor spaces.

“Being able to combine my interest in outdoor leadership education and communication design allowed for a unique topic and perspective on the research,” Jaffe said. “Combining these fields allowed me to make a greater impact on a research question that hasn’t been asked before.”

Jaffe identified a gap in the literature regarding visual accessibility in printed trail maps. In response, she developed an assessment rubric to evaluate seven trail maps based on font size, color contrast, paper quality and overall design. Her goal was to understand how design choices affect usability for individuals with visual impairments.

“This research allowed me to grow academically by learning more about the research process,” Jaffe said. “Having Evan as a mentor was a huge asset. He gave me the opportunity to learn more about academic writing and how I can contribute to the industry.”

Jaffe currently works as an instructor with the North Carolina Outward Bound School. She credits her �þ��� experience, and this research in particular, with shaping her professional path.

“My OLE courses and this research allowed me to become more aware of accessibility practices and adapt to help make the outdoors an accessible and comfortable space for all,” she said.

Her journey reflects Elon’s commitment to experiential learning, faculty mentorship and preparing students to lead with purpose across disciplines.

My experience reading the news these days is the opposite of looking at my friend’s mirror. I struggle to find a sense of hope, joy, and beauty. I see the world moving further away from caring for the most vulnerable of society – the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan. I do not see myself or my values reflected in the new world order that is forming.

This week’s Torah portion, , reminds me of my friend’s mirror. Buried within a detailed record of every item donated to construct the Mishkan and the high priest’s clothing is a description of a reflective plate on the high priest’s diadem (). The plate was made of the purest gold and had incised upon it, “Holy to Adonai.”

The Zohar says that this gold plate was actually a mirror that reflected the character of anyone who looked at it. Rather than seeing the gold plate as an ancient Near-Eastern fashion item, the Zohar recognizes that the plate does not just label the high priest as holy. Instead, everyone who sees themselves reflected in the plate also sees that they are holy.

Mirrors have long been an important metaphor in Jewish mystical traditions. Earliest traditions may go all the way back to : God speaks to most prophets in dreams, riddles, and ������������’a�� – this could be translated as either in a vision or in a mirror (cf. ). However, God speaks with Moses mouth-to-mouth (directly) and ������������’e��, which means clearly or in a clear vision.

Jewish tradition holds that everyone except Moses sees the world in a distorted, incomplete fashion – through a mirror. We all have our own biases, filters, and preconceived notions of the world. We also perceive others as distorted reflections of ourselves, a phenomenon we now call psychological projection.

One of the main goals of Jewish mysticism is to polish our mirror. Through prayer, contemplation, and introspection (), we can come to perceive reality more clearly.

Like my friend’s affirmation mirror, adds a wrinkle to how we might understand the metaphor of mirrors. The mirror-plate does not just reflect our character, but it also adds the written affirmation that we are holy. This affirmation corrects any potential distortion an onlooker may have had about their worthiness – they, too, are holy to God.

Nowadays, the construction of our sacred communities looks different than in Biblical times. For starters, rabbis do not go around wearing reflective gold plates on their heads. However, rabbis and lay leaders alike are still constructing communities in which all who participate can see themselves as holy, valuable, and belonging.

For many of us, it can be challenging to see ourselves reflected in the news today. If a person only determines their self-worth by the media they consume, they will have a distorted sense of self. When societies do not care for the vulnerable or let everyone know that they have inherent worth as human beings, it becomes even more important that communities of faith do so.

It is upon us to build and strengthen communities that reflect our values. We must find ways to continue to affirm to each other and to reassure the vulnerable: “You are loved” and “You are holy.”

Views expressed in this column are the author’s own and not necessarily those of �þ���. The original article appears in .

The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust has continued its generous support of �þ��� with a $500,000 grant to the university’s new HealthEU Center that will also create scholarships in the Nursing Fellows program.

Elon has set a $25 million fundraising goal to make the HealthEU Center a reality. To date, donors have contributed nearly $16 million to the project that will bring academic, wellness, campus recreation and fitness programs together under one roof to support student well-being and serve faculty and staff. Scheduled to open in summer 2026, the center will be located within Elon’s Innovation Quad, home to the university’s engineering and other STEM programs.

“We are honored to partner with President Connie Ledoux Book and university staff on this grant that will broaden the legacy of the grants in healthcare and nursing,” said Nancy J. Cable, executive director of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. “We see Elon as an innovative and visionary institution and one that focuses on academic excellence and student well-being.”

The HealthEU Center is a central component of the university’s broader HealthEU initiative that focuses on six dimensions of health and wellness: community, emotional, purpose, financial, physical and social. The three-story facility will feature new classrooms, student-faculty research and engagement spaces, multiple floors for wellness and fitness activities and the Mark and Kim Tyson Counseling Center, which will provide space for individual and group therapy, as well as workshops and outreach programs.

Through coursework, workshops and training programs focused on health and wellness, the HealthEU Center will impact all students as they learn essential skills and practices to thrive on campus and throughout each stage of their lives.

The grant will also establish William R. Kenan, Jr. Nursing Fellows scholarships in Elon’s School of Health Sciences. The Nursing Fellows program is a selective merit-based program for academically talented students who are committed to pursuing careers in nursing and healthcare. Fellows spend four years working closely with faculty mentors exploring the many opportunities in the field of nursing and identifying ways to address health disparities in local and global communities and promote quality healthcare for all.

“One of the highest priorities for our trustees is to make grants to support healthcare workforce development in all four of the states we support, including North Carolina, Virginia, New York and Florida,” Cable said. “To be able to do that at Elon so close to the Trust headquarters is a special honor.”

The Kenan Trust has been a committed donor to Elon. In 2002, a $1.2 million grant endowed the William R. Kenan, Jr. Honors Fellows Scholarship that provides a four-year, full-tuition grant for the top Honors Fellow enrolling each fall. Kenan Honors Fellows also receive extensive enrichment opportunities, including leadership development, service-learning experiences, study abroad, research stipends and internships. The grant also named the William R. Kenan, Jr. Honors Pavilion in the Lambert Academic Village.

In addition, a $300,000 grant in 2015 helped launch Elon’s Kenan Community Impact Fellows program to address essential needs in the community, including literacy readiness for preschoolers and their families. The program builds upon the success of Elon’s “It Takes a Village” literacy project that pairs Elon students and faculty with students in the Alamance-Burlington School System.

“We are sincerely grateful for the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust’s continued partnership and this significant investment in two of Elon’s top philanthropic priorities,” said Brian Feeley ’03, assistant vice president for university advancement. “Collaboration has always been at the heart of the Trust’s grantmaking, ensuring their generous support is both strategically aligned and effective.”

About the Trust

A North Carolina native, William R. Kenan, Jr. graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in chemistry and was a chemist and industrialist with wide-ranging business interests. Upon his death in 1965, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust was created to further his strong interest in education.

The mission of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, a New York perpetual trust based in Chapel Hill, is to empower human potential through education and whole community investment. The Trust’s grantmaking is generally centered in the four states of Florida, New York, North Carolina and Virginia. To learn more about the Kenan Trust, visit .

HealthEU: Make An Impact

Many naming opportunities are available in the HealthEU Center, beginning at $50,000. Gift commitments may be made in full or with a pledge over a period of five years. To find out how you can make an impact with your gift, contact Brian Baker, associate vice president for university advancement, at 336.278.7453 or bbaker7@elon.edu.

The Tysons were impressed by how the new facility aligns with Elon’s mission to educate the mind, body and spirit of every student and prepare them with the skills to thrive on campus and beyond.

“Kim and I hope our gift will be a resource in Elon’s toolbox to bring the new HealthEU Center to life,” Mark Tyson said. “This center is an expansion of what we fell in love with and experienced at Elon. Elon is not just an institution focused on academics. Elon is trying to encompass everything about students, including who they are and how they live healthy lives.”

“That philosophy was one of the reasons I chose Elon,” Kim Tyson said. “I felt like Elon looked at me as a whole person and not just what my transcript said.”

Elon has set a $25 million fundraising goal to help make the HealthEU Center a reality. To date, donors have contributed more than $6.5 million to the project, which will bring academic, wellness, campus recreation and fitness programs together under one roof to support student success.

“We are actively engaged in a fundraising campaign to support the HealthEU Center in partnership with inspired donors who believe in the vision for the center and are committed to ensuring students have the skills they need to lead lives of meaning and purpose,” said James B. Piatt Jr., senior vice president for university advancement and external affairs.

The new center is an essential component of the university’s broader HealthEU initiative that focuses on six dimensions of health and wellness: community, emotional, purpose, financial, physical and social. The three-story center will feature new classrooms, student-faculty research spaces, multiple floors for wellness and fitness activities, and the Mark and Kim Tyson Counseling Center, which will provide individual and group therapy, as well as workshops and outreach programs.

Through coursework and workshops and training programs focused on health and wellness, the HealthEU Center will impact all students as they progress through their education and learn essential skills and practices to thrive on campus and throughout each stage of their lives. The Tysons are proud that their alma mater recognizes that health and wellness must be at the core of the student experience.

“The education you receive in terms of academic learning is very important,” Mark said. “You also have to be able to communicate with people, manage your time and have financial literacy, among other skills. So many folks get thrust into the world and don’t have the skill set to manage themselves. This center is going to make a big difference by providing those building blocks. It’s exciting to see.”

Anita Hodnett, director of counseling services, thanked the couple for their generosity.

“We are grateful to the Tyson family for their incredibly generous gift and for choosing to support Counseling Services,” Hodnett said. “We look forward to using this new space to continue to do great work, not only in providing treatment for students, but also through training and outreach efforts to promote awareness and help-seeking behaviors, which are so important in reducing mental health stigma. This tremendous opportunity will allow us to better serve our students.”

The Tysons’ gift will also establish scholarships in the university’s Odyssey, Elon Engagement, Teaching Fellows and Business Fellows programs. Kim earned her degree in elementary education and special education from the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education and is a math interventionist at Union Academy Charter School in Union County. Mark earned a business degree from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and serves as chief financial officer of The Tyson Group Companies, a residential and commercial real estate and development company.

“Our Elon experience is such a large part of who we are today that we feel we should help Elon’s leadership with their vision for the future,” Mark said. “It fills us with such profound satisfaction to know that there are students who will benefit from our part in this initiative.”

Make An Impact

Many naming opportunities are available in the HealthEU Center, beginning at $50,000. Gift commitments may be made in full or with a pledge over a period of five years. To find out how you can make an impact with your gift, contact Brian Baker, associate vice president for university advancement, at 336.278.7453 or bbaker7@elon.edu.

Allen Fleming ’24 is the current team leader of the personal training team and has been a part of the RecWell community since his sophomore year. Growing up, Fleming found himself enveloped in the world of cross country and quickly made up his mind to continue his path of fitness into college.

Through this passion and dedication, he sought to continue his path of fitness by becoming a personal trainer, specializing in cardio and resistance training. Through his time spent at RecWell, Fleming found interest in training himself as well as others. Last April, Fleming set a goal to compete in a powerlifting competition in the fall. This fall, Fleming reached his goal and received first place in the under 90 kilos, ages 20-23 division at the competition.

The interest in competing at a powerlifting competition sparked Fleming last November, and he began training for the event in April 2023.

Fleming spent 20 weeks preparing for the competition and went into it with the mindset of gaining experience and trying something new.
Once competition day arrived, Fleming recalls the environment as being “one of the most positive atmospheres I have ever been in.”

Fleming added, “I think it’s an interesting component of fitness-based sports because everyone is competing with each other, but they are also competing against their own standard at the same time.”

Admittedly, he walked into the event nervous, and credits Victoria Hagen, his friend and RecWell personal training coworker, for keeping him grounded in the loud and intense atmosphere of a powerlifting competition.

Fleming’s nerves quickly dissolved into adrenaline-filled enjoyment after his first lift. Fleming ended the competition placing first in his division. He credits RecWell with creating a positive work environment, which allowed him to carry that mindset into his experience at the powerlifting competition.

Fleming is currently on the accelerated track in the physical therapy program here at Elon.

“The combination of my academics feeding into my job, feeding into my hobby has given me a wealth of knowledge that I can also pair with firsthand experience,” he said.

Fleming will continue to train and pursue this newfound passion of his and plans to compete again in the future.

Josie McWhorter ’24 has been involved with RecWell and intramural sports since her sophomore year and has since earned the role of team leader. At the beginning of this year, McWhorter visited the University of Georgia where she participated in a regional officiating workshop for flag football.

The fast paced, two-day workshop was filled with classes and hands-on experience on refereeing for flag football. As one of seven female participants in her class of 35, McWhorter honed skills that have not only helped her on Elon’s fields but also in leading the rest of the intramural sports team here at RecWell.

As a part of intramural sports, refereeing was not new to McWhorter, yet the training program sharpened her skills and knowledge so that she was able to come back to Elon and train her staff. McWhorter viewed the officiating workshop as an opportunity to show her team here at Elon that it is okay to be in uncomfortable situations. “I wanted to show up and show out for my staff.”

McWhorter credits her experience refereeing flag football at Elon and her time with RecWell with her ability to communicate with both players and fans effectively while developing the confidence to do so.

After the workshop, McWhorter carries the knowledge that she learned not only into her own refereeing endeavors but also with her staff at RecWell.

“While refereeing, you hear things that you should not, and you should not have to put up with it either. This year, we have been better at holding ourselves and each other accountable. We have been able to enjoy our jobs more,” she said.

McWhorter continues her referee training and plays on the women’s club rugby team. She notes that she has found that her cross-training has not only made her a more skilled referee but also has given her a deeper understanding of being a more mindful player on the field. “The confidence that I’ve gotten from refereeing as well as the confidence I’ve gotten from playing helps to make me better.”

McWhorter is currently on track to graduate in the spring with a degree in exercise science, and a plan to be a physical therapist for spinal cord injury patients and amputees.

“My interest wasn’t born out of my being athletic, however, my academics and my education inform one another — like a cycle,” she said.

Going into the 2022-2023 season, Esworthy, the current vice president and assistant captain of the team, was unsure if the team was set up for success. He and Eagan Callahan ‘23, the club president at the time, took matters into their own hands last summer, scheduling practices and games and hiring a new head coach.

Despite beginning the season with a losing streak, resulting in the team being placed last, the entire season turned around after Winter Break. In the 2023 portion of the regular season, the team was undefeated, which secured them the final spot in the playoffs, a feat the club had never accomplished.

In their first playoff game, Elon Club Hockey, the eight seed, played against St. Joseph’s, the number one seed in the tournament. The game had an incredible turnout, with more than 200 Elon students, staff, faculty, and community members in attendance to cheer on the Phoenix.

“Playoffs were way more way more exciting than the regular season. The energy was there; the atmosphere was different. We felt like we had something to play for,” Esworthy said.

Although the odds were against them, the Elon team played a fantastic game, pulling out a 3-2 win. Simply making the playoffs was an unlikely achievement for this year’s team, and the upset of St. Joseph’s was the biggest win in the club’s history.

Their season has since concluded with a loss in the second round, but the team is already preparing for next year. Club members constantly recruit new players that contribute to the team’s sense of community. Team members come from different backgrounds, have varying experience levels, study across many departments, and are involved in various Greek and non-Greek organizations on campus. Esworthy is the incoming team president and captain and has high hopes for the upcoming season.

If you are interested in joining the team, please get in touch with Mason Esworthy at jesworthy@elon.edu

With intramural sports, students can play recreational sports with their peers, roommates, greek organizations or even strangers. �þ��� Recreation & Wellness offers 20 different sports on the intramural level, which consists of individual, dual and team sport leagues as well as one-day tournaments. �þ��� sign up together and play against other teams at Elon.

Aside from allowing students to be active and have fun with friends, intramural sports have positively contributed to campus life at Elon. Participants and student employees feel part of a community through their involvement in intramural sports.

“I love working for intramurals because I can be a part of a place that fosters community and healthy competition between students,” said Noah Levine ‘23, intramural sports official.

Forming their own teams allows students to make the entire experience their own. Regardless of whether students have played the sport before, they are welcome to join an intramural team.

Many students reconnect with sports from their pasts through intramurals, as it is a low-stakes way to get involved without the time commitment of club sports.

After taking a break from volleyball during high school, Katie Piller ‘23 began playing again through intramural sports, participating in indoor 6s volleyball and 4s sand volleyball.

“It was great becoming closer friends with my sisters who played on the Intramural team, and I loved that other members came to games and cheered us on,” Piller said.

Intramural sports foster teamwork and communication both on the field and behind the scenes. The officials who make intramural sports possible are quite a close-knit team of their own.

“Intramurals have brought me a lot of new friendships that I know I can rely on. It’s a really safe space, and we always have a lot of fun. I love spending time working with Intramural Sports but also having the ability to be social! It truly has changed my Elon Experience,” said Hunter Salzberg ‘24, intramural sports official.

Registration for Intramural Block 4 opens on Monday, March 20. Sign up on IMLeagues until March 30, and follow along with the schedule to show the teams some support.