MOE summer 2014

ELON ACADEMY

an ALPHA reaches OMEGA

SUM M E R 2014

CONTENTS The Magazine of Elon | summer 2014

14

‘THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYER’

BY ROSELEE PAPANDREA

When letters and phone calls to the Social Security Administration fell on deaf ears, Brenda Cunningham turned to Elon’s Elder Law Clinic hoping for a miracle.

17

WHAT’S PAST IS PROLOGUE

BY DANIEL J. ANDERSON

What do the past 25 years teach us about where technology will take us in the future?

See what Elon’s Imagining the Internet Center faculty, alumni and students—as well as world experts—have to say about the road ahead.

20

THE PERFECT FIT

BY PHILIP JONES

As director of communications for Fruit of the Loom Inc., Lindsay Porter ’05 is as comfortable talking about briefs as she is budgets and sales projections.

22

COVER STORY

AN ALPHA REACHES OMEGA

BY ERIC TOWNSEND

Seven years after joining the Elon Academy, a dozen of the first high school students to take part in the university’s college access and success program have earned their college degrees. Brittney Burnette is one of them.

2 Under the Oaks 10 Long Live Elon 12 Phoenix Sports 27 Alumni Action 31 Class Notes On the cover: Elon Academy alumna Brittney Burnette during her graduation from East Carolina University.

I AM ELON

BY KIM WALKER

Watch the full story at

elon.edu/magazine As a first-generation college student, Ciera Martinez ’15 fully understands what a difference an education can make in the life of a child.

That’s why the early childhood education major and Spanish minor is ready to make change happen. Passionate about maximizing education opportunities for all children, Ciera hopes to eventually earn a master’s degree studying sociology and the politics of education. In the meantime, she is doing all she can to impact the community around her.

During her junior year, she volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club of Alamance County and spent half of the following summer on campus working as a mentor for students in the Elon Academy, a college access program for area high school students. She relishes working with children, and these experiences are shaping her as well. “I want to be a positive source of energy in the kids’ lives. But, in reality, as much as I put a smile on their faces, they put an even bigger one on mine,” she says. “It’s just so rewarding.”

Ciera is vice president of Elon’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and says it’s a wonderful match. Her sorority sisters are like family, the big sisters she longed for growing up. “Being in college is a blessing for me, because, statistically speaking, I’m not supposed to be here,” she says. “I know how important it is to have a person who believes in you.”

Ciera is Elon. Visit elon.edu/magazine to see more of Ciera’s story, part of our “I Am Elon” multimedia series featuring Elon students in their own words.

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▶ from the PRESIDENT

Deep Service Leads to Stronger Communities and Nation

D facebook.com/leomlambert twitter.com/headphoenix

uring the past two summers, I have had the honor of participating in two national summits planning the launch of the Franklin Project, an initiative of the Aspen Institute.

The project is named for the great statesman Benjamin Franklin. Walter Isaacson, Franklin’s biographer, chief executive officer of the Aspen Institute and one of the great thinkers behind the Franklin Project, has noted that Franklin’s enormous civic contributions included the founding of myriad civic associations, including a volunteer fire department, library, hospital, insurance groups and a postal system.

The Franklin Project is an all-too-rare example in contemporary American life in which people from all walks of life—military, philanthropy, education, politics, business and nonprofit sectors—have come together in support of a big idea: to create 1 million opportunities for young people to serve their country through a service year experience. Led by retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the Franklin Project aspires to democratize the meaning of service—to uphold both military and civilian service as two sides of the same coin.

Many great models of civilian service already exist, including AmeriCorps, City Year and Teach for America, but these fine programs accept only a small fraction of qualified applicants. Imagine the 2 the MAGAZINE of ELON

great social impact 1 million young people could make on our country working in the fields of K-12 education, conservation and the environment, health and nutrition, veterans support, and many others. In addition to the great national benefits that would result from direct service, participants would develop invaluable “soft skills” that will serve them well in their future careers, including learning about leadership, working on teams, building resiliency and listening carefully to others. Most important of all, we could reignite a spirit and culture of national service that would strengthen our American democracy.

Community engagement remains one of the great defining hallmarks of an Elon education.

Students, faculty, staff and alumni strive to promote service as a sustained commitment to communities, local and globally, and to our many community partners. For example, through the Leaders in Collaborative Service (LINCS) program of the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, Elon has formed longterm partnerships with eight community agencies: Cummings High School, the homeless shelter and food bank of Allied Churches of Alamance County, Boys & Girls Club, Burlington Housing Authority, Family Abuse Services, Kopper Top Life Learning Center (horse care and riding lessons for people with disabilities), Positive Attitude Youth Center (after-school tutoring and recreation) and the Salvation Army food pantry.

LINCS student coordinators recruit, coordinate and guide volunteers who provide invaluable direct services; many of these students are engaged in one or more of the 57 academic courses at Elon that incorporate service learning as an integral part of the course content, seamlessly connecting knowledge with community engagement—a truly

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powerful pedagogy. Last year 972 students provided 34,047 hours of service through academic service learning courses. And during Elon’s 125th anniversary year, our community surpassed the goal of 125,000 hours of service contributed by 3,136 students.

Another great example of fostering an ethic of deep service is the Periclean Scholars Program, directed by Professor Tom Arcaro. Founded in 2001 as a part of the Eugene Lang Foundation’s national Project Pericles consortium of colleges and universities committed to developing students’ commitment to social responsibility, Elon Periclean Scholars commit to a three-year project, making an impact on such problems as HIV/ AIDS in Namibia and malnutrition in Honduras.

I have been impressed that Periclean Scholars’ experiences have been among the most profound of their undergraduate years at Elon.

Of course a committed faculty and staff foster the Elon spirit of service and center it in the academic heart of the university. Assistant Dean Mary Morrison of the Kernodle Center is a leading professional nationally who is committed to helping students gain greater meaning from their academic experiences through service. And faculty members such as Associate Professor of Psychology Alexa Darby, winner of the 2014 Periclean Award for Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility for her work with disadvantaged schools in Alamance County, have been leaders in helping their colleagues infuse service learning experiences across the university.

The experiences they create for their students are eye-opening, transformative and life-changing.

Given all of the above, it should come as no surprise that Elon is a leading producer of Peace Corp volunteers, Teach for America educators and Fulbright Scholars. We are proud our alumni remain committed to continued public service, living out this cherished Elon ethos in thousands of meaningful ways. I look forward to the great ideals of the Franklin Project being realized and am confident Elon University will have many alumni attracted to the concept of national service, yet another tangible expression of my deeply held conviction that the world needs Elon graduates.

Leo M. Lambert President

ELON CONFERS HONORARY DEGREES

T

hree longtime Elon supporters received honorary degrees during Commencement week.

Ed and Joan Doherty P’07, whose gifts to Elon have advanced the university’s national reputation for its entrepreneurship education, received honorary Doctor of Business degrees May 23 at Elon’s Master of Business Administration graduation ceremony.

The couple, who operate a chain of family restaurants, were instrumental in establishing the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Love School of Business in 2007 and have hosted several “Evening for Elon” events in New York. Ed was elected to the Elon Board of Trustees in 2006.

Gail McMichael Lane was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Elon Law’s May 24 graduation in recognition of her commitment and service to Elon. Lane is the director of the McMichael Family Foundation and has served and led Elon’s board of trustees for more than 20 years.

She has been a guiding force for the foundation’s support of the university, including the largest endowment gift to Elon Law, which supports three scholarships.

Jo Watts Williams ’55 receives top North Carolina honor

E

lon University Vice President Emerita Jo Watts Williams ’55 was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s top honor for service to the state and community. Republican State Sen. Rick Gunn of Alamance County and Elon University President Leo M. Lambert presented her with the award on May 30 during Elon’s Staff Appreciation Day. Williams joined the Elon faculty in 1969 and in 1979 became vice president of development. She retired in 1995 and was named special assistant to the president. She was named Elon’s Distinguished Alumna of the Year in 1995 and in 1998 earned the Elon Medallion for outstanding service to the university.

summer 2014 3

UNDER THE OAKS The Magazine of Elon summer 2014 | Vol. 76, No. 3 The Magazine of Elon is published quarterly for alumni, parents and friends by the Office of University Communications. © 2014, Elon University ED I TO R

Keren Rivas ’04 D E SI G N ER

Garry Graham PH OTO G R A PH Y

Randy Piland Kim Walker Belk Library Archives and Special Collections ED I TO R I A L S TA FF

Holley Berry Katie DeGraff Philip Jones Roselee Papandrea Eric Townsend S T U D EN T CO N T R I B U TO R S

Erin M. Turner ’15 Kaitlin Dunn ’16 V I C E PR E SI D EN T, U N I V ER SI T Y CO M M U N I C AT I O NS

Daniel J. Anderson ED I TO R I A L O FFI C E S

The Magazine of Elon 2030 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244-2020 (336) 278-7415 elon.edu/magazine

“I wish you the fruits of your liberal arts education: Your own garden and the tools to tend it, the strength to be honest and unmerciful about what matters most to you and a community who shares with you the true currency of uncoolness.”

“I’m not asking you kids to change the whole world. But if you’re kind, you’re doing far more than you know. There’s nothing more powerful than kindness.

If you’re kind to people, if you change one life because of how you treat someone, and if that person in turn is kind to someone else, that’s how this great spinning world of ours really changes.”

—Elon parent, award-winning sportscaster and former professional tennis star Mary Carillo P’14 on May 24 during Elon’s 124th Commencement.

—Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core, challenging students to be “uncool” during Elon’s May 23 Baccalaureate address.

B OA R D O F T R US T EE S, C H A I R

Dr. William N.P. Herbert ’68

Charlottesville, Va.

ELO N A LU M N I B OA R D, PR E SI D EN T

Christian Wiggins ’03

Charlotte, N.C.

YO U N G A LU M N I CO U N C I L , PR E SI D EN T

Jennifer Hiltwine ’09 Sterling, Va.

PA R EN T S CO U N C I L , CO - PR E SI D EN T S

Owen & Beth Dugan P’15 P’16

Wellesley, Mass.

B OA R D O F V ISI TO R S, CO - C H A I R S

Russell R. Wilson P’86 & P. Scott Moffitt P’14

Burlington, N.C.

SCHO OL OF L AW ADV ISORY BOARD, CHAIR

David Gergen

Cambridge, Mass.

S C H O O L O F CO M M U N I C AT I O NS A D V IS O RY B OA R D, N AT I O N A L C H A I R

Brian Williams p’13

New Canaan, Conn.

S C H O O L O F CO M M U N I C AT I O NS A D V IS O RY B OA R D, C H A I R

Michael Radutzky P’12 P’17 Summit, N.J.

M A R T H A A N D SPEN C ER LO V E S C H O O L O F B USI N E SS A D V IS O RY B OA R D, C H A I R

William S. Creekmuir p’09 p’10

Atlanta, Ga.

PH O EN I X C LU B A D V IS O RY B OA R D, C H A I R

Mike Cross

Burlington, N.C.

4 the MAGAZINE of ELON

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Six graduating seniors received Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grants in May. Mat Goldberg, a psychology major and Leadership Fellow, and Julia Okada, a history major and Teaching Fellow, will be going to South Korea. Eryn Gorang, a human services studies major and Honors Fellow, will be going to South Africa, while Lauren Kepke, an elementary and special education major, will be going to Guatemala, Nakhila Mistry, a mathematics and religious studies double major, to Sri Lanka, and Kyle Whitaker, an English major and Honors Fellow, to Malaysia. Two additional seniors, Cara McClain and Kyle Keith, and

an alumna, Katie Moran ’13, were named award alternates.

Jill Capotosto ’14, an environmental studies and strategic communications double major, received a Princeton in Asia fellowship and will be traveling to Vietnam to work with TRAFFIC, a nonprofit established to protect plants and wildlife from illegal trade.

The program is funded by an independent nonprofit organization affiliated with

Princeton University that fosters understanding between Asia and the United States.

Sixteen journalism students spurred Elon’s School of Communications to a Top 20 national finish in the 2013-14 Hearst Journalism Awards Program. Elon placed 14th nationwide, with category finishes of 14th in writing, 14th in photojournalism, 19th in broadcast news and 12th in multimedia.

Elon Law’s student-led Diversity Week won first place in the annual Next Steps Diversity Challenge, which encourages law school leaders, including law students, to start or strengthen programs

that increase diversity in the educational pipeline to the legal profession. Student leaders Pedro Mantilla L’14, Braxton Medlin L’16 and Lani Wright L’15, who helped create the event, submitted the award proposal.

Vital Signs, an Elon co-ed a capella group, has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall on March 29.

The group will join several other a capella ensembles for “Total Vocal” under the direction of Deke Sharon, producer of “The Sing Off” and vocal producer for “Pitch Perfect.” Vital Signs was contacted after concert organizers discovered one of the group’s YouTube videos.

CAMPUS

UNCOMMONS

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BY PHILIP JONES

Nancy Midgette is a historian, so it’s only natural she

remembers where it all started: Pittsburgh.

The “when” is a little tougher to pinpoint, but it was sometime in the early 1950s as she sat in an easy chair with her grandfather and listened to radio broadcasts of Pirates games. That’s how she got hooked on baseball.

A member of Elon’s faculty for almost 30 years, the professor of history is passionate about her job. But if there’s anything she loves doing as much as teaching, it’s being a devoted fan of America’s pastime and an avid baseball card collector.

“You can’t make a life only out of what you do for a living,” Midgette says. So in addition to shaping generations of Elon students, she’s made a lifetime of baseball memories. The fondest one? Being in Yankee Stadium to see Roger Maris hit a homer late in 1961, the season he became Major League Baseball’s home run king. That personal, sentimental connection to baseball history is what makes Maris’ No. 1 Topps card from 1962, her favorite out of the thousands that she’s collected. Never mind the fact that card is also worth a pretty penny these days—that’s never been the point for Midgette.

More than anything, collecting baseball cards has been about building a connection to teams and players that mean something to her, and the fun of trading with other collectors.

Her love of the game isn’t just tied to the big leagues, either. She spends her summers in the North Carolina mountains, where she routinely watches the Class A Asheville Tourists play in what she describes as the nation’s oldest continuously-operating minor league baseball park. Only a historian would know that tidbit.

And like she does every year, she’ll pick a team and wear its T-shirt in class when MLB’s Opening Day rolls around next spring.

What faculty or staff member do you think is uncommon?

Send a suggestion to themagazineofelon@gmail.com.

summer 2014 5

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FACULTY/STAFF SPOTLIGHT

PRESERVING ONE OF THE STATE’S FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOLS

T

he idea of a public school system in North Carolina can be traced back to the State Constitution, but it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that efforts to provide free, state-sponsored education materialized with the institution of “common schools.” At least three buildings from that era are believed to still exist in the state, and

Four Elon faculty members were honored May 14 for superior teaching, scholarship, service and mentoring at the annual faculty-staff awards luncheon. Steve DeLoach, professor of economics, earned the Distinguished Scholar Award. Paul Miller, professor of exercise science, received the Ward Family Excellence in Mentoring Award. Tina Das, professor of economics and Elon’s Lincoln Financial Professor, received the Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Alexa Darby, associate professor of psychology, was awarded the Periclean Award for Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility.

Six Elon staff members were recognized May 30 for their contributions to the university at the university’s staff awards program. Brian Chandler, the university’s HVAC supervisor, was named Physical Plant Staff Member of the Year; Lisa Alcon, administrative assistant in the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, was named Office Staff Member of the Year; Karen Pore, an associate registrar, was named Administrative Staff Member of the Year; Faith Shearer, associate athletics director and senior woman administrator, received the Phoenix Community Engagement Award; Rodney Parks, Elon’s registrar, received the Phoenix Innovation Award; and Sarah Bailey, coordinator of data acquisition and management in the Office of University Advancement, received the Phoenix Rising Award.

Professors Jeffrey C. Pugh, Geoffrey D. Claussen and Amy L. Allocco received a $5,000 award from the Interfaith Youth Core. They will use this award to explore possibilities for an academic program at Elon focused on interfaith studies.

Aunchalee Palmquist, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology, has earned a $17,000 grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for her research project, “Taking Milk from Strangers: An Anthropological Study of Internet Breast Milk Sharing in the United States.”

Vickie Moore, assistant professor of chemistry, was honored for undergraduate mentoring by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Moore traveled to San Diego in April to give a presentation on mitochondrial dysfunction, which she has been researching with students for the past several years.

6 the MAGAZINE of ELON

SYLLABUZZ

Elon University and a local family have teamed up to preserve one of them.

Sitting just north of Alumni Field House and Rhodes Stadium—on land gifted to the university by Kaye Cable Murray and husband Joe, whose family had owned it for generations—the two-room white oak building built in the 1850s looks almost exactly like it would have on the day it opened, thanks to extensive renovations.

In its day, it welcomed children from as many as five miles away to learn from teachers who often lived in the building. No one knows exactly when the school closed, but it would eventually shutter and be used for various storage purposes over the next century.

BY KEREN RIVAS ’04

SOC 373: The Sociology of Family Reunions ABOUT THE PROFESSOR Larry Basirico joined the faculty of Elon’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology in 1983. His areas of teaching and research are social psychology and the sociology of the family. His research on family reunions has received extensive national publicity.

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES AND READINGS Your Family Reunion Survival Guide by Laurence A. Basirico After Pomp and Circumstance: High School Reunions as an Autobiographical Occasion by Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi

F

or some people, there is nothing more overwhelming than attending a family reunion— the mere thought of spending an afternoon or weekend with extended family and in-laws can be fraught with fear, anxiety or immense joy.

And while reunions can be highly fulfilling, psychologically and emotionally, and a great way for people to reinvigorate their family bonds, they can also be very stressful. It’s a reality that hasn’t escaped sociology professor Larry Basirico, the author of a family reunion survival guide, who taught an online class this summer on the phenomenon of family reunions. Besides covering the reasons for the historical growth of family reunions in the United States and the motivations for having them, another class goal is to explore the issues and problems that can arise at reunions and how to overcome them. “Stress is normal for a family reunion,” Basirico says, adding that

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“This is one of the oldest school buildings in the state of North Carolina on its original site,” Elon President Leo M. Lambert said during a May dedication ceremony, “which is something to really treasure.”

Renovations were made possible with support from Glen Raven Inc., and Allen Gant Jr., the North Carolina company’s chief executive officer and a member of Elon’s board of trustees. At the university, Executive Vice President Gerry Francis, University Historian George Troxler and Archivist Katie Nash lent assistance to the effort, and Professor Emerita of History Carole

Watterson Troxler worked with students more than a decade ago to research the history of the Cable School, as the building is known.

Another Elon connection is Alfred Isley, the great-great-grandfather of President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley ’46 who taught at the school in the 1850s.

Danieley’s great-grandfather, Frank Isley, also taught there following the Civil War; he later helped clear the land where Elon College would be built in 1889.

The school will be used as a learning resource for students in Elon’s School of Education and members of the community.

What's in a Class?

This fall Elon welcomes about 1,450 students to the Class of 2018—quite an increase from the university’s initial enrollment of 76 students in 1890. Below are some facts about the makeup of the incoming class.

10,441

he number of applications received T for enrollment in the fall.

96

The number of international students in the newest class representing 20 countries.

MA

NC

many people experience tension at such events, mostly because they set unrealistic expectations.

Basirico started researching the interpersonal dynamics at play during family reunions about 15 years ago after he returned from his own family reunion. He was intrigued at how some people reacted after he told them he had spent a week at the beach with his family; he heard “I’m sorry” a lot and “Hope you had a good time.” Tensions flare up during reunions, he concluded, because of colliding realities: the one people develop while growing up and the one they create as adults after leaving the nest or starting their own family. When these two realities converge, there are bound to be sparks.

Students learn that while group dynamics vary among families, keeping expectations in check and having open communication with family members leading up to the event can minimize pre-reunion anxiety. Developing a well-structured plan so rules, activities and chore schedules are set ahead of time is another proven way to avoid conflict because it eliminates ambiguity, Basirico says. “If you go into this wanting everything to be perfect, you’re going to be disappointed and think there is something wrong with your family,” he adds.

As part of the class, students read articles, watch movies, participate in daily discussions via a class blog and write reflection papers. Basirico wants his students to leave with a firm grasp on sociological theories and techniques for avoiding predictable family reunion problems. “The class is primarily a vehicle to learn sociological concepts,” Basirico says, “but I also want students to apply what they’ve learned in class to their own lives.”

16%

NJ

NY

11% 8%

8%

The percentage of students who come from North Carolina. Next on the list are Massachusetts (11%), New Jersey and (8%) and New York (8%).

1834

The class’s average SAT score.

The average GPA is 3.9.

Business

The most popular intended major among members of the incoming class. Biology, psychology, communications and finance complete the top five intended majors.

Source: Office of Admissions, preliminary numbers as of July 15

summer 2014 7

STUDENT LIFE’S LEADERSHIP TEAM GROWS Several new leadership positions have been created in the Office of Student Life to support the growing needs of Elon’s student body. Chief among them are:

WHAT’S NEW? 1 GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD P

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ՔՔ Randolph “Randy”

DRIVE NIX E HO

Williams Jr., presidential fellow and special assistant to the president and dean of multicultural affairs.

He will provide overall leadership for Elon’s Multicultural Center, as well as work closely with President Leo M. Lambert, Vice President Jim Piatt and members of the senior staff to advance alumni ethnic and racial affinity groups and fundraising related to diversity initiatives.

ՔՔ Jon Dooley, assistant vice

president for student life and dean of campus life. A student affairs professional with expertise in college student development, leadership and cross cultural engagement in higher education, Dooley provides senior-level leadership for the Office of Residence Life, Residential Campus Initiative, Multicultural Center and Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement.

ՔՔ Rabbi Rebecca Joseph,

director of Elon Hillel and associate chaplain for Jewish life. Joseph will lead a vibrant Jewish life program that has grown significantly in recent years with the addition of the Sklut Hillel Center, the creation of multiple Hillel service trips and activities, and the introduction of Jewish tradition programming held on campus.

Elon’s Global Neighborhood opens in August, with five residence halls surrounding the 50,000-square-foot Global Commons building. More than 590 students along with two faculty-in-residence will live in the neighborhood, which is located next to Lake Mary Nell.

The commons building features the Great Hall, a large gathering and study space with comfortable furniture, a fireplace and expansive windows. The building also includes offices of the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, a 75-seat theater, an international café, classrooms and offices for academic programs. The new neighborhood supports Elon’s goal of creating a more vibrant 24/7 living-learning environment.

2 SCOTT STUDIOS

ՔՔ The Rev. Joel Harter,

associate chaplain for Protestant life. Harter will be responsible for providing pastoral and religious care to the entire Elon community with a focus on Protestant staff, students, faculty and campus organizations. Other responsibilities include overseeing the Protestant staff at the Truitt Center For Religious and Spiritual Life and directing Protestant Christian programming.

8 the MAGAZINE of ELON

NUE AVE D GAR HAG

A new performing arts facility next to Arts West that includes a black box theatre, a 3,200-square-foot rehearsal/dance studio, six practice rooms, a workshop, dressing rooms and a box office. Extensive soundproofing throughout the building allows for multiple simultaneous activities.

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From new residential halls and performance spaces to renovations and expansions, you will find a host of changes on your next visit to campus.

1 3 2

4

3 INMAN ADMISSIONS WELCOME CENTER

5

(opening in spring 2015)

The two-story, 32,000-square-foot building completes a landscaped quadrangle formed by the admissions center, Moseley Center, Belk Library and North O’Kelly Avenue (the parking lot adjacent to Moseley Center has been closed). It will house admissions, financial planning and welcome center, with a two-story lobby and atrium, conference rooms, two presentation theaters and office suites.

4 BELK LIBRARY RENOVATION Last fall the Center for Writing Excellence opened on the library’s first floor.

The center brings together services offered to faculty and staff through the new Writing Across the University initiative and the existing Writing Center, whose consultants help students with all stages of the writing process. To continue supporting this effort, new study rooms were added this summer.

Also added were new computer tables featuring easy-to-access power and data ports for portable devices and flexible furniture to support different study and work styles.

OTHER NOTABLE PROJECTS ՔՔRenovation of Mooney Building,

including new offices for the Center for Access and Success

ՔՔReplacement of Belk Track and

construction of soccer dugouts and a press box at Rudd Field

ՔՔRelocation of the Doherty Center

for Entrepreneurial Leadership to the first floor of the Koury Business Center

ՔՔExpansion of the Multicultural

Center space in Moseley Center

Visit elon.edu/enet for the latest updates on campus construction.

5 SOUTH CAMPUS EXPANSION South Campus is the new home for the departments of human service studies, psychology and public health studies. The renovated 29,000-square-foot building—part of the former Elon Homes and School for Children property, which Elon acquired in 2012—includes faculty offices, a research lab that will provide new opportunities for in-class lab experiences, classrooms, observation rooms, computer labs and common spaces.

summer 2014 9

LONG LIVE ELON

Support for Elon reaches $16.4 million in 125th anniversary year

11-12

12-13

PARENTS

ALUMNI

PARENTS

ALUMNI

21%

22%

24% PARENTS

19%

10-11

ALUMNI

PARENTS

19%

09-10

ALUMNI

PARENTS

16% ALUMNI

24%

26%

27%

31%

ALUMNI & PARENTS participation

13-14

D

onors invested millions of dollars in 2013-14 to support Elon’s mission of providing a transformative education. By the close of the fiscal year on May 31, their contributions surpassed the $16 million mark for just the third time in the university’s 125-year history.

The impact of that generosity will reach every student by providing critical resources for academic departments, faculty development, athletic programs and student organizations. Donor support provides funds for scholarships, ensuring Elon remains open to students of all backgrounds.

“With an increasing number of students relying on financial aid, it is clear donors are making a significant difference in bringing an Elon education within reach for promising young students,” says Jim Piatt, vice president for university advancement.

The fiscal year also brought continued generosity among two of the university’s key donor groups, with parents of current students contributing more than $5 million and undergraduate alumni participation reaching a five-year high of 22 percent.

“It speaks to the Elon spirit that alumni participation has increased to 22 percent over the past five years while many other institutions have experienced declines in alumni giving,” says Christian Wiggins ’03, president of the Elon Alumni Board. “Now we must continue to grow our alumni support until we reach 30 percent participation, a level of giving many other reputable institutions achieve. This kind of stewardship from alumni will help Elon maintain its fantastic facilities, outstanding faculty and staff, and strong academic and extracurricular offerings.”

Additional highlights from 2013-14 include:

$2.7M+ 41% 68% $1.4M+ $116,000+

in donations to Elon athletics

a record-setting class giving participation rate by the Class of 2014 participation rate by Elon faculty and staff, who contributed nearly $400,000 presented to Elon at Homecoming 2013 by alumni celebrating class and affinity reunions

10 the MAGAZINE of ELON

contributed by 1,013 alumni, parents, students and friends as part of “A Day for Elon” campaign

LONG LIVE ELON

THANK YOU! Elon is grateful to the following donors for their generous gifts to benefit university priorities.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

A planned gift from retired Elon staff member Helen Ellington will benefit the School of Law Banks Arendell Scholarship, which is named in honor of Ellington’s father.

Ellington and husband Robert, retired university physician, have long been Elon donors. They are members of the Phoenix Club and The Elon Society and also supported efforts to establish the R.N. Ellington Health and Counseling Center, which is named in honor of Robert’s service to the university.

A HISTORY OF THEIR OWN

BY MEGAN MCCLURE

A

s a history professor at Elon for nearly four decades, David Crowe remembers teaching on campus when Jimmy Carter was president and disco ruled the radio.

During his tenure, he has played a role in some of Elon’s most dramatic changes—including expansion of the study abroad program and the opening of Elon University School of Law. The one thing that hasn’t changed in 40 years is Crowe’s passion for educating young people. “To me, it’s all about the students,” he says. “The reason I enjoy continuing to teach is we have such good students and I personally get so much out of interacting with them.”

His dedication to higher education is shared by wife Kathryn, who has spent more than 30 years working with students as a librarian at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Throughout their careers, both David and Kathryn have seen firsthand the powerful impact education can have on a student.

These experiences have inspired the couple to establish a planned gift that will provide scholarship funding for history majors, a nod to both David’s teaching career and Kathryn’s educational background. “We are thrilled that we’re able to support students’ education in this important discipline that means so much to both David and me,” says Kathryn, who earned a master’s degree in history.

The couple’s desire to create the scholarship also stems from David’s experiences with students who demonstrated great talent and ambition in the classroom but struggled with the cost of education. For many of these deserving students, David says, even modest amounts of additional support would make a tremendous difference in their efforts to finish school.

“Our purpose was to set up a scholarship for those very bright students who come to Elon and blossom,” he says. “We wanted to reward them and acknowledge their talents and gifts to the university.”

Named for several people who have influenced the couple, the Delp-Moore-Crowe History Scholarship honors David’s grandmother, Ethel Crowe, and his father, David M. Crowe Sr., as well as Kathryn’s parents, Malcolm and Louise Moore. It also honors Robert Delp, a former professor of history at Elon who mentored David in his early days on campus and who officiated the couple’s wedding.

For the Crowes, the gift not only pays tribute to the generosity that others have shown them, but is also an important way to support students who will make a positive difference in the world. “Education begins in the classroom, but it doesn’t end there,” David says. “It’s really all about watching people grow as human beings and gain a broader sense of compassion for people in the world around them. That’s what is so wonderful about Elon.”

C. Ashton Newhall ’98, a member of Elon’s Board of Trustees, and wife Becky have pledged $75,000 to support Elon’s transition to the Colonial Athletic Association and $15,000 to support the Phoenix Club.

The couple also established in 2009 the C. Ashton Newhall Endowed Lecture Series, which brings successful entrepreneurs to campus to share their knowledge and experience with students.

Elon parents Barry Frank and Eugenia Leggett P’15 have established the George R. Johnson Dean’s Discretionary Fund to honor Johnson, who recently stepped down as dean of Elon’s School of Law. The school’s advisory board raised an additional $25,000 for the fund, which will provide resources to address the most pressing needs of the school.

LEARN MORE

about how you can make a difference at Elon with a planned gift by contacting Carolyn DeFrancesco, director of planned giving, at cdefrancesco@elon.edu or elon.plannedgiving.org.

summer 2014 11

PHOENIX SPORTS

▶ elonphoenix.com

THE

The CAA era officially began July 1 and the Phoenix needs you in the stands. Plan to attend the following games in the coming months. Ready to cheer? Find complete schedules and ticket information at elonphoenix.com.

2014-2015

ELON UNIVERSITY

INAUGURAL SEASON

First on-the-road CAA encounters WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

WOMEN’S SOCCER

MEN ‘S SOCCER

MEN & WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY*

James Madison

College of Charleston

William & Mary

Northeastern

OCT 2 OCT 3 OCT 8 NOV 2 * CAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

“As a resident of the Philadelphia suburbs, I am very excited to see Elon join the CAA. I think joining the CAA will develop some great mid-Atlantic rivalries going forward with schools such as Richmond, William & Mary and Delaware. We need to make our presence felt and show them the Elon way. Go Phoenix!”—Walt Lotspeich ’98

“The CAA will provide great competition and intensity. Since I am from Maryland, I am so excited to have games close to home. The CAA is spread across the northeast region and lacrosse has taken over that region, so it is a great opportunity for Elon lacrosse to make our mark.”

—Sloane Kessler ’17, women’s lacrosse

Football CAA schedule vs New Hampshire

at Delaware

vs Stony Brook

vs Richmond

at Towson

at William & Mary

vs Maine

at JMU

OCT 4 OCT 11 OCT 18 OCT 25 NOV 1 NOV 8 NOV 15 NOV 22 Community Day

12 the MAGAZINE of ELON

Homecoming

Live Pink Game

Military Appreciation Game

PHOENIX SPORTS

ERA BEGINS

“Elon’s move to the CAA is not only a step up athletically, but academically, it also puts the university in the same league as some of the premier schools of its size and caliber on the East Coast.

Since I am in the Washington, D.C., region, I look forward to seeing the Phoenix in action in the years ahead.” —Scott Warner ’97

“Being able to play my final year in a conference I am very familiar with means a lot for not only myself, but also for my family and friends. The fact that my family in Virginia now has the ability to come to more games and watch me play will be a highlight of my final season at Elon.” —Austin Hamilton ’15, men’s basketball

“Joining the CAA brings great excitement and competitiveness in my family. With siblings as graduates of W&M, the friendly rivalry will grow even more. And with athletic events more accessible to the Charleston, S.C., area, there are several opportunities to spend family time at sporting events and feel a part of the Elon family that has become such a big part of my life.” —Jon Nelson ’03

“I am excited that Elon is joining the CAA. Selfishly, it means I will be able to attend games closer to home. I am very excited to attend numerous football, basketball and tennis games and matches in Virginia. The CAA has a great tradition and now we can become a part of it!”

—Art Dornik ’92

ELON UNIVERSITY

“Being a Boston native, while my parents have been suc­ cessful in attending as many of my games as possible, moving into a league closer to home my last year as a collegiate athlete makes me very happy. The CAA is also full of athletes and friends I have grown up playing with and against, and being able to play against them in the collegiate setting will be a challenging yet memorable way to end my college soccer career.” —Marissa Russo ’15, women’s soccer

Football only member summer 2014 13

‘The answer to my prayer ’

When letters and phone calls to the Social Security Administration fell on deaf ears, Brenda Cunningham turned to Elon’s Elder Law Clinic hoping for a miracle.

BY ROSELEE PAPANDREA

T

he letter from the Social Security Administration arrived in Brenda Cunningham’s mailbox on Valentine’s Day 2012.

She wasn’t expecting it to be a love letter, but when she read it, she was stunned. She owed more than $35,000 in “overpayments” she had received a few years prior while working part time, the letter said. Worse yet, she would no longer receive her monthly disability check. In an instant, everything changed. With her main income gone, Cunningham couldn’t keep up with her mortgage payment and many of her other living expenses.

If she couldn’t get the situation fixed, she was going to lose her home in Greensboro, N.C.—the place in which she had lived for 14 years—and her independence. Determined to stop that from happening, she wrote letters and made phone calls to the Social Security Administration. She kept detailed notes but couldn’t get anywhere. Time was running out.

“It was like running into a brick wall, backing up and running into it again,” Cunningham says, recalling her contact with Social Security representatives. “I was walking around my house praying for some answers.”

It was then she overheard a public service announcement on TV about the Elder Law Clinic, one of four free clinics operated by Elon University’s School of Law. “That was the answer to my prayer,” Cunningham says.

“I was in a corner, frustrated and scared.

I had somebody I could ask and if they couldn’t help me, they could at least give me some options.”

14 the MAGAZINE of ELON

{ Adam Kerr L’13 and Rachel Jeanes L’14 are among the students who worked to save Brenda Cunningham’s house through Elon's Elder Law Clinic. }

✱ ✱ ✱

Second- and third-year law students volunteer at the clinic that opened in fall 2012 and offers free legal services to Guilford County residents 60 years of age or older with a monthly income of less than $1,700 for individuals and $2,200 for couples.

During its first week, more than 150 people called for help, says Hannah Vaughan, director of the clinic. Since then, it has handled more than 70 civil cases, ranging from public benefits to wills, estate planning and power of attorney and health-care directives. Some cases simply require students to help clients properly fill out paperwork.

Others, such as Cunningham’s troubles

with the Social Security Administration, are more involved and take several semesters to resolve. “It is absolutely gratifying to be able to serve the public in this way,” Vaughan says.

“There is a great need for services for seniors in our community.”

The work done in all of the law clinics— Elder, Humanitarian Immigration, Small Business & Entrepreneurship and Wills Drafting—benefit more than just the clients served. Aside from getting practice using the knowledge gained in the classroom, the clinics provide students direct experience with clients. Eight students volunteer in the Elder Law Clinic each semester and work in pairs under Vaughan’s supervision. She

reviews their work to make sure there are no legal errors and provides guidance and support but does not dictate how the cases are handled. She lets students take full responsibility for managing each case, from the first phone call until the file is closed. “They have to consult with me before giving any legal advice, but the work is their own,” she says.

Mark Wilson L’13, who now practices criminal law in Gaston County, N.C., was the first of six law students to handle Cunningham’s case in fall 2012. He and his clinic partner, Mike Wilson L’13 (no relation), interviewed her and then did research to see if she actually owed the money, according to Social Security’s rules.

“It is absolutely gratifying to be able to serve the public in this way.

There is a great need for services for seniors in our community.”

—Hannah Vaughan, Director, Elder Law Clinic

Summer 2014 15

“That was the biggest frustration,” Mark Wilson says. “The moment I realized she technically owed the money, I started trying to figure out what her options were.” ✱ ✱ ✱

photo by: Robert Ross

Cunningham was in her late 50s when her troubles started. Her kidneys were failing and she had to undergo peritoneal dialysis.

While it was inconvenient, she maintained her strength and continued to work for the credit and activation division at AT&t Wireless. When her kidney problems worsened, she was put on hemodialysis and could no longer work because the procedure was too draining.

She went on long-term disability and started receiving Social Security payments.

After about six months, she returned to

peritoneal dialysis, and since she was barely making ends meet with the monthly Social Security checks, she got a part-time job. At the time, she was aware she could only work part time because she was receiving disability. Once she found a job, she let the Social Security Administration know she was earning $9 an hour for 20 hours a week. In 2009 she had a kidney transplant and continued working for as long as she was able.

There were some months when there were three pay periods. It was during those times Cunningham made more than she was entitled to, according to Social Security guidelines. If she had to pay that money back, it would have been devastating to Cunningham, now 66. “I would have lost my house,” she says. “I would not have had anywhere else to live.”

{ After a 10-year separation caused by civil war in Somalia, a family was reunited April 16, thanks to successful legal advocacy by members of the Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic at Elon Law. }

LAW CLINICS AT A GLANCE Students put legal theory into practice, gain experience and advocate for clients with financial needs in four free law clinics offered through Elon’s School of Law. Wills Drafting Clinic A part-time clinic that started in 2008 and offers services in estate planning, wills, power of attorney and health-care directives to low-income clients.

Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic Started in December 2010 and provides free immigration legal services to refugees, asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking, Cuban and Haitian parolees and special immigrants from Iraq and Afghanistan in North Carolina.

The Elder Law Clinic Opened in August 2012 and offers a range of free civil legal services to low-income Guilford County residents who are 60 years and older. Services include public benefits eligibility and advocacy, long-term care planning, guardianship, consumer protection, divorce, grandparents’ rights and estate planning.

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Clinic Started in January 2014 and provides business-related legal services to entrepreneurs and small business owners who can’t afford legal representation. Students review contracts, draft financial documents and licensing agreements, offer human resource advising and assist with regulatory compliance.

For more information about the clinics, visit elon.edu/law.

16 the MAGAZINE of ELON

The first thing law students were able to do was get Cunningham’s monthly payments temporarily reinstated. In addition, Mark Wilson prepared a brief requesting the Social Security Administration waive the debt. But when the semester ended, the issue still wasn’t resolved. Cunningham’s case was handed off to other students.

Adam Kerr L’13, who is now practicing law in Greensboro, and his clinic partner, Haley Price L’13, had to resubmit the brief after the Social Security Administration misplaced the first one. “This was pretty significant,” Kerr says. “If it didn’t go the right way, she was going to lose her home.”

Rachel Jeanes L’14 picked up the case last summer. She and her clinic partner, Michael Bunch L’14, represented Cunningham at a hearing and argued on her behalf. In September 2013, Cunningham received a letter from Social Security stating the debt had been waived. “I was thrilled with the outcome,” Jeanes says. “We couldn’t ask for a better result.”

In order for an overpayment to be waived, a person has to show substantial hardship and that they were not at fault in creating the overpayment. With the clinic’s help, Cunningham was able to show that without continued receipt of her full Social Security income, she would be homeless and have no means to support herself. The clinic was also able to prove that she had accurately reported her part-time income to the Social Security Administration in a timely manner. It wasn’t until nearly four years later that Social Security actually notified Cunningham that she had been overpaid. During most of that overpayment period, Cunningham would have been eligible to collect early retirement benefits.

Ultimately, the local Social Security office agreed to treat the debt as uncollectable.

However, despite her letters and phone calls, Cunningham was unable to resolve the issue on her own. “In many ways, it was a matter of knowing how to work within the system,” Kerr says.

Since receiving assistance from the Elder Law Clinic, Cunningham also was able to get her mortgage refinanced so her monthly payments are now less, a silver lining for Cunningham, who plans to continue living in her home for as long as her health allows.

“I am still grateful to them for being able to come through for me,” Cunningham says of the students who worked on her case.

“People have more dramatic circumstances.

But when you have a problem, your problem seems the biggest to you. They can help a lot of people so I’m glad they are here.”

BY DANIEL J. ANDERSON

What’s past is PROLOGUE What do the past 25 years teach us about where technology will take us in the future? See what Elon’s Imagining the Internet Center faculty, alumni and students— as well as world experts—have to say about the road ahead.

I

t seems impossible that the World Wide Web was first proposed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee only 25 years ago. At bewildering speed, modern life and human communication has been transformed in ways that could not have been imagined in the pre-Web years.

Summer 2014 17

010203040506070809010011012013014 The Internet of things

T

o mark the anniversary, Elon’s Imagining the Internet Center, in partnership with the Pew Research Center, conducted a survey of more than 2,500 technology, business, policy and academic experts. They shared thoughts about the ways technology will impact our lives over the next decade, and the results are being published in a series of eight reports titled “Digital Life in 2025.”

Imagining the Internet, led by School of Communications Professor Janna Quitney Anderson, is one of the world’s leading academic research efforts on the evolution of technology. More than 300 students, alumni, faculty and staff members have been involved in the center’s work since 2000. Elon journalism teams have traveled around the world to document conferences and produce more than 1,400 video interviews. Elon students have had the opportunity to speak at length with pioneering scientists and entrepreneurs who invented revolutionary technologies. The center’s extensive body of work provides a time capsule of the Internet’s development and challenges us to think carefully about the future.

Experts surveyed for this year’s reports envision a time in the near future when the Internet is woven deeply into daily life, taken for granted like the flow of electricity.

Business, education, health care and government may change dramatically. Some hope for the dawn of a new age of enlightenment. Others fear a dark and troubled digital future. Many of those associated with Imagining the Internet are immersed in careers and research at the center of the digital tsunami with educated perspectives about the road ahead. They shared some of their thoughts with The Magazine of Elon.

BY JANNA Q. ANDERSON, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIRECTOR OF THE IMAGINING THE INTERNET CENTER

Many of the experts who responded to our “Digital Life in 2025” survey are optimistic, but they also urge us to recognize the potential negatives as well as the positives ahead. They warn about unforeseen consequences of our new data-saturated world and wonder about the complexities involved in making networked devices work together.

Leading technologists predict the next digital revolution involves the “Internet of Things”—the proliferation of billions of connected computers, machine-to-machine interfaces (m2m), cameras and sensors that are being embedded, often invisibly, in nearly everything, including humans. Some say the biggest impact by 2025 will be in m2m interfaces, in which devices talk to each other and accomplish programmed tasks. This will streamline supply chains and provide feedback about all of the planet’s systems.

Many predict wearable, networked devices will positively impact personal health and lead to a better quality of life. But others worry privacy may be dead and some experts warn that the perpetual feedback and stimulation loop accompanying ubiquitous computing can lead to isolation, misanthropy, depression and other problems. They predict people will continue to surrender privacy and control to facilitate convenience, opening the door for exploitation by governments, corporations and criminals. Some asked, “Can algorithms be trusted to make the appropriate decisions for humanity?” And some observed people will want to be able to “switch off.” Those who cannot connect and those who choose not to connect may be disenfranchised—it is important to note the ramifications of the digital divide.

Elon voices “

“

In the next 10 years, sectors of the American economy will continue to be disrupted by advances in technology.

Capitalism will be put to the test as more jobs are automated and centralized, further widening the income gap in the United States.

However, we will see a higher standard of living worldwide.

At Elon’s Imagining the Internet Center, we often discussed how Internet accessibility will lead to the rapid progress of developing countries. As that progress is realized, a redistribution of wealth on a global scale is inevitable.” —Olivia Allen-Price ’09, interactive and engagement producer, KQED Public Media, San Francisco

The conceptualization of the Internet as an entirely open series of networks may not last until 2025. Whether change comes as a result of corporate influence on government regulation or users’ intensifying ideological quarantines, the Web could devolve without vocal, widespread calls for said openness to endure its challenges.” —Morgan Little ’10, digital content specialist, McMurry/TMG, Washington, D.C.

“

In 2025 the information on the Internet will become more targeted and consumer-driven, with the availability of more in-depth, holistic data on user behavior. With more advanced wearable and, in some cases, embeddable technology, we will always be connected— and more people will be connected globally—even through everyday material things, allowing increasingly for customized, less-noisy experiences online. Digital marketers, in turn, will have to shift campaign strategies to better reflect and feed consumers’ patterns and preferences.” —Shelley Russell ’09 G’10, senior digital producer, Clickfire Media, New York City

015016017018019020021022023024025 Crowdsourcing the future

BY LEE RAINIE P’03, DIRECTOR OF PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT AND A MEMBER OF ELON’S SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

I had a somewhat selfish motive for embarking on this research into the future of the Internet.

People were constantly asking me for my views about the “next hot thing” and I wanted to give them smart answers that were crowdsourced by real experts. I learned soon enough, though, that even selfishness can have noble payoffs. It has been exciting to see the broad conversations and policy debates that have been launched by our questions over the years.

I’ve also been surprised about the constants that have anchored people’s concerns about the future of technology—privacy, sociopolitical divides, misaligned power structures and tools that break.

I expect those worries will keep recurring even as we ask in the years ahead about immersive virtual environments, self-driving everythings, reconfigured brains, personalized medicine and the impact of smart machines on human decision-making. How fun to ponder all that.

The experts speak: Predictions from “Digital Life in 2025” » ”Has the Web tended to bring us together or polarized discourse? Has easy access to information improved our policies and decision-making, or has it amounted to noise? The ‘Digital Life’ study and others conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and Elon University provide us with raw data and valuable insights on many of these pressing questions. As the Web enters its next quarter century, we urgently need even more data to inform the current debate on what it will take to enhance and defend the Web. The Web community and the world at large are wrestling with tough issues around security, surveillance, privacy, open infrastructure, net neutrality, content protection and more. We have built an amazing resource over a short 25 years. I believe it is vital enough that we must all take greater action to enhance and defend it.”

—Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and director of W3C, which oversees the Web’s continued development.

» “The biggest impact on the world will be universal access to all human knowledge. The smartest person in the world currently could well be stuck behind a plow in India or China. Enabling that person—and the millions like him or her—will have a profound impact on the development of the human race. Cheap mobile devices will be available worldwide, and educational tools like the Khan Academy will be available to everyone. This will have a huge impact on literacy and numeracy and will lead to a more informed and more educated world population.” —Hal Varian, chief economist for Google

“

In the future, as more institutions of higher education offer more online degree programs, we will see a rapid increase in the number of students who are able to access higher education at a lower cost.

If colleges and universities rise to the challenge, they can use the power of the Internet to better understand the learning styles and needs of individual students, to tailor instruction accordingly, and to measure and improve educational outcomes over time in a way that was not feasible on a large scale in the pre-Internet age.” —Jennifer Connolly ’08, assistant professor of political science, University of Miami

“

People will be continually linked to the Internet and each other through all media and devices around them. These Internetconnected devices will let people communicate with anyone and will serve as the primary source of information. Through constant information gathering by cameras, microphones and other means, smart devices will recognize needs and implement a solution to fulfill the need before people even realize what they want.” —Brian Mezerski ’15, communications major and member of two Imagining the Internet student teams that covered global conferences in Switzerland

» “Access to the Internet will be an international human right.

The diversity of perspectives from all different parts of the globe tackling some of our biggest problems will lead to breakthroughs we can’t imagine on issues such as poverty, inequality and the environment.” —Tiffany Shlain, creator of the AOL series “The Future Starts Here”

» ”More and more, humans will be in a world in which decisions are being made by an active set of cooperating devices. The Internet (and computer-mediated communication in general) will become more pervasive but less explicit and visible. It will, to some extent, blend into the background of all we do.” —David Clark, senior research scientist, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

» ”The Internet will facilitate the fundamental threat of governmental control—the threats to free speech, free association and assembly resulting from governmental surveillance and control; the loss of any sense of a private sphere of conduct as a result, with psychological, social and political consequences; and the division of citizen bodies into the watchers and the watched.” —Andrew Bridges, partner, Internet law litigator and policy analyst at Fenwick & West LLP To access Imagining the Internet’s “Digital Life in 2025” survey results, go to imaginingtheinternet.org.

Summer 2014 19

The perfect fit As director of communications for Fruit of the Loom Inc., Lindsay Porter ’05 is as comfortable talking about briefs as she is budgets and sales projections.

“It’s been an adventure,” Porter says of her career thus far. “I don’t know if you would’ve asked me at Commencement Under the Oaks in 2005, ‘Where do you see yourself in 10 years?’ that I would’ve said ‘In the underwear business.’ But I am lucky to have been given the opportunity to have landed where I did and have learned so much in a relatively short time.”

A rising star

I

t’s the naked truth: Most of us just don’t like to talk about our underwear.

After all, they’re called “unmentionables” for a reason.

But Lindsay Porter ’05 doesn’t blush when it comes to briefs, bras and boxer shorts—at least not anymore. “You get really comfortable talking about these kinds of things the longer you’re in the business,” she says.

As director of corporate communications for all of Fruit of the Loom Inc., she does more than just talk about such topics. The role, which she assumed in June, sees her doing both internal and external communications across multiple platforms for the company’s family of brands, which includes Vanity Fair, Spalding and Russell Athletic—a perfect fit for the journalism and corporate communications double major who has risen steadily for the past decade.

20 the MAGAZINE of ELON

By the time Porter joined Fruit of the Loom Inc., in 2011, she had already amassed considerable experience. She worked in corporate communications and investor relations for Greensboro, N.C.,-based VF Corp—first as an intern while still at Elon and later as a full-time employee. By 2008 she was doing marketing for the Wrangler brand, a division of VF Jeanswear.

At Fruit of the Loom, she began working in advertising and brand communications for the Russell Athletic and Spalding brands, but quickly saw her roles grow and change. Last year she started focusing solely on Fruit of the Loom underwear and casualwear and the multimillion advertising budget she oversaw to market it. While the challenge of managing such a recognizable brand with so many

moving parts may intimidate some, Porter saw it as an opportunity to grow. “It’s important the brand is firing on all cylinders to make the work as effective as possible and ultimately drive sales,” she says. “Consumer consumption of media—advertising or otherwise—has changed so much in recent years. Every new job is a challenge in its own way and I love that. I’ve been very fortunate to have some really cool jobs and responsibilities over the years, and I don’t take that for granted.”

Porter’s success is no surprise to Janna Anderson, an associate professor in Elon’s School of Communications who encouraged her to pursue that first internship at VF Corp and still mentors her today. “Lindsay stood out immediately when she outperformed everyone in my highly demanding Media Writing course,” Anderson says. “I knew after knowing her for just a few years here at Elon that she would rise to the top no matter what career she took on or where she worked.”

Porter has enjoyed being on-site with pro athletes and celebrities on commercial shoots for the products she represents, including working on the team that helped Fruit of the Loom forge a unique marketing partnership with social networking website LinkedIn and even helping the famed Naked Cowboy in New York’s Times Square change his underwear.

About that last one …

When the company introduced a new line of no ride-up-leg boxer briefs earlier this year, it was looking for a fun way to help the product make a splash and generate buzz.

Photos courtesy of Fruit of the Loom Inc.

BY PHILIP JONES

{ The famed Naked Cowboy shows off his new underwear as part of a Fruit of the Loom campaign. Below: people pose with the street performer during the campaign launch event. }

“We thought, ‘What better way to get attention for the brand than to also engage in a change moment with the Naked Cowboy, who for 16 years has been wearing—by his own choice—Fruit of the Loom briefs?’”

Porter says. “We changed our underwear.

Shouldn’t he?”

So during a campaign event, the company gave folks a chance to take pictures with the street performer in his new threads in the heart of Times Square, and then streamed the images in real time to the billboards over the iconic New York hotspot where the Naked Cowboy made a name for himself by wearing cowboy boots and a hat, and carrying a guitar in such a way it gives the impression he’s naked. The campaign stirred up so much excitement that Porter even made a short appearance in a CNN story about all the

hoopla. (Incidentally, Porter first learned of the Naked Cowboy as an Elon student during a conference in New York City with leaders from The Pendulum.)

“The news media really took to the idea.

It was a neat moment for me, and for the brand,” she says. “It’s one of those things that, as a brand manager, it’s the best that you can hope for—that people will be as interested in your product as you are.”

It was also good for business. Headlines featuring the brand and the Naked Cowboy and the new product launch earned more than 500 million impressions.

All in a day’s work If there is something that excites Porter about her job it’s the different opportunities it presents. “There’s something very special about the magic it takes to emotionally connect a consumer to a brand. And one like Fruit of the Loom is amazing from a brand manager standpoint because people hold such a fondness for it,” she says. “It’s very rare to see a brand that people have a visceral reaction to—it literally brings a smile to their faces when they talk about it. Fruit of the Loom is that kind of brand.”

Porter has plenty of genuine interest in Fruit of the Loom. You can hear the pride in

her voice when she talks about the company being more than 160 years old, predating the patents of other household brands like CocaCola and Levi Strauss. “It’s a brand with a lot of rich history, a pioneering spirit and a sense of optimism. Plus, we never take ourselves too seriously,” she says. “I’m always learning new things in my job, and I have the privilege of working with not only very talented business people, but exceptional creative talent as well.”

Anderson expects Porter to meet with continued success. “Her amazing intellect is equally matched by her wonderful sense of humor and her people skills,” she says. “In a very short time she has risen to the top in an extremely competitive field. She deserves this level of success because she is worthy of it and she has done the hard work to earn it.”

Porter credits her Elon mentor, internships and connections for launching her down the road to an impactful career. And despite a work schedule that sees her travel around the country, she still makes it back to campus to pay it forward. “I was fortunate early on—through Elon connections nonetheless—to be exposed to executives at a very high level on a regular basis.

“I’ve never lost sight of how important that was on determining my career fate.”

Summer 2014 21

COVER STORY

An ALPHA Don’t think about Grandma, she told herself.

BY ERIC TOWNSEND

Don’t think about Dr. Long. Or Mr. Means. Or the Alphas.

Don’t think about the Elon Academy and everyone who helped to get you here. You won’t get across this stage with dry eyes.

Standing among her college classmates in Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University, Brittney Burnette waited her turn to walk a platform that, statistically speaking, she had no business crossing. Raised by a single mother. Lived for a time with her grandmother. Neither parent attended college, let alone graduated. Money had been so tight that Burnette worked two jobs in high school to help pay mom’s bills.

Yet there she waited on a warm May evening, a criminal justice major already preparing for a master’s program in social work, her purple robe and decorated mortarboard a rebuke to national data and a testament to an educational opportunity that seven years earlier had welcomed her to the Elon University campus.

She just didn’t want to cry. Not now. The challenge would be to keep from looking up too often to the right of the stage, where her grandmother, uncle and cousin had a perfect view of the hundreds of robed students about to graduate from ECU’s College of Human Ecology. Brittney Burnette had beaten the odds, in no small part because of the Elon Academy.

‘Brittney had to grow up fast’

An only child born in 1991 to parents not yet out of their teens, Burnette spent her elementary school years riding bikes, writing in journals and watching syndicated television reruns of “The Golden Girls” any time her mother, a certified nursing assistant at the time, was at work in a local retirement community.

Home life was anything but ideal. Her mother was gone a lot—sometimes at work, sometimes with friends—usually leaving Burnette alone. And when mom was around, rules were lax. Her grandmother, Lena Burnette, took note of the way her daughter was raising her granddaughter. “Brittney had to grow up fast. She was always mature, but her mother was young and still in her partying days,” says the longtime teaching assistant in the Alamance-Burlington School System.

“Wherever Brittney was, I’d go and get her and bring her home with me. I didn’t want Brittney around that. I’d keep her out of that environment as much as I could.”

22 the MAGAZINE of ELON

Seven years after joining the Elon Academy, a dozen of the first high school students to take part in the university’s college access and success program have earned their college degrees. Brittney Burnette is one of them.

reaches ΩMEGA

{ Brittney Burnette during her graduation at East Carolina University. Top left: Burnette in 2010 before she started her college journey. } Summer 2014 23

“More than anything it made me feel like I wasn’t alone. It was a relief to meet people who were like me on this journey.”

{ Brittney Burnette getting ready to start her first summer at the Elon Academy in 2007. }

Young children don’t always notice their family’s economic circumstances. Burnette was no exception. It wasn’t until middle school, when coaches had to pay her bill for a cheerleading team trip to a beach competition that Brittney fully appreciated her circumstances. By the middle of her studies at Williams High School in Burlington, N.C., Burnette was working part-time to help with her mother’s household expenses on top of paying for her own gas, cell phone and car insurance.

A smart child with a fiery independent streak living in an unstructured home environment, Burnette needed guidance if she wanted to go to college, an education she knew would lift her out of her circumstances.

That was when both her grandmother and a teacher separately mentioned to her a new program down the road at Elon University.

The rise of the Elon Academy

College access programs of some variety have been around for half a century. The Elon Academy itself was born out of necessity.

A N.C. Superior Court judge threatened in 2006 to close more than a dozen of the state’s worst-performing schools, including Hugh W. Cummings High School in Burlington, a Title I school on the eastern side of the city. Concerned for the community, Elon 24 the MAGAZINE of ELON

University President Leo M. Lambert tasked Professor Deborah Long in the School of Education to not only help the high school, but to develop a college access program that would support academically promising low-income high school students from across Alamance County.

Long, a soft-spoken, bespectacled former school teacher, was a natural fit for the project. Long was the only one of her three sisters to complete a college education, and her modest upbringing in Massachusetts mirrored the environments of future Elon Academy students. She set to work with a small team of Elon colleagues instrumental in recruiting the academy’s first scholars who would soon be known by their formal name: the Alphas.

One year later, two dozen rising sophomores representing six Alamance County high schools arrived on Elon’s campus for the first time as members of the Elon Academy. Burnette was in that group. For four weeks that summer, and for four weeks each of the subsequent two summers, the high schoolers took classes on English, math, philosophy, science and technology, personal finance and nutrition. They visited college campuses across the state. They learned about the resources available to them as academy scholars.

“More than anything it made me feel like I

wasn’t alone,” Burnette says. “It was a relief to meet people who were like me on this journey.”

The program, which relies entirely on gifts and foundation grants and is offered free to the scholars and their families, was initially modeled after similar ventures at universities like Furman and Vanderbilt. Over the years, differences have emerged. Family involvement is a key element that today sets apart the Elon Academy from other college access programs. Families are partners in the process and are encouraged to make use of Elon Academy and university resources. They attend four workshops throughout the year on topics such as comparing financial aid award letters, understanding standardized tests and making the most of campus visits.

“Our families are involved from the beginning,” Long says. “We really have become a model for others.”

Uphill battles

E

lon Academy administrators reference several data points that paint a bleak picture for young men and women who grow up, if not in poverty, then certainly within sight of it. Nationally, just 70 percent of lowincome high school students graduate from high school, and barely a third ever enroll in college.

Once there, the likelihood of obtaining a degree further diminishes. Only 14 percent of low-income high school students will graduate from college. For low-income, African-American men, that number falls to 4 percent. Today, the Elon Academy is on track to graduate from college every black male student who took part in the program and has since enrolled in higher education.

“We just don’t let up,” Long says. “When we see something, we don’t ignore it. We’re relentless with scholars and after awhile, they see that and start to say, ‘They really do want me to do well.’ They know we have their best interests at heart.”

The Elon Academy today serves 144 scholars ranging in age from rising high school sophomores to those completing their collegiate studies. About half of all scholars live or lived with single parents or grandparents. A small number of parents themselves struggle with substance abuse.

The newest class of scholars has the fewest financial resources of any cohort in program history. Such circumstances can derail the brightest minds—and Burnette was no exception.

In the span of a few weeks in 2008, she lost a friend and then a cousin to gunfire.

The latter case remains unsolved. Burnette briefly left campus to attend her cousin’s funeral just days after the Elon Academy program started that June, and she struggled for much of the next year to find closure.

It wasn’t until her final summer on campus with the academy that Burnette discovered a possible calling to keep other children from similar fates.

“Is Justice Blind?” was a new course in the summer of 2009 when Sandra Reid, a faculty member in the university’s Department of Human Service Studies and a former counselor in the state’s juvenile justice system, taught several Elon Academy scholars about the way race and gender affect the American criminal justice system.

“That was the first time I was able to see actual examples of court cases and justice issues,” Burnette says. “It was something I just couldn’t believe, that people were mistreated because of race. And it hurt a lot.”

The loss of her friend and cousin, coupled with her introduction to the criminal justice system in Reid’s class, made an impact. “She fell apart and I think she grew up a lot because of it, even verbalizing that their lives would have been different if they had grown up in another environment,” Long says. “She became much more studious and began to realize that not only did she want to make a difference in this world, that she actually could.”

Elon Academy leaders and her high school teachers also noticed a difference in a girl nearly removed from the program for sneaking a cell phone onto campus and arguing with academy staff once discovered.

Her attitude mellowed. She focused more in class. Mark Clapp, an Elon Academy summer instructor who taught several finance classes to Burnette at Williams High School, recalls how colleagues no longer asked him to counsel Burnette about her defiance in the face of constructive criticism.

“The Elon Academy preaches to students what they need to do to be successful, from where you should sit in the classroom to contacting your professors to teaching study skills,” Clapp says. “So many times in high school it’s ‘How little can I do to get by.’

Here, it’s ‘What can I do to take this to the

next level.’ Elon Academy kids learn life isn’t about just getting by, that it’s about maximizing your potential.”

eet the M Alphas

Succeeding in college

Emerging evidence shows college “access” isn’t enough for the students participating in programs such as the Elon Academy. Once on a college campus, “success” becomes just as critical, and the academy’s mission has evolved to account for that. The same fall the Alphas headed for college, academy faculty and staff were scheduling campus visits, providing emergency funding and staying in touch with families in an effort to ensure college success.

Darris Means ’05 served the Elon Academy for eight summers as associate director before leaving the program this summer to join the University of Georgia faculty. Means and other staff members tried to visit scholars at least once a year, and today the team handles as many as a half dozen calls each week from scholars calling about family emergencies, college finances, questions about transfers and, on rare occasion, advice for handling campus judicial proceedings.

Through their interactions, Burnette developed a strong relationship with Means.

He noticed Burnette’s early struggles at East Carolina and urged her to get involved on campus. Many first-generation or low-income students don’t always take part in extracurricular activities because of finances or perceived lack of time, Means says, a decision that can be costly. Campus involvement reduces the probability of academic failure or the desire to transfer, which often delays graduation and can add to student loan debt.

“Students involved on campus increase their commitment to a college or university,” he adds. “It also is important in promoting resilience and attention. When you’re committed to something, it makes you want to stay in that place.”

Burnette soon joined a leadership honor society and found part-time work calling ECU alumni to request donations. Her renewed approach to academics impressed Peggy Newsome, an academic adviser in ECU’s College of Human Ecology. Many students only appear in Newsome’s office twice each year, prior to class registration for upcoming fall or spring semesters. Not Burnette. “She would come in multiple times,” Newsome says. “She was determined to graduate in four years, and I really appreciated that she cared about the education she was going to get.”

B rittney Burnette is one of 144 scholars who have taken part in the Elon Academy to date and one of 11 members of the Alpha Class who received their college diplomas this year. They are: �

S entrell Allen— anthropology, Elon University

�

Stacey Crutchfield— political science, Elon University

�

Jessica Eller— strategic communications, Elon University

�

Frank Garcia— business administration, Elon University

�

Constanza Johnson— international and comparative politics with a minor in sustainable development, Appalachian State University

�

Destinee Lewis— psychology, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke

�

Riana McCollum— psychology, North Carolina A&T State University

�

Shelby Oldham— religion, Salem College

�

Sarah Rawls— Asian studies (Japanese) with a minor in Hispanic studies, UNC-Chapel Hill

�

Jaron Torain— business administration with a property management concentration, Saint Augustine’s College Four scholars, including Burnette, plan to attend graduate school in areas of communication or social work. Future plans will take one scholar to Boston to work in the public schools for the nonprofit City Year. Another has joined AmeriCorps and will work for North Carolina Campus Compact.

Another has been hired by a Florida real estate firm and will manage commercial properties.

Summer 2014 25

{ Brittney Burnette (center) returned to Elon in June to serve as an Elon Academy mentor for the third consecutive summer. Below: Burnette and her grandmother, Lena. }

N

one of this surprises Burnette’s grandmother. “She understood that she was there for a purpose,” Lena Burnette says. “College is fun, yes, but Brittney had a plan.”

She was not alone. Eleven members of the Alpha Class received their college degrees this year from eight schools: Elon University, ECU, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Appalachian State University, N.C. A&T State University, UNC-Pembroke, Salem College and Saint Augustine’s College.

Four more scholars from the original cohort are on track to graduate in coming years.

Before starting her master’s program in social work this fall at ECU, Burnette returned to Elon in June to mentor Elon Academy high school students. It was her third consecutive summer on Elon’s campus and she’s found a natural home working with Reid as a teaching assistant in “Is Justice Blind?” Burnette and Reid forged an immediate connection in 2013, in part because of the national attention paid to the George Zimmerman trial in Florida where the former neighborhood watch volunteer was on trial for killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager. “It affected her a lot. The night the verdict came in, she texted me and was really upset,” Reid recalls. “She and I went back and forth with why it happened and her saying ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’”

It also cemented for Burnette the idea of working in the juvenile justice system after she completes her graduate work. “Your

26 the MAGAZINE of ELON

actions really follow you, no matter what it is that you do,” she says. “They follow you forever. And more than anything, with children, I’ve learned they’re not half as bad as they appear to be. They just need attention and someone who really, really cares, and is willing to motivate them; someone to keep pushing them and not give up on them.”

Beginning her future

At 5:47 p.m. on Friday, May 9, Brittney ShaKayla Burnette heard her name over the sound system in Minges Coliseum on the ECU campus. She looked above the stage to see her grandmother’s smile. It took her less than a minute to ascend the platform steps, shake hands with Judy Siguaw, dean of the College of Human Ecology, and receive further down the stage a small piece of paper tied with red ribbon. The paper

was a welcome letter from the ECU alumni association. Burnette’s official diploma would eventually arrive by mail.

On the way back to her seat, Burnette shook hands with several professors. Fifteen minutes later, Siguaw offered a final suggestion to close the ceremony. “Let’s not forget the people who helped you get here,” she told the hundreds of newly minted college graduates gathered before her. “Let’s give them a round of applause.”

Burnette had made it. She was done. Only she wasn’t. Her master’s program starts soon, and though she isn’t exactly sure where her career will take her, she plans to work with kids. Her mentors think Burnette won’t end her formal education with a master’s degree, that she’ll one day earn a doctorate and maybe even join the faculty of a college or university.

Burnette joined thousands of people pouring from the building; almost everyone held cell phones to their ears to find loved ones. She called her uncle to locate her family. Walking through the crowd, the first familiar face she spotted was a woman wearing a purple cardigan and sterling silver jewelry accented with purple stones—the same color as Burnette’s graduation gown.

Brittney flashed a smile as she wrapped her arms around her grandmother, the woman who always told her she could do better. Neither had dry eyes and that was all right. She had already crossed the stage.

ALUMNI ACTION

A New Era Begins Dear Elon Alumni,

A

s a student, I witnessed two athletic conference transitions at Elon—first to the Big South in 1999 and then to the Southern Conference in 2003. What I remember most, aside from tailgates and road trips, is the excitement for a heightened level of conference play and the revised alignment with institutions that had more in common with Elon.

Once again I got to be a part of history as Elon entered the Colonial Athletic Association on July 1. Similar to the two previous changes, this move is great for Elon in ways that should get all of us excited. In four of the past 11 years, a CAA member has won the NCAA FCS Football Championship. Additionally, the CAA is a terrific academic match for Elon, including 10 schools ranked as national universities by U.S. News & World Report. We should feel good about the appreciation in the value of our degrees.

Through competition in the CAA, Elon will gain valuable media exposure as the conference partners with the NBC Sports Group and the NBC Sports Network, which reaches 75 million homes nationwide.

The number of television homes in the CAA market exceeds 20 million.

This new level of exposure will bring Elon into more homes, allow alumni to connect with their alma mater in a new way and introduce Elon to additional prospective students and partners.

Finally, the new conference footprint extends from South Carolina to Maine, making it more convenient for more than 75 percent of our alumni to attend an Elon sports event. This offers us the chance to cheer on the Phoenix in person and also connect with our alumni network in a new way.

Whether you choose to watch a game on television, tailgate with friends or tell a stranger about our new academic and athletic competition, I hope you’ll engage with your alma mater through the new CAA affiliation. I encourage you to be a partner, advocate and investor in that process. In doing so, you can help create an experience that will endure while also advancing your own personal and professional life.

Go Phoenix!

Christian Wiggins ’03 Elon Alumni Board President

Brian Feeley ’03 named director of alumni engagement After spending 10 years working at a Washington, D.C., higher education nonprofit, Brian Feeley ’03 has joined Elon University to serve as the new director of alumni engagement.

I

n that role, he is leading efforts to engage alumni of all ages, building the university’s alumni network and helping grow the alumni giving participation rate. He succeeds interim director Tait Arend ’96 MBA’00, who will continue in his role on Elon’s major gifts team.

“Since graduation, it has become increasingly clear that my success has been in large part due to a set of experiences I gained at Elon,” says Feeley, who graduated from Elon in 2003 with a degree in political science. “Returning to help lead this important area and to play a role in the next chapter of Elon’s history is a unique opportunity and an immense privilege.”

Feeley has a master’s degree in business administration from Johns Hopkins University and leads a team of eight staff members committed to developing innovative alumni programs to advance and support Elon graduates, a key priority of the Elon Commitment strategic plan. In the past year, the team has opened the Martin Alumni Center, dramatically increased Homecoming attendance and hosted Evening for Elon and National Networking events around the nation.

Before coming to Elon, Feeley served as vice president for admissions, institutional relations and site relations at The Washington Center, a nonprofit higher education organization that provides opportunities for students to work and learn in Washington, D.C. His wife, Lauren, is a 2003 Elon alumna. summer 2014 27

ALUMNI ACTION

on the town

WELCOME TO THE CITY & ALUMNI NETWORK Elon’s regional alumni chapters and clubs are hard at work planning events to help alumni engage with each other and stay connected to the university.

One of the biggest event series this fall

new cities. These events involve a range

is the Welcome to The City & Alumni

of activities—from socializing at a local

Network, which provides an easy way

restaurant or bar to tailgating before a

for 2014 graduates and new-to-the-area

baseball game.

alumni to meet fellow alumni in their

{ Tampa } { Pittsburgh }

{ Richmond }

{ Nashville }

W E LCO M E T O T

C

ongratulations Class of 2014 and welcome to the ranks of more than 30,000 alumni.

We hope that as a student you took advantage of activities and programs put on by the Office of Alumni Engagement, such as the Destination series, Internship Send-Off and the Senior Picnic and Gala.

Our office, in collaboration with the Young Alumni Council, will continue to provide opportunities to stay engaged as a partner, advocate and investor.

Current efforts include:

28 the MAGAZINE of ELON

H E R A N K S! ✪✪ Hosting regional chapters or clubs in cities across the country ✪✪ Sponsoring a Young Alumni Party and Class of 2014 Reunion Zero Celebration during Homecoming weekend, Oct. 17-19 ✪✪ Providing professional development and lifelong learning opportunities through The Elon Network and Elon Career Mentors program.

ALUMNI ACTION

EVENTS KICK OFF Below are some of the participating cities/regions: • New York City: Midtown 1015 | Sept. 4 • Boston: Tia’s on the Waterfront | Sept. 11 • Washington, D.C.: The Front Page | Sept. 17 • Denver: The Tavern Downtown | Sept. 27

For additional information on dates and locations of other events, visit elon.edu/alumni.

GET READY TO CHEER ON

THE PHOENIX!

Elon’s move to the Colonial Athletic Association means the Phoenix will be traveling to cities closer to you and your family. Be on the lookout for events and tailgates in cities with CAA teams. See page 12 for a partial list of game dates. We hope you will take these new opportunities to connect with

CHAPTER/CLUB NEWS

alumni, students and staff while supporting

Elon’s athletic teams!

F

or the second consecutive year, Elon’s Washington, D.C., Alumni Chapter has won the Capital Alumni Network’s Outstanding Networking/Social Development Award. The organization fosters intercollegiate spirit and camaraderie among Washington, D.C., metro area college and university alumni chapters. It offers athletic, social, educational, networking and community service activities and resources. “We are honored to be recognized by our peers,” said Nick Palatiello ’06, the chapter’s sports chair since 2007. “To be selected as the top chapter—in a network of 200 chapters in the Washington, D.C., region—is the result of our dedicated volunteers who strive to provide diverse and exceptional programming for our chapter members.”

We also hope you attend chapter/club events in your area or join The Elon Network on LinkedIn. Have questions? Contact our alumni engagement officers: Tricia Teter ’13 (pteter@elon.edu) Jill Hollis ’13 (jhollis@elon.edu) Arayael Brandner ’13 (abrandner@elon.edu) For information on chapters and clubs, contact Jennifer Boozer, coordinator of regional programs, at jboozer@elon.edu. summer 2014 29

ALUMNI ACTION

JOIN US FOR

HOMECOMING

2014

• Opening ceremony and kickoff event honoring this year’s alumni award recipients and affinity/class reunions

• Annual Phoenix Club Golf Tournament • NPHC Step Show

OCTOBER 17-19

• Elon vs. Stony Brook football game

This is one celebration you will not want to miss.

• Alumni and student panel discussions

After record-breaking attendance last year, we expect an even bigger crowd ready to cheer on Elon’s move to the Colonial Athletic Association and the 2014 Elon Alumni Award recipients. Grab your maroon and gold, call your friends and reserve your hotel for a weekend to remember.

A NEW TRADITION BEGINS

Events include:

• Enhanced tailgating experience

Many thanks to Elon alumni who returned to campus May 24 to hand out oak saplings to members of the Class of 2014, thus creating a new tradition around one of Commencement’s most cherished moments.

.

• Student life and academic departments open houses

• Professional development workshops and activities

• and much more!

 Registration begins Sept. 8.

For more information, visit elon.edu/homecoming. Have questions or want to volunteer?

Contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at (877) 784-3566 or alumni@elon.edu.

“I had a blast handing out Oak saplings to #ElonGrad @elonuniversity @elonalumni #LTML” —abigail_june via Instagram.com

“Back where I bELONg to hand out oak trees to the class of 2014! #elon” —jaeelovely via Instagram.com

You can see more photos from Commencement weekend on the inside back cover. Don’t want to miss your chance to be a part of this new tradition next year? Mark your calendars! Elon’s 125th Commencement is May 23, 2015.

30 the MAGAZINE of ELON

CLASS NOTES

CLASS NOTES

E-NET

and 50 | recently celebrated their 63rd wedding Fred Yarbrough Betty Long Yarbrough ’52

anniversary. They still return to Elon for Homecoming whenever they can. Betty fondly remembers walking to Elon from her house and meeting many new friends.

Among the people who made her college experience special are Dr. J. Earl Danieley ’46, Jo Watts Williams ’55 and her Tau Zeta friends.

51|

Even after 45 years, John D. Vance continues tuning and repairing pianos. He has established the John D. and Martha Vance Music Scholarship in memory of his late wife, Martha L. Veazey Vance ’50, to assist students studying music. He fondly remembers Dr. J. Earl ’46 and Verona ’49 Danieley, Dean Daniel Bowden and all his Elon friends, as well as the trips he took with the choir as a student.

NEWS

News, events, photos and videos—your stories, your Elon.

Want to get news delivered straight to your inbox?

Subscribe to This Week @Elon at elon.edu/elink.

elon.edu/enet

, now retired, 57 | remembers meeting new has students at social and sporting 62 | retired from AT&t after 35 events during his time at Elon. He years of service as an engineering Melvin G. Hare

TURN YOURSELF IN! ONLINE AT …

elon.edu/classnotes

Help us keep you in touch with your classmates at Elon.

has fond memories of the beautiful campus and the faculty, including professors Jason Sox, Dr. J. Earl Danieley ’46 and Dr. Paul Cheek. | Richard B. Simpson recently extended his medical practice to include long-term care, hospice and developmental medicine.

Among the people who made his Elon experience special are Dr. Paul Cheek and Jimmy Sparks, who attended medical school with him. He credits Elon for providing the first step in his “lifetime journey in medicine.”

59| to

Charles Swicegood, married Carolyn Landgrave Swicegood ’63, is now retired.

Among the people who made his college experience special are Jim Mallory, Doc Mathis, Luther Byrd, F.E. Reynolds, Jeanne Williams, Charles Latham, Hank Hamrick and Dr. Alonzo L. Hook 1913. He diligently follows Elon athletics and says he “brags about the great Elon as long as anyone will listen.”

was 60 | elected a commissioner to the 2014 General Assembly of the Nancy Hudson Wilson

Presbyterian Church (USA). She represented the Charlotte, N.C., presbytery along with nine other commissioners. Nancy is married to Edward C. Wilson.

Anderson L. Lowe

manager. He fondly remembers

Professor Alonzo L. Hook 1913 and credits Elon for his

professional success.

REUNION 64 | Reunion committee members ,

John Downs Carolyn Wright McDuffie, Penny Fuqua Mothershed, Ocie Murray, Hugh O’Hara, Wally Sawyer, Demus Thompson and Tyrone McDuffie ’66 encourage all

classmates to attend the 50th class reunion during Homecoming weekend, Oct. 17-19. The committee will present the class gift check to President Leo M. Lambert at the Golden Alumni Luncheon on Oct. 17. If you have any questions, please contact Jeremy Allen ’07 at (336) 278-4687 or jallen4@elon.edu.

69|

REUNION The Class of 1969 will be celebrating its 45th reunion at Elon’s Homecoming on Oct. 1719. Reunion committee members Noel Allen, Paul Amundsen, Don Goldberg, Denny McGuire, John Papa, Kay Thomas Papa, Larry Sharpe and Bart Shaw look forward to seeing the rest of the class on campus to help celebrate this milestone reunion. If you have any questions, please contact

Sarah Graves ’12 at (336) 278-7421 or sgraves4@elon.edu. | Rebecca Burchette Buffaloe was honored with an award acknowledging her 25 years of teaching at Wake Christian Academy. She also received the High School Teacher of the Year honor. Rebecca is the social studies department chair.

She and husband Merrick live in Raleigh, N.C.

is a senior 71 | lecturer at the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State Robert Lane

University and was awarded the Mortar Board Nomination for teaching excellence in February.

He is also the chief executive officer for Lane Leadership LLC. He is married to Karen Paulos Lane, who is senior vice president at Greif, Inc. They live in Powell.

REUNION 74 | Reunion committee members ,

Randy Jackson Bobby May, Fred Midkiff and Karen Madan Stricker invite the Class of

1974 back to campus Oct. 17-19 to help celebrate their 40th reunion.

The committee has been working hard to plan a great weekend. Be sure to make plans now to attend!

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Graves ’12 at (336) 278-7421 or sgraves4@elon.edu. being together for 29 77|After years, and Bruce Boyd

Summer 2014 31

CLASS NOTES Wayde Cartwright MBA’08 were married in Chicago on 6/2/14, the same day same–sex marriage was legalized in Illinois. | David Crowder has retired from Mecklenburg County Public Schools in Virginia after teaching 35 1/2 years. David continues to operate his business, Crowder’s Driver Improvement Programs LLC, which he opened in 1994. It offers adult driving lessons, an escort driver certification course and re-examination courses. David lives with his wife, Mary Ann, in Boydton.

was 78 | selected as Teacher of the Year for the York County School William “Doug” Roper

Division in Virginia. The honor came after colleagues voted him Teacher of the Year for Tabb High School, the four high schools in the county and all the schools in the county. He teaches ninth graders and lives in Poquoson, with wife Elizabeth.

79|

REUNION Join the Class of 1979’s 35th reunion committee members, Rhonda Enoch, Dennis Lawson, Irene Linford, Robin Moser, Danny Thompson and BZ Zint on Oct. 17-19, to participate in class reunion activities and reminisce

about days at Elon. The committee is looking forward to catching up with classmates during Homecoming weekend. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Graves ’12 at (336) 278-7421 or sgraves4@elon.edu.

80 |president and chief executive officer of Business Ken Gould serves as

Alliance of Charles County, and hospitality and service director for Chick-fil-A in Waldorf, Md. He lives in La Plata with wife Mary Ann. | Phyllis Middleton retired in December 2012 after 33 years of teaching kindergarten at Alamance Elementary School in Guilford County Schools. She received a stem cell transplant in November 2013 for multiple myeloma cancer and is happy to announce she is now in remission.

Phyllis enjoys crocheting and remodeling her Greensboro, N.C., home with husband Steve.

has been 81 | named division president for SunTrust’s newly created David Stevens

Carolinas Division. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of the bank’s Central Carolina Region and now oversees five SunTrust regions in North and South Carolina. He also

serves on the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Board of Advisors.

REUNION 84 | It’s time to celebrate the Class of 1984’s 30th reunion

with committee members Julia Strange Chase, Ken Lipstein, Diane McSheehy, Tracey Walser Nugent, Jane Pillow, Tammy Jackson Proffitt and Terrie Horner Schiffman. They hope their classmates make plans to head back to campus Oct. 17-19, to help celebrate this milestone reunion with them. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Graves ’12 at (336) 278-7421 or sgraves4@elon.edu.

has written 85 | and edited the introduction for God’s Consoling Love: Sermons Joel Huffstetler

and Addresses, a book by Michael Mayne, who served as dean of Westminster Abbey from 1986 to 1996. Joel is the rector at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and lives in Cleveland, Tenn. | After 7 ½ years, Mindi Truitt has left her management position at Ulta to join Nordstrom and Chanel Cosmetics. She lives in Raleigh, N.C.

was 87 | named regional center director for the North Carolina Robert Byron Hicks Jr.

Small Business and Technology Development Center at Appalachian State University. The center provides management counseling and education services to businesses throughout the state from 16 different offices.

Robert, who is based in the center’s Hickory office, lives in Winston-Salem.

For the ninth time in his 88 | career, was presented with the Georgia Wes Durham

Bruce Boyd ’77 & Wayde Cartwright G’08

Tara Mori Dye ’92 & daughter Sarah Ashtyn

32 the MAGAZINE of ELON

William “Doug” Roper ’78 (center)

Steve Felt ’93

Wes Durham ’88 (right)

Gregory Erwin ’94, Melissa Poe Erwin ’98 & daughter Addison Alexandria

Jeff Bedard ’96 & Hannah Barraclough

Sportscaster of the Year Award by the National Sportscasters & Sportswriters Association at a June ceremony in Salisbury, N.C. This fall marks his 11th season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Atlanta Falcons and his second year as the primary play-by-play voice for ACC football, basketball and baseball on Fox Sports South.

REUNION 89 | Exciting plans are underway for the Class of 1989’s 25th reunion during Homecoming weekend, Oct. 17-19. Reunion chair Sam Burke and committee

CLASS NOTES members Rob Borgstrom, Kelly Watts King, Ted Darid Mauro and Heydt Philbeck hope to see

all their classmates on campus to mark this special milestone. For more information contact Jeremy Allen ’07 at (336) 278-4687 or jallen4@elon.edu.

91 |now own and operate Sixth Street Bistro in Hood River, Ore.

Chris Creasy and wife Stacie

Chris still bartends, something he has been doing since he graduated from Elon.

has been 92 | appointed president for SunTrust’s Triangle East Region.

Chris Bell

He oversees sales, credit and business development for the bank’s Business and Commercial Banking teams. He is based in Durham, N.C. | Kim Soter Clark works as a vaccine specialist with Sanofi-Pasteur in Richmond, Va. She and husband Tripp have a son, Mason, and live in Glen Allen. | Tara Mori Dye and husband Paul welcomed daughter Sarah Ashtyn on 3/12/14. The family lives in Cornelius, N.C. | Susan Koser, who works for Montgomery County Public Schools, reconnected with a former student she taught in second grade. The student, Viiu, plans on attending Elon this fall, something that makes Susan proud. She lives in Germantown, Md.

This spring was 93 | elected president of the board for the Colorado Film and Steve Felt

Video Association. The nonprofit organization promotes film, television and media industries in Colorado.

94|

REUNION It’s time for the Class of 1994’s 20th reunion! Make plans to mark this milestone with reunion chair Garrett McKnight and committee members Jacquelyn Gardner Allred, Donald Henry, Natasha Jones, Blake Kennedy, Jeanine Stout LaBoy, Shannon Moody, Heather Wessel Nesbit, Tonya Taylor, Christopher Waters, Lisa Keating Wojcik and classmates Homecoming weekend, Oct. 17-19. For more information contact Jeremy Allen ’07 at (336) 278-4687 or jallen4@elon.edu. | Gregory Erwin and wife Melissa Poe Erwin ’98 welcomed daughter Addison Alexandria on 10/18/13.

The family lives in Raleigh, N.C.

| David Fesperman MBA’94 and wife Linda celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on 6/27/14.

They live in High Point, N.C.

graduated 95 | from Medical University of South Carolina with a doctorate Sean Britton

of dental medicine in 2012. He has started a practice in Ravenel, S.C. He and wife Rebecca live in Charleston. | David Clubb recently accepted the position of assistant vice president for international education at Norwich University, the oldest private military college in the country. Prior to that role, he served as senior director for international affairs at the University of Colorado Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus.

He has also been appointed to serve on the board of directors for the Vermont Council on World Affairs. David and wife Shannon live in Northfield.

and Hannah 96 | Barraclough were married 2/21/14. Jeff is a detective for the Jeff Bedard

Salt Lake City Police Department.

They live in Salt Lake City. | Amy Krull was recruited to work for Google at its Kirkland, Wash., office. On a personal note, Amy recently completed a three-day farm stay at Sanctuary One in Jacksonville, Ore. | Ray Scipione is the owner of NJ Dealership Services LLP and works within the sales department for U.S. Foods, Inc. He and wife Sharon live with their twin sons, Brandon and Ryan, in Hammonton, N.J.

{ Members of the Elon Class of 1924 in front of the iconic Senior Oak tree. }

CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITIES CAN PROVIDE INCOME FOR LIFE a charitable gift annuity of $10,000 or more to Elon will guarantee a fixed income for the rest of your life. With market interest rates near historic lows, a gift annuity is an attractive way to increase your income and make a gift to Elon at the same time.

You will receive immediate tax benefits and can defer capital gains.

The payment rate of a charitable gift annuity depends on your age at the time of the gift—the older you are, the higher the rate.

recently 97 | accepted the position of vice president of student affairs and Joshua McIntosh

dean of students at Bates College.

Joshua previously served as the dean of academic services at John Hopkins University.

98 |was named elementary counseling program county chair Anne Stewart Levitsky

for Berkeley County Schools in West Virginia. She will coordinate 20 elementary school counseling programs and serve as a mentor for new school counselors. She lives in Frederick, Md.

99|

REUNION Join Class of 1999’s 15th reunion chair Ruby Thornton and committee members Bud Harrelson, Annette Cooks Lancaster, Patricia Nagro, Mark Richter, Elic Senter,

rates as of january 1, 2012 ONE BENEFICIARY

T WO BENEFICIARIE S

AG E

ANNUIT Y R ATE

AG E

ANNUIT Y R ATE

60 65 70

4.4% 4.7% 5.1%

60/65 67/67 71/73

4.0% 4.4% 4.7%

Annuity rates are subject to change. The annuity rate remains fixed once your gift is made.

To calculate a gift annuity for you, your spouse or a family member, visit elon.plannedgiving.org.

Talk with us today about how you may benefit from a life income gift to Elon and other gift planning opportunities. please contact: Carolyn DeFrancesco, Director of Planned Giving (336) 278-7454 ■ cdefrancesco@elon.edu ■ elon.plannedgiving.org

Summer 2014 33

CLASS NOTES

98 |secretary of the Elon Board of Trustees; she has been a member since 2008. She recently Kebbler M. Williams ’98 has been elected

completed a doctoral degree in educational leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was the recipient of the Patrick W. and Janet R. Carlton Award for Dissertation Research in Educational Leadership. Kebbler is currently an education planning and development consultant for the Office of Charter Schools within the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She lives in Pittsboro, N.C. Ashley Grayson Setzer, Cal Stanley and Tori Younger on Oct.

17-19, to participate in class reunion activities during Elon’s Homecoming weekend. For more information, contact Chandler Thompson at (336) 278-7423 or cthompson39@elon.edu.

is manager 00 | of the project management office for Bronto Software. She Laura Bowman

lives with husband Michael in Raleigh, N.C.

02 |Kent were married 9/13/13 at Nassau Valley Vineyards

Beth Hickman and Michael

in Lewes, Del. Alumni in attendance included Kathy

Beth Hickman Kent ’02, Michael Kent & friends

Jill Moore ’04, Scott Moore ’04 & children

Tanaya Jones Bryels ’04 & John-Hamilton Bryels

Sarah S. Nelson ’04, Brian C. Nelson ’05 & children

Brian Gill ’05 & Julie Gill

Haring McMahon ’00, Christina Meiklejohn Antonioli ’01, Megan Elliott LaRocque and Cory Yankush Wilharm ’03. Beth and

Michael are both emergency room nurses at Beebe Healthcare. They live in Dagsboro.

received 03 | a doctorate in higher education administration from Stephen Charles

the University of South Florida after successfully defending his five-campus mixed methods dissertation. He lives in Wichita, Kansas. | Daniel Hornyak recently accepted a position as the chair of emergency medicine at Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. He and wife Christy live in Fallston, Md. | Susan McMahon and husband Ryan welcomed daughter Lillian on 1/8/14. They live in Durham, N.C. | Michael McQuarrie and wife Elizabeth welcomed daughter Adeline Eleanor on 6/2/14. They live in Pasadena, Md.

04|R, E U N I O N,,

Maggie Arden Donna Cooke Peter Falcone Katie Howell Fayard, Mark Hendrix, Jen Hildebrand, Melissa Jordan, Rory Richardson, Hunter Smothers and Renita Leak Webb are serving on

the Class of 2004 10th reunion committee. They encourage all classmates to come back for Elon’s Homecoming weekend, Oct. 17-19, to celebrate. For more information, contact Chandler Thompson at (336) 278-7423 or cthompson39@elon.edu. | Tanaya Jones and John-Hamilton Bryels were married 9/27/13. Tanaya is an emergency medical technician for Mecklenburg County. They live in Charlotte, N.C. | Jill Moore and husband Scott welcomed daughter Elizabeth Larsen on 5/6/14. Within the past year, Jill received a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Scott received a master’s degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. They are both teachers working for Guilford County Schools. | Sarah S. Nelson and husband Brian C. Nelson ’05 welcomed son Cole Byron on 2/26/14. They live in Knoxville, Tenn.

was elected 05 | Teacher of the Year for Granville Central High School Michael Bean

Jaclyn Deskin Nicholson ’05 & son Carter Ray

(l-r) Barbie Pace ’05, Sharon Anderson Davies ’04, Kristin Simonetti ’05 & Dan Hanson ’05

34 the MAGAZINE of ELON

in Stem, N.C., and awarded first runner-up for the same honor

for Granville County. This is his first year teaching with Granville County Schools after spending eight years teaching in Vance County. He and wife Ashley live in Henderson. | Matt Belanger was selected as one of Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Professionals are selected for the honor based on success in their careers and activity in the community, and each honoree is committed to raising money for the foundation.

Matt is a weekend anchor with WTAE-TV. | Brian Gill and Julie Gill were married 4/5/14. Brian is a detective for the Chester Township Police Department.

Julie is the assistant director of donor relations and stewardship at Drew University. They live in Boonton, N.J. | Phill Hill made his professional playwriting debut with two original musicals for young audiences at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, Conn., where he works as production manager. His productions performed for a total of 11 weeks and reached more than 5,000 children and families in Connecticut. The performances were so well received, Phill has been commissioned to write two more plays and co-produce a Woodstock concert revue opening in March 2015. | Shawn Howard was promoted from senior coordinator of guest communications to supervisor of attractions operations at Universal Orlando. Shawn is currently overseeing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed area at the Universal Orlando Resort. | Jaclyn Deskin Nicholson and husband Jeff welcomed son Carter Ray on 3/23/14. They live in Graham, N.C. | Barbie Pace hosted Sharon Anderson Davies ’04, Dan Hanson and Kristin Simonetti in March for their annual Mardi Gras gathering in New Orleans. The friends saw actor Hugh Laurie leading the Krewe of Bacchus parade, and promise any beads they wore were obtained by clean means. | Jason Smith recently accepted a position with Harvard University as associate dean of enrollment and retention. He will supervise enrollment for the Harvard Extension School, Harvard School Program and Harvard Professional Development Program. He lives in Boston. | Sandy Tisdelle

CLASS NOTES

HEALTHY EATING MADE EASY

BY KAITLIN DUNN ’16

W

hen you only have half an hour for lunch, it’s hard to find something to eat. You can go out and grab a burger or sandwich at a fast food chain, but more likely than not, you won’t even bother to leave the office and end up eating stale Cheetos and a Dr. Pepper from a vending machine instead— for the third time in a week.

But what if there was a way to get nutritious, reasonably priced food right from your office vending machine? This is exactly what Shea Coakley ’07 is trying to ensure with his company, LeanBox. LeanBox provides offices, hospitals and gyms with food kiosks stocked with healthy foods, including quick snacks like caffeineinfused brownies and full meals like miso glazed salmon and stuffed roasted chicken.

Coakley and his business partner, Peter Roy, formed the company more than a year ago as they realized the need to have nutritional food conveniently located in workplaces.

“People don’t eat right for three reasons,” says Coakley, who majored in leisure and sport management at Elon. “Healthy food is expensive. Healthy food might not fit

your taste buds and it’s often inconvenient, especially when you’re in a rush. We try to solve all three of those issues with LeanBox.” The company serves the New England area but Coakley plans to expand soon, exploring franchising options and future hubs. Companies such as Amazon, Wayfair and the U.S. Army are among clients. In all there are more than 100 LeanBox kiosks in various businesses. Each machine is restocked with fresh offerings three to five times a week so the company can see what is selling and what is not. “Every office is different, and we work with them individually,” Coakley says.

“We survey each office to see their wants and needs, and we can alter what we put into each box.”

LeanBox uses local startup companies to provide the food, and Coakley says he wants to be able to provide a platform for products that otherwise wouldn’t be available in major markets. There are about 10 people employed

by LeanBox, a number Coakley believes will double when it expands. He is always looking at his alma mater for inspiration and

support—the company hired an Elon intern last summer.

“Elon opened my eyes to thinking about the world in a really unique way,” Coakley says.

“It taught me that the world is a place that can be changed for the better. It was never just about the numbers and letters at Elon, it was about how the lessons can translate into improving the lives of people around you.”

It’s not surprising that serving the community has been a priority for LeanBox. For every $10 spent at any of its kiosks, the company donates the cost equivalent of a meal to the Greater Boston Food Bank. And all the food left in the machines near its expiration date is donated to local food banks and soup kitchens.

“If there is one thing Elon taught me, it was the idea of giving back to the community,” Coakley says. “My business partner and I knew from day one that we wanted this company to be about giving healthy food to the customers and feeding those in need. As our business grows, so will our ability to help those around us.”

Learn more about LeanBox at eatlean.com. { Peter Roy & Shea Coakley ‘07 }

35

CLASS NOTES

BY ERIN M. TURNER ’15

W

hen Wyn Ferrell ’09 decided to major in business marketing at Elon, he was planning to enter the world of finance.

He grew up in Connecticut, where the finance industry has a strong presence, and his father, Bill, worked in the field. So a career in finance seemed like a perfect fit for Ferrell.

Then life happened.

“After working for UBS in college and a boutique firm in Denver that sold mortgagebacked securities, I knew the industry was not right for me,” he says. “I needed a way to express creativity.”

Looking for a new challenge, and confident in his liberal arts education, Ferrell got a job in sales and development for Colorado Pure Distilling. It was there he learned the ins and outs of the distilled spirits production, a booming industry that brought in more than $66 billion in retail sales during 2013, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Almost two years later, he decided to break away and open his own business, Mile High Spirits, with business partners Chase Campbell and Joe Vonfeldt.

That was in 2011. Since then the company has branded itself as a state-of-the-art,

36 the MAGAZINE of ELON

handcrafted, small-batch distillery and tavern in the Denver area. It is one of only a handful of distilleries around the world to use an all-glass still, which helps churn out a smooth line of Elevate Vodka, Fireside Whiskey, Peg Leg Rum and Denver Dry Gin. With more than 100 bars in the Denver metropolitan area, the business has also managed to win the admiration of many locals. It was named No. 1 on Westword “Fifteen best bars on Larimer Street” blog and is also gaining recognition from 5280: The Denver Magazine, USA Today and The Denver Post.

The accolades fuel Ferrell’s thirst for more. The business has already expanded its distribution reach to North Carolina, Maryland and Delaware, and this summer it relocated closer to Coors Field, the baseball venue in the heart of downtown that serves as home for the Colorado Rockies. Ferrell attributes Mile High Spirits’ success to the company’s three profit centers: its tasting room, brands and private label—all things that give it an edge in the Colorado bar scene. Coors Field, Ferrell says, has attracted a wide variety of bars and restaurants to the downtown area, but Mile

High Spirits offers a unique concept since the artisanal spirits are made on site.

“There are no distilleries located in downtown Denver,” he says, “so Mile High Spirits will not only be a location that locals love but also a tourism hotspot as we will offer tours that will fully immerse patrons in vodka, whiskey, gin and rum production.”

Ferrell is optimistic about the future of his business and often thinks back to his days at Elon for inspiration. “Elon did a great job preparing me for life after college by teaching me the fundamentals of business and how to manage a full workload,” he says. “I can’t begin to describe how much of what I learned at Elon is applied in my everyday life. … [It] taught me how to turn my passion into a thriving business.”

For more information on Mile High Spirits visit milehighspiritsllc.com.

CLASS NOTES graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. She completed an animal medical and surgical internship at Louisiana State University in 2012 and now practices as a small animal veterinarian in Charlotte, N.C.

is now a 06 | podiatric resident physician at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Peter Bellezza

Hospital. This three-year program emphasizes podiatric medicine and surgery residency with reconstructive rearfoot and ankle certification. He lives in Chicago. | Sarah Klein and Michael Weidner were married 6/21/13 in Connecticut. Sarah works in marketing and investor relations for Visium Asset Management LP. They live in New York City. | Scott Muthersbaugh was named the 2013 Photographer of the Year for the Daily Division by the North Carolina Press Association.

The award, which is named in honor of the late photographer Hugh Morton, is given to a daily newspaper photographer throughout the state based on his or her body of work from the previous year. Scott also won six additional awards for his photos and videos. He works as a photojournalist for the Burlington Times-News.

07 |president of Duke Regional Hospital. She was interim president since Sept. 30, 2013, and

Katie Galbraith MBA ’07 has been named

has also served as the hospital’s vice president.

Since 2001, she has held various responsibilities at the hospital, from marketing and business development to hospital operations. Prior to joining Duke Regional Hospital, she was the public relations manager for Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center. She also serves on the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Board of Advisors. nurse and a 2013 graduate of the Duke School of Nursing. They live in Durham, N.C.

08 |Outstanding Young Nebraska Journalist for weekly Kris Moody was named

newspapers by the Nebraska Press Association. Kris is a news editor for Clay County News in Sutton. | Dwayne Waite Jr. and wife Mackenzie Farone-Waite were married 4/12/14 in Pittsburgh.

Alumni in attendance included Erik Hansen ’06, Wade Harvey, Janelle Kramer, John Martin, Jeff Rickel and Julianna Capetola Rickel. Dwayne is a teacher and head coach of both the men’s and women’s cross country teams at William Hough High School in Cornelius, N.C.

NION 09|R E U and ,

Alaina Artin Audrey DeGregorio Jay Kahn have

teamed up to chair the Class of 2009’s 5th reunion committee.

They encourage the entire class to return for Elon’s Homecoming on Oct. 17-19 and attend the Young Alumni Homecoming Party on Friday night. For more information, contact Chandler Thompson at (336) 278-7423 or cthompson39@elon.edu. | Katie Kuekes Baker and Joel Baker were married 11/9/13. Katie is a certified nursing assistant and Joel is a captain in the U.S. Army. They live in Colorado Springs, Colo. | Megan Daly graduated magna cum laude from the physician assistant program at South University and has accepted a

position as a physician assistant in a private practice in Savannah, Ga. She enjoys boating and learning to cook Southern dishes in her spare time. | Robert Duke and Katherine Hlavinka ’10 were married 6/22/13. The couple are graduate students at North Carolina State University and live in Raleigh, N.C. | Kelly McCarty McLaughlin has been promoted to donor engagement manager at the Washington Office on Latin America, a prominent D.C.based human rights advocacy organization. | Olivia Allen-Price and Sam Price were married 2/22/14. Alumni in attendance included John Andrews ’06, John David Parsons ’06, Cole Gorman, who served as the wedding photographer, Megan Kirkpatrick, Stefanie Meyers, Mandy Padgett and Bethany Swanson. Professor George Padgett also attended.

Olivia is a journalist and an interactive media producer for KQED. They live in San Francisco. | Daniel Sembler and Kristin Williams ’10 were married 4/5/14.

Daniel is an accountant with Cherry Bekaert LLP and Kristin is a teaching assistant at Harris Creek Elementary School. They live in Raleigh, N.C.| Lauren Sharkey was named Teacher of

and 07 | were married 10/25/13 in Boca Grande, Fla. Clayton Collins Merrill

Lesley

Alumni in attendance included Colleen Jones Myers ’04, Brice Reed ’04, Chris Ahlgrim ’06, Kelley Burgess Gilbert, Ryan Lehrl, Ryan Malfitano, Carolyn Mason, Mark Mizell, Jay Myers, Bert Olson, Jill Winnacott Reed, Taaron Washington and Matt Wheeler. Clayton is a managing partner for Riomar Capital and Lesley works in public relations for Chamberlain Healthcare. They live in New York City. | Kristina Brown DeLoache and Micah DeLoache were married 10/20/12 at Childress Vineyards in Lexington, N.C. Alumni in attendance included Kelly Baytos Clodfelder, Catherine Mason Espey, Dan Mott, Alicia Muzzi, Sarah Robinson, Loren Taylor, Brandon Tomlinson, Kristin Tremoulis, Andrea French Wofford, Garrett Wofford, Lindsay Wright, Lindsay Totten ’08, Chelsie Wagner Counsell ’09 and Travis Counsell ’11. Kristina is a neonatal

Sarah Klein Weidner ’06 & Michael Weidner

Olivia Allen–Price ’09, Sam Price & friends

Clayton Collins ’07, Lesley Merrill ’07 & friends

Chris Adams ’10 & Jenny Rossbach Adams ’12 Summer 2014 37

CLASS NOTES the Year at the Audrey W. Clark School in Long Branch, N.J., for the 2013-14 school year.

and 10 | were married 2/15/14. Chris is the national Chris Adams Rossbach ’12

Jenny

accounts manager for Sports Endeavors Inc., and Jenny is a sales consultant for Oracle.

They live in Chapel Hill, N.C. | Dan Browne and wife Sarah

Browne ’11 welcomed son Oliver Daniel on 1/18/14. The family lives in Malvern, Pa. | Clark Howell and Lindsay Gabriel ’12 were married 4/5/14 in Charlotte, N.C. Alumni in attendance included Meredith Jones ’08, Damon Gooch ’09, David Wheatley, Greg Amorosso ’11, Evan Davis ’11, Holland Felts ’11, Chase Helpingstine ’11, Phil Nemec ’11,

ELON HALL OF FAME

INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED Former football standout Tony DiPietro ’89, men’s golfer Chris Dockrill ’86 and women’s golfer Beth Frace Heinzelmann ’01 will be honored Sept. 13 as part of the 44th Sports Hall of Fame Class.

The induction ceremony will be held at a 1:30 p.m. in Whitley Auditorium. They will also be recognized that evening during halftime of Elon’s game against North Carolina A&T at Rhodes Stadium.

Admission to the afternoon event is free and open to the public.

Tickets for the football game are available via the athletics ticket office at (336) 278-6750 or elonphoenix.com. Hall of Fame members can also contact the ticket office to reserve two free tickets.

Jennifer Ruff ’10, Matthew Ruff ’10 & son Gabriel Douglas

Clark Howell ’10 & Lindsay Gabriel Howell ’12

Kelsey Pruitt ’11, Alanna Winsper ’11, Kathleen Donnelly ’12, Caroline Kunz ’12, Georgina Oram ’12, Laura Parker ’12, Jasmine Powe ’12, Emily Strickland ’12, Eric Turner ’12, Leah Burns ’13, Melissa Lockley ’13 and Brielle Sydor ’13. | Caitlyn Juengel

Dan Browne ’10, Sarah Browne ’11 & son Oliver Daniel

Janison Dillon G’13

John Pratson ’12 (second from the left in front) & his platoon

In Memoriam U.S. Navy Capt. James Wesley Parker ’39,

San Jose, Calif. 5/21/14.

Iris Boland Abernathy ’45, Auburndale, Fla. 5/27/14.

Goldie Morris Eley ’45, Jackson, N.C. 5/21/14.

Emery Keith Gilliam ’48, Elon, N.C. 4/12/14.

The Rev. Dermont James Reid ’48, Richmond, Va. 4/20/14.

Charles Gilbert Crews ’55, Greensboro, N.C. 5/22/14.

Vera Mae Lindley Jones ’59, Kannapolis, N.C. 5/12/14.

Ernest Boyce Maness ’63, Bradenton, Fla. 6/1/14.

James E. Dunn ’65, Gibsonville, N.C. 5/25/14.

Rebecca Jo Gobbel Cagle ’69, Thomasville, N.C. 5/17/14.

William David Goldston III ’74, Reidsville, N.C. 5/22/14.

John Forest Jenkins ’74, Raleigh, N.C. 5/10/14.

Jane Clark Coble ’76 P’06, Myrtle Beach, S.C. 5/22/14.

Michael Kempner Poteat ’04, Southern Pines, N.C. 6/8/14.

38 the MAGAZINE of ELON

and Ricky Winters were married 4/6/13. Jennifer is a dance teacher.

They live in Raleigh, N.C. | Jennifer Ruff and husband Matthew Ruff welcomed son Gabriel Douglas on 3/18/14. They live in Towson, Md. | Bennett Yancey and Lashunna Degraffenridt were married 4/11/14.

Bennett is the minister of music at Elon First Baptist Church and an AmeriCorps worker for the Burlington Housing Authority. opened 11| her own immigration law practice in 2012 in Greensboro, Jessica Yanez L’11

N.C. She has worked with clients from more than 30 countries and handled cases involving people who have fled persecution from their country, abandoned children and victims of violent crimes.

is serving as a 12 | rifle platoon commander in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, John Pratson

for Operation Enduring Freedom with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 2nd Marine Division out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. | Alex Trice is a Web video writer at Pace Communications.

She assists in the creative development of video content for Pace’s Verizon Wireless account. Alex lives in Greensboro, N.C.

was 13| named director of the North Carolina Center for Financial Janison Dillon L’13

Literacy, a new organization of the N.C. Bankers Association.

The organization focuses on improving financial literacy for K-12 students.

REUNION 14 | The Class of 2014 will be celebrating Reunion Zero this year during Homecoming weekend, Oct. 17-19. Join committee chair Bridget Fitzgerald and your classmates in returning to campus for this milestone reunion. For more information, contact Chandler Thompson at (336) 2787423 or cthompson39@elon.edu.

TURN YOURSELF IN! – ONLINE AT –

elon.edu/classnotes Help us keep you in touch with your classmates at Elon.

CLASS NOTES

BY MEGAN MCCLURE

As music theatre majors at Elon, Amanda Taylor ’06 and Lace Varn ’07 never dreamed they would one day work with pop icon Madonna to create one of the most successful channels on YouTube.

B

ut that’s exactly what happened when Taylor, inspired by the popularity of TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and the viral nature of dance videos on the Internet, came up with the idea for an online “programming brand exclusively dedicated to dance.”

Since then, the DanceOn network has taken YouTube by storm, racking up more than 2 billion online views and 10 million subscribers. The company has received a multimillion dollar grant from Google, taken on a partnership with Madonna and brands such as AMC and Coca-Cola, and relocated from New York City to the West Coast. Not bad for an enterprise that just a few years ago was operated out of the tiny New York apartment Taylor and Varn shared.

Users have flocked to DanceOn to watch original programming like the wildly successful “Dance Showdown” series, which follows teams of Internet celebrities and professional dancers as they face off against each other in a dance competition. True to Taylor’s vision, the channel also serves as an important online community where dancers and choreographers from around the globe can showcase their talents and creativity,

{ Lace Varn ’07 & Amanda Taylor ’06 }

promoting their own careers by uploading new routines or dance tutorials.

“Something I will always feel is an important mission is elevating dancers and embracing the international dance community,” says Taylor, who now serves as DanceOn’s chief executive officer. “We’re aiming to make a persistent platform where dancers can be the star the same way athletes or music artists become famous.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Varn, the company’s vice president of brand partnerships, who credits the channel’s widespread appeal to its ability to connect people across various backgrounds and abilities. “You can be a famous dancer who is actually creating a trend and really defining what’s next in pop culture, or you can be someone who just wants to participate and have a good time with dance,” she says.

Both Varn and Taylor fondly remember their time at Elon, where they met in a jazz class taught by Nina Wheeler. The two can quickly rattle off the names of other faculty—Catherine McNeela, Linda Sabo, Hallie Hogan—who also made an impact on them during their time on campus. Now,

they hope Elon alumni and students will take advantage of what they’ve created with DanceOn. “It’s a really powerful thing we’re providing,” Taylor says, referring to the resources DanceOn offers to dancers who have traditionally faced difficulties such as short career cycles and relatively low compensation when pursuing the profession. “The dance and music theatre programs at Elon are so strong, and we want people to be aware that the opportunities for dance artists are evolving in a really big way. There are companies out there like DanceOn that are really accelerating careers.”

The duo are already planning for DanceOn’s future, hoping to further expand the channel’s reach by launching additional original programming and giving users more options for curating and personalizing the content they view. No matter where Taylor and Varn choose to take DanceOn in the future, it’s clear that millions of dance lovers around the world will follow their lead.

For more, visit DanceOn.com.

Summer 2014 39

2014

CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF

CANDID COMMENCEMENT

From cleverly decorated mortarboards and impromptu snapshots with family and friends to the moment when they received their diplomas, there were many special memories undergraduate and graduate members of the Class of 2014 created during Commencement exercises in May. Here is a sample of images from that weekend, including some submitted by graduates via social media.

Office of Alumni Engagement PO Box 398 Elon, NC 27244

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Durham, NC Permit # 104

Toll Free: (877) 784-3566 elon.edu/alumni Change Service Requested

{ Elon University conferred degrees on 1,207 students during its 124th Commencement on May 24. Many of the students Under the Oaks actively used the #ElonGrad hashtag on social media throughout the day. Visit elon.edu/commencement to see what they shared, read stories and watch videos from that momentous weekend. }