UNDER THE OAKS
FACULTY/STAFF SPOTLIGHT
{ Michael Matthews }
Assistant Professor of History Michael Matthews has published his first book, The Civilizing Machine: A Cultural History of Mexican Railroads, 1876–1910. In the book, part of The Mexican Experience series by the University of Nebraska Press, Matthews explores how railroads shaped the way citizens of the young republic viewed industrialization and technology as they struggled to form their national identity. Professor of Law Henry Gabriel has been elected to a third term on the International Institute for the Unification of Private International Law governing council. Based in Rome, UNIDROIT seeks to harmonize law across the globe through international conventions and the production of model laws. Gabriel was the sole candidate from the United States; he was nominated by the U.S. Department of State. Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology Janet MacFall, Associate Professor of English Drew Perry and Professor of Philosophy Anthony Weston have been selected as Senior Faculty Research Fellows for the 2014–15 and 2015–16 academic years. The award comprises a two-course reassignment for both years, plus $2,000 per year in research funding, in support of a significant project or set of projects that advance an already well-established and promising research agenda. An original work by Associate Professor of Music Todd Coleman premiered at an Oct. 6 campus concert. Commissioned as part of Elon University’s quasquicentennial celebration, “Numen Lumen” is a composition for strings and organ inspired by the Elon University motto and promotes the notion of searching for meaning and truth as an essential element of human nature.
6 the MAGAZINE of ELON
J. Earl Danieley ’46 to headline special Spring Convocation Elon University continues its quasquicentennial celebrations in April with a special Spring Convocation featuring President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley ’46, whose lifetime commitment to Elon has impacted generations of students and placed the school on a path toward national prominence. As part of the April 2 event, Danieley will share personal stories and reflections on his 72-year association with the university as a student, professor of chemistry, dean of the college and president. Danieley was named Elon’s sixth president in 1957 at age 32, making him one of the youngest college presidents in the nation at the time. As president, he put in place the building blocks for the modern Elon by racially integrating the campus, establishing early study abroad programs and the 4-1-4 academic calendar, increasing fundraising, growing enrollment and adding new buildings. Tickets will be available to the public beginning March 12. Please call the university Box Office at (336) 278-5610 for more information.
Trustees honor George and Carole Troxler The Elon University Board of Trustees has named the Department of History and Geography seminar room in honor of emeriti professors of history George W. Troxler and Carole Watterson Troxler. With a combined 77 years of service to the Elon community, the Troxlers are accomplished scholars who have contributed to the preservation and public dissemination of history. They have also been philanthropic supporters of the university, establishing the Troxler-Watterson Endowed History Scholarship and the Watterson-Troxler Scholarship to assist students studying history. “We are thrilled to recognize Carole and George Troxler’s contributions in a most appropriate way, naming an academic facility that will be used by generations of future history and geography students,” Elon President Leo M. Lambert said. The George and Carole Troxler Seminar Room is located in Martha S. and Carl H. Lindner III Hall in Elon’s Academic Village. Carole Troxler retired from Elon in 2003 after 33 years of teaching. She has written several books and articles focused on the American Revolution in the southern backcountry and loyalist migration after the war. George Troxler spent 16 years as a history faculty member before being appointed to lead Elon’s cultural programs in 1985. A year prior to his retirement in 2010, George Troxler began research for the new book, From a Grove of Oaks: The Story of Elon University, which will be published in March. Read more about the book starting on page 14.