Rise | Elon College Annual Report 2021-22

Positioning the university for the future

Boldly Elon, the university’s strategic plan for 2030, encompasses four key themes — Learn, Thrive, Connect and Rise. Under the Rise theme, we will sharply define the university’s value, market position and distinction nationally and internationally by:

Expanding Elon’s admissions footprint
Significantly increasing need- and merit-based scholarships
Increasing graduation and retention rates
Adding academic programs and securing Elon’s position as the global leader in engaged learning.

Read more about some of the College of Arts and Sciences’ responses to the Rise theme below.

Associate Professor of Art History Evan Gatti teaches art history in an Elon classroom.

Five new minors ignite interdisciplinary study

Five interdisciplinary minors will launch in 2022-23, broadening study in STEM, religion, culture and history:

Engineering design
Food studies
Islamic studies
Museum studies and public history
Sustainable enterprise

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The engineering design minor will provide students a foundational engineering skillset that will enable them to apply engineering design for problem solving in non-engineering fields and to effectively collaborate with engineers. The program includes a capstone experience that applies students’ skills to solving a real-world problem in the community.

The food studies minor offers students a unique opportunity to study and synthesize concepts around food from multiple perspectives — the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, education, communications and business — and pursue an integrated course of study. This interdisciplinary framework creates understanding and deep analysis of issues around food production, distribution and consumption.

The Islamic studies minor promotes the study of Islam from contemporary, historical and global perspectives, encouraging examination of the complexity of Muslim identities. Encompassing religious studies, history, political science, comparative literature and communications — and embracing approaches from racial and ethnic studies, gender studies and post-colonial studies — students will gain understanding of the many ways Muslims have influenced the world.

The museum studies and public history minor fosters knowledge and experience in how the public encounters narratives about the past and present through exhibits, art, media, memorials and sites. Students will analyze issues related to preservation, collection, display, ethics and communication in preparation for careers related to museum and public history work. A capstone experience includes an internship or significant project in the student’s area of interest.

The sustainable enterprise minor will build leadership in ethical, economic, political and environmental dimensions of sustainability in the context of destabilizing environmental systems and climate change. Across a breadth of courses, students will learn to understand and address the conflicting issues that often arise at the intersection of business and the environment.

A student tinkers with a machine in an engineering lab.

Wolfspeed Scholarship supports Engineering Scholars, liberal arts exploration

Elon parents John and Kristin Replogle P’18 and Wolfspeed, Inc., a global leader in Silicon Carbide and GaN technologies, joined to fund generous gifts to the Innovation Quad and the new Wolfspeed Scholarship in engineering.

The IQ lays the foundation for dynamic, multidisciplinary STEM education at Elon, linking the sciences to business, entrepreneurship and the liberal arts.

Data Analytics Scholars to foster leadership in data science

The Data Analytics Scholars program will launch in fall 2023, building a community of learners who are passionate about applying data science to understand and shape our world.

The first cohort of scholars will be recruited among the Class of 2027 during fall 2022 applications and spring 2023 scholarship weekend interviews. The program isn’t tied to a major or minor. Any student interested in becoming a leader in a data-driven discipline is eligible.