Thrive

An Inclusive and Healthy Community for Success

We will enable students, faculty and staff to experience a greater sense of belonging and support by:

Advancing a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community
Cultivating a culture of health and well-being on a vibrant residential campus
Championing Elon’s exceptional faculty and staff

Theme Progress:

36%

A Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Community

We have work ahead to advance the inclusion and success of people from a wider range of abilities, identities and perspectives. To foster deeper learning and better prepare students to lead in communities around the globe, we will increase representation, enhance support networks and advance all community members’ intercultural and multifaith learning.

Objectives and Progress

Last updated: December 2024

Objectives

Strengthen support networks and increase staffing dedicated to the success of historically marginalized groups.
Establish and achieve specific benchmarks regarding increased representation and retention of students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups.
Double international student enrollment.
Create structures and learning opportunities that engage all students, faculty and staff in advancing their intercultural and multifaith learning and competencies.
Advance inclusive classrooms and pedagogies through research and faculty development.

Key:

Developing
Progressing
Complete

Progress Report

The Division of Inclusive Excellence was established in July 2020 under the leadership of Vice President and Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Associate Professor of Education Randy Williams to lead campus DEI initiatives.
Student Life staff developed anti-racism education being provided for all new students during New Student Orientation starting Fall 2021.
All faculty and staff complete anti-bias and discrimination prevention training.
Buffie Longmire-Avital, Professor of Psychology, was appointed in Summer 2021 as the founding Director of The Black Lumen Project, designed to enhance the Black experience at Elon in pursuit of equity and move the institution further in its commitment to inclusive excellence. The Project produced a comprehensive report titled “The Black Experience at Elon” in 2023.
The Bias Response Recommendations Implementation Team began its work in Spring 2022 based on the recommendations from the Bias Response System Working Group Report completed in Summer 2021.
In May 2022, Elon faculty approved the Advancing Equity Requirement, a new Core Curriculum requirement of all students starting with those entering in the Fall of 2023. The requirement was designed by a committee led by Professor of Cinema and Television Arts and J. Earl Danieley Distinguished Professor Naeemah Clark.
A Professional Development/Faculty Evaluation Working Group has been appointed to create a plan to enhance faculty teaching, scholarship, and service related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the DEI Curriculum Working Group to ensure all students take courses that drive a deeper understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
An Asian and Pacific Islander Task Force produced a report and set of recommendations related to the academic, social, and cultural development of the API community.
The Elon Community Accessibility Team convened in Spring 2022 as an advisory group that partners with various entities to ensure a thriving environment for differently-abled people who live and work in the Town of Elon and Elon University.
A Diversity Course Database has been developed by Academic Affairs staff.
Equity-minded hiring protocols are being developed for all university divisions.
The Faculty/Staff DEI Development Network (comprised of staff and faculty from Inclusive Excellence, Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Human Resources, Office of Leadership and Professional Development) are developing a suite of faculty and staff intercultural development offerings.
Fifty-eight percent of Elon STEM faculty have participated in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) Inclusive Excellence in STEM conference, campus workshops, or summer Inclusive Excellence Institute to change curriculum and enhance inclusive pedagogies and resources in introductory-level natural science courses.
A multifaith strategic plan has been created and initiatives are being implemented. The plan includes four goals: 1. Make Elon a more religiously diverse campus and community, 2. Make Elon a more equitable and inclusive campus and community, 3. Support opportunities for multifaith learning and engagement for all members of the Elon academic community, and 4. Articulate the value and importance of multifaith learning as well as multifaith diversity, equity, and inclusion for all constituents.
Elon is expanding education on antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other religious discrimination while linking these issues to broader inclusive excellence initiatives. To strengthen community connections across religious ideologies, the university is installing a multifaith, non-sectarian peace garden on the Lindner Hall south lawn. In addition, the Law School has added a multifaith prayer room; the School of Health Sciences has added a meditation garden; Hillel has a new pavilion; and Catholic Life is planning for a new center. Dining services have expanded to include halal food daily and kosher options during the High Holidays, focusing on further improvement. University Communications is developing a heritage month calendar tool to raise awareness of cultural and religious events. And the Athletics Department has developed its new diversity, equity, and inclusion plan that includes a focus on the intersection of student-athletes and multifaith support.

Metrics

Bar chart showing A.L.A.N.A.M. race/ethnicity for all faculty and staff

Faculty & Staff Representation

Bar chart showing A.L.A.N.A.M. undergraduate student enrollment numbers

Bar chart showing A.L.A.N.A.M. six-year graduation rates

Bar chart showing the number of international students

A Culture of Health and Well-being on a Vibrant Residential Campus

In support of our mission to transform mind, body and spirit, we will further invest in a vibrant and integrative residential campus. Well-being initiatives will serve as a national model for programs, research and dialogues promoting resilience, belonging and all aspects of lifelong personal wellness – emotional, physical, financial, social and spiritual. We will enhance student, faculty and staff well-being as we meet the pressing challenges of physical and mental health.

Objectives and Progress

Last updated: December 2024

Objectives

Implement well-being initiatives and be a national leader in programs and research that cultivate student, faculty and staff well-being and resilience.
Renovate Koury Center to support comprehensive community wellness, recreation and health in the heart of campus.
Lead the national conversation on academic-residential partnerships, doubling the number of faculty and staff teaching residentially linked courses, living on campus and advising living-learning communities.
Add 1,200 beds and renovate older residences, achieving 80 percent of undergraduates living on campus.
Reimagine and renovate Moseley Center as a vibrant hub of student activity.
Engage the campus in sustainable practices to become carbon neutral by 2037, investing in renewable energy, reducing energy consumption and preparing students to lead lives that build a sustainable future.

Key:

Developing
Progressing
Complete

Progress Report

Elon has created the comprehensive HealthEU initiative, which aims to empower every individual in our community to actively implement and integrate wellness values in their daily lives, with their peers and in their greater purpose by providing access to resources, educational tools and support through the six dimensions of well-being. This will help Elon become a national model for programs, research and dialogues promoting resilience, belonging and all aspects of lifelong personal wellness. Dr. Anu Räisänen has joined Elon as the inaugural Director of HealthEU Initiatives.
Fundraising is continuing for the HealthEU Center, a comprehensive hub for holistic health and well-being initiatives within the university’s Innovation Quad. Slated to open in 2026, the 135,000-square-foot facility will become the second-largest building on campus and will combine academics with recreation, health and wellness offerings along with support for the well-being of members of the university community. The HealthEU building will offer new campus recreation and fitness facilities including a gymnasium with team and individual recreation spaces, an aquatics center with a collegiate competition-sized pool, fitness, weight training and exercise space for groups and individuals, an indoor track, a climbing center with climbing and bouldering walls, an outdoor fitness center, a physical therapy and athletic training clinic as well as studios for individual and group meditation, mindfulness and yoga. Space will also be provided to support employee wellness programs. The building will also include offices and space for academic departments including exercise science, education and wellness, and other faculty focused on health and wellness. Labs and spaces for interdisciplinary research on health and wellness will be included as will rooms designed for one-on-one and group fitness assessments, personal training, health and nutrition coaching, and financial literacy.
Multiple 1-credit and 2-credit courses connected to the six domains of well-being have been developed. Examples include, Joyful Living/Embracing Gratitude, Financial Equity and Well-being, Cultivating Courage, Eating in Season at Loy Farm, among others.
The university is completing implementation of recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on Social Climate and Out-of-Class Engagement, the JED Campus project, and the University Working Group on Student Wellness and Well-Being.
“Kognito At-Risk” training has been implemented by Counseling Services, giving faculty and staff in targeted departments the tools they need to assist students showing signs of emotional distress. This training is also offered by the Office of Professional Development.
Elon has added 24/7 access to and utilization of physical and mental health services through the TimelyMD virtual medical and mental health service for students (as of Fall 2022), a Counselor on Call on-line appointment service, and Student Health Services clinical summer hours.
A housing master plan to guide residential facility development was completed in Spring 2021, with consideration for as many as 80 percent of students living on campus. 105 new beds were added for Fall 2024, including the new East Neighborhood Commons and the first phase of EcoVillage, a small housing community near Loy Farm with buildings that incorporate a number of sustainable practices. Future housing construction could include a new fraternity/sorority living community, public-private partnership for upperclass residences, and a potential new residence hall neighborhood. Future growth will be driven by demand and enrollment
In 2023 the next programmatic plan for the Residential Campus Experience was launched, outlining strategies to be completed by 2030 in nine key areas of focus: developmental pathways, community building, student leadership, faculty engagement, living-learning communities, residentially linked courses, dining engagement, bridges and collaborations, and assessment.
The second floor of the Moseley Center was renovated in Summer 2021, including office suites, new student collaboration spaces, clearer wayfinding and a new lactation room. A feasibility study will be conducted on the first floor of Moseley Center to review large meeting/gathering spaces (including McKinnon Hall) and determine next steps in student needs and renovation requirements.
Elon received its 6th Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Silver Rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
The Office of Sustainability completed Elon’s FY 2021 greenhouse gas emissions inventory, which indicated net emissions were 49.5 percent below FY 2008 net emissions. From 2019-2022, energy use (BTU/square foot) was reduced 15.6 percent; web-based thermostat controls were implemented in 80 percent of facilities and 500 programmable thermostats were added in other facilities; the Energy Conservation in Action program implemented temperature setbacks for low utilization times (nights, weekend, holidays, etc.); all exterior road, parking, and walk lighting have been converted to LED and classroom lights are being converted by Spring 2023; and outdated HVAC units, chillers, boilers, and apartment appliances have been replaced with high efficiency models. In 2023, the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Services began a Waste Reduction Master Plan to achieve a waste reduction goal of 50 percent landfill diversion by 2030.
Elon has completed a Power Purchase Agreement in partnership with eight other universities. The agreement adds a new renewable energy solar farm to the U.S. power grid and will offset 100% of the campus electrical use and provide renewable energy credits to reduce Elon’s carbon footprint.
The Loy Farm area of South Campus has developed into a unique teaching and learning environment, including food and farming systems, a responsible design studio, a forest classroom, a yard waste composting facility, a 3-megawatt solar farm and the new EcoVillage Living-Learning Community.

Metrics

Bar chart showing the percentage of undergraduate students living on campus

Bar chart showing faculty participation in academic-residential partnerships including repeat participation

Bar chart showing energy consumption per square foot (B.T.U./S.F.)

Bar chart showing net carbon emissions (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, M.T.C.D.E.)

Champion Elon’s Exceptional Faculty and Staff

An Elon education revolves around students’ powerful relationships with exceptional faculty and staff educators. Accordingly, we will increase the number of faculty and staff as well as advance compensation, well-being, professional development and faculty scholarship support.

Objectives and Progress

Last updated: December 2024

Objectives

Recruit, develop and retain exceptional faculty and staff who embrace our mission and strategic goals; advance salaries and benefits to the top third of our peers, adjusted for cost of living; and increase financial support for faculty-staff development.
Accelerate efforts to foster a dynamic and healthy work environment characterized by respect, inclusion, well-being, and supported with current technologies and opportunities for flexibility.
Further increase quantity, quality and diversity of full-time teaching faculty and continue investment in relationships that advance student success.
Enhance support for scholarship and discovery for Elon’s exceptional teacher-scholar-mentors.
Support faculty and staff development across career stages and professional ranks with new leadership and learning pathways, and greater access to feedback, coaching and mentoring.
Advance engaged and experiential teaching and learning through the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

Key:

Developing
Progressing
Complete

Progress Report

Elon has created the Enhanced Supervision Program series, a program of the Office of Leadership & Professional Development, which provides campus supervisors with development opportunities and courses based on a set of Elon University leadership competencies.
Assisted by Mercer, a global consulting firm, Elon’s Office of Human Resources (HR) is completing two key initiatives:
1. A position classification system that standardizes staff job descriptions and outlines professional development opportunities and career pathways for all employees. This has culminated in the Navigate Your Career initiative, a career architecture system that was formally launched in October 2024.
2. A three-phase employee compensation plan, similar to pay increase plans that were implemented in previous strategic plans. Elon has also implemented the Benefits Advisory Committee and completed a campus-wide benefits survey. The insights from this survey will inform decisions regarding benefits offerings, ensuring they meet the needs and expectations of employees.
A faculty and staff learning and development implementation team was appointed in 2023 to develop a comprehensive campus plan to create a more dynamic and healthy work environment as well as learning and development pathways.
A new Seasonal Flex program has been adopted for times when students are away, allowing for greater flexibility and work-life balance for faculty and staff.
The list of sites eligible for staff volunteer hours has been expanded.
Elon is developing an inclusive hiring protocol with the university legal counsel, the provost’s office, and the President’s Advisory Council for Inclusive Excellence (PACIE). The purpose is to help the Elon community understand the critical functions of search processes and how to conduct them in a way that is both legal and compliant, as well as inclusive and equitable. By achieving this standard, Elon University will be acting on its stated values of inclusive excellence and “championing Elon’s exceptional faculty and staff.”

Metrics

Bar chart showing the number of faculty participating in C.A.T.L. opportunities including repeat participation