Facilities

COMPLETEDRecently completed facilities

Schar Center – Elon’s new Convocation Center

The Schar Center will be the premier gathering space for the Elon University community and surrounding region. Schar Center will be the largest facility on Elon’s campus, providing a venue for convocations, speakers and other major campus events.

The arena will serve as the new home for Phoenix basketball and volleyball, including a spacious entry atrium, a large practice gymnasium, outstanding locker room and team facilities, and a hospitality room for social events and gatherings. The arena capacity will be triple the size of the existing Alumni Gymnasium, on par with the size of facilities at other member schools in the Colonial Athletic Association.

The facility is named for Elon parents Dwight and Martha Schar, who have contributed $9 million to the project. The university purchased the land for the facility with financial support from longtime Elon benefactor and alumnus Furman Moseley ’56 and his wife, Susan.

Richard W. Sankey Hall

Richard W. Sankey Hall will accommodate the significant growth of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, which has seen its number of majors increase 80 percent in the past decade. About 1,700 Elon students, or about 30 percent of the university’s total enrollment, study in one of the school’s undergraduate majors or graduate programs. The building will be named in honor of the late father of Elon parent Jim Sankey and his wife, Beth, of Charlotte, N.C.

In addition to technology-infused classrooms and collaborative work spaces, Sankey Hall will house two new academic centers focusing on financial education and design thinking, inspiring students from across Elon’s campus to come together to create solutions to complex challenges. The Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Chandler Family Professional Sales Center will move from Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center to Sankey Hall, enabling Elon to serve additional students across all academic majors.

School of Communications

New facilities for Elon’s School of Communications were completed in spring 2017, more than doubling the size of the previous facilities in McEwen Building. The communications complex provides an attractive entryway to Elon along Williamson Avenue and a beautiful setting framing the historic area of campus known as Under the Oaks. Central to the design of the modern communications campus is the concept of transparency and the strategic use of glass, allowing visitors to see student media in action.

The project more than doubles the amount of space for the School of Communications, recognized as one of the top-20 such programs in the nation. The project was designed by the renowned Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York.

Elon is grateful to the more than 40 families, including parents, alumni and friends, whose generous gifts made the expansion possible. The communications facilities include the following:

Dwight C. Schar Hall, a 45,000-square-foot building that is the centerpiece of the new communications campus. It was made possible by a portion of a $13 million gift from Dwight and Martha Schar, parents of Stuart ’16 and Spencer ’19 Schar. The facility includes classrooms, faculty offices, student engagement suites, the Innovation Lab, the Kanarick Media Sandbox and expanded space for Live Oak Communications.

Snow Family Grand Atrium, named for David and Lynette Snow, parents of Lauren Snow ’15. The 5,000-square-foot, two-story glass structure links Schar Hall with McEwen building and features ample seating and a 1.4-million-pixel video wall.

Citrone Plaza, a beautiful gathering place connecting the new facilities to the Town of Elon. The plaza is named for Elon Trustee Cindy Citrone and her husband, Rob, parents of Gabriela Citrone ’17.

Steers Pavilion, a single-story, 7,300-square-foot facility that is named for Bob and Lauren Steers, parents of John “JP” Steers ’15. The pavilion houses the internationally recognized Imagining the Internet Center, a media analytics lab and faculty and staff offices.

Turner Theatre, a 220-seat, state-of-the-art movie theater located on the first floor of Schar Hall. The theater is named for Parker ’06 and Garrett ’08 Turner and their parents, Toni and Jim Turner. The theater showcases films by students and alumni.

Jane and Brian Williams Studio in McEwen building, featuring new LED lighting, new sets and three high-definition cameras. Jane and Brian are parents of Doug Williams ’13, who earned his degree in journalism. A longtime television journalist, Brian Williams serves as honorary chair of Elon’s School of Communications Advisory Board.

The Global Neighborhood – An innovative living-learning community with an international theme

Elon is transforming the residential experience and working toward a goal of having 75 percent of undergraduates living on campus. A strong residential experience allows students to remain connected to Elon’s vibrant academic and student life programs and contributes to a more intellectual campus climate.

The six-building Global Neighborhood houses 600 students. The first two buildings opened in fall 2013 with the remaining buildings opening for the 2014-15 academic year. This innovative residential area includes the 30,000-square-foot Global Commons building on the shore of Lake Mary Nell, housing the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, classrooms, faculty offices and ample study rooms and large gathering spaces. The Global Neighborhood includes faculty-in-residence and several learning communities.

Inman Admissions Welcome Center

Inman Admissions Welcome Center opened in 2015, consolidating Elon’s offices of Admissions and Financial Planning into a single location. The two-story building serves as the starting point for campus tours, with a spacious lobby, a presentation theater, small group and conference rooms, and staff offices. The building is located adjacent to the Moseley Center and anchors the north end of a new campus quad directly north of Belk Library.

Lakeside Dining Hall – A 38,000-square-foot expansion of Moseley Center

Lakeside Dining Hall effectively doubles the size of Moseley Center and includes a large second-floor conference facility. The main floor of the building includes an international-themed large dining area with dramatic windows offering views of Lake Mary Nell. A Grab & Go food court includes three food options, including a new Freshii franchise, which features a healthy food menu. Adjacent to the food court are generous booth and table seating areas as well as an outdoor plaza called the Winter Garden, which is also connected to the Irazu Coffee Shop in Moseley Center

Numen Lumen Pavilion – A multi-faith center for prayer, reflection and interfaith dialogue in Elon’s Academic Village

In March 2013, Elon opened the new multi-faith center in the Academic Village adjacent to Phi Beta Kappa Plaza. The Numen Lumen Pavilion is a place for prayer, meditation and reflection in the heart of campus, respecting the differing customs of students’ religious and spiritual traditions. The multi-faith center provides an environment for robust dialogue about religion on campus, exploring what unites us in our common humanity and promoting the values served by deeper interfaith collaboration. The Numen Lumen Pavilion houses the Vera Richardson Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society. A circular Sacred Space with a soaring roof is the location for Elon’s weekly Numen Lumen community gatherings. Adjacent to the sacred space is the Richard McBride Gathering Space, a place for receptions, meals, meetings and discussion forums. The second floor includes a social space called Oasis, a prayer room, meditation room, library, study room and classroom. Outside is The Terrace and the Meditation Garden with benches and a Kugel ball fountain.

The Colonnades residence halls – Loy Center expansion

The Colonnades residential quadrangle opened in fall 2011 adjacent to the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center. These new facilities house 300 students and feature single rooms and four-person suites, informal gathering places, common kitchens and study rooms, more themed housing choices and opportunities to interact with faculty-in-residence. The five residence halls surrounding this new quadrangle are heated and cooled by a geothermal system. Nearby, five new houses have opened in Loy Center, providing additional housing and meeting space for sororities and fraternities.

The Station at Mill Point – A neighborhood for 324 juniors and seniors

A new village-style residential area opened in August 2012 on Williamson Avenue in the Town of Elon. Designed for juniors and seniors, the two-story residences of The Station at Mill Point have two to four apartment units per building, with each unit featuring single rooms for greater privacy. The 12.5-acre site features architecture on a scale designed to integrate well with the Town of Elon. The Station’s amenities include social and fitness facilities in the commons building, an outdoor pool, amphitheatre, gardens and other outdoor gathering places. The commons building also includes an office for a staff member of the Student Professional Development Center, who is available to work with students in preparation for internships and job searches.

Gerald L. Francis Center – Elon University School of Health Sciences

The Gerald L. Francis Center is the new home of Elon’s School of Health Sciences, including the doctor of physical therapy program and the master of physician assistant studies program. The Francis Center features three classrooms dedicated to the DPT program and two classrooms for the physician assistant program, with three clinical laboratories, five simulation/exam rooms and two observation rooms, an anatomy lab, a biomechanics lab, a human performance lab, an ultrasound lab, a neuroscience lab, an anthropometry lab, an electrophysiology lab, a metabolic lab and an osteology lab. New teaching and research equipment includes a second Biodex system for campus, a Qualisys gait analysis and rehabilitation system, which includes 12 cameras and a 16-channel wireless EMG system, plus two force plates; and a Robomedica system. The facility is named to honor Executive Vice President Gerry Francis, who has dedicated his entire academic career to Elon. Located behind the Francis Center are new intramural and club sports playing fields connected by a road to the Danieley Center residential neighborhood.

Elon Town Center – Shopping and services for the Elon community

The three-story, 24,000-square-foot Elon Town Center includes Elon’s bookstore operated by Barnes & Noble. The main floor also includes Pandora’s Pies, a pizza restaurant, and Smitty’s Ice Cream. The third floor includes offices of The Pendulum, Elon’s student newspaper. The Town Center is a catalyst for more investment in downtown Elon, encouraging privately-owned businesses to provide services for the vibrant campus community.

Alumni Field House, Alumni Gym and Hunt Softball Park – First-class facilities for Phoenix athletics

In January 2011, Elon celebrated the opening of Alumni Field House at the north end of Rhodes Stadium. The building includes the Horace Hendrickson Football Center; new athletics training and weight training facilities for all sports; offices for the athletics director, his staff and all coaches with facilities in the North Athletics Complex. The Walker Room and Terrace overlook the north end zone and are used on game day and for special events.

A generous gift from Trustee Jeanne Robertson and her husband Jerry funded a major transformation of Alumni Gym. Phoenix basketball and volleyball teams play on Robertson Court in a comfortable and horseshoe-shaped arena that features theater-style seating, four high definition video boards, and excellent sound and lighting systems.

The Alumni Gym renovation also includes new locker rooms, team meeting rooms, and office space for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. Also, the student fitness center in Koury Center has been greatly expanded, with two floors of workout space and a wide variety of fitness equipment.

In January 2013, Elon opened Hunt Softball Park, which includes BB&T Field, in the North Athletics Complex on Williamson Avenue. The park includes brick grandstands with seating for 311 fans and a spacious press box; concourse and concessions area; two batting cages and a bullpen on the home side; and a batting cage and bullpen on the visitors side.

BB&T Field features natural turf outfield, a synthetic turf infield apron and a high-tech clay infield with optimal drainage, allowing games to be played within minutes of a rainstorm.

About LEED certification

Elon has adopted a Green Building Policy. New construction projects and major renovations consisting of 8,000 or more square feet of conditioned, occupied space will achieve LEED certification. LEED Silver certification is the strongly preferred level and in no case will such projects achieve less than LEED Certified certification. New projects less than 8,000 square feet and minor renovations must follow the University’s Sustainability Design Standards at a minimum. Alumni Field House and the Colonnades residence halls are pursuing LEED certification using the new construction system best suited for commercial/institutional facilities. The Loy Center houses are pursuing LEED certification using the LEED for Homes system designed specifically for houses.