Elon staff members receive spring update

With the end of the academic year approaching, President Leo M. Lambert hosted two information sessions to give staff members information about summer projects and special initiatives. Senior staff members and other administrators detailed the latest developments in their respective areas. Below is a summary of the sessions:

Admissions – Greg Zaiser, associate dean of admissions and financial planning and director of undergraduate admissions

  • Total number of applications for fall 2005 enrollment: 9,055; Elon accepted about 41 percent of these applicants
  • Projected average GPA of incoming class: 3.84; projected SAT average: 1210
  • Incoming class will have a 40/60 male/female ratio; 10 percent minority students; 27 percent North Carolina students
  • Applications from Pennsylvania and Ohio were up significantly this year

Business, Finance and Technology – Gerald Whittington, vice president

  • Work will begin in late summer on a 500-bed residence hall complex at the current site of Jordan Center, with completion of the project scheduled for fall 2006
  • Staley Hall will be renovated, with new carpeting, lighting, furniture and other features
  • Construction on the new law school facility is proceeding, with demolition of the previous interior completed; work will be finished in April/May 2006
  • Work is proceeding on schedule for the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center
  • South campus construction projects this summer will include renovation of Johnston Hall, Holt Chapel and Harden Hall, the addition of 87 parking spaces and the extension of sidewalks along both Lebanon and Trollinger Avenues
  • The existing greenhouse at McMichael Center will be expanded with the addition of an engineering shop, including space for robotics design and construction
  • When the Office of Institutional Advancement moves to Johnston Hall, Holland House will be transformed into The University Center, a place for faculty and staff members to gather, relax and dine together; Associate Provost Nancy Midgette and Gerald Whittington are co-chairing a committee to determine how the facility should be configured

Student Life – Jana Lynn Patterson, associate dean of students

  • Student Life will begin an initiative to raise the profile and increase discussion of the social honor code, with the goal of increasing dialogue about community standards of conduct
  • The Sexual Assault and Gender Issues Advisory Council is being formed, co-chaired by Jana Lynn Patterson and Gabie Smith, associate professor of psychology
  • A new position, Coordinator of Personal Health Programs and Community Well-Being, has been created to address issues raised by incidents on campus this spring
  • When renovation of Holt Chapel is completed, faculty and staff members will be able to use the space for special occasions such as family weddings; the Truitt Center will coordinate reserving the space

Academic Affairs: School of Law – Gerry Francis, provost

  • The School of Law has opened temporary offices on the first floor of the Jefferson Pilot Building in downtown Greensboro
  • Architectural work is under way, with floor plans developed for the new law school facility in the former Greensboro Public Library building
  • Alan Woodlief has begun work as associate dean of the law school for admissions
  • Discussions are under way to explore the possibility of locating the offices and courtroom of the North Carolina Business Court in the new law school facility
  • Dean Leary Davis has held workshops with law school advisory board members, former presidential adviser David Gergen and representatives of other law schools in North Carolina to gain input on creation of the law program and curriculum

Institutional Advancement – Nan Perkins, vice president of institutional advancement

  • Advancement is concluding its second-best fundraising year ever, with cash gifts received totaling about $9.9 million
  • Faculty and staff members contributed more than $200,000 in gifts this year; 55 percent of full-time faculty and administrative staff members made gifts and 78 are members of the Elon Society
  • Elon has met the requirements of the Great Alumni Challenge, with new or increased gifts from more than 2,500 alumni
  • The consulting firm of Grenzebach Glier and Associates has been retained to begin planning for the next comprehensive campaign