President Leo M. Lambert thanked University staff members for their hard work and announced several new initiatives during briefings held Feb. 6 and 7. In sessions designed to bring staff members up to date on numerous issues, President Lambert announced the following:
- changes in vacation policy to increase the number of annual leave days, giving staff members more time to be with their families and “recharge their batteries”
- addition of a spring break holiday, effective this spring (March 24)
- reinstitution of a travel abroad program to London, making staff members eligible for January trips to Great Britain in 2004 and 2005, including free lodging in the University-leased flats and reduced-price airfare
President Lambert also noted the success of the Wellness Program in helping staff avoid health crises through blood pressure and cholesterol screenings and weight reduction. He encouraged staff members to become involved in the DevelopingLeaders@Elon program coordinated by Mary Santiago, professional development specialist in the Office of Human Resources.
Other members of Elon’s senior staff delivered updates during the sessions. Their comments included the following:
Susan Klopman, dean of admissions and financial planning
- thanked staff members for their spirit of cooperation in hosting admissions activities
- said the number of prospective student visits to campus, applications for admissions and deposits are up substantially over last year
- said the average SAT of this year’s applicants currently stands at 1166, a 20 point increase over a year ago; the average grade point average is 3.6
- said there have been about 900 applications for the Fellows programs; 543 outstanding students (average SAT, 1270; average GPA, 4.2) have been invited to campus for Fellows weekend March 7-8
- said the number of North Carolina applications is up 22 percent and the number of minority student applications is up 25 percent
Gerald Francis, provost and vice president for academic affairs
- gave an update on consideration of creating a school of law at Elon
- a feasibility study is being conducted by a task force made up of trustees, faculty, administrators and a student
- the task force is researching the requirements of a law school and comparing resources and programs at several existing schools in the region
- a progress report will be delivered to trustees in March with a final report to the board in the fall
- reviewed Elon’s results on the National Survey of Student Engagement and thanked staff for their interactions with Elon students
- detailed Project Pericles, an initiative designed to encourage students, faculty and staff to become civically and socially engaged
- the project is being coordinated by professor Tom Arcaro and associate provost Nancy Midgette
- Elon is being joined by nine other colleges and universities with funding from the Gene Lang Foundation
- 15 academic courses have received funding to include Project Pericles activities
- four staff members have been awarded service sabbaticals
- a Periclean of the Year will be named in May
Gerald Whittington, vice president for business, finance and technology
- updated staff on construction of the Academic Village
- design is under way on three additional pavilions for the political science department/polling center, the history/geography department and the Center for Teaching and Learning
- construction of the next pavilion(s) is currently projected for 2004
- updated staff on planning for the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center and the Executive Education and Leadership Center
- will be configured in a quad style similar to the Academic Village
- will be located on the intramural playing fields north of the McMichael Center parking lot
- the 60,000-square-foot Koury Business Center will include 17 classrooms, 20 group study rooms, 36 offices, a dean’s suite, a digital theater, a finance/trading room and space for student clubs and group activities
- the Executive Education and Leadership Center will include a modular convention hall, 20 small-group breakout rooms and catering facilities
- updated staff on negotiations to purchase 80 acres from Elon Homes for Children
- the purchase has been agreed to in principle
- once the purchase is completed, the University will lease the property back to Elon Homes for Children for 15 months while new facilities are constructed
- Elon will use the property for recreation playing fields
- current plans are to move Holt Chapel from the Elon Homes property to the University campus, providing more student meeting space
Alan White, director of athletics
- updated staff on the transition to the Southern Conference, which takes effect July 1, 2003
- thanked the campus community for its enthusiastic support of Phoenix athletics
Smith Jackson, vice president and dean of student life
- detailed a new Community Bike Sharing Program that will implemented this spring
- 20 “boardwalk cruiser” bikes will be placed on campus March 3, with racks located at the end of the tram paths at Daniel Commons and McMichael Science Center
- students will be able to use the bikes freely to travel from Danieley Center to the central campus
- announced that the first floor of Belk Library is now open 24 hours a day, Sunday through Thursday, in response to student requests for more library hours and round-the-clock access to computers and printers