The event, hosted by the Office of Alumni Engagement, brought Elon to the nation’s capital for a reception that drew more than 300 attendees to the National Geographic Museum.
[/caption]The feeling of community that characterizes Elon’s campus made its way north in early March as over 300 alumni, parents and friends gathered to celebrate the university and their connections in Washington D.C.
The renowned photography of National Geographic magazine and other museum exhibits served as the backdrop for the event, which included a cocktail reception, remarks from several members of the university’s faculty and staff, and a screening of Elon’s alumni film.
As a featured speaker of the event, President Leo M. Lambert touched on the importance of community and relationships in addition to providing key updates from campus.
“To me, relationships are at the bull’s eye of what it means to understand Elon and why we all love the university so,” Lambert said.
Those sentiments were echoed by Jeffrey Pugh, Elon’s Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of Religious Studies and a recognized leader in mentoring students.
“Think about all those people at Elon who helped you on your path,” Pugh said. “Maybe you found your support in student advising, or programs in residence life, or perhaps it was a faculty member who invited you into their office and thus into their world. The heart of an Elon education is to be found in relationships.”
For alumni in the area, the event was a welcome opportunity to renew and expand their Elon connections.
“It was amazing to see so many familiar and new faces last night,” said David Morrow ’07 L’10, recipient of the Distinguished Young Alumnus of the Year and Top 10 Under 10 alumni awards and former volunteer with Elon’s Young Alumni Council and the Black Alumni Network. “The Elon community in the Washington area continues to grow and expand. The highlight of the evening for me was the remarks from Dr. Lambert, specifically his theme of community. That concept of community is alive and well among Elon alumni in our nation’s capital.”
The event venue also carried an Elon connection to Graham Grosvenor, a 2004 graduate of the university whose family has shaped the iconic reputation of the National Geographic magazine for more than 100 years. The venue’s auditorium is named in honor of Graham’s father, Gilbert M. Grosvenor, who is chairman emeritus of National Geographic.
The March 4 event marked the fifth Evening for Elon hosted in Washington, D.C. Recent West Coast stops for the series included Los Angeles on March 17 and San Francisco on March 18, with upcoming events scheduled in Raleigh (March 25) and Boston (April 22). Alumni in the Washington, D.C. area can also attend the chapter’s upcoming National Networking event on April 22 at The Washington Center.
To learn more about the Evening for Elon series or other events hosted by Elon’s Office of Alumni Engagement, visit www.elon.edu/alumni or contact 877-784-ELON (3566).