Elon welcomes parents and family members to campus for Family Weekend 2023

Elon University is preparing to welcome thousands of Elon parents and other family members to campus for its annual Family Weekend celebration from Friday, Sept. 29 to Sunday, Oct. 1.

The weekend offers a diverse range of activities and events that will allow families to spend time with their students and experience life on campus. The weekend offers the opportunity for family members to connect with Elon faculty and staff, witness showcases of talented student performers and watch Phoenix athletes in action.

Friday’s activities include an event from The Elon University Speaker Series, with business entrepreneur and co-host of “Shark Tank,” Daymond John, who will deliver the Fall Convocation address in Schar Center at 3:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Sept. 30, parents and family members will have a chance to learn from and meet Elon faculty and staff members, take in musical and dance performances around campus, build connections at a variety of social events, and cheer on the Phoenix in football, soccer and volleyball.

A full schedule of events and other information about the weekend is available on the Family Weekend website.

If you have any questions, please contact the Family Weekend staff at familyweekend@elon.edu.

Friday, Sept. 29

10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Registration and Check-In, McKinnon Hall, Moseley Student Center
Check in and grab your student’s schedule for Saturday morning’s Academic Connections, tickets for pre-registered events, Family Weekend t-shirts, pocket guides, and other useful information. Don’t forget to grab a “proud” Elon sticker!

12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Driving Range Open Hours, Harden Clubhouse, South Campus
Enjoy the use of our driving range, putting green, and chipping green throughout the day. Range balls in small, medium, and large buckets can be purchased from the golf ball dispenser located on the front porch of Harden Clubhouse.

12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Elon Experiences Office Hours
Learn more about the Elon Experiences and hear about the exciting opportunities available to your students. Participating offices include: the Student Professional Development Center (First Floor of Moseley Center), the Kernodle Center for Civic Life (Moseley Center 232), the Global Education Center (Global Commons 360), Undergraduate Research (Powell 108H), the Center for Leadership (Moseley Center 230), and the Office of Student Involvement (Moseley Center 205).

2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Phoenix Family Book Club, Global Commons 103
Engage in the campus conversation on this year’s Elon Common Reading book: I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, by Mónica Guzmán. Participants are encouraged to read the book prior to this event.

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
HealthEU Panel Discussion, Alumni Gym
Hear from staff members from across campus about the HealthEU initiative. HealthEU encourages members of the Elon community to integrate wellness in their daily lives, focusing on six dimensions of well-being: Community, Emotional, Financial, Physical, Purpose, and Social. This panel is an opportunity for families to learn about the resources, educational tools, and support available to their students. Panelists include Ginette Archinal, Medical Director and University Physician; Kirstin Boswell, University Chaplain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement; Chris Harris, Associate Professor of Finance and Chair of the Department of Finance; Anita Hodnett, Director of Counseling Services; Jenny Larson, Associate Director of Campus Recreation & Wellness for Recreation Programs and Facilities; and Svetlana Nepocatych, Professor of Exercise Science. Larry Mellinger, Director of Campus Recreation & Wellness, will serve as the moderator.

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fall Convocation with Daymond John, Schar Center (Pre-Registration Required)
Founder and CEO of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, star of ABC’s Shark Tank, and CEO of The Shark Group consulting agency, Daymond John is an award-winning entrepreneur and a pioneer in the fashion industry with more than $6 billion in product sales. He is also an author of six best-sellers including Powershift (2020), the book that walks through his tried-and-true process to transform any situation, close any deal and achieve any outcome through his experience and vast network of industry leaders. An innovator in every sense of the word, Daymond John has come a long way from launching his success in the basement of his mother’s house.

5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Elon Wind Ensemble Concert, “Shedding Light,” McCrary Theater
The Elon Wind Ensemble presents a concert in which they will perform a wide variety of music written for the modern wind band.

5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Downtown Burlington Bike Tour (Pre-Registration Required)
Rain Location: Event would be canceled
Join the Elon Outdoors staff for a bike ride down the Greenway to downtown Burlington. The total mileage for the ride is approximately 9 miles. Space is extremely limited so advance registration is required. Bikes and helmets are provided. Meet at the ELOA Office (Room 106) in the Koury Athletic Center.

5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Phoenix 5th Friday, Downtown Burlington
Gather with the local community as we celebrate Elon University’s long-standing partnership with Alamance County, and the centennial of the 1923 campus fire. Local food trucks, games, and activities will be available, and come hear live entertainment from Elon student band Thistle Ridge and headliner Drew Foust’s Wheelhouse.

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Dancing in the Landscape, Loy Farm
Rain Location: Event would be postponed
Sponsored by the Department of Performing Arts, Dancing in the Landscape is a site-specific dance performance featuring original and experimental choreography by faculty, guest artists and students. Please join us for this production that explores and highlights beautiful places on Elon’s campus. Located at 2635 W. Front St. in Burlington, Loy Farm is a short walk, bike ride or drive from main campus along the greenway path.

6:00 p.m.
Elon Hillel Family Shabbat, Sklut Hillel Center (Pre-Registration through Hillel Required)
Elon Hillel families are invited to join us to welcome Shabbat together, with song, prayer and ruach. Join us in the backyard of the Sklut Hillel Center for the new Pavilion groundbreaking ceremony then stay for Shabbat blessings, light refreshments, and the chance to mingle. This celebration is open to all – bring your friends and family.

6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Loy Farm Open House
Rain Location: Event would be canceled
Loy Farm features a solar farm and the Elon Environmental Center, which includes the responsible design studio, forest classroom, and agricultural farm. Students, faculty and staff will be available to talk about the sustainability initiatives taking place at Loy Farm. Located at 2635 W. Front St. in Burlington, the farm is a short walk, bike ride or drive from main campus along the greenway path.

7:30 p.m.
The Music Department Faculty Concert, Whitley Auditorium
Faculty artists invite Elon families and friends to a mixed program for voice, piano, percussion, wind, brass, and strings. This program has become a much-anticipated Family Weekend event since it began in 1999.

8:00 p.m.
SUBCinema, Turner Theatre, Schar Hall
Come and enjoy a screening of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in Turner Theatre! Popcorn, candy, and soda is available for family and friends.

9:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Casino Night, Moseley Student Center
Join us for the annual Family Weekend Casino Night! Casino dealers will be onsite to host games like Blackjack, Roulette, Money Wheel, Poker and more! Leave your money at home – you’ll be given house money to play with at the door and have a chance to win great prizes!

Saturday, Sept. 30

8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Check-in and Registration, McKinnon Hall, Moseley Student Center
Join us to check-in if you couldn’t make it on Friday. Pick up your t-shirt, campus maps, and pocket guides!

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Coffee with the President, Young Commons (Pre-Registration Required)
Rain Location: Koury Athletic Center Concourse
Join Dr. Connie Ledoux Book, university president, and other Elon families for coffee and a continental breakfast to kick start your Saturday.

9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Driving Range Open Hours, Harden Clubhouse, South Campus
Enjoy the use of our driving range, putting green, and chipping green throughout the day. Range balls in small, medium, and large buckets can be purchased from the golf ball dispenser located on the front porch of Harden Clubhouse.

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
University Update, Alumni Gym
Dr. Connie Ledoux Book, university president, will welcome families and provide a university update.

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Academic Connections 
Enjoy informal conversations with your student’s professors and learn more about classes at Elon. Professors will be available to discuss learning goals and objectives, major assignments, and general information about courses. Meeting locations are printed on your student’s guide that is available at check-in.

10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Elon Storytellers, Great Hall, Global Commons
This fireside chat will feature special guests who will recount Elon’s journey through the years, and the stories that have shaped our institution and defined our traditions. Panelists are: Susan Klopman, vice president emerita, former vice president for the Office of Admissions and Financial Planning; Richard McBride, chaplain emeritus; Janice Ratliff, Elon Medallion recipient and mentor to students and colleagues; and Kyle Wills ’81, former senior associate director of athletics for business and operations. This year’s discussion will include commemoration of the 1923 fire that burned Elon’s campus one hundred years ago and the story of the university’s legacy of resilience. Though this session is designed for Grandparents, any Elon family member may attend!

10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Oak Originals at the Marketplace, Beside Lake Mary Nell
Rain Location: Global Commons Lobby
Come shop from some of Elon’s best student entrepreneurs. Oak Originals at the Marketplace is an initiative that focuses on creative ventures with a community of students who have products and services to sell. It offers the opportunity for students to bring their ideas to market through pop-up stores like this one.

11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
For Grandparents: Elon Campus Story Tour, Center for the Arts (Pre-Registration Required)
Join us for a special campus bus tour just for grandparents. Get an insider’s view of the university and enjoy the beauty of the campus, which is a designated botanical garden and a member of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. Buses will depart from and return to the Center for the Arts and will make an additional stop at Schar Center for those who wish to join the Phoenix Fan Fest.

11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Phoenix Fan Fest, Schar Center (Pre-Registration Required)
Rain Location: Schar Center Concourse
Get excited for the football game against William & Mary at our Fan Fest! Enjoy a variety of food, lawn games, musical entertainment, caricature artists, giveaways, and much more!

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Acorn Talks
Recipients of major teaching awards and other distinguished faculty and staff will teach these mini-classes. A full list of session topics, descriptions and locations is available here.

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Dancing in the Landscape, Loy Farm
Rain Location: Event would be postponed
Sponsored by the Department of Performing Arts, Dancing in the Landscape is a site-specific dance performance featuring original and experimental choreography by faculty, guest artists and students. Please join us for this production that explores and highlights beautiful places on Elon’s campus. Located at 2635 W. Front St. in Burlington, Loy Farm is a short walk, bike ride or drive from main campus along the greenway path.

2:00 p.m.
Football Game, Rhodes Stadium (Pre-Registration Required)
Cheer on the Phoenix as they take on a fellow CAA member, the William & Mary Tribe. Tickets are available through the Family Weekend registration site and will be sent to you digitally. Tickets are final sale; no returns or exchanges. Students may use their Phoenix Card for a complimentary ticket in the student section.

5:30 p.m.
Catholic Mass, Elon Community Church
Elon Catholic Campus Ministry invites students and families to Mass following the football game.

6:30 p.m.
ROCKapella Show #1, Alumni Gym (Pre-Registration Required)
You and your family will be in for a treat as Elon’s a cappella groups “rock the house!”

7:00 p.m.
Volleyball Game, Schar Center
Be loud and help the Phoenix knock off the Northeastern Huskies!

7:30 p.m.
Men’s Soccer Game, Rudd Field
Come cheer on the Phoenix as they take on CAA rival Hofstra University!

8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
SUBCinema, Turner Theatre, Schar Hall
Come and enjoy a screening of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in Turner Theatre! Popcorn, candy, and soda is available for family and friends.

8:30 p.m.
ROCKapella Show #2, Alumni Gym (Pre-Registration Required)
You and your family will be in for a treat as Elon’s a cappella groups “rock the house!”

10:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Night on the Commons, Young Commons
Rain Location: Moseley Center
Join us on Young Commons for an evening of fun for the entire family to enjoy.

Sunday, Oct. 1

We encourage you to use this day to spend time with your student! Enjoy a leisurely brunch in a dining hall, have your student take you on a campus tour of their favorite spots, use our campus recreation facilities, or simply catch up in your student’s neighborhood!

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Family Hospitality Suite, Martin Alumni Center
Need to pick up your T-Shirt? Want more information about campus, programs, and events? Need a place to relax with a cup of coffee? Come visit the Office of Parent Engagement staff at our Hospitality Suite for anything you may need before you depart campus.

10:00 a.m.
Family Weekend Protestant Worship and Brunch, Holt Chapel, South Campus
Protestant worship for students and families hosted by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.

10:00 a.m.
Catholic Mass, Numen Lumen Pavilion
Elon Catholic Campus Ministry invites students and families to Mass.

11:00 a.m.
Catholic Campus Ministry Brunch, Numen Lumen Pavilion (Pre-Registration Required)
All students and families are invited to join Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM) for a catered brunch. Connect with other Catholic families along with Father Peter Tremblay, CCM staff, and student leaders.

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Hillel Bagel Brunch, McKinnon Hall (Pre-Registration through Hillel Required)
Join us for bagels, shmear, remarks from the Jewish Life team, and time to shmooze with fellow families. Be a part of this annual tradition and enjoy a fun, delicious way to close out Family Weekend.

3:00 p.m.
Volleyball Game, Schar Center
Be loud and help the Phoenix knock off the Northeastern Huskies!