Elon leaders share plans for 2009-2010

Susan Klopman
Vice President for Admissions and Financial Planning

• Projected size of the freshman class is 1,295

• Incoming freshman grade point average in core courses is 3.96 with an SAT average of more than 600 points in each of three sections (verbal, math and writing)

• The class gender ratio is 40 percent male, 60 percent female; 15 percent are minority or international students

• The most popular intended majors are business, communications, biology, psychology and education

• The top five home states for this year’s freshmen class are North Carolina, New Jersey and Massachusetts, and Maryland and Virginia

Steven House
Provost

• More than 30 new faculty will be joining Elon this fall

• New deans have taken over leadership positions in the past 12 months, including David Cooper (School of Education), George Johnson (School of Law), Pam Kiser (interim dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences), Woody Pelton (international studies) and Jeff Clark (executive director of Cultural and Special Programs)

• Professor Mary Jo Festle will be chairing the search committee for the permanent Elon College dean

• Searches will also be conducted internally for two associate provosts

• Professors Rosemary Haskell and Tom Mould will co-chair the committee to review general studies curriculum

• Top Elon leaders will travel to Texas in October for the Phi Beta Kappa triennial conference where a decision will be made on the university’s application to shelter a chapter

• The Department of Environmental Studies has been created and will be chaired by associate professor Mike Kingston

• A feasibility study for a physician’s assistant program has been completed, with a committee concluding that such a program will be a good fit for Elon; discussions on the issue will continue this year

Gerry Francis
Executive Vice President

• Calling his brief talk a “prelude to the president’s opening address” scheduled for Aug. 24, Francis briefly discussed general themes taking shape in the upcoming strategic plan

• He also pointed out successes from the NewCentury@Elon strategic plan, which was adopted in 2000, such as:

• The Elon University School of Law

• The construction of the Academic Village

• Accreditation for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the School of Communications

• Construction of the Oaks residence complex

• Putting the university on the cusp of hosting a Phi Beta Kappa chapter

• Creating the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning

• The construction of Rhodes Stadium

Gerald Whittington
Vice President for Business, Finance and Technology

• A railroad pedestrian underpass from South Campus to Main Campus is under construction and should be opened within a year

• Powell building renovations are nearly complete with a new headquarters for the Interactive Media master’s program, a new elevator, and remodeled space for the Admissions office

• Holland House was successfully moved to South Campus in June to make room for the new brick plaza at the front of the Academic Village

• A new golf training facility named for W. Cecil Worsley III ’86 has opened on South Campus

• New soccer stadium seating is being added at Rudd Field

• An application for LEED certification has been submitted for Lindner Hall, new home to Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences. The building opened this summer

• The Bursar’s Office in Alamance building was expanded over the summer. Elaine Durr, Elon’s sustainability coordinator, will also be moving to Alamance from her current location in the Physical Plant building

• A breezeway in Danieley Center has been enclosed

• Both the Acorn and Harden dining hall received cosmetic facelifts

• Plans are moving forward for the construction of a state-of-the-art field house to the north of Rhodes Stadium

Jim Piatt
Vice President for University Advancement

• The university has raised $66.7 million in the Ever Elon: The Campaign for the Future of Our University

• Of the money raised, the “lion’s share” is for the university endowment, and 95 new endowed scholarships have been created through the generosity of donors

Smith Jackson
Vice President for Student Life

• A search for a new university chaplain will begin again in fall 2010. Phil Smith has been promoted to associate chaplain and Chet Denlinger has joined Elon as a chaplain intern

• The Catholic Newman Center, which will be based in the renovated Holland House on South Campus, will be dedicated by the bishop of the Raleigh diocese during Family Weekend in September

• The university is well-prepared should an outbreak of the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as the “swine flu,” take place on campus this fall. Elon administrators receive frequent updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta as well as state health officials in Raleigh

• Seminars are being planned for the fall to share preparedness measure with faculty and staff should the flu return

• 2,881 students will be housed on campus this year – more than 57% of the overall undergraduate population

• College Coffee will take place starting this fall on the new plaza constructed in front of the Academic Village

• A new coffee shop opens this year in the space formerly occupied by The Zone

Faith Shearer
Associate Athletics Director (filling in for Dave Blank)

• 53 percent of student athletes currently maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher

• Elon will begin the NCAA reaccreditation process this year with a self-study followed by a peer review in fall 2010 and reaccreditation in 2011

• The volleyball team won more games last year than during any season since joining the Division I ranks

• Elon will host the Southern Conference cross country championship on campus Oct. 31, and the Elon Invitational cross country meet, the first on-campus meet ever hosted by Elon, is Sept. 12. Both meets will be held on a new course developed on South Campus

• The baseball and men’s soccer teams both won the Southern Conference crowns this past year