Eric Townsend

More than 130 students were inducted Oct. 26 into the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society for first-year students. Each fall, Elon students who maintained a grade point average of 3.7 or higher during their first year are invited to become members.

Reflecting on their experience at Elon University and their careers since leaving campus, alumni from the Watson Scholarship Program met for a Homecoming reception in the Multicultural Center on Oct. 23, a gathering that included some of the original class of scholars now celebrating their fifth reunion.

Jason Kirk, an assistant professor of political science, talked with News 14 Carolina on Oct. 22 on events now unfolding in Afghanistan as President Barack Obama contemplates the U.S.'s next moves in its hunt for al-Qaeda.

The father of an Elon University freshman has authored a new book, What Else But Home: Seven Boys and an American Journey Between the Projects and the Penthouse, telling the true story of what happened when his oldest son befriends five children from Manhattan public housing projects on an asphalt baseball field in 1998.

Kevin O'Mara, professor of business administration, and Gary Palin, executive director of the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, presented Oct. 15-17 at the Global Consortium for Entrepreneurship Centers conference (GCEC) hosted by the Rice University Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship in Houston.

Sophomores can now apply online for a new program that offers Elon University students the opportunity to discover who they are, where they want to go in life, and how to achieve their goals. "Charting Your Journey: Life Entrepreneur Program" includes a retreat and a one-credit hour course within cohorts of 12 classmates led by faculty and peer leaders.

Jodean Schmiederer, assistant dean of students, and Mary Wise, assistant vice president for academic affairs, gave an Oct. 18 presentation titled “Changing a Campus Culture to Promote Honor” at the 2009 International Conference on Academic Integrity at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Young Kim dropped small lights from the rafters of a vacant office near downtown Grand Rapids to illuminate the dozens of salt and clay portraits he created on the ground below, but when his work fell short in the public voting of a Michigan art contest billed as “the largest in the world,” fans of the Elon University assistant professor turned to Twitter – and their efforts proved the power of social media.