Project Pericles

On June 29th Tom Arcaro, Director of Project Pericles, was an invited speaker at the quarterly meeting of Orange County civic leaders. His talk "Civic Engagement Pathways: The Periclean Scholars Model" led to a productive discussion about the role of higher education in preparing the next generation of civic leaders.

Two Elon University professors and eight students spent several days in Zambia late this spring to help Habitat for Humanity with building homes for orphans and vulnerable children impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Tom Arcaro, a professor of sociology and director of Project Pericles at Elon, and Lauren Taylor '10, a Periclean Scholar during her studies at Elon, presented a talk on Jan. 28, 2011, at Thames Valley University in London.

The New York-based Park Foundation has awarded the Periclean Scholars program at Elon University a grant to send additional students abroad in January with the goal of producing a short documentary highlighting Sri Lanka’s outlook and actions on water issues, along with its ecological and socio-economic diversity. The film will be part of an environmental summit organized by the Elon students.

Periclean Scholars in the Class of 2011 have worked for three years to raise awareness of environmental issues in the nation of Sri Lanka, and in January, the group will host a national conference there with support from a $5,000 grant from the American Cultural Center run by the U.S. Embassy.

Elon professors Ken Hassell and Tom Arcaro were part of the Sullivan Social Entrepreneurship Fall Retreat held in Hendersonville, N.C., from Nov. 5-7, 2010.

The men and women who oversee Project Pericles at college campuses around the United States met at Elon University Nov. 15-16 for an annual conference that allowed them to exchange best practices for a national program that strives to mold students into socially responsible global citizens.