Quality Academics
Elon Law graduates its charter class
On Sunday, May 24, Elon University School of Law celebrated its inaugural Commencement exercises honoring the 107 members of the school’s charter class. David Gergen, adviser to four U.S. presidents, noted political commentator and chair of the Law School Advisory Board, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In his charge to the graduates, President Leo M. Lambert encouraged them not only to be excellent lawyers, but also principled leaders in their communities and their profession.
Davis named Fulbright Scholar
Victoria Paige Davis ’09, a political science and international studies double major, received a 2009 Fulbright U.S. Student Grant, one of the nation’s premier fellowships for postgraduate study. A Fripp Island, S.C., native, Davis was an Honors Fellow and a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society during her time at Elon, and in May 2008 traveled to Cambodia on a university service trip she organized. Davis is the second Elon student or graduate since 2007 who has received the Fulbright Grant, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State to promote “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”
McCarty receives selective national fellowship
Kelly Erin McCarty ’09 was one of 10 students chosen nationwide to receive the Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR) Bacon House Foundation fellowship, which provides up to $10,000 to assist students with graduate study in international affairs. McCarty attends Arizona State University and plans to conduct research about the use of art as a form of political communication. A Raleigh, N.C., native, McCarty was an Honors Fellow, a Presidential Scholar and a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society while at Elon.
Alumna awarded Rotary scholarship for graduate study
Julie Anne Kenneally ’08 was awarded a 2008 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, which will provide $24,000 to fund her study of human rights issues at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Kenneally, a double major in political science and international studies, was an Honors Fellow during her years at Elon and conducted research on media coverage of female suicide terrorism. Her award marks the third time since 2006 that an Elon student has won the scholarship, which helps fund one or two years of degree-oriented study in a foreign country.
Grant funds purchase of DNA research equipment
An $84,000 grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center supported the purchase of DNA research equipment to benefit undergraduate and faculty research among Elon’s science departments. Previously, students and faculty sent DNA samples away to outside companies to be processed. The acquisition of a DNA sequencer and Real-Time PCR thermal cycler reduces the turnaround time and cost of running the tests, and offers students the chance to work with the equipment themselves. The equipment was installed in McMichael Science Center in summer 2009.
School of Communications welcomes inaugural Master’s in Interactive Media class
In August 2009, the inaugural class of Elon’s Master of Arts in Interactive Media (iMedia) program arrived on campus. The cohort embarked upon the full-time, one-year program in the fully equipped Powell Interactive Media Suite, located on the renovated second floor of Powell Building. The iMedia program prepares students to research, plan and develop interactive media projects, and includes Winter Term domestic or international travel to collect information related to an interactive media project that serves the common good.