|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Elon Through the Years
1890: Main (Administration) Building is completed 1891: Elon College Monthly, the first student publication, is established 1891: Nathaniel G. Newman, C.C. Peel and Herbert Scholz make up the first graduating class 1892: M. Irene Johnson is the first female graduate and becomes first female faculty member 1893: Town of Elon College is incorporated; Glee Club, the first student musical group, is formed 1894: William W. Staley named 2nd president 1900: Baseball becomes the first intercollegiate sport 1905: Emmett L. Moffitt named 3rd president; central heat, electricity, running water and indoor plumbing are installed during his presidency 1907: Electric lights are turned on for the first time on New Year's Day 1911: William A. Harper named 4th president 1913: Phi Psi Cli, the yearbook, begins publication 1918: Senior class shrinks from 46 to 30 as men enlist to fight in WWI 1923: Fire destroys Main Building, including school records, classrooms, library and chapel; trustees immediately vote to rebuild 1924: Alamance Building and Whitley Auditorium open; citizens of Alamance County are active in fundraising, rebuilding and expanding the college after the disastrous 1923 fire 1925: Duke (science), Carlton (library) and Mooney (social and religious activities) buildings are completed 1931: Leon Edgar Smith named 5th president, beginning a 25-year term as the longest-serving president; enrollment declines to 87 students due to the effects of the Great Depression 1933: Dramatic arts students organize Delta Psi Omega with performances held in Whitley Auditorium 1936: The college faces the risk of financial collapse; President Smith persuades creditors to accept partial payments, convinces faculty to compromise on delinquent salaries and launches a new fund drive 1937: First issue of the Colonnades, the student literary magazine, is published 1941: W. Clifton Elder '25 receives first outstanding alumnus award 1943: 672 pilots are trained on campus for WWII duty in the U.S. Army Air Corps; their enrollment provides critical financial stability 1946: Returning WWII GIs increase enrollment to nearly 700 1949: Fightin' Christians defeat Edenton Marines 80-0 in Elon's first football game played at Burlington Memorial Stadium 1950: Alumni Memorial Gymnasium opens and is dedicated to alumni who died in WWI and WWII 1955: Enrollment exceeds 1,000 1956: Trustee and N.C. Secretary of State Thad Eure drafts new charter, clarifying ownership and relationship with the church 1957: J. Earl Danieley named 6th president; at age 32, he is one of the nation's youngest college presidents 1961: Elon's railroad station, once the primary means of transportation for students and faculty, is dismantled 1962: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks at Founders Day 1966: William S. Long student center opens; Hook, Brannock and Barney Halls dedicated, honoring veteran faculty members Alonzo Hook, Ned Brannock and John Barney 1968: Students, faculty and staff form a human chain to move books from Carlton building to the new Iris Holt McEwen Library; Tau Kappa Epsilon is the first nationally chartered fraternity 1969: First study abroad trip to England; Sigma Sigma Sigma is the first nationally chartered sorority 1969: Eugene E. Perry is the first African-American graduate; Elon awards its 5,000th degree 1970: Caroline Powell building opens; Jordan Gymnasium and Beck Pool are constructed 1971: Basketball is the first women's varsity sport 1973: J. Fred Young named 7th president; enrollment exceeds 2,000 1974: First edition of the student newspaper, The Pendulum, is printed 1977: First WSOE radio broadcast 1980: Elon wins first NAIA national football championship 1981: Historic senior oak tree -- the traditional place for photographs, first kisses and marriage proposals -- dies and is removed; Elon repeats as NAIA national football champs 1982: Scott Plaza and Fonville Fountain are completed 1983: Elon awards its 10,000th degree 1984: Master of Business Administration becomes first master's program; College Coffee tradition begins 1985: Martha and Spencer Love School of Business is established with the first $1 million gift in Elon history 1986: Enrollment exceeds 3,000; Master of Education program begins 1987: Elon University Center for the Arts opens 1988: Jimmy Powell Tennis Center opens and is recognized as one of the finest collegiate tennis complexes in the nation; Habitat for Humanity chapter is established 1989: Year-long centennial celebration; former President Jimmy Carter speaks on campus; Pride II Campaign concludes, raising $8 million 1993: Center for Service Learning is established (endowed as the John R. Kernodle Jr. Center for Service Learning in 1997) 1994: Investing In Excellence Campaign raises $21 million; Stewart Fitness Center opens; Elon Vision strategic plan is launched 1995: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dedicates Moseley Center, Koury Center and the Center for the Arts 1997: Loy Center is dedicated, providing on-campus facilities for Greek organizations 1998: Dalton L. McMichael Sr. Science Center opens; Master of Physical Therapy program is established 1999: Leo M. Lambert named 8th president 1999: Transition to NCAA Division I athletics is completed; Danieley Center is dedicated 2000: Carol Grotnes Belk Library opens; College of Arts and Sciences, Schools of Education and Communications established; NewCentury@Elon strategic plan created; enrollment exceeds 4,000; Young Commons dedicated 2000: The Phoenix is adopted as the new athletics identity; Isabella Cannon '24 delivers commencement address at age 96, appears on national television; Elon awards its 20,000th degree; Queen Noor of Jordan speaks at fall convocation 2001: Elon Vision campaign concludes, raising $46.7 million; former President George Bush speaks on campus 2001: Elon College becomes Elon University; Town of Elon College becomes Town of Elon; Rhodes Stadium opens 2002: Isabella Cannon International Studies Pavilion and William R. Kenan Jr. Honors Pavilion open in the Academic Village; primatologist Jane Goodall speaks at Spring Convocation; former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto speaks at Fall Convocation; Belk Track and White Field are completed 2003: Elon enrolls first class of Doctor of Physical Therapy students; broadcasting legend Walter Cronkite visits campus; Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaks at Spring Convocation 2004: Martha and Spencer Love School of Business achieves AACSB International accreditation; former presidential adviser David Gergen serves as Elon's first Isabella Cannon Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership; Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel speaks at Spring Convocation; Board of Trustees votes to establish Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, N.C.; Ella Darden and Elmon Lee Gray Pavilion opens in Academic Village 2005: Pioneering astronaut John Glenn dedicates site of new Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center; Elon named one of nation's 25 "Hottest Colleges" by Newsweek-Kaplan; Doctor of Physical Therapy program graduates charter class; construction begins on School of Law facility in Greensboro 2006: School of Communications achieves ACEJMC accreditation; Elon University School of Law opens in downtown Greensboro, N.C. with a charter class of 115 students; the school is formally dedicated by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor; Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center opens; former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell delivers Convocation for Honors address; The Oaks, a student residence complex, opens; Elon named one of nation's top three universities for community service in President Bush's inaugural Higher Education Service Honor Roll; total enrollment exceeds 5,000 for the first time 2007: William Henry Belk Pavilion and Luvene Holmes and Royall H. Spence Jr. Pavilion open in the Academic Village; The Colonnades Dining Hall and the Colonnades Residence Halls A & B open; The Elon Academy, an outreach program for Alamance County high school students, is launched; the Lumen Prize is established as the university's premier award recognizing student scholarship 2008: Elon University School of Law receives provisional approval by the American Bar Association; Breanna Detwiler becomes the first Elon student to receive the prestigious Truman Scholarship; former President Bill Clinton speaks on campus on behalf of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is running for president 2009: Elon University School of Law graduates its charter class; a master's program in interactive media is launched; Lindner Hall, the home of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, opens in the Academic Village; Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic society, votes to establish an Elon University chapter |
