The 103rd edition of Phi Psi Cli touched on the retirement of President Leo M. Lambert and the hiring of new president Connie Ledoux Book.
by Julia Oakes ’22
Phi Psi Cli, Elon University’s yearbook, released its 103rd edition titled “Leave Your Mark,” which covers the 2017-18 academic year.
The book comprises 192 vibrant pages covering a transitional year at Elon that features stories about President Emeritus Leo M. Lambert stepping down after 19 years of service and the return of President Connie Ledoux Book to lead the university. The book also includes stories about Elon student organizations, athletics, and student and academic life.
“The yearbook is a time capsule of everything that happens on a campus each year,” said Sarah Stone ’19, this year’s editor-in-chief of Phi Psi Cli. “We have books that are over 100 years old, and without this organization we wouldn’t have those documents.”
In her editor’s note, editor-in-chief Laurel Wind ’19 wrote that the book’s theme centers on the importance of students leaving their mark both locally at Elon and globally.
“While our time here is short and we will soon leave to make our marks all over the world, we will always have Elon to remind us of our beginnings,” Wind wrote.
Last year’s team worked tediously in covering what Wind called “such a big year for Elon.”
Lambert’s retirement as president allowed the Elon community to reflect on the mark he left on the university. During his tenure, Lambert helped Elon add 100 buildings, awarded more than 23,600 diplomas, and shepherded the institution through the planning and implementation of two 10-year strategic plans.
Lambert’s departure made way for Book, Elon’s first female president, whom Phi Psi Cli spent several pages profiling. Book previously impacted the campus as an associate professor of communications, associate dean of communications and associate provost.
Also included in the book are spreads detailing:
- ELONTHON, a 24-hour dance marathon that raises money and awareness for children at the Duke Children’s Hospital to assist families with treatment costs. Last year, ELONTHON hit a new donation record, raising $452,964.18. Elon’s Relay for Life, a 12-hour, overnight event in which people run or walk to raise money for cancer research, raised $75,000 for the American Cancer Society.
- A comedic performance by Dave Coulier of “Full House” fame
- A rainy performance from Jon Bellion at the Homecoming concert
- A farewell to Paul Parsons, who served as dean of the School of Communications for 17 years
When the book arrived on campus, Phi Psi Cli staff members were excited to hold a physical copy.
“I walked into the office and it was like Christmas,” Wind said.
Books are available to students who purchase them, but the university does order some to place in campus spaces.