Learn more about some of Elon College’s signature programs, student achievements and special events from the 2021-22 academic year.

Groups of masked students sitting around round tables.

Elon College Fellows

The Elon College Fellows program promotes lifelong learning and relationships, sparking curiosity across the arts and sciences through mentored research, focused seminars and activities designed to deepen scholarship.

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Thirty-eight first-year fellows joined the program in fall 2021, kickstarting inquiry in the liberal arts and sciences. In September, they participated in the fourth annual Big Cat Colloquium at the Animal Park at the Conservators Center — once again fully in-person after hybrid visits amid the pandemic. Fellows also returned to Washington, D.C., over Winter Term in the ECF 111: Pathways of Inquiry course, examining the expanses and intersections of disciplines in real-world contexts.

Junior fellows presented research posters in November, modeling the early stages of research and the mentoring process for sophomores.

In May, 43 seniors graduated from Elon and the Fellows program having completed two years of closely mentored research that led to state and national conference presentations and publications.

Elon University Poll

The Elon University Poll conducts statewide and national surveys on issues of importance to North Carolina voters and residents. Information from polls is shared with media, citizens and public officials to facilitate informed policy making. The Elon Poll released the results of four surveys during the 2021-22 academic year on topics related to COVID-19 vaccination, housing prices, North Carolina’s legal system and higher education.

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  • An October 2021 poll about COVID-19-related issues showed that 92 percent of vaccinated state residents were glad they got the shot and that 65 percent planned to get booster shots. The poll also showed most favored vaccine mandates.
  • A second October 2021 poll showed residents’ concerns over rising housing prices, with nearly 80 percent reporting higher housing prices in their area. Forty-one percent of North Carolinians didn’t believe they could afford to buy or rent a new location in their area.
  • A poll of young attorneys conducted in November and December found that 80 percent believe North Carolina’s legal system needs moderate to major changes. More than half of attorneys under 45 expressed interest in running for political office.
  • A second November-December poll partnered with Elon’s Center for Engaged Learning to understand experiences of recent college graduates. Seventy percent of respondents said that educational relationships with faculty and peers were very or extremely important to college success.

Large group of Phi Beta Kappa inductees standing on a sidewalk in front of a brick building.

Phi Beta Kappa inducts 55 new members

Fifty-five Elon University students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa during an April 4 ceremony. President Connie Ledoux Book and Phi Beta Kappa visiting scholar Marta Tienda, emeritus professor of demographic studies and professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University, delivered remarks to inductees.

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Inducted in spring 2022 were:

  • Haley Dillon Acosta
  • Molly Ann Armstrong
  • Sara Armstrong
  • Katarina Marie Aulbach
  • Samuel Bennett Bacon
  • Kennedy Kathryn Bennett
  • Hannah Elise Boone
  • Nellie Holland Brady
  • Samantha Michelle Brown
  • Elisabeth Anne Cooperman
  • Nina Crocco
  • Danielle Nicole Cuoco
  • Trinity Dominique Dixon
  • Samantha Rae Dominguez
  • Samantha Elizabeth Eastman
  • Emery Anne Eisner
  • Deena Elizabeth Elrefai
  • Jordan Renee Ennis
  • Luciana Maria Ferman
  • Kara Lynne Friske
  • Katherine Janelle Grant
  • Emily Patricia Holland
  • Nicholas Ethan Hom
  • Megan Elizabeth Hutchinson
  • Natalie Amanda Ivanov
  • Pierce Colby Johnson
  • Lainey Kathleen Kasian
  • Morgan Julie Kearns
  • Emily Kibler
  • Elli Bryn Knowlton
  • Alexandre David Lagarde
  • Clara Joy Learned
  • Rebekah Jane Maupin
  • Bailey Christine McCollum
  • Maria Jose Mendoza
  • Alessia Mercuri
  • Hannah Lynn Miller
  • Sara Jun Moretti
  • Kara Renee Palumbo
  • Caroline Ellis Penfield
  • Catherine Lelia Phillips
  • Yvonne Marie Ritsema
  • Morgane Alexandria Smith
  • Madeleine Renee Spence
  • Catherine Stallsmith
  • Jenna Leigh Sudol
  • Duru Tasman
  • Mary Caroline Thibodeau
  • Anna Van Jura
  • Lauren Willingham
  • Liora Elizabeth Wittle
  • Arianna Mason Wolgin
  • Ailene Maren Woznicki
  • Chloe Jeehae Yoon
  • Katherine Zimmermann

Phi Beta Kappa has chapters at 286 U.S. colleges and universities, representing only 10 percent of the nation’s higher learning institutions. Each year, the top 10 percent of arts and sciences graduates at these institutions are selected for membership. Elon’s Eta Chapter of North Carolina was installed on April 13, 2010.

A person playing a guitar while standing at a microphone with other band members in the background.

Department of Music performs more than 20 concerts

Music programs produced and performed more than 20 concerts for campus and community audiences in 2021-22. From classical, choral and electronic ensemble concerts to faculty recitals and annual Elon Jazz Festival programming, the Center for the Arts and Whitley Auditorium were filled with music across genres, cultures and periods.

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The 2021-22 concert seasons included:

  • Elon Music Ambassadors, fall concert and “Sounds of the Seasons”
  • elán, “The Music of Stevie Wonder” and “The Music of Paul Simon”
  • Elon University Orchestra fall and spring concerts
  • Elon Jazz Festival
  • Elon University Camerata, “A Celebration of Light”
  • Elon University Jazz Ensemble Fall Concert
  • Elon Chorale Fall Concert
  • Elon Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, “Unrelent,” “Histoire du Soldat” and “You are not Alone”
  • Music Faculty Gala
  • Faculty recitals: Ramon Brito, adjunct instructor in music, and Dan Skidmore, adjunct assistant professor in music
  • Electric Ensemble Songwriter Showcase
  • Spring Choral Showcase
  • Opera Workshop, “A Hand of Bridge” and “Trouble in Tahiti”
  • Techtronica
  • World Percussion Ensemble

A person holding drumsticks in the air while another person plays a bongo drum in the background.

Performing arts return to Elon’s stages

The Department of Performing Arts presented 13 concerts, plays, musicals and cabarets during the 2021-22 academic year. Students returned to in-person performances for live audiences after the pandemic pushed shows into virtual and streaming spaces.

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The department’s programs included:

  • Dancing in the Landscape 2021
  • Collage 2021
  • “Heart of Shrapnel”
  • “42nd Street”
  • The Fall Dance Concert
  • “Sense and Sensibility”
  • “Into the Woods”
  • “The Moment 2021”
  • Black History Month Dance Concert
  • “Bridging,” the Spring Dance Concert
  • Grand Night 2022
  • “The Cherry Orchard”
  • “Movin’ On”