Logo for Elon College, The College of Arts & Sciences

Building Connections, Inspiring Excellence

2023-24 Annual Report

When I became dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, I knew I’d be working closely with highly respected and creative faculty colleagues to enrich student experiences and advance the excellence of its programs. After nearly a decade, I can say that I’ve enjoyed every one of those collaborations. I remain deeply impressed by the work faculty do with our students and am eager to continue to contribute our academic mission as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology. The College is a richly diverse community, both in terms of our disciplinary training and in the perspectives we bring to our shared mission. That diversity is our strength, allowing us to adopt multiple perspectives as we make Elon University a place of even richer student-faculty relationships and experiential learning. It’s been an honor to represent and advocate for the academic programs, students, faculty and staff in the College. I’m excited to see what’s next and look forward to supporting Dean Hilton Kelly in his vision for the future of the arts and sciences at Elon University.

All the best,

Gabie E. Smith
Former Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences

Gabie Smith portrait

Passing the Torch to a New Era of College Leaders

The 2023-24 academic year ushered in a new chapter for the College.

In September 2023, Gabie Smith announced she would return to faculty in the Department of Psychology at the close of the academic year after nearly a decade as dean. Associate Deans Nancy Harris and Kirby Wahl returned to faculty in the departments of biology and performing arts, respectively. With Smith, they represented a combined 42 years of leadership experience in the College.

Hilton Kelly — then dean of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s College of Liberal Arts and Education, where he served two years in the role — was selected as the College’s new dean following a national search. Kelly is an award-winning interdisciplinary scholar with expertise in the sociology of education, critical race theory, the Jim Crow era, the careers of Black educators, and social memory studies. Among his accomplishments, he was a 2021-22 American Council on Education Higher Education Leadership Fellow and was director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Davidson College. Kelly earned his Ph.D. in Sociology and Master of Science in Labor Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his Bachelor of Arts in History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Social Justice Angela Lewellyn remained in the dean’s office with new responsibilities around academic administration and operations.

Last spring, Professor of Exercise Science Caroline Ketcham and Professor of Italian Brandon Essary were selected as new associate deans. Both are celebrated teachers, mentors and scholars in their fields. In the Dean’s Office, Ketcham oversees science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics programs (STEAM), while Essary oversees humanities, social sciences and interdisciplinary programs (HSSIP).

Portrait of Hilton Kelly

Hilton Kelly
Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Sociology

Portrait of Brandon Essary

Brandon Essary
Associate Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Italian

Portrait of Caroline Ketcham

Caroline Ketcham
Associate Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Exercise Science

Portrait of Angela Lewellyn

Angela Lewellyn
Senior Associate Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Associate Professor of Social Justice

Branches at a Glance

Arts & Humanities

7departments Art, English, Music, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Religious Studies, World Languages & Cultures
15majors
14minors
122full-time faculty
559enrolled in majors

Natural, Mathematical & Computational Sciences

8 departments Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Exercise Science, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics
17majors
12minors
93full-time faculty
1,191enrolled in majors

Social & Behavioral Sciences

6departments History & Geography, Human Service Studies, Political Science & Policy Studies, Public Health Studies, Psychology, Sociology & Anthropology
9majors
9minors
87full-time faculty
1,086enrolled in majors

Interdisciplinary Studies

5majors
30minors
146full-time faculty
823enrolled in majors

Majors:

Classical Studies, Dance Science, Drama & Theatre Studies, Independent Major, International & Global Studies

Minors:

African & African-American Studies; American Studies; Asian Studies; Classical Studies; Criminal Justice; Expressive Arts; Food Studies; Game Design; Geographic Information Systems; German Studies; Global Film & Cultures; Islamic Studies; Italian Studies; Jazz Studies; Jewish Studies; Latin American Studies; Leadership Studies; Middle East Studies; Multimedia Authoring; Museum Studies & Public History; Neuroscience; Peace & Conflict Studies; Philosophy, Politics & Economics; Piano Pedagogy; Poverty & Social Justice; Professional Writing Studies; Sustainable Enterprises; Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; Women’s, Gender & Sexualities Studies

Graduate Outcomes

95% of Class of 2023 graduates in the College reported employment or enrollment in post-graduate programs

95% of Class of 2023 graduates said their employment is directly related to their career objective