Theme 2 Thrive

An Inclusive and Healthy Community for Success

We will enable students, faculty and staff to experience a greater sense of belonging and support by:

A Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Community

We have work ahead to advance the inclusion and success of people from a wider range of abilities, identities and perspectives. To foster deeper learning and better prepare students to lead in communities around the globe, we will increase representation, enhance support networks and advance all community members’ intercultural and multifaith learning.

Objectives and Progress

Last updated: April 2024

Objectives

  • Strengthen support networks and increase staffing dedicated to the success of historically marginalized groups.
  • Establish and achieve specific benchmarks regarding increased representation and retention of students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups.
  • Double international student enrollment.
  • Create structures and learning opportunities that engage all students, faculty and staff in advancing their intercultural and multifaith learning and competencies.
  • Advance inclusive classrooms and pedagogies through research and faculty development.

Progress Report

  • The Division of Inclusive Excellence was established in July 2020 under the leadership of Vice President and Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Associate Professor of Education Randy Williams to lead campus DEI initiatives.
  • Student Life staff developed anti-racism education being provided for all new students during New Student Orientation starting Fall 2021.
  • All faculty and staff complete anti-bias and discrimination prevention training.
  • Buffie Longmire-Avital, Professor of Psychology, was appointed in Summer 2021 as the founding Director of The Black Lumen Project, designed to enhance the Black experience at Elon in pursuit of equity and move the institution further in its commitment to inclusive excellence.
  • The Bias Response Recommendations Implementation Team began its work in Spring 2022 based on the recommendations from the Bias Response System Working Group Report completed in Summer 2021.
  • In May 2022, Elon faculty approved the Advancing Equity Requirement, a new Core Curriculum requirement of all students starting with those entering in the Fall of 2023. The requirement was designed by a committee led by Professor of Cinema and Television Arts and J. Earl Danieley Distinguished Professor Naeemah Clark.
  • A Professional Development/Faculty Evaluation Working Group has been appointed to create a plan to enhance faculty teaching, scholarship, and service related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the DEI Curriculum Working Group to ensure all students take courses that drive a deeper understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • The Asian and Pacific Islander Task Force will produce an initial Summer 2022 report and set of recommendations related to the academic, social, and cultural development of the API community.
  • The Elon Community Accessibility Team convened in Spring 2022 as an advisory group that partners with various entities to ensure a thriving environment for differently-abled people who live and work in the Town of Elon and Elon University.
  • The Diversity Course Database is being revamped by Academic Affairs staff.
  • Equity-minded hiring protocols are being developed for all university divisions.
  • The Faculty/Staff DEI Development Network (comprised of staff and faculty from Inclusive Excellence, Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Human Resources, Office of Leadership and Professional Development) are developing a suite of faculty and staff intercultural development offerings.
  • Fifty-eight percent of Elon STEM faculty have participated in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) Inclusive Excellence in STEM conference, campus workshops, or summer Inclusive Excellence Institute to change curriculum and enhance inclusive pedagogies and resources in introductory-level natural science courses.
  • A multifaith strategic planning committee has been appointed to complete a new multifaith strategic plan and begin implementation.

Metrics

Bar chart showing A.L.A.N.A.M. race/ethnicity for all faculty and staff

Chart details ALANAM faculty staff representation as follows: 376 in 2022-2023, 361 in 2021-2022, 377 in 2020-2021 and 366 in 2019-2020.

Faculty & Staff Representation

Bar chart showing A.L.A.N.A.M. undergraduate student enrollment numbers

Chart details ALANAM undergraduate student enrollment numbers as follows:
2023-2024: 1099 total – 167 two or more races, 437 Hispanic/Latinx, 339 Black/African American, 148 Asian
2022-2023: 1123 total – 198 two or more races, 405 Hispanic/Latinx, 363 Black/African American, 148 Asian
2021-2022: 1085 total – 179 two or more races, 395 Hispanic/Latinx, 361 Black/African American, 144 Asian
2020-2021: 1102 total – 181 two or more races, 407 Hispanic/Latinx, 358 Black/African American, 148 Asian
2019-2020: 1125 total – 206 two or more races, 415 Hispanic/Latinx, 342 Black/African American, 151 Asian

Bar chart showing A.L.A.N.A.M. six-year graduation rates

Chart shows 6-year graduation rates for ALANAM and Non-ALANAM as follows, respectively:
Enrolling 2017: 82.9% vs. 83%
Enrolling 2016: 83.5% vs 83.2%
Enrolling 2015: 78.7% vs 84.3%
Enrolling 2014: 80.6% vs 83.2%
Enrolling 2013: 84.3% vs 85.4%

Bar chart showing the number of international students

Chart shows international student enrollment as follows:
2023-2024: 174
2022-2023: 158
2021-2022: 143
2020-2021: 129
2019-2020: 134

A Culture of Health and Well-being on a Vibrant Residential Campus

In support of our mission to transform mind, body and spirit, we will further invest in a vibrant and integrative residential campus. Well-being initiatives will serve as a national model for programs, research and dialogues promoting resilience, belonging and all aspects of lifelong personal wellness – emotional, physical, financial, social and spiritual. We will enhance student, faculty and staff well-being as we meet the pressing challenges of physical and mental health.

Objectives and Progress

Last updated: April 2024

Objectives

  • Implement well-being initiatives and be a national leader in programs and research that cultivate student, faculty and staff well-being and resilience.
  • Renovate Koury Center to support comprehensive community wellness, recreation and health in the heart of campus.
  • Lead the national conversation on academic-residential partnerships, doubling the number of faculty and staff teaching residentially linked courses, living on campus and advising living-learning communities.
  • Add 1,200 beds and renovate older residences, achieving 80 percent of undergraduates living on campus.
  • Reimagine and renovate Moseley Center as a vibrant hub of student activity.
  • Engage the campus in sustainable practices to become carbon neutral by 2037, investing in renewable energy, reducing energy consumption and preparing students to lead lives that build a sustainable future.

Progress Report

  • The university is completing implementation of recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on Social Climate and Out-of-Class Engagement, the JED Campus project, and the University Working Group on Student Wellness and Well-Being.
  • “Kognito At-Risk” training has been implemented by Counseling Services, giving faculty and staff in targeted departments the tools they need to assist students showing signs of emotional distress. This training is also offered by the Office of Professional Development.
  • Elon has added 24/7 access to and utilization of physical and mental health services through an original pilot and full-scale TimelyMD virtual medical and mental health service for students (as of Fall 2022), a Counselor on Call on-line appointment service, and Student Health Services clinical summer hours.
  • A 18-member Integrated Wellness Center Vision Task Force is developing recommendations for a new comprehensive campus wellness center. The group has completed visits to six leading programs and is gathering feedback on a draft vision statement.
  • Elon hosted the national Residential Campus Symposium in partnership with UNC-Greensboro in Fall 2021. The Residential Campus Advisory Committee has been charged to develop a long-term plan for enhancing the student residential experience and academic-residential partnerships, strengthening faculty engagement in the life of residential neighborhoods, and expanding Elon’s national model for successful living learning communities.
  • A 10-year housing master plan was developed (in consultation with Brailsford and Dunlavey) in 2021 with the goal of beginning to add new residence halls by 2024, Smith Hall was renovated during the summer of 2021, and Carolina Hall is being renovated in Summer 2022.
  • The second floor of the Moseley Center was renovated in Summer 2021, including office suites, new student collaboration spaces, clearer wayfinding and a new lactation room. A feasibility study will be conducted on the first floor of Moseley Center to review large meeting/gathering spaces (including McKinnon Hall) and determine next steps in student needs and renovation requirements.
  • Elon received its 6th Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Silver Rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
  • The Office of Sustainability completed Elon’s FY 2021 greenhouse gas emissions inventory, which indicated net emissions were 49.5 percent below FY 2008 net emissions. From 2019-2022, energy use (BTU/square foot) was reduced 15.6 percent; web-based thermostat controls were implemented in 80 percent of facilities and 500 programmable thermostats were added in other facilities; the Energy Conservation in Action program implemented temperature setbacks for low utilization times (nights, weekend, holidays, etc.); all exterior road, parking, and walk lighting have been converted to LED and classroom lights are being converted by Spring 2023; and outdated HVAC units, chillers, boilers, and apartment appliances have been replaced with high efficiency models. In 2023, the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Services will begin a Waste Reduction Master Plan to achieve a waste reduction goal of 50 percent landfill diversion by 2030.

Metrics

Bar chart showing the percentage of undergraduate students living on campus

Chart details percentage of students living on campus as follows:
2023-2024: 69.4%
2022-2023: 69.2%
2021-2022: 68.1%
2020-2021: 63.1%
2019-2020: 70.5%

Bar chart showing faculty participation in academic-residential partnerships including repeat participation

Chart details faculty participation in academic residential partnerships as follows:
2023-2024: 175 (96 living & learning, 19 living on campus, 32 teaching residentially linked courses, 28 LLC advisors)
2022-2023: 159 (66 living & learning, 16 living on campus, 24 teaching residentially linked courses, 31 LLC advisors)
2021-2022: 176 (96 living & learning, 17 living on campus, 28 teaching residentially linked courses, 35 LLC advisors)
2020-2021: 166 (113 living & learning, 21 living on campus, 32 teaching residentially linked courses, 0 LLC advisors)
2019-2020: 183 (126 living & learning, 18 living on campus, 39 teaching residentially linked courses, 0 LLC advisors)

Bar chart showing energy consumption per square foot (B.T.U./S.F.)

Chart details energy consumption per square foot as follows:
2022-2023: 69,900 BTU/SF
2021-2022: 71,800 BTU/SF
2020-2021: 66,737 BTU/SF
2019-2020: 70,300 BTU/SF
2018-2019: 75,606 BTU/SF

Bar chart showing net carbon emissions (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, M.T.C.D.E.)

Chart details net carbon emissions (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, MTCDE) as follows:
2021-2022: 24,500
2020-2021: 18,787
2019-2020: 29,621
2018-2019: 35,454

Champion Elon’s Exceptional Faculty and Staff

An Elon education revolves around students’ powerful relationships with exceptional faculty and staff educators. Accordingly, we will increase the number of faculty and staff as well as advance compensation, well-being, professional development and faculty scholarship support.

Objectives and Progress

Last updated: March 2024

Objectives

  • Recruit, develop and retain exceptional faculty and staff who embrace our mission and strategic goals; advance salaries and benefits to the top third of our peers, adjusted for cost of living; and increase financial support for faculty-staff development.
  • Accelerate efforts to foster a dynamic and healthy work environment characterized by respect, inclusion, well-being, and supported with current technologies and opportunities for flexibility.
  • Further increase quantity, quality and diversity of full-time teaching faculty and continue investment in relationships that advance student success.
  • Enhance support for scholarship and discovery for Elon’s exceptional teacher-scholar-mentors.
  • Support faculty and staff development across career stages and professional ranks with new leadership and learning pathways, and greater access to feedback, coaching and mentoring.
  • Advance engaged and experiential teaching and learning through the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

Progress Report

  • The Enhanced Supervision Program series was piloted in 2021-2022, providing campus supervisors with development opportunities and enhancing the campus work environment.
  • Assisted by Mercer, a global consulting firm, Elon’s Office of Human Resources (HR) has begun work on two key initiatives:
    1. Developing a position classification system that standardizes staff job descriptions and outlines professional development opportunities and career pathways for all employees
    2. Preparing for a multi-year employee compensation plan beginning in June 2023, similar to pay increase plans that were implemented in previous strategic plans.
  • A faculty and staff learning and development implementation team will be appointed in 2023 to develop a comprehensive campus plan to create a more dynamic and healthy work environment as well as learning and development pathways.
  • The university gathered feedback from campus supervisors as part of a larger project on employee culture and changes taking place in the workplace and society. Campus discussions on the feedback will be followed by a series of pilot projects to identify new practices and policies.
  • A new Seasonal Flex pilot program was developed for Summer 2022 to offer initial telework and flexible scheduling pilots. Data will be collected in Fall 2022 to determine next steps for the program.
  • The list of sites eligible for staff volunteer hours will be expanded in Fall 2022.

Metrics

Bar chart showing the number of faculty participating in C.A.T.L. opportunities including repeat participation

Chart details number of faculty participating in CATL opportunities per academic year as follows:
2022-2023: 1336 (455 workshops/reading groups, 442 teaching & learning conf, 114 1-on-1 consultations, 241 institutes, orientations and seminars)
2021-2022: 1335 (393 workshops/reading groups, 573 teaching & learning conf, 155 1-on-1 consultations, 99 institutes, orientations and seminars, 87 faculty professional learning community)
2020-2021: 753 (208 workshops/reading groups, 139 1-on-1 consultations, 346 institutes, orientations and seminars)
2019-2020: 955 (369 workshops/reading groups, 240 teaching & learning conf, 136 1-on-1 consultations, 137 institutes, orientations and seminars)