Restaurant Recommendations
Walkable from Elon:
- The Root – Casual, on-campus joint with great burgers, sandwiches, and salads
- Simply Thai – Classic Thai favorites located in Elon – a great place for takeout or a nice meal
- Pandora’s Pies – On-campus pizza place with inventive pizzas and other classic entrees, starters, and sides
- The Oak House – On-campus coffeehouse also serving pastries – a favorite of students and staff alike
- Tangent Eat + Bar – On-campus taco restaurant with bar and indoor & outdoor seating
Downtown Burlington:
- Taaza Bistro, 3252 S Church St.- Indian Cuisine with vegetarian options in Burlington
- Burlington Beer Works, 103 E Front St. – Craft beer with local ingredients located in stylish downtown Burlington
- Mellow Mushroom, 767 Huffman Mill Rd. – Groovy pizza place in Burlington offering something for everyone
- NC Jelly Donuts, 3260 S Church St. – Family-owned donut shop in Burlington serving a wide variety of donuts
- Paul’s Pastry Shop, 720 S Church St. – Bakery in Burlington offering delicious bagels, cookies, donuts, and everything in between
Greater Greensboro Area:
- Crafted The Art of the Taco, 220 S Elm St., Greensboro – A fresh, globally-inspired taco joint serving creative, gourmet tacos
Local Recommendations for Exploring!
International Civil Rights Museum
Located in Greensboro, N.C., is an archival center, collecting museum and teaching facility devoted to the international struggle for civil and human rights. This national landmark and national site of conscience celebrates the nonviolent protests of the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins that served as a catalyst in the civil rights movement.
Suggested duration: 1-2 hours
Open Hours: Monday-Saturday 10AM to 6PM
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
Free to all, the park stands as a refreshing means to educate and exercise. This park is an area draw for tourists as well as for locals given the expansive maintained and many paved trails available to enjoy. Monuments stand dedicated to the history makers as well as to those who sought to preserve the area’s significance. There is a small visitors center and preserved placard‘s along the trails to supply necessary info.
Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden
This 7.5-acre garden has a man-made re-circulating stream that provides texture, movement and sound. Features variety of sculpture placed throughout the garden. The garden is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Admission is free.
https://greensborobeautiful.org/gardens/tanger/
Ambleside Gallery
Represent more than thirty extraordinary painters, sculptors and, on occasion, photographers from the US, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, China and Japan.
Suggest Duration: < 1 hour
Guilford-Mackintosh Trail
A little over 3 mile loop next to Lake Mackintosh. Moderate terrain with some roots, rocks and hills. Very clean and open view of the wooded area. The route takes on average about 56 minutes to complete.
Location: Guilford-Mackintosh Trail
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Admission is free. Located in Raleigh
North Carolina Museum of History
Admission is free. Located in Raleigh
4 Seasons Mall
Four Seasons Town Centre is a three-story shopping mall in Greensboro, North Carolina.
About Elon By Design
Where We Are
Center for Design Thinking
Elon Town Center
103 W. College Ave.
Elon, NC 27244
We are located right above Pandora’s Pies and next to the Well’s Fargo ATM. Find us on the map.
Elon University
Elon University is a mid-sized private university in Burlington, North Carolina that emphasizes liberal arts education through experiential learning. The university puts a strong emphasis on personal relationships between students and faculty, boasting small class sizes and a student-centered environment.
Learn more about Elon here.
What We Do
Elon By Design is housed in the Elon University Center for Design Thinking and operates across the entire university. The Center is a flexible design studio connected to an industrial-grade maker space. Classes, workshops, events, experiences, and conversations about design thinking at Elon happen here.
Elon By Design aims to…
- Create opportunities for the Elon community to build the confidence and ability to identify design challenges and respond to them with design thinking processes and methods, and
- Generate ways for faculty and staff to explore how design thinking might support teaching, scholarship, and service at Elon.
Meet the Team
Danielle Lake
Director of Design Thinking, and Associate Professor
Danielle Lake has over ten years of experience creating implementing, and assessing innovative curricula designed to build student and community-capacity for addressing wicked problems. This experience has positioned her well to continue her work as an institutional leader, cross-campus consultant, and teacher-scholar of civic engagement.
Lake is committed to partnering with students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding Elon community in order to support design thinking initiatives.
Dr. Tracey Thurnes
Position
Elon’s Design Thinking Curricular Catalyst is a faculty member who supports the infusion of Design Thinking pedagogies across Elon curriculum. The Curricular Catalyst advances Design Thinking curricular initiatives through facilitating communities of practice, consulting with faculty, and by providing resources for infusing Design Thinking methods and processes into curriculum.
Tyson Glover ’17
Position
Elon’s Design Thinking Co-Curricular Catalyst is a faculty or staff member that creates, supports, and celebrates co-curricular design thinking experiences, events, and initiatives. The Co-Curricular Catalyst works as an ambassador with the Elon community to support Design Thinking initiatives. Assisting in connecting students, faculty, and staff to relevant resources offered in the center for Design Thinking.
Dr. Phillip Motley
Position
Elon’s Design Thinking Community Catalyst is a faculty member who engages in, supports, and advances community-based learning, research, and service through the lens and practice of equity-centered design thinking (DT). In addition to engaging in their own community-engaged design thinking projects, the Community Catalyst also supports and advances DT community initiatives of faculty, staff, student, and community members.
Student Forge Support
Kendall Gilbert ’23
Student Support
Major: Media Analytics
Minor: Business Administration and Statistics
Member of: Club Soccer, ODK Leadership Honor Society, Elonthon, Phi Mu
My Design Thinking Experience: I love the idea of design thinking because it is accepting of non-linear progression and it gives our minds the freedom to wander when trying to reach a goal.
Emily Joss ’23
Student Coordinator
Major: Exercise Science
Minor: Neuroscience and Coaching
Member of: ESS society
My Design Thinking Experience: Design thinking combines creative freedom with effective problem solving and allows students to think outside the box. I think it will be increasingly useful as we move on into our professional lives and have to face difficult problems head on.
Anya Bratic ’26
Student Support
Major: International & Global Studies, Public Health
Member of: Student Government Association, Campus Kitchen, College Fellows
My Design Thinking Experience: I chose design thinking because I love being in an environment where creativity is used to find and solve problems. It is such a rare opportunity to get to apply design thinking to experiential learning and everyday problem-solving.
Chase Solomon ’23
Student Support
Major: Integrative Biology
Minor: Neuroscience and Public Health
Member of: Student Government Association, College Fellows, Environmental Advisory Council
My Design Thinking Experience: Design Thinking allows us to use our strengths in whatever fields we possess and work together to create meaningful experiences for others
Sam Roedel ’25
Student Support
Major: Communication Design
Member of: Women’s Club Volleyball
My Design Thinking Experience: I like design thinking because it provides me the opportunity to learn about and execute different types of problem solving while also promoting creativity
Trinity Barnett ’25
Student Support
Major: Media Analytics and Psychology
Member of: Active Minds
My Design Thinking Experience: I like the process of design thinking because it allows me to think creatively and collaborate with others to find solutions using a method that can apply to different professional and personal situations.
Ashleigh Azan ’23
Student Support
Major: Biomedical Engineering, Minor in Exercise Science
My Design Thinking Experience: I like the Design Thinking Process because it’s a way of approaching a problem and dissect it rather than just running to the fastest solution. It can be all over the play but the outcome is greater than just a simple answer.
Joshua Franklin ’25
Student Support
Major: Political Sciences
Member of: Honors Fellow, Campus Chabad
My Design Thinking Experience: I think of Design Thinking as a process that promotes creativity, and through which I can organize my thoughts into coherent plans to solve specific problems.
Aaron Chan ’26
Student Support
Major: Cinema and Television Arts
My Design Thinking Experience: I wanted to work here because I resonate with the Center’s mission of equipping people with a framework for solving real, complex problems.
Pech Ngoun ’26
Student Support
Major: Engineering
Member of: Odyssey Scholar, Engineering Scholar
My Design Thinking Experience: I like Design Thinking because it amazes me how design thinking is applicable everywhere – in any career and in our daily lives. Design Thinking helps to build better individuals by aiding us to plan ahead, promoting our creativity, and connecting the future with our daily decisions.
Delaney Guidi ’26
Student Support
Major: Communication Design, Arts
My Design Thinking Experience: Design Thinking is a process that is applicable everywhere; and in teaching it to others, I am able to practice creativity and public speaking. I believe it will be a valuable asset to me regardless of where I end up in the career field.
Juan Daniel Chiriboga ’26
Student Support
Major: Entrepreneurship
My Design Thinking Experience: Design Thinking is a great combination of all the things I like to do, I enjoy public speaking as well as finding creative solutions. I feel that through the use of design thinking we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us.
IT & Troubleshooting
Elon Technology Service Desk contact information:
Phone: (336) 278-5200
Zoom Support
Email: dsmith52@elon.edu
