On Thursday, March 10 at the first meeting of the Elon University Center for Environmental Studies (EUCES) Advisory Board for 2005, the board honored retiring members of its class of 2004, elected officers for the 2005 program year and set Friday, Oct. 21 as the date for the fifth annual Elon Environmental Forum.
The EUCES Advisory Board is made up of representatives from business, governmental and citizens groups in the Northern Piedmont who care about environmental stewardship and ways that citizens, businesses and public officials can work together to develop and support sound environmental policies and programs. Dr. Janet MacFall is the director, and Dr. Douglas Reddington is the co-director of the program.
The Advisory Board’s 2005 chair is Raleigh resident Kirk Eldridge (Elon ’88) of Links of America, Inc., and the vice chair is Burlington resident Brian Grajzar, MBA (Elon G ’02) of Carolina Biological, Inc. The board meets four times a year and plays a major role in advising the Environmental Studies Program faculty and setting policy for the Center, including the annual Elon Environmental Forum each fall.
The mission of the center is to provide a regional focus for activities and interests, that meet the environmental needs of the community in the upper Piedmont of North Carolina. The center seeks to:
- Strengthen the professional development of Elon students
- Promote environmental stewardship
- Educate the public and private sectors on environmental issues
- Create partnerships in expertise for research, consulting, education and collaboration
- Provide a forum for discussion of local and regional environmental issues
- Provide a clearinghouse for environmentally related information
Through activities such as regional environmental assessment, information gathering, analysis and dissemination, the center gives students opportunities to work on specific projects and to enhance their personal development in environmental management, education and creativity.