Twenty-nine students are expected to receive master’s degrees in education at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 18 in Whitley Auditorium.
The graduating class represents 11 school districts in North Carolina: Alamance-Burlington, Asheboro City, Durham Public, Guilford, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, Chatham, Wake and Winston-Salem/ Forsyth. There is also a representative of Darlington County school system in South Carolina. In addition, the graduating class includes four international students who have taught in the United States through the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) program. VIF, based in Chapel Hill, N.C., brings international teachers to the U.S. to teach throughout the country.
Heather Lanier and Jenny Sutton are the first graduates to receive Times-News Fellowships, which grant full tuition for the three years of the program.
Rebecca Garland, executive director of the North Carolina state board of education, will deliver the commencement address. Garland became executive director in 2006 and had previously served as assistant director from 1998 to 2002. She started her career in education as a middle school teacher and has also served as director of middle schools, arts and gifted education in the Alamance-Burlington school system.
Elon’s summer M.Ed. program allows students obtain their degree by taking three summer sessions along with two or three online classes during the school year.