About 2,500 books donated by Elon students faculty and staff are headed to the library at the University of Ghana. The book drive was coordinated by Brian Digre, professor of history and leader of Elon's Ghana Winter Term program.
On Dec. 17, Digre delivered the books to the Norfolk (Va.) Naval Base, where they were loaded onto a U.S. Navy ship for transport to Africa. The books had been collected throughout fall semester with the help of Carl (CC) Cowan and his crew from Elon’s moving and setup department.
Elon has a student exchange agreement with the University of Ghana, one of West Africa’s leading institutions of higher education. Last year, the Elon community donated more than 3,000 books to the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.
The free shipping arrangements were made by Augustus Vogel, president of a non-profit organization in rural Ghana committed to sustainable development projects. He works full time for the Navy’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies and has experience in the Peace Corps.