Twenty Elon University students in Study USA's "Elon in New York" fall semester program observed the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with a visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum along with a representative from the nonprofit September 11 Families for Peace.
Students enrolled in Study USA’s “Elon in New York” fall program visited the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the site of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, by members of al Qaeda.
The students, as part of their participation in the pilot course Global 270 “Professional Development through Global Engagement,” accompanied Study USA Director Mark Dalhouse and Study USA New York resident staff Danielle Golinski on a tour through the museum, built deep within the foundations of the former North and South World Trade Center towers.
The Elon commemoration was deepened and enriched by the visit to class of Bruce Wallace, a member of the nonprofit September 11 Families for Peace and the uncle of Mitchel Wallace, who died in the South Tower while helping evacuate the wounded. Wallace walked through the exhibits with the students and afterward spoke to them on the lawn of the memorial.
Where the Twin Towers once stood, Wallace spoke with the students about the need for global engagement and global citizenship, and of the responsibilities of active citizenship they are taking on as Elon students.
The visit to the site was the first class of the new course. The course is linked to the students’ internship experiences in New York and is designed to challenge students to critically assess global engagement as an essential element in an Elon education, and a vital part of entering the 21st century professional world, regardless of major.
The observance and the new course represent Study USA’s ongoing commitment to critical intellectual dialogue and engagement with global issues here in the United States and around the world.