Bryan ’07 and Liz Padgette ’06, Katie Sherborne P’27, and Grant P’27 and Angie Dorfman P’27 contributed more than $300,000 collectively to the new home for holistic health and well-being initiatives. Their gifts will also create scholarships for students.
When Bryan ’07 and Liz Padgette ’06 think about important moments in their lives, they often think of Elon. The couple met on campus as students, and in 2010, Bryan proposed to Liz in front of Fonville Fountain in the shadow of Alamance Building. Since then, their love for Elon has only grown stronger.
“Liz and I owe our relationship to Elon,” Bryan said. “We think it’s a special place, and we wanted to give something back.”
Recently, the couple made a $100,000 gift to the university’s HealthEU Center, which will be the new home for holistic health and wellness initiatives to serve students, faculty and staff. Their gift will also create the Padgette Family Elon Engagement Scholarship. Engagement Scholarships are designed for promising incoming students eager to participate in Elon’s nationally recognized engaged learning curriculum. The scholarship includes a grant for participation in one of the university’s Elon Experiences. The couple’s scholarship will assist students who reside in rural communities of North Carolina.
Elon has set a $25 million fundraising goal to make the HealthEU Center a reality. To date, donors have contributed $20.2 million to the project, which will bring academic, wellness, counseling, campus recreation and fitness programs together under one roof to support student success. Scheduled to open in summer 2026, the center will be located within Elon’s Innovation Quad, home to the university’s engineering and other STEM programs.
Supporting the center resonated with the couple, who see the initiative as integral to any collegiate experience.
“College is a pivotal point in your life,” Liz said. “I love that Elon is prioritizing health and well-being and encouraging students to take better care of themselves while they’re in college. I also love that there is an opportunity for alumni and others to contribute to this effort.”
“I think we know more today about how important health and wellness are to make a complete person,” Bryan said. “I’m proud that Elon is helping students build a foundation early that will set them up for success in the future.”
The HealthEU Center is a central component of the university’s broader HealthEU initiative that focuses on six dimensions of health and wellness: community, emotional, purpose, financial, physical and social. The three-story facility will feature new classrooms, student-faculty research and engagement spaces, multiple floors for wellness and fitness activities and the Mark and Kim Tyson Counseling Center, which will provide space for individual and group therapy, as well as workshops and outreach programs.
Through coursework, workshops and training programs focused on health and wellness, the center is designed to impact every student as they learn essential skills and practices to thrive on campus and throughout each stage of their lives.
Supporting a top institutional priority has brought the Padgettes closer to their alma mater, where Bryan received his degree in sport management and math and Liz in human service studies. Bryan also serves on the Elon Alumni Board.
“I owe a lot to Elon,” he said. “As I get older, I recognize that what I learned at Elon built the foundation for a lot of things that made me successful. I’m proud to say I graduated from Elon.”
Liz recalls falling in love with Elon on her first campus visit. “I had one of those ‘aha moments,’” she said. “I know it sounds corny, but I knew at that moment that Elon was the place for me. Elon made you feel like family.”
The Padgettes have been devoted donors to the Phoenix Club, Elon’s Greatest Needs, Elon Day and the Elon Alumni Board Endowed Internship. The couple has also made an estate gift that in the future, will support their Engagement Scholarship. By making an estate gift, the couple wanted to demonstrate the many ways alumni can multiply the impact of their giving to Elon and create a legacy at the same time.
“We really feel strongly about building Elon’s endowment, and that’s why we wanted to direct our estate gift to our scholarship,” he said. “We think it’s pivotal for Elon to greatly increase its endowment in order to be successful in the future.”
“Elon is grateful for the Padgette family’s generous commitment to support HealthEU and student scholarships,” said Cole Hyman ’16 G’21, assistant director of development. “As an alumni couple, their advocacy as champions of Elon is both impactful and inspiring and will make a meaningful difference in the lives of Elon students for years to come.”
Elon parents have also continued their support of the HealthEU Center. Parents Council member Katie Sherborne P’27, of Houston, recently contributed $125,000 to the project.
“From the moment I first learned about Elon University, I had a strong sense that this was a special place and one where students are truly supported in all aspects of their development,” Sherborne said. “The HealthEU Center captures that spirit beautifully, and I am proud to support it.”
Sherborne praised the center’s mission and Elon for recognizing its importance in today’s rapidly changing world.
“The pressures facing today’s students are unlike anything we experienced, and they are intensified by social media, information overload and a constant stream of comparison,” she said. “If we want our children to succeed, sustain that success and live meaningful, fulfilling lives, we must invest in their health and well-being now.”
Sherborne’s gift will also endow the Jane Stepp Sherborne GP’27 Elon Engagement Scholarship, with a preference for female nursing students in the School of Health Sciences. The scholarship honors Sherborne’s mother, a retired pediatric nurse practitioner who spent her career helping children overcome health issues and cope with learning disabilities and other developmental challenges.
Sherborne is pleased that her son, Ryan Dorfman ’27, a sport management major, is thriving.
“Ryan is surrounded by peers and mentors who inspire him to be his best self,” she said. “As a parent, there is nothing more comforting than knowing your child is in a place that recognizes their potential, nurtures their growth and is grounded in meaningful values. For us, that place is Elon.”
Ryan’s father, Grant Dorfman P’27, and his wife, Angie P’27, of Bellaire, Texas, agree. They have contributed $100,000 to the center.
“We wanted to make this gift to the HealthEU Center because it is the largest and most sign,ificant new initiative at the university, and we knew that by assisting in its completion we would be making a meaningful contribution to the school community,” Grant Dorfman said.
“This initiative also spoke to us as parents because when you entrust the university with your child, it is reassuring to know that the school will emphasize development of the whole person,” he added. “HealthEU will provide Elon students what they need to ensure their physical and mental well-being.”
Dorfman, a member of the Parents Council along with Angie, is equally pleased with Ryan’s experience at Elon.
“It has been a great and supportive living and learning environment for him, and by giving to the HealthEU initiative, we hope to play a part in making it even better.”
The couple’s gift will also establish the Dorfman Family Elon Engagement Scholarship, which will assist students studying in the university’s sport management program.
“The generous support from Elon families like the Sherbornes and the Dorfmans is helping to shape a transformational resource for our students,” said Emily Majmudar, director of development. “Their commitment to supporting student well-being and holistic development is both inspiring and impactful. Through their gifts, they are helping to create a healthier, more supportive campus environment and empowering future generations of Elon students to thrive.”
HealthEU: Make An Impact
Many naming opportunities are available in the HealthEU Center, beginning at $50,000. Gift commitments may be made in full or with a pledge over five years. To find out how you can make an impact with your gift, contact Brian Baker, associate vice president for university advancement, at 336.278.7453 or bbaker7@elon.edu.