Elon University is featuring a variety of photos every month to highlight the exceptional learning, work and activities of students, faculty and staff.
September brought the Elon community fully into the rhythm of a new academic year, with classrooms bustling, fall traditions returning and opportunities for learning and connection unfolding across campus. From thought-provoking speakers and engaging performances to Phoenix athletics and everyday moments of campus life, the month offered plenty to capture.
Take a look back at some of the memorable moments from September through the lenses of staff in the Office of University Communications.
One and done
Elon School of Law Dean Zak Kramer challenged the Class of 2025 to achieve an overall first-time bar passage rate of 83%, a mark that would have been the highest in Elon Law history.
The class’s Student Bar Association president had a counterproposal: What if they reached 85%? Would the dean get a tattoo? Kramer said yes.
The Class of 2025 responded with a 90.9% overall first-time bar passage rate across North Carolina and 11 other states. On Sept. 4, Kramer responded by rolling up his sleeve.
Lab Learning
As the fall semester gets fully underway, students are in the classroom learning through hands-on experience.
Feline Fun
Elon Volunteers!, through the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, provides all members of the Elon University campus the opportunity to develop an ethic of service by connecting campus and community through service experiences. In Sepetember, students had some feline fun with animals at Burlington Animal Services.
Hispanic Heritage Month
Elon kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a kick-off event. The month-long celebration features the theme “Floreciendo Juntos (Blooming Together): Honoring Identity, Culture and Well-being, ” highlighting the diverse backgrounds, unique stories and rich history that shape Hispanic and Latino communities.
Green Tara Sand Mandala
An annual tradition through the Truitt Center for Relgious and Spiritual Life, Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Palden Sangpo constructs a Green Tara sand mandala for healing and peace during a period of three days.
‘Skills of the heart’
New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks spoke to a sold-out crowd in Alumni Gym for Fall Convocation on Sept. 25, part of Family Weekend and the Elon University Speaker Series. He reminded the audience of two important skills needed for success — two skills that have taken him time to learn: how to see people and how to have an impact on the world.
Family Fun
Elon hosted Family Weekend on Sept. 25-27 with a variety of activites, including a football game as the Phoenix took on the University of Maine Bears.
‘There’s Always This Year’
Author Hanif Abdurraqib reflected on mentorship, home and storytelling during his Common Reading lecture on Sept. 29. His book, part poetry, memoir and meditation on history and modern culture, “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension” was selected as Elon University’s 2026-27 Common Reading. Incoming first-year students read the book over the summer before exploring it from a variety of perspectives with their First-Year Foundations instructors during their first year at Elon.
