The third annual event, held March 5 in Snow Family Grand Atrium, showcased student projects and faculty research that advance inclusive storytelling and community engagement.
The School of Communications community gathered March 5 in Snow Family Grand Atrium for the third annual Spotlight on Inclusive Excellence, an interactive event highlighting projects and initiatives advancing inclusive storytelling and media practice.
The program featured table conversations where attendees moved throughout the space to engage with students, faculty and staff about ongoing initiatives and projects.
Take a closer look at our Spotlight on Inclusive Excellence with our Flickr gallery.
Assistant Dean Vanessa Bravo opened the event by emphasizing that inclusive excellence remains a core priority within the School of Communications and across Elon University.
“Inclusive excellence is deeply important to us,” Bravo said. “These values have always mattered and will continue to matter.”
Throughout the program, attendees explored a range of subjects, including work by student organizations, projects from Live Oak Communications — the school’s student-run communications agency — student journalism and research efforts, faculty scholarship and coursework connected to the university’s Advancing Equity Requirement.
Other discussions focused on topics such as women in sports, student research featured in academic journals, and projects examining how communications and media can amplify diverse voices and perspectives.
Bravo said the event helped the school community better understand the breadth of inclusive excellence initiatives taking place across the School of Communications.
“This is a great opportunity to learn about the many diversity-, equity- and inclusion-related efforts happening throughout the School of Communications,” she said. “From student organizations and faculty research to journalism projects and alumni work, these efforts demonstrate how our community is engaging these issues in meaningful ways.”
“The discussions highlighted how quickly the communications landscape is evolving — and why questions of equity and representation remain central to that change,” said Lorraine Ahearn, assistant professor of journalism and chair of the Inclusive Excellence Committee. “Our students, faculty and alumni are actively examining how media systems shape who is represented and whose voices are heard.”
Bravo thanked the faculty members who organized the event through the school’s Inclusive Excellence Committee, including Ahearn, Young Do Kim, Sydney Nicolla, and Lee Bush, as well as the students, faculty and staff who hosted conversations during the program.