Dan Anderson

Athletics staff and coaches began the move into Alumni Field House on Jan. 14. The 30,000-square-foot facility at the north end of Rhodes Stadium in the North Athletics Complex is the new headquarters for Phoenix athletics.

Veteran ACC assistant football coach Jason Swepson has been named Elon's new head football coach. The announcement came at a Jan. 10 news conference in Alumni Gym, attended by more than 300 Phoenix fans and members of the football team.

The Elon University Board of Trustees voted Oct. 22 to designate a 56-acre undeveloped tract north of University Drive as the Elon University Forest, a dedicated land preserve and natural area. The action protects the largest remaining intact forest in the Town of Elon and safeguards thousands of species of plants, animals and other organisms.

Through a special Facebook project, many members of the Elon family have written personal tributes to those who bring light into the our community. Read what they have to say, watch a special video to get into the spirit, and then leave your message. Take time to give a simple gift, and let someone at Elon know how much they contribute to life at our university. Links to the video and the Facebook page are below…

A special report by the Chronicle of Higher Education on graduation rates at 1,400 four-year colleges and universities highlights Elon's improving rates at a time when many other schools are experiencing declining numbers. In this study, Elon ranked #16 out of more than 300 private master's-level universities, the top school in the Southeast in this category.

Alumni have made more than 100 gifts to the university after viewing Elon's Real Alumni of Genius video, the second in a series of videos this year that will highlight the importance of annual giving. Check out this new video featuring three Elon presidents and one faculty rock star: http://www.elon.edu/alumniofgenius

Be sure to attend one of Elon's favorite annual traditions at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2, on Scott Plaza surrounding Fonville Fountain. The celebration will include hot chocolate and cider, carol singing, a brass quintet, a Menorah lighting, the illumination of the area from Alamance Building to Moseley Center, and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Elon sophomore Chris Thomas was named the 2010 Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Player of the Year and six Phoenix players earned all-conference honors.

Elon University senior Tyler Anderson wrote major portions of the code for a new iPhone/iPod Touch application released by the Iconfactory, a graphic design and software firm based in Greensboro, N.C. The application was approved by Apple for distribution on its iTunes App Store on Oct. 13, following a rigorous quality review for compliance on Apple's mobile devices.

A special Residential Campus Committee has spent the past year drafting a plan that will transform Elon's living-learning environment. Through a new website, the committee is inviting a campus conversation about the details of this initiative, a major goal of the Elon Commitment strategic plan.