Eric Townsend

Here’s something you may not have known: A worker riding a sanding machine on the hardwood floor of a gymnasium can reach speeds of up to 10 miles per hour, yet removing the paint from a basketball court still takes about two weeks. Such is the schedule for a father-and-son team that started work Tuesday on the floor of Alumni Gym as part of renovations to the home of the Elon Phoenix basketball and volleyball teams.

Elon Academy scholars took part in closing ceremonies Friday evening that included “Presentations of Learning” throughout Alamance building, where families and mentors of 75 high school students could see firsthand the lessons learned over four weeks on campus this summer as part of the academic enrichment and college access program.

Elon University professors, administrators and alumni made regional and national news this month through their research and activities, both on and off campus. The following list should not be considered exhaustive and does not include athletics news.

Career Services director Tom Vecchione was interviewed at length for a special sections feature story in the July 11, 2010, News & Record newspaper about colleges and universities opening their Career Centers to alumni.

Elon University Poll director Hunter Bacot spoke with News 14 Carolina on July 9 on recent controversies in the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and how Gov. Bev Perdue has handled the public relations fallout.

Professor John Burbridge has been awarded a 2010 Yoseloff-SABR Baseball Research Grants to examine the legacy of a player and manager involved in a famous confrontation in 1955 involving Jackie Robinson.

Assistant professor Dion Farganis spoke with News 14 Carolina for a "TalkBack" segment on the Elena Kagan hearings that took place in Washington this summer as lawmakers prepare to vote on her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If you think U.S. Supreme Court nominees have become much more evasive in recent years during their confirmation hearings, Dion Farganis, an Elon University assistant professor of political science, offers a bit of advice: Think again. Work by Farganis received national attention this week as the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings into Elena Kagan’s nomination to the highest court in the land.