Alumni

Elon athletics has announced its 2010 Phoenix football schedule, which includes a change of date in the annual Family Weekend. Elon will open the season at Duke University Sept. 4, with the home opener scheduled for Sept. 11 vs. Shaw University. The Family Weekend game will be Oct. 2, with Homecoming set for Oct. 23.

It’s been a while since North Carolina has seen a lengthy warm spell, so at noontime on Wednesday, how did a crowd of Elon University students take advantage of the January weather? By jumping into Lake Mary Nell, naturally, as part of the seventh annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Many students, faculty and staff at Elon University have expressed concern for the people of Haiti following a massive earthquake on Tuesday that killed tens of thousands and devastated much of the Caribbean nation. A current student and a 2009 alum on the ground in Haiti have made contact with their families in the United States, while another two current students and other alumni have started hearing from their own relatives still in the country.

Former Clinton Administration Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers will deliver her second of two public lectures Jan. 19 as part of her role as Elon's sixth Isabella Cannon Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership. The professorship brings nationally recognized authorities to campus to share insights about the nature, potential and responsibilities of leadership.

Robert E. LaRose, a 1966 Elon graduate and former chair of the board of trustees, died Jan. 11. LaRose was a successful entrepreneur from Clifton, Va., who was a loyal and generous Elon supporter and played an important role in the university's development.

Elon University defender Steven Kinney became the first player in program history to be drafted into Major League Soccer when the Chicago Fire selected him on Thursday with the 45th pick of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.