Elon Alumni

For freshmen, moving to campus on Friday will bring with it opportunities, close friendships and, yes, even a touch of anxiety. Read tips on making a smooth transition to college life from alumni who this week offered advice for new students on the university's Facebook fan page, and experience move-in days of years past in a photo gallery put together by the Office of University Relations and by Elon's Archives & Special Collections.

Nathan Guerette '10, beginning his first year in the master's program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, was profiled in an Aug. 26 article that appeared on the school's website. Guerette spoke about how his study abroad experience as an Elon undergraduate inspired him to pursue a degree in nursing.

Elon University faculty and academic programs earned numerous top national honors in the 2011 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings released Aug. 17 by US News & World Report. In the magazine's "Focused on Their Undergrads" ranking, Elon is named the #1 Southern University and among the top 86 colleges and universities in the nation "where the faculty has an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching," as measured in a survey of college presidents, provosts and admissions deans.

Former Elon basketball forward Adam Constantine departed the United States this month to take a big leap toward his dream of playing in the NBA. Constantine has signed with Rilski Sportist of the Bulgarian and Balkan leagues and will spend the next year living in the town of Samokov in southwest Bulgaria. He will be keeping a blog of his experiences overseas.

Lindsay Travis Bedford '05, who received the Autism Society of North Carolina's Teacher of the Year Award in April, was recently profiled by the Chapel Hill News.

Elon University leaders conferred degrees Saturday morning to students in the Master of Education program during a Commencement ceremony in Whitley Auditorium attended by faculty, staff, family and friends of the graduate students.

A research article authored by associate professor Mathew Gendle and former Elon College Fellow Abbe Golding ’09 has been published in the August issue of the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental.

Elon University’s 40th Sports Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, includes football player Lamar Adams, football player Whitney Bradham and men’s tennis player Robert Eskilsson.

More and more young adults are becoming aware of the importance of how they are seen by others online and the consequences this can have on their future. For the past several years, a new step in the traditional hiring process utilized by HR offices and even graduate and professional school admissions officers is the “Internet pre-screen.”

What’s an earth-friendly way to cool down a residence hall? Take energy from warm indoor air and drop it hundreds of feet underground. Elon University started work this summer on a geothermal field that will heat and cool the Colonnades residence halls near the Koury Business Center, including three buildings scheduled to open in July 2011.