Commencement

Members of the Class of 2011 at Elon Law welcomed family members and friends to the law school on May 21 to celebrate achievements of the class on the eve of commencement ceremonies. Joined by the faculty and staff of the law school and the leadership of Elon University, members of the class were recognized for pro bono service, leadership in law, and contributions to nonprofit organizations and law offices at regional, national, and international levels.

At commencement ceremonies for Elon Law's Class of 2010, North Carolina business leader Robert E. Long, Jr. was presented with the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of his philanthropic and civic leadership. Class of 2010 member William Warihay received the law school's highest student honor, the David Gergen Award for Leadership and Professionalism.

At Elon University School of Law's commencement exercises for the Class of 2010, 98 graduates received Juris Doctor degrees. Their contributions to Elon Law, to the profession, and to society were celebrated through a commencement address by United States Senator Kay Hagan. North Carolina business leader Robert E. Long, Jr. received an honorary degree for outstanding civic leadership.

Family members and friends of Elon Law's Class of 2010 came together to celebrate the achievements of the class on May 22, together with the faculty and administration of Elon Law and the leadership of Elon University. Members of the class also presented their class gift to the law school at the event, a donation of more than $10,000 toward the establishment of an endowed scholarship at the law school. Commencement ceremonies for the class are scheduled for May 23 at 3 p.m.

Through scholarship, student-sponsored forums, and general excellence, members of the Class of 2010 have enriched the academic life of Elon University School of Law, while contributing more than 20,000 hours of community service over their three years of law study. Individual members of the class have also been recognized for high academic achievement and significant pro bono service.

Delivering Elon University School of Law's 2010 Commencement address on May 23, United States Senator Kay Hagan encouraged graduates to become fearless and dedicated advocates, working to ensure the proper implementation of the law, righting injustices, and building better opportunities for society.

David Gergen, adviser to four United States presidents, Director of the Center for Public Leadership and Professor of Public Service at the Harvard Kennedy School, one of the country's preeminent political commentators, and chair of Elon University's Law School Advisory Board, described Elon Law's founding principles of engaged learning, service, and leadership, and underscored their importance to the legal profession and to the nation's well-being, in the inaugural commencement address before the charter class of the law school on May 24.

The Sunday, May 17 edition of the News and Record features editorial columns by George R. Johnson, Jr., Dean of the Elon University School of Law, and Sean M. Olson, a member of the law school's charter class, both celebrating the achievements of the class as it prepares for graduation, May 24.

At the inaugural commencement exercises of the Elon University School of Law, 107 members of the charter class received their Juris Doctor degrees, marking a major milestone for the school founded on the principle that a legal education should prepare students to be not only excellent lawyers but also leaders in their communities.

News and Record columnist Jeri Rowe writes in a May 21 article titled, "Elon Law graduates out to make a difference," that charter class students all sound like Atticus Finch, the legal advocate from the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," in that they all, "want to make a difference."