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Elon University has released its President's List and Dean's List academic recognitions for the 2011 spring semester.

A team of Elon University staff and graduate students led by Ross Wade, assistant director of Career Services in the School of Communications, won an Innovative Excellence Award on June 2 from the National Association of Colleges and Employers at the organization’s national conference in Dallas.

Elon University senior economics major Kaylyn Swankoski was awarded the 2011 Allen Starling Johnson Jr. Outstanding Symposium Presentation Prize for the April 29 presentation of her senior thesis at the Duke Economics Department 9th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

What does it take to sell someone on your idea for a new product or service? A good pitch certainly helps - especially one you can give to a prospective investor in less than a minute, a skill that won Elon University junior Brian Serow top prize in a contest at the 2011 MIT Global Startup Workshop in Seoul, South Korea.

Watch a video of the highlights of Commencement 2011, then send a message to members of the Class of 2011 on YouTube - find your friends and family members on the video and tag the time on the video. Here's the YouTube link: http://youtu.be/gowz-Aewz9w

Events leading up to Commencement 2011 take place this week as Elon prepares to graduate its 121st undergraduate class, its MBA and Elon Law class, and its second class in the iMedia graduate program. Activities for seniors start May 18, with a class picnic, an evening gala, receptions and dinners on the agenda.

Six Elon athletics teams rank among the nation’s top 10 percent in their sports in the annual NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) report. The Elon Phoenix men’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s indoor and outdoor track and volleyball teams are among the NCAA Division I teams receiving public recognition awards for their APR scores, the NCAA announced May 17.

Some have accepted top internships or will begin full-time work. Others plan to enroll in graduate school. For nine seniors who will receive their diplomas Under the Oaks on May 21, the first steps of their lives as Elon University alumni started months ago with a visit to the Office of Career Services. They’re now sharing their stories.