Below are some of our “signature” programs which are unique to Elon. They touch the lives of students both at the beginning of their college careers and as they prepare to leave. These programs encourage students to appreciate the communities they have come from and the one they will experience at Elon.

Festival of Lights and Luminaries

Hundreds of candle-lit luminaries line the walkways as part of Elon’s annual Festival of Lights and Luminaries tradition. The evening is a celebration of the diverse religious, spiritual, and ethical identities held on our campus, as different groups to host and share their traditions with the community members wending through the paths of the Historic neighborhood, Under the Oaks, and through the Lambert Academic Villlage. The date for the 2022 Festival of Holiday Lights is November 29 and the rain date is Wednesday, December 1.

Turning 21 Celebrations

Since the spring of 1998, Elon University has marked the 21st birthday of thousands of juniors and seniors to honor and celebrate the transition to adulthood. This quarterly program brings together students and their faculty or staff mentors for a time of conversation and reflection.

Turning 21 offers students an opportunity to submit a mentor reflection to the Truitt Center and to invite that mentor to coffee and a snack at the Oak House (our treat). Following the mentor coffee conversation, students may pick up a Turning 21 mug at the Numen Lumen Pavilion front desk.

Senior administrators, including former presidents Leo Lambert and Earl Danieley, have accompanied students to this rite of passage ceremony. Elon University focuses on this 21st birthday transition to help students fully accept their new adult status in life and move with greater confidence into the future.

 

Interfaith Immersion

The Truitt Center is deeply committed to providing opportunities for students to learn about and engage with religious and spiritual traditions outside their own.  We believe that students learn and grow in powerful ways through meaningful engagement with difference.  Therefore, the Truitt Center offers programs throughout the year which are aimed at creating opportunities for this type of interfaith engagement.  Some examples of signature Truitt Center programs include: an Interfaith Lunch and Learn series (Winterfaith), religious holiday celebrations, and an interfaith spring break trip.