Elon University is a private university renowned as a national model for engaged and experiential learning. Students work closely with faculty who are dedicated to excellent teaching and scholarship. The curriculum is grounded in the traditional liberal arts and sciences and complemented by nationally accredited professional and graduate programs.
The university’s seven schools serve a selective student body of nearly 7,000. Elon is one of only seven private universities in the country with accredited schools of business, communications, education, law and health sciences, plus a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.
The DeJoy-Wos Odyssey Scholars Endowment:
The DEJOY\WOS Family Foundation’s major gift to establish the DeJoy-Wos Odyssey Scholars Endowment was announced by Elon President Connie Ledoux Book during her inauguration as the university’s ninth president in October 2018.
The DeJoy-Wos Odyssey Scholars Endowment established in 2018 provides full scholarships to four highly motivated students from Title I schools in Guilford County each year initially, with that number growing up to 12 full scholarships a year in the near future. The endowment forms a collaboration that includes the DeJoy\Wos Family Foundation, Elon’s Odyssey Program and Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, and the United Way of Greater Greensboro to identify students in Guilford County Title I schools for these scholarships. See News Release, Elon’s Website announcement and Elon News Network
In March 2022, the Foundation made a second endowment gift, bringing the total number of scholarships to 16. The first two DeJoy-Wos Odyssey Scholars are enrolled in Elon’s Class of 2025. See News Release and Elon’s Website announcement
Scholarship selections are made from students who are eager to participate in Elon’s brand of high-impact learning and who would be unable to enroll without financial assistance. Each scholar will be part of Elon’s successful Odyssey Program, a highly selective program for students with great promise and significant financial need, including many who are the first in their families to attend college.
International Studies:
The DEJOY\WOS Family Foundation has endowed scholarship funding for Elon’s international studies major. Elon’s international studies major is an interdisciplinary program that combines a broad knowledge of international affairs with focused study of one region of the world.
Balancing study abroad experiences, foreign language study and other Elon coursework, the program fosters an understanding of emerging global issues along with respect and appreciation for other peoples and cultures. The program provides international studies majors with the necessary skills to succeed in graduate school or careers in government, business, travel and nongovernmental organizations.
2019-2020 Speaker Series:
During Elon University’s Fall Convocation and the first event of the 2019-2020 Speaker Series, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley was the featured speaker and offered remarks followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by Dr. Aldona Woś, the former U.S. ambassador to Estonia. The theme running throughout the series is the quest for truth, an idea that Haley zeroed in on during the close of her discussion with Woś.
Haley said she learned to focus on the similarities between people, not the differences. It was a lesson she said she would later lean upon as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations as she looked to find common ground while promoting the country’s values and interests.
“With freedom of expression, especially on college campuses, instead of yelling at each other for being wrong, ask them why they think the way they do, and have that conversation,” Haley said. “You will become a smarter, more intelligent person when you understand both sides of an argument and when you respect it.”
Select the following links to view:
Today at Elon News
News Release
Numen Lumen Pavilion:
The DEJOY\WOS Family Foundation supported the construction of The Numen Lumen Pavilion at Elon University. In March 2013, Elon opened the new multi-faith center in the Academic Village. The Numen Lumen Pavilion is a place for prayer, meditation and reflection in the heart of campus, respecting the differing customs of students’ religious and spiritual traditions. The multi-faith center provides an environment for robust dialogue about religion on campus, exploring what unites us in our common humanity and promoting the values served by deeper interfaith collaboration.
The Numen Lumen Pavilion houses the Vera Richardson Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society. A circular Sacred Space with a soaring roof is the location for Elon’s weekly Numen Lumen community gatherings. Adjacent to the Sacred Space is the Richard McBride Gathering Space, a place for receptions, meals, meetings and discussion forums. The second floor includes a social space called Oasis, a prayer room, meditation room, library, study room and classroom. Outside is The Terrace and the Meditation Garden with benches and a Kugel ball fountain.
The Numen Lumen Pavilion is open to the public 7-days per week.
