Today at Elon

For Queens University Chaplain Adrian Bird, watching students embark on their college journeys during Move-in Day is an annual tradition. The emotions of that moment were felt in a deeply personal way on Aug. 21, 2026, as Bird and his family unloaded boxes and moved his daughter, Lydia, into her new home at Elon University. As someone who guides campus life at Queens, Adrian knows firsthand how crucial that first day can be. Experiencing it as a parent offered a fresh perspective.

Elon celebrates Earth Week each April around Earth Day, nationally recognized on April 22. But caring for our planet shouldn’t be limited to just one day or one week. Earth Day Every Day invites the campus community to celebrate our environment, spark meaningful conversations and take action toward a more sustainable future.

For Charlotte native Raven Horneman ‘30, true leadership is built through hands-on service, resilience, and a deep commitment to building community. An International Baccalaureate graduate of East Mecklenburg High School, Horneman has always believed in the importance of helping those around her, whether by co-founding her high school’s American Sign Language club or actively volunteering on her church’s production team. In June 2025, Horneman achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.

The ceremony, part of New Student Orientation, formally introduces new students to Elon’s Honor Code and calls on them to consider how those values will guide their decisions in the classroom, across campus and beyond the university. Share: Elon University’s Class of 2030 committed to uphold the university’s core values of honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect during the annual Call to Honor ceremony Monday, Aug. 24, in Alumni Gym.

Nearly 1,600 new Elon University students gathered Under the Oaks for New Student Convocation on Saturday, Aug. 22, marking the formal beginning of their academic journey and receiving a challenge to embrace the “enormous opportunity of an Elon education.” “We are intentionally seated here, under this beautiful canopy of century-old oak trees,” said Book. “These oak trees have weathered challenges and withstood change.

Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley offers this weekly message to help students stay informed and prepare for the week ahead. Share: Get ready for a new academic year! The first Phoenix Five of the year is here! Each Sunday afternoon, I’ll send you a quick email with five things you need to know for the week ahead. This could include important deadlines and campus events or helpful reminders and opportunities to get involved.

This teaching was given during Orientation at Elon’s Move-in Shabbat on Aug. 21, 2026. Welcome to Elon! Welcome first years, welcome back returning students, and welcome families. We are so very glad that you have chosen to be here with us. This week’s Torah portion (parshah) is called Ki Teitzei. Ki Teitzei means “when you go out”. In the parshah, this going out refers to war and is immediately followed by laws governing the taking of captives.

In “Human* Being: On Otherkin Identity and Digital Community,” Devin Proctor, associate professor of anthropology, explores the loose collective of “otherkin” and “therians” through their experiences, beliefs, identities, and the way they use new media technologies to facilitate community in digital spaces.

Mayte de Lama, associate professor of Spanish Associate Professor of Spanish Mayte de Lama explored how literature can serve as a powerful tool for raising awareness and fostering meaningful conversations about mental health, at the XLII Congreso Internacional de Literatura y Estudios Hispánicos in Spain. Drawing on Claudia Piñeiro’s novel “Elena Knows,” de Lama presented a classroom project developed for her course Spanish 3200: Reading Texts, Reading Life.

Qian Xu, professor of strategic communications and A.J. Fletcher Professor, speaks to a fall 2025 class in Dwight C. Schar Hall. Qian Xu, professor of strategic communications and A.J. Fletcher Professor, collaborated with Cheng Chen, assistant professor at Oregon State University, on a study examining how AI conversational styles interact with users’ expectations of the roles AI should play.