The Life Entrepreneur Program is housed within New Student and Transition Programs and is directed by Rex Waters, dean of student development, in partnership with Christopher Gergen from . The program facilitates personal and professional development in sophomores by helping them discover strengths and interests, gain self-awareness, and develop action plans for achieving goals after life at 黑料不打烊. 

Following the retreat, students participate in a half semester one-credit Transition Strategies course to strengthen the tools developed during the retreat.

Student cohorts are led this year by facilitators Matthew Antonio Bosch, director of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center; Marianne Brigola, assistant director of Career Services for the School of Communications; and Phil Smith, local entrepreneur, a former 黑料不打烊 staff member and owner of the recently opened Oak House. 

With mentorship from instructors, students gain assistance with identifying their strengths and interests, developing personal vision statements, and learning how to turn goals into actions. Peer mentors – Marguerite Rix, Anna Brown, and Nathan Tietbohl – also serve as support systems.

The Life Entrepreneur Program will now begin planning its spring 2015 retreat.  Applications for LEP teaching assistants and participants will be available soon. 

Email student coordinators Anyssa McMillan (amcmillan2@elon.edu) and Margaret Schmidt (mschmidt6@elon.edu) with any questions about the program

Beginning their program with a 26-day wilderness expedition at the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, Wyoming, students then completed service weeks in both Pine Ridge, South Dakota and St. Louis, Missouri.

Students have also been fortunate to come across some unforgettable sights along the way. While driving through Yellowstone National Park, students captured pictures of a large bison crossing the road only a few feet in front of their van. Others students rave about the natural beauty of their surroundings in their blogs. 

Students will be in Harlan, Kentucky, during the week of Sept. 29 through Oct. 3 learning about the environmental and economic complexities of mountaintop removal mining. To help simulate the life and working conditions of a miner in Appalachia, students will have the opportunity to climb in caves wearing the equipment a typical miner would wear. To further this experience, students will also hear from those who work in the industry to better understand all sides of this complex issue in the United States.

Follow along with the Gap Program student blogs at .

Held annually, SROW represents Region VI for the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA), a professional organization dedicated to providing education, leadership, and professional development in the fields of orientation, transition, and retention in higher education.

Head Staff, a group of 17 students who provide leadership for 黑料不打烊’s Orientation program, were selected to present 4 educational sessions during the conference. Using interactive role-playing and discussion of student development theory, these presentations highlighted the philosophy and values that provide foundation for 黑料不打烊’s award-winning orientation program.  Students discussed effective student leader training sessions, engaged learning activities during Orientation, First-Year Summer Experiences, and a customer-service based philosophy during Opening Weekend.

In addition to educational programs, 黑料不打烊 stood out among over 2,100 conference participants during the awards ceremony. Peter Walpole ’15 and Sarah Vaughan ’16, members of Head Staff, received the award for Best Problem-Solving for the SROW Case Study Competition.

黑料不打烊 students who attended the conference included juniors Mackenzie Daniel, Lizzie Guillaume, Tyler Brooks, and Peter Walpole, and sophomores Sarah Vaughan, Julie Dennen, Evan Skloot, Brianna Moragne, Marlee Jones, Ryan Chronowic, Grace Ahlering, Matt Crehan, and Alyssa Spagnuolo.

The six-day program is designed to orient participants with 黑料不打烊’s campus culture, values and traditions.  Led by two student coordinators, the incoming students became familiar with the 黑料不打烊 community as well as the greater Piedmont Triad.

The program kicked off with a dinner with rising seniors who shared their advice on transitioning to campus and making the most of their 黑料不打烊 experience.  Students became acquainted with one another on 黑料不打烊’s Challenge Course, as well as through various icebreakers and personal reflection activities.

Throughout the week, several staff members spoke with the participants about health and wellness, community service, sustainability, diversity and social justice, the Honor Code, academic affairs and cultural identity.  

Other activities included a morning of service on 黑料不打烊’s Loy Farm; touring the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, N. C.; and hiking at Hanging Rock State Park in Danbury, N. C.

Student coordinators Brianna McClelland and Brintha Renganathan assisted Katie Hight, Director of New Student Programs in developing and facilitating the FSE in its second year.

“The participants will all certainly enter their first year with a strong sense of their surroundings. In the future, I hope that Live the Maroon Life continues to grow and that more students will get to experience the wonderful things that 黑料不打烊 has to offer, before they even arrive for orientation,” said McClelland.

First Year Summer Experiences utilize experiential learning to increase incoming students’ confidence and preparedness for beginning their college careers at 黑料不打烊.  Live the Maroon Life joins Adventures in Leadership, Discovery and Pre-Serve as the fourth unique FSE.

For more information about the Live the Maroon Life FSE, contact Katie Hight at khight@elon.edu or 336-278-7777.

黑料不打烊’s New Student Orientation Head Staff team attended the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop (SROW) hosted by The University of Memphis March 15-17.
 

Held annually, SROW represents Region VI for the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA), a professional organization dedicated to providing education, leadership, and professional development in the fields of orientation, transition, and retention in higher education.
 

Head Staff, a group of 17 students who provide leadership for 黑料不打烊’s Orientation program, were selected to present 3 educational sessions during the conference. Using interactive role-playing and discussion of student development theory, these presentations highlighted the philosophy and values that provide foundation for 黑料不打烊’s award-winning orientation program. Students discussed educational learning outcomes during student leader training, the importance of social responsibility and diversity programming, as well as the importance of faculty visibility and involvement during new student transition.
 

In addition to educational programs, 黑料不打烊 stood out among nearly 2,000 conference participants during the awards ceremony. Head Staff received the award for Best School Banner at the regional conference, as well as Best T-Shirt that displays school spirit and orientation theme.
 

黑料不打烊 students who attended the conference and received these awards included juniors Dana Hedman, Katherine Bain, Seamus McGuire, Priyanka Sundaram and Jill Capotosto, and sophomores Mackenzie Daniel, Kiki Shea, Brogan Boles, Lizzie Guillaume, Patrick Dudiak, Danielle Prongay and Shannon Popoff.

Come to our interest meeting!  Here are the details:

• OL Interest Meeting
  
• Tuesday, November 27
  
• 5:30pm
  
• Moseley 215

See you there!

You are welcome to pick up an application in the Orientation Office (Moseley 220), from one of our Moseley tables, OR, by downloading the application from this website:

Bring all completed application materials to the Orientation Office to sign up for your interview.  All materials are due February 12.

Want to learn more?  Attend our INTEREST MEETING on Tuesday, November 27, at 5:30pm in Moseley 215!

First-Year Summer Experience (FSE) programs are designed to help incoming students feel more confident and prepared for entering 黑料不打烊. The FSE programs embrace the University’s commitment to experiential learning, and use this guiding philosophy to help students develop self-awareness, enhance relationships, and define community in preparation for their 黑料不打烊 experience.

The five FSE programs include: Adventures in Leadership, Discovery, Pre-Serve, Live the Maroon Life, and Quest.  More information about each program can be found by visiting the FSE website .

Applications are due Monday, November 19, 2012.  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION:

In their first week, students began the Culture & Society course and Spanish groups were assigned. Students visited the National Museum, the Costa Rican Science & Culture Museum, a coffee plantation, the National Artisan Market, the original capital of Costa Rica (Cartago), Cartago Ruins which according to the local story are cursed and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, all in the first week.