On Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, Elon University hosted Elon Talks, where faculty and alumni gathered to hear current professors speak about their successful experiences with students who have shown exemplary performances.
This year was a special edition featuring the recent inauguration of President Connie Ledoux Book. This Elon Talks showcased the progress of Elon's students and programs.
The presentation honed in on four faculty members who spoke in a “TED Talk” style. The speakers included: Cynthia Fair, professor of public health studies and human service studies; Haya Ajjan, associate professor of management information systems; Tony Crider, professor of physics; and Jean Rattigan-Rohr, executive director of community partnerships, director of the Center for Access and Success and professor of education.
Each professor spoke about programs they helped start, and how their students have taken part in their meaningful initiatives.
To share a little insight, Fair spoke of how her students helped research AIDS in children under the age of five; due to their excellence in research they were able to participate in national conventions. Crider shared his unique concept of testing his students, and how he uses video games to help further his astronomy and physics classes. Ajjan recounted her experiences coming to the United States from Syria and how it led her to creating the Center for Organizational Analytics. Rattigan-Rohr spoke about her project, “It Takes a Village,” where students help the local elementary students in poverty learn valuable life skills and gain more education than they would normally have in school.
The professors shared with the audience the opportunities students have at Elon and how they have grown and benefited from each project. These talks inform Elon's alumni of the great success the university has had with its student and how the school continues to flourish and prosper.