In an effort to promote its commitment to global engagement, Elon University added a new global directory navigation tab on its website.
Woody Pelton, dean of global education, said he pitched the idea to create a new tab where all information related to this commitment was located. The project started in January 2017 with President Emeritus Leo Lambert’s approval. It was finally launched in February 2019.
The new tab collates all of Elon’s Study Abroad and Study USA programs, class curriculums and community engagement activities into one location.
According to the site, “Elon is committed to 100% access to global engagement, which includes Study Abroad, Study USA and other international opportunities for students. For 15 straight years, Elon has earned a number one ranking for study abroad participation from the Institute for International Education.”
Shanna Van Beek, communications manager of global education, and Dan Anderson, vice president of university communications, said they worked with each other to develop how the tab would look with pictures, text and links.
According to Van Beek, the hardest part of putting together the new tab was categorizing the information. Van Beek said this visual component to global engagement is reflected in the students of Elon.
“We are invested in this work. We are deeply proud four-fifths of students will do at least one global engagement before they graduate,” Van Beek said.
When the Institute of International Education ranked Elon number one in study abroad participation, Van Beek enjoyed scrolling through the social media comments left on the announcement. One comment stuck out to her in particular.
Scott Andrews-Weckerly wrote in a comment, “A life changing part of the Elon experience — in fact, I can draw a straight line from every professional decision I’ve made to my time abroad.”
Van Beek said she agrees with Weckerly and added, “Study Abroad, Study USA and global things that this campus has invested in, the impact is not only immediate but for years and years to come.”