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¸£ÀûÑÇÖÞ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· President Leo M. Lambert opened the annual planning week by focusing on the goals of The Elon Commitment strategic plan. "At the dawn of a new decade and this new strategic plan, I ask you to continue to give serious thought to how your program, department, or division and each of you personally will take ownership of the idea of leading Elon to national prominence," Lambert said in addressing faculty and staff who were assembled in McCrary Theatre.

For freshmen, moving to campus on Friday will bring with it opportunities, close friendships and, yes, even a touch of anxiety. Read tips on making a smooth transition to college life from alumni who this week offered advice for new students on the university's Facebook fan page, and experience move-in days of years past in a photo gallery put together by the Office of University Relations and by Elon's Archives & Special Collections.

Nathan Guerette '10, beginning his first year in the master's program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, was profiled in an Aug. 26 article that appeared on the school's website. Guerette spoke about how his study abroad experience as an Elon undergraduate inspired him to pursue a degree in nursing.

¸£ÀûÑÇÖÞ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· faculty and academic programs earned numerous top national honors in the 2011 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings released Aug. 17 by US News & World Report. In the magazine's "Focused on Their Undergrads" ranking, Elon is named the #1 Southern University and among the top 86 colleges and universities in the nation "where the faculty has an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching," as measured in a survey of college presidents, provosts and admissions deans.

Lindsay Travis Bedford '05, who received the Autism Society of North Carolina's Teacher of the Year Award in April, was recently profiled by the Chapel Hill News.

Former Elon basketball forward Adam Constantine departed the United States this month to take a big leap toward his dream of playing in the NBA. Constantine has signed with Rilski Sportist of the Bulgarian and Balkan leagues and will spend the next year living in the town of Samokov in southwest Bulgaria. He will be keeping a blog of his experiences overseas.

¸£ÀûÑÇÖÞ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· leaders conferred degrees Saturday morning to students in the Master of Education program during a Commencement ceremony in Whitley Auditorium attended by faculty, staff, family and friends of the graduate students.