Performers can either do karaoke, sing an original song, or lip sync 鈥� the one stipulation is that it must be in a language other than English. This year, there were 14 performances with songs in 10 different languages:听French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Italian, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, and Old French/Latin.

Global Vision was inspired by the Euro Vision Song Contest, which has been hosted since 1956. However, the event at Elon is for languages across the globe, not only languages spoken in Europe.

Elon’s performers were rated in the categories singing, language skills, and performance by Sandy Marshall (Global Neighborhood), Bethanny Sudibyo (World Languages and Cultures), Trudy Arling (Polygot LLC RA), and Joel Thomas (Campus Safety and Police).

There were three prize baskets for the winners filled with international candies, snacks and drinks. In addition to the sweet treats, the first-place winners also went home with a trophy!

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

• 1st place – Vee Brown performed in Italian
• 2nd place – Emma Arruda performed in French
• 3rd place – Tamar Kalisher performed in French/Latin

Elon’s sixth Global Vision Song Contest is scheduled for Spring 2027.

The , a national organization that seeks to create a network where faculty and student affairs educators can learn, build and advance scholarship on the residential college experience, launched its awards program this year to recognize excellence in residential education.

A national model for living and learning

At Elon, living and learning are intentionally intertwined. Faculty and staff work across divisions to connect students鈥� academic journeys with their residential communities through shared courses, embedded faculty roles, themed living-learning communities and opportunities for informal mentorship.

The university was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Institutional Excellence in Residential Education Award for its collaborative, relationship-rich approach, which RCS described as a deeply human model of education that centers belonging, well-being and intellectual engagement.

鈥淎t Elon, Living and Learning isn鈥檛 just a program; it is the Elon experience,鈥� Nick Tippenhauer, RCS Executive Leadership Team member and assistant Dean for studies at Rockefeller College at Princeton University, said during the awards ceremony, referencing the nomination. 鈥淚t is a defining commitment to engaged learning that weaves together every aspect of campus life.鈥�

Accepting the award on behalf of the university were Eleanor Finger, assistant vice president for Student Life and dean of campus life, and Jennifer Stephens, director of Academic-Residential Partnerships, who also emphasized the uniqueness of Elon鈥檚 integrated model.

鈥淲hat makes Elon鈥檚 model distinctive is that we are fully integrated,鈥� Stephens said. 鈥淩arely do you see an actual partnership between Academic Affairs and Student Life across the entire living and learning experience the way you do at Elon.鈥�

Community building at the heart of residential life

Much of Elon鈥檚 national reputation in living and learning is rooted in the day-to-day work happening in its neighborhoods. Faculty-in-residence and community directors collaborate to foster spaces that help students grow personally, academically and socially.

One example of this approach is illustrated in the Global Neighborhood, led in part by Outstanding Faculty Member Award recipient Sandy Marshall, where traditions such as 鈥淪undaes on Sundays鈥� and 鈥淢ondays with the Marshalls,鈥� as well as monthly film nights and neighborhood dialogue dinners, have become beloved opportunities for students and faculty to connect beyond the classroom.

鈥淥ur Global Neighborhood team works with our amazing campus partners to create and sustain meaningful opportunities for students to connect with one another as well as faculty, staff, and community mentors,鈥� Marshall said. 鈥淚 love connecting with the students and seeing them make their own connections at these events.鈥�

During the awards ceremony, Tippenhauer emphasized that Marshall鈥檚 programs are more than social events. 鈥淭hey are acts of community-building that make a large campus feel personal and connected,鈥� he said.

Mariann King, community director for the Global Neighborhood, noted that the impact of these programs becomes clear as students grow over the academic year.

鈥淲hen you think about where students are that first weekend and then see where they are by the time we host our Global Gala in the spring, you really get to see your students shine,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose moments show just how much they learn from living on campus.鈥�

Deepening connection, belonging and student success

The awards from the RCS reaffirm Elon鈥檚 long-standing commitment to exploring ways to deepen students’ connections and well-being.

鈥淲hen faculty and staff invest in students as people, students feel like they have a place,鈥� Finger said. 鈥淭hat sense of being cared for is what builds belonging.鈥�

Stephens echoed this sentiment, stating, 鈥淭he two biggest indicators of student success are student-to-faculty interaction and peer-to-peer interaction,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen those happen naturally in residential spaces, it strengthens both connection and well-being.鈥�

Looking ahead, Elon will continue to evolve its integrated model. Finger emphasized that ongoing refinement and growth will drive the next phase of this work.

鈥淲e are excited to engage more faculty in this transformative work, and to think dynamically about new living and learning communities that spark curiosity and interest in our students,鈥� she said.

Even as the model evolves, its core purpose will remain the same: bringing faculty, staff and students together outside the classroom to build community.

DeMarco, a human service studies major, started her engagement at Elon as a member of the Service Living and Learning Community. She continued to deepen her involvement as a Service Living and Learning Community coordinator and a leader of an alternative break experience to Asheville.

She has been involved in the Campus Kitchen program for several years now, initially as a farm shift coordinator, and now serves as director. DeMarco has been able to strengthen volunteer retention, along with an increased capability of harvesting more produce Loy Farm to help serve those experiencing food insecurity in Alamance County. She is also an advocate for service as the service chair for Elon鈥檚 chapter of Alpha Chi Omega.

鈥淢egan has an unbridled passion for service that is infectious to all those who participate with her,” said Abby Wiatrek, associate director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life. “Her leadership style has a natural way of showing the humanity and humility needed when participating in service that makes others feel comfortable to ask questions to learn more about why the service that we are doing is important to our community.鈥�

North Carolina Campus Engagement is a collaborative network of colleges and universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. The organization fosters connections between campuses, shares best practice information and resources, recognizes outstanding work, and champions civic and community engagement in higher education.

Participants learned about the听EcoVillage LLC at Loy Farm听proposal process and how the LLC integrates with the existing farm and academic initiatives on site. Presenters also offered learning moments, bumps in the road, and reflections on the EcoVillage’s first two years as a community.听Participants also gained insights on how to potentially kickstart a conversation on tiny house partnerships at their institution.听

The EcoVillage will be available for sophomores through seniors to select during Housing Selection coming up in February for returning students for the 2026-27 academic year.

Elon leaders dedicated the Toshio Sato Commons on Oct. 10, 2025, as part of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend in a ceremony that recognized the university鈥檚 first international student and first four-year graduate from outside the United States.

Members of Sato鈥檚 family from Japan were joined at the ceremony by dignitaries of the Japanese government as well as executives from The Japan-America Society, the NC Japan Center at North Carolina State University, and representatives from Honda and Toyota.

Descendants and distinguished guests gathered with 福利亚洲国产精品 faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and students in what had been known as Global Commons to celebrate Sato鈥檚 remarkable campus legacy.

The early afternoon ceremony featured remarks by President Connie Ledoux Book, who described Sato鈥檚 story as 鈥渁 testament to the courage, imagination and aspirations of a young Japanese woman who came to our campus, formed powerful and lasting relationships and established an ethos of global friendship and partnership that has remained strong across generations.鈥�

Sato arrived at Elon in 1914 from the rural town of Wakuya, Japan, supported by church and community leaders who recognized her potential. She studied through the challenges of World War I and the global influenza pandemic, graduating as valedictorian in 1920. On campus she served as president of the Women鈥檚 Association for Self-Government, an early version of Elon鈥檚 Student Government Association.

鈥淲hen Toshio arrived at Elon, she didn鈥檛 just survive 鈥� she soared,鈥� Book said. 鈥淪he became a beacon of leadership and intellectual curiosity on our campus.鈥�

After returning to Japan, Sato lived through the destruction of World War II, losing her home and possessions but not her connection to the university she once called home.

鈥淪he rebuilt her life with the same quiet dignity and strength that had defined her all along,鈥� Book said. 鈥淲e live in a world that desperately needs more Toshios 鈥� more people who can reach across oceans and divides and appreciate the wonderful common humanity that unites us all.鈥�

We live in a world that desperately needs more Toshios 鈥� more people who can reach across oceans and divides and appreciate the wonderful common humanity that unites us all.

– 福利亚洲国产精品 President Connie Ledoux Book

Book presented a gift from 福利亚洲国产精品 to each of Sato鈥檚 descendants during the dedication: A metal plate with an image of Toshio Sato Commons to display in their homes.

Among those family members in attendance was Sato鈥檚 grandson, Yusuke Kato, a physics professor at the University of Tokyo.

鈥淭oshio never thought it would be for her to come back again to North Carolina,鈥� Kato said in remarks delivered on behalf of the family. 鈥淣or would she have imagined that her descendants would be participating in Homecoming week, more than 100 years after her graduation.鈥�

Kato described his family鈥檚 visit as a reminder of the enduring ties between Elon and Japan. 鈥淲e are attracted so much by 福利亚洲国产精品 and would like to contribute in some way,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e thank again all the people in 福利亚洲国产精品 for remembering Toshio鈥檚 pioneering role and leadership in her college days over 100 years ago.鈥�

Chika Kusakawa 鈥�09, an Elon alumna who helped the university reconnect with Sato鈥檚 descendants, recalled in the ceremony鈥檚 welcoming remarks how she first learned as a student about Sato鈥檚 historical significance at the university.

鈥淩eading about her success at the time gave me a quiet confidence 鈥� if she could thrive then, I could thrive now,鈥� Kusakawa said. 鈥淜nowing someone like me had been on this journey had a profound impact. It underscores that representation matters. Leaders like her paved the way for people like me.鈥�

Nick Gozik, dean of global education, said Sato鈥檚 courage continues to influence Elon鈥檚 approach to international learning. 鈥淲hat we call the present is given shape by an accumulation of the past,鈥� he said, quoting novelist Haruki Murakami. 鈥淢ay Sato Commons continue to remind us that courage, curiosity and human connection are at the heart of education 鈥� here at Elon, and in the world beyond.鈥�

Sato鈥檚 name is now displayed on a building that is home to the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center and the Elon Core Curriculum. The commons also includes classrooms, meeting spaces and gathering areas for students.

Performers can either do karaoke, sing an original song, or lip sync 鈥� the one stipulation is that it must be in a language other than English. This year, there were 13 performances with songs in five different languages: French, Arabic, Spanish, German and Korean.听

GlobalVision was inspired by the EuroVision song competition. However, the event at Elon is for languages across the globe, not only languages spoken in Europe.

The first GlobalVision happened in the spring of 2022 in Global Commons. Since then, the event has grown and is now an annual event in Iraz煤. This event has seen a lot of change in just three years, and will continue to evolve in the years to come.

There were three prize baskets for the winners filled with international candies, snacks and drinks. All winners also got a bouquet of fresh flowers. In addition to the other two prizes. The first place winners also went home with a trophy.

The first place winners, sophomores Ali and Andi Dalton ’27, sang an original song with guitar in French. First-year student Andrew Juhasz ’28 was the second-place winner and sang a song in German. In third place was a trio who sang karaoke to 鈥淐贸mo la flor鈥� by Selena. Their charisma had the audience involved and excited about the performance.

Although not all 13 groups that performed went home with prizes, they all went home with a fun and memorable experience.

Residence Life also recognized members of the Residence Life student staff council and one graduating Neighborhood Manager: Wise Halverson.

The evening included opening remarks from President Connie Book and Vice President of Student Life Jon Dooley.

Student Staff Member of the Year (by neighborhood)

Student Staff Member of the Year is awarded to at least one staff member from each residential neighborhood who has demonstrated excellent teamwork, dedication, and positivity in their role.

Recipients

Colonnades: Mackenzie Perry

Danieley: Jason Adama-Tettey

East: Asia Green

Global: Keali Chang

Historic: Kiera Wenzel

Loy: Catarina Gandara Da Silva

Oaks: Morgan Seate

Station at Mill Point: Annabelle Stephens

Living-Learning Community (LLC) End of Year Awards

Almost 80 nominations were submitted for the Living-Learning Community End of Year awards, including nominations by participating students, staff and faculty advisors. Elon鈥檚 nationally ranked LLCs support over 600 residents in 24 different living-learning communities led by 33 faculty and staff LLC advisors.

Living-Learning Community Student of the Year: Odalys Zelaya Figueroa, First Phoenix LLC, Colonnades Neighborhood

Living-Learning Community Ambassador of the Year: Violette Valadez, First Phoenix LLC, Colonnades Neighborhood

Living-Learning Community Program of the Year: Elon College Fellows Murder Mystery Night, East Neighborhood

Living-Learning Community Advisors of the Year: Paula DiBiaso and Kenneth Brown, First Phoenix LLC, Colonnades Neighborhood

Living-Learning Community Resident Assistant of the Year: Grace Smith, Sustainable Living LLC, Colonnades Neighborhood

Living-Learning Community of the Year: Performing Arts LLC, Global Neighborhood

NRHH Rising Diamond Award
Tessa Mattison, senior resident assistant, Historic Neighborhood听

This award recognizes a Residence Life staff member who shows that leadership inside and outside the department is crucial to continued growth in the 福利亚洲国产精品 experience. The recipient of this award has demonstrated that their skill set learned at Elon has positively impacted their community and will continue to impact whatever community joined after positively. The official symbol of NRHH is a diamond 鈥搕he world鈥檚 most precious gem- to signify the value and beauty one finds in their experiences.

Student Leadership and Community Development Award
Maximus Garganta, senior resident assistant, Colonnades Neighborhood听

This award highlights a student staff member who demonstrated extraordinary leadership in their role and promoted community development by challenging and caring for residents through their Elon experiences.

Student Employee Excellence Award
Eva Miller, office assistant, Global Neighborhood听

This award highlights an hourly student employee who has displayed extraordinary dedication, leadership and service to their neighborhood and/or the Office of Residence Life. They consistently positively impact their neighborhood/office staff and community by going above and beyond what is asked in completing their work responsibilities.

Julie Justice Faculty Engagement Award
Claudine Moreau, faculty director, Historic Neighborhood

In honor of Julie Justice鈥檚 depth of service and engagement with her residents during her time as a faculty-in-residence in the Oaks neighborhood, this award honors a faculty member who has contributed to enhancing the residential campus initiative by engaging with students within the residential community, and broadly developing connections within the neighborhood to enhance the student residential experience.

Program of the Year

Neighborhood: East
Program Name:听East Gets on the Bus to Twin Lakes
This award highlights a neighborhood program, event, or series that promotes active engagement of residents with faculty and staff over a topic that promotes the intellectual theme of the neighborhood.

Firestarter Award
Sydney Michel, resident assistant, Historic Neighborhood听

This award recognizes a new student staff member who has shown exceptional promise in their role through creative and engaging floor programming, sound decision-making, and a consistently positive attitude. Their dedication to building community and enhancing the living and learning experience at Elon sets a strong foundation for continued impact and growth.

Trailblazing Guide Award
Nicholas Rugbart, senior resident assistant, Global Neighborhood听听

This award honors a seasoned student staff member who consistently goes above and beyond – not only excelling in their own role, but also serving as a reliable source of support and mentorship for their peers. Their approachable nature and commitment to fostering a strong living and learning environment truly embody the spirit of campus community.

Tracy Pace Program Assistant of the Year
Sandra Bays, program assistant, East Neighborhood

This award honors a program assistant in Residence Life who utilizes exceptional organization, interpersonal, and customer service skills.

Professional Staff Member of the Year
Mariann King, community director, Global Neighborhood

This award recognizes a professional staff member of the Residence Life team who has demonstrated mentorship, community building and professionalism throughout the 2024-25 academic year.

Community Partnership Award
Grace Smith, resident assistant, Colonnades Neighborhood

The Community Partnership Award is presented to an individual who has continuously partnered and supported throughout the school year with Campus Safety and Police.

More than 50 immigrant and refugee students received recognition for their dedicated participation in weekly English classes supported by 福利亚洲国产精品 students, faculty, and staff.

The graduation marks a milestone in an ongoing partnership between the Burlington Masjid and Elon鈥檚 Multifaith Scholars Program, as well as Elon鈥檚 Global Neighborhood. Throughout this academic year, Elon students and staff have volunteered at the Masjid, providing structured ESL instruction, tutoring and conversation support to a community made up primarily of newcomers from Afghanistan and Syria.

鈥淭his initiative is rooted in our commitment to global citizenship and local engagement,鈥� said Sandy Marshall, faculty director of the Global Neighborhood and interim director of the Multifaith Scholars Program. 鈥淭he Burlington Masjid plays a vital role in supporting newly arrived refugees, and this collaboration is a natural extension of our shared goals.鈥�

Each Sunday morning throughout the academic year, approximately 50 students have gathered for lessons in listening, reading and writing in English. The program is tailored to meet the unique needs of learners adapting to life in a new country.

Multifaith Scholar Bethany Marzella 鈥�24 and Elon College Fellow Rachel Curtis 鈥�24 were among the early volunteers who helped launch the initiative with just a handful of students in 2023. As the number of refugee families in the Burlington area increased, so did interest from Elon volunteers, especially amid reductions in federal refugee resettlement support.

Alyssa Carney 鈥�26, an international and global studies and history double major, and Owen Hayes 鈥�26, a history major, began volunteering in fall 2024,听 as part of their community engagement efforts with the MFS program. Recognizing the need for consistent, structured language support, they worked with Marshall and the Masjid to help expand the program.

鈥淪eeing the class grow has been incredible,鈥� said Dina Halayqa, volunteer coordinator for the ESL program at the Masjid. 鈥淭his is more than just grammar and vocabulary. It鈥檚 a space where people are rewriting their stories in a new land.鈥�

Greatly contributing to the growth of the program has been the dedicated support given by Nicole Galante, assistant director of National and International Fellowships, who joined as a volunteer in January. Like Halayqa, Galante agrees that the program is about more than language learning.

鈥淢eaning-making is a communal process that transcends the boundaries of language,” said Galante. “I love helping students at the masjid learn English, but I really love coming together despite our differences to learn more about ourselves and the world.鈥�

Additional volunteers who joined in the spring include Jesse White 鈥�26, also a multifaith scholar, Tajallah Amirkhil 鈥�28, Huria Tahiry 鈥�26 and Jenna Abousaab 鈥�27. With increased capacity, the program offers two class sections: one for primarily Arabic-speaking students from Syria, and another for Dari and Pashto speakers from Afghanistan.

鈥淎s a Syrian American, it’s incredibly meaningful to have been a part of this experience,鈥� said Abousaab, 鈥渨hich has not only allowed me to give back to the community but has helped me reconnect with my roots in a way I never expected.鈥�

Yasmeen, a Syrian student in the program, shared what the class has meant to her: 鈥淚 still have a lot of learning to do, but this class has taught me how to build relationships in my community and communicate with my neighbors.鈥�

For the Elon students involved, the experience has offered insight into community engagement, cross-cultural connection and mutual learning.

As the program looks to continue in the next academic year, organizers hope to further expand the curriculum, recruit more volunteers, and build on the deep relationships formed through language and learning.

The Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience provides an ongoing forum where higher education professionals can share experiences, concerns and accomplishments related to supporting student learning, development, and success in the first college year.

Staff and faculty from Elon shared best practices from Elon’s U.S. News #1 ranked First-Year Experience program and #1 ranked Learning Communities with colleagues from other colleges and universities. Attendees from Elon included:

• Jen Platania, associate provost for Academic Affairs and associate professor of economics
• Eleanor Finger, assistant vice president for Student Life, dean of Campus Life and assistant professor
• Jennifer Stephens, director of academic-residential partnerships and assistant professor of education
• Kirsten Carrier, assistant dean of Campus Life and director of Residence Life
• Jill McSweeney, assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and assistant professor of wellness
• Paula Patch, senior lecturer in English and associate director of First-Year Initiatives in the Elon Core Curriculum
• Brandy Propst, director of Elon 1010 and assistant director of academic advising

Additionally, Jennifer Stephens and Kirsten Carrier presented their work at the conference in a session titled 鈥淟iving & Learning at Elon: A Framework for First-Year Residential Learning.” This presentation discussed the creation of a new residential learning outcomes framework that gave faculty and staff working on the initiative common goals for programming and assessable learning outcomes. The framework was created as a result of the Residential Campus Strategic plan, which aims to achieve portions of Boldly Elon, the university’s current strategic plan. Attendees at the session gained practical strategies on how they might create this type of framework for their residential learning initiatives and were able to hear how assessment results have informed updates and changes to the framework for the future.

Current students must:

• APPLY听鈥� Submit their听Housing Application听by Feb. 10, 2025
• MATCH听鈥� Begin roommate matching (complete roommate matching prior to your selection day/s)
• SELECT听鈥� Participate in a听selection day process听or be accepted to an LLC or Fraternity/Sorority house.

Current Elon students are encouraged to apply for a Living-Learning Community (LLC) through Feb. 1 on their housing application. LLCs provide the opportunity for students who share similar interests to reside in the same residential area and engage in those interests academically and socially through dedicated programming and events led by a faculty or staff advisor. Students accepted into an LLC will receive priority housing. For more information,听visit our听Living-Learning Communities website.

Residence Life encourages students to听ask questions听and听contact Residence Life staff with any concerns. There is a recorded information session available as well as several upcoming Q&A sessions students/families can attend.