In his opening of school remarks on Aug. 18, 1994, then- President Fred Young stood before the Elon community, acknowledging the countless hours that faculty and staff had invested in this effort.

“You have successfully completed a monumental task by revising the entire curriculum,” Young said, recognizing the collective effort in rethinking what was taught across 700 courses and how it was delivered. “You have created an exciting curriculum, and every area of the college is prepared to support it.”

This change marked the beginning of a transformative era that would elevate engaged and experiential learning at Elon to new heights.

Today, Elon students continue to engage in hands-on learning, developing critical thinking, problem-solving and collaborative skills that prepare them for the world beyond the classroom.

The new Core Curriculum was more than just an academic shift; it revolutionized how students were educated and prepared for their futures. Transitioning from a three-credit-hour system to a four-credit-hour structure gave faculty more flexibility to infuse active learning techniques into their classes. Gone were the days of purely lecture-based learning; instead, students were encouraged to engage in discussions, group work, simulations, case studies and even field experiences beyond the traditional classroom setting.

Key initiatives like the Experiential Learning Requirement and the launch of Elon 101 (now Elon 1010) brought these educational values to life, aiming to develop students who were not only knowledgeable but confident in applying their knowledge in real-world scenarios.

Alongside academic reforms, the university introduced the Elon Experiences, co-curricular opportunities that reflected Elon’s long-held values and bolstered student learning and personal development. The original Elon Experiences included study abroad, service, internships and leadership, with undergraduate research later added as a fifth experience. The university also created an experiential learning transcript so students could show prospective employers and graduate programs the full breadth of their Elon education, not just their academic record.

Looking back, it’s clear that the decisions made in 1994 laid the foundation for an educational environment centered on relationships and personal growth. This transformational shift didn’t just alter the curriculum; it redefined Elon’s identity as a place where students are encouraged to explore their passions, articulate their values and step confidently into leadership roles.

Today, Elon students continue to engage in hands-on learning, developing critical thinking, problem-solving and collaborative skills that prepare them for the world beyond the classroom.

Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery. The holiday aligns with the moment enslaved people in the United States were finally freed 159 years ago. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people were free, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. This year marks the fourth year Juneteenth has been recognized as a federal holiday.

Elon students, faculty and staff, along with community members can engage in a self-guided walking tour or review site information online. The self-guided walking tour will feature six major points with informational signs at each stop. Each sign will include an introduction to the stopping point and a QR code that will go to a webpage with information about the stopping point and the entire tour. Participants will learn some of the lesser-known histories of the Black community at Elon to commemorate Juneteenth.

Elon will also host a Juneteenth lunch in LaRose Commons 200 featuring a Q&A, pop-up exhibit and a panel discussion. The panel will include Assistant Professor of History Amanda Kleintop and Digital Collections and Systems Librarian and Assistant Librarian Shaunta Alvarez. Coordinator of University Archives & Special Collections and Assistant Librarian Kelly Policelli will be moderating along with some prepared questions. This will also be an opportunity to get community feedback on History & Memory activities in the future. Lunch will be provided and will be first come, first served. Registration is recommended.

This commemoration event is sponsored by the Black Lumen Project, 51±ŹÁÏÍű Archives and Special Collections, the Committee on Elon History and Memory and the Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development.

Anupama Pal joins the Elon Law administration as associate dean for library and information services and will advance the library’s mission to meet the needs of faculty, staff, and students, and to serve as a source of information for the greater legal community.

She started her new role August 15 following a national search for a successor to longtime director Kate McLeod, who retired in June.

Pal’s selection brings her full circle to the start of her full-time career in law librarianship. Shortly after graduating in late 2012 from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a Master of Science in Library and Information Science, Pal was hired by McLeod and worked at Elon Law for two years as a reference service librarian.

“I am so pleased to be returning to the institution where I began my career as a librarian,” Pal said. “Elon is where I learned the fundamentals of my profession. I’m honored to lead a dedicated team as we continue to provide superior customer service to everyone from the community who walks through our doors.”

ACADEMIC & LIBRARY EXPERIENCE

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (Yeshiva University) | New York City

Assistant Director for Public Services & Lecturer in Law (July 2021-July 2023)

Directed all library public services while managing day-to-day operations of facilities and staff, supervising the development of student outreach programming, and serving on the Dean’s Diversity & Inclusion Council

Head of Access Services and Collections & Lecturer in Law (June 2020-June 2021)

Managed all access service operations, the interlibrary loan service, and collections, created and implemented policies for library circulation and collections, and taught Advanced Legal Research

Boston College Law School | Boston

Acting Assistant Dean, Academic & Student Services (January-June 2020)

Created a law school emergency operations plan for Academic and Student Services during COVID-19; oversaw two assistant directors, support staff, and student works, while counseling students in crisis

Legal Information Librarian & Lecturer in Law (July 2015-January 2020)

Taught Advanced Legal Research, provided reference services to members of the Boston College community, trained student research assistants, and contributed to research guides, blogs, and social media

51±ŹÁÏÍű School of Law | Greensboro, North Carolina

Librarian (May 2013-July 2015)

Provided reference services to the law school community, taught basic legal research to first-year students, and served as the program for the Federal Depository Library Program

“We are delighted to have Anu Pal return to Elon Law,” said Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer. “With a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to student success, Anu is poised to do great things in our library and as part of our leadership team.”

Prior to pursuing her graduate degree in library science, Pal served for six months as a contract attorney in Chicago for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She drafted and prepared discovery interrogatory answers for more than 100 claimants in an employment discrimination class action lawsuit, while assisting with depositions and conducting discovery training sessions for interns.

In addition to her master’s degree in library science, Pal earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois Chicago, and her law degree from UIC John Marshall Law School.

honored Amber Cain L’20, who enrolled at Elon Law shortly after earning a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida.

“It’s hard to put into words how it feels to be grateful and flattered at the same time,” Cain said of the scholarship and the encouragement she has received from the professional association. “Law librarianship is not something a lot of people understand.”

Established in 1954, SEAALL is today comprised of more than 500 members representing law librarians from the private sector, government, academia, and more. The mission of the not-for-profit organization is the promotion of law librarianship and developing and increasing the usefulness of law libraries.

Cain grew up in Sarasota, Florida, and found an interest in libraries while volunteering at one to fulfill high school graduation requirements. She earned a degree in creative writing from Florida State University before turning her professional focus toward librarianships.

At Elon Law, Cain helps classmates as a student worker in the library and as an Academic Fellow.

“The happiest and calmest part of my week during my 2L year so far has been the hours I am allotted to spend at the library working under the librarians at 51±ŹÁÏÍű School of Law,” Cain wrote in her scholarship application. “Under their guidance, I have been able to hone the skills that I learned about during my M.L.I.S. degree and apply them to actual projects assigned to me to meet the needs of the library and its patrons.”

Kate McLeod, Elon Law’s associate dean for library and information services, praised Cain for character traits that will help her thrive in her chosen field. “Amber is looking forward to a promising career with unlimited success in the profession,” McLeod said. “She’s energetic. Personable. Outgoing. These are all markers of great public service librarians.”

Cain will complete her residency-in-practice over the winter trimester at the law libraries for Stetson University College of Law in Florida. Her goal, she said, is to return to North Carolina having grown her library experience while assisting law faculty with legal research.

“I really like finding the ‘right’ answer even if there may not be a ‘perfect’ answer,” Cain said of her research responsibilities as a law library student worker. “I came here to be a librarian and have not changed my mind at all. I’m so happy!”

51±ŹÁÏÍű Elon Law:

51±ŹÁÏÍű School of Law in Greensboro, North Carolina, is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with course-connected, full-time residencies-in-practice in a logically sequenced program of transformational professional preparation. Elon Law’s groundbreaking approach is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides distinctive value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their legal careers.

The Elon Law Library aims to meet the educational and research needs of faculty, staff and students, and to serve as a source of legal information for all other visitors. Its resources include all North Carolina primary and secondary source materials, from case law to regulations to treatises published by major academic presses.

The Elon Law Library also enjoys expanded online access to Westlaw that librarians make available to students, faculty, and members of the Greensboro Bar Association. Hundreds of students and building guests visit the library on an average weekday day during the academic year.

“I’m incredibly thankful for the support of the Greensboro Bar Association Foundation,” said Associate Dean Kate McLeod, who oversees the Elon Law Library and the law school’s Information Services. “Our library’s relationship with the Greensboro legal community is important to our success as a law school, and in making this gift, I believe the foundation is not only strengthening our school, but strategically investing in the professional success of its members.”

The Elon Law Library is open to Greensboro Bar Association members during the following times:

Monday-Thursday: 7:15 a.m. – Midnight
Friday: 7:15 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday: Noon – Midnight

The library is open to the general public from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

51±ŹÁÏÍű Elon Law

51±ŹÁÏÍű School of Law in Greensboro, North Carolina, is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. It integrates traditional classroom instruction with highly experiential full-time residencies-in-practice in a logically sequenced program of transformational professional preparation. Elon Law’s groundbreaking approach is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides distinctive value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their professional careers.

For the fourth consecutive year, Elon Law made the “The Best 165 Law Schools,” a guide published by The Princeton Review based on an 80-question survey where 17,700 students rated their schools on several topics and report on experiences at their schools.

“The schools that made our lists and the 165 law schools that we profile on our site all offer outstanding programs,” said Robert Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review. “They vary considerably in their offerings and their campus culture: we highlight their distinctions in our profiles. Our purpose is not to rank all 165 schools hierarchically or crown any school as ‘best’ overall. We provide a wide range of information and campus feedback to help applicants find the best law school for them.”

 On average, 107 students at each law school were surveyed. The surveys were done during the 2017-18, 2016-17, and 2015-16 school years. 

Elon Law in downtown Greensboro is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with course-connected, full-time residencies-in-practice in a logically sequenced program of transformational professional preparation.

Elon Law’s groundbreaking approach is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides distinctive value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their legal careers.

Students praised the school’s “friendly atmosphere” and noted how Elon Law’s smaller size ensures that “everyone knows your name.” Another shared with The Princeton Review how the staff makes it clear they “want you to succeed.”

Among the student quotes showcased in

• Students mentioned that the “administration is very accommodating and accessible.” They work incredibly “hard to make sure that all of our academic, social [and] health (physical and mental)…related needs are met.”
• Students unanimously agree that Elon Law’s focus on experiential learning is perhaps its biggest asset as all students must “complete extensive work in real-world legal settings that require [the] application of classroom material to everyday scenarios.”
• Elon Law’s “librarians are not only knowledgeable but also excellent teachers.” They “do a very good job explaining complicated topics and teaching us how to be more efficient researchers.”
• Inside the classroom, students are greeted by “challenging” and “thought provoking”professors. And rest assured these instructors “have a thorough comprehension of both the history of law and the current state of the law.”
• Faculty are “really passionate about their subject areas,” students reported. They’re also quite “approachable” and “genuinely care about the students.”

Elon Law also made a category that reflects the level of student commitment to studying outside the classroom, and the degree of ambition and competitiveness students report among their peers.

“We are pleased to see students note our friendly atmosphere and that our faculty are approachable, genuinely care about students and want them to succeed,” said Alan Woodlief, senior associate dean for admissions, administration and finance, and an associate professor at Elon Law. “This supportive environment is a vital part of program and allows students to maximize the benefits of our accelerated 2.5 year program, which they appropriately recognize as challenging and thought provoking.

“The Princeton Review survey confirms that our students find our focus on experiential learning to be the school’s biggest asset. It also shows, as we would expect, that they invest a good bit of time outside of class studying and interacting with faculty and fellow students.”

Abby Deese, a reference librarian who joined Elon Law in 2015, visits Illinois in April for the .

Deese said she hopes the two-day academy – with a focus on leadership models and myths, effective communication techniques, and workplace ethics – will help her grow as a future leader in the legal information profession, which is dominated by male managers in a field comprised with women in the majority.

“For me, it’s about democratizing academia,” she said. “Because I don’t have the background and connections that a lot of people in the field bring with them, the Leadership Academy will help me develop my network.”

A graduate of the College of Charleston and Charleston Law School, Deese is a first-generation college graduate. She completed the prestigious Law Library Fellowship program at the University of Arizona prior to accepting a position at Elon Law.

The AALL program will include discussions of leadership concepts and current trends, leadership assessments, group collaborations, and development activities and opportunities for networking.

“Abby Deese is at the beginning of a promising law librarianship career,” said Kate McLeod, Elon Law’s associate dean for library and information services. “Previous attendees of AALL’s Leadership Academy have assumed leadership positions in the profession, and Abby’s selection into the program indicates the association has recognized her abilities and leadership potential.”

Students with class meetings or activities on Friday afternoon who might be prevented from traveling safely to school will not be penalized but should contact their faculty and make arrangements regarding any missed assignments.

Faculty and staff who live some distance from the school and who might be prevented from safely traveling to school should notify their respective dean (faculty) or supervisor (staff). It is anticipated that the building and library will remain open until the normal closing time of 9 p.m. Friday and that the building and library will operate on a normal schedule over the weekend.

Wednesday’s significant snow accumulation, freezing temperatures overnight, and slow warming Thursday morning will contribute to difficult driving conditions in Guilford County, as well as potential hazards walking to and from the building. 

Warming temperatures on Thursday afternoon have the potential to improve conditions leading into Friday. The law school administration will continue to monitor conditions and will make an announcement regarding Friday’s schedule by 7 a.m. Friday morning.

Professor Catherine Wasson, director of Upper Level Writing at Elon Law, and Professor Sue Liemer, director of Elon Law’s Legal Method & Communication Program, traveled to the University of Minnesota Law School from July 19-21 to share knowledge and insights with colleagues who are members of the .

The theme of the ALWD 2017 conference – “Acknowledging Lines: Talking 51±ŹÁÏÍű What Unites and Divides Us” – was chosen, in part, to respond to the officer-involved shooting of Philando Castile only a few miles from the conference site. Castile had his death captured on a Facebook Live stream when his girlfriend videoed the 2016 fatal encounter with a local police officer.

Four invited speakers addressed the impact that implicit and explicit bias have on institutions & classrooms, and on colleagues, students, and themselves. Wasson served as a facilitator for two small-group discussions during which conference attendees explored issues raised by the speakers in more depth. 

Other conference sessions focused on teaching and scholarship. Liemer took part on the “Doing More with Less, or Just Doing Less: Responses to the Tension Between Scholarship and Teaching” panel discussion with faculty from four different law schools. She also participated in the separate ALWD Innovative Teaching Workshop, which took place before the start of the larger conference began, speaking on the theme of “Introducing First-Year Law Students to Emerging Technologies.” 

Established in 1996, ALWD seeks to help law schools provide excellent legal writing instruction by supporting the administration of legal writing programs; enhancing the leadership skills and professional development of legal writing professionals; supporting members’ teaching, research, and scholarship; and advocating on behalf of the discipline of legal writing within the legal academy and the legal profession. 

Liemer served as ALWD president in 1999/2000 and as its corporate secretary for the last eight years. Wasson has been on the organization’s board of directors since 2010, and has served as treasurer since 2015.