Elon University

See also: List of presidents of Elon University Elon College was founded by the Christian Connection , which later became a part of the United Church of Christ . The charter for Elon College was issued by the North Carolina legislature in 1889. William S. Long was the first president and the original student body consisted of 76 students. In 1923, a fire destroyed most of the campus, including school records, classrooms, the library, and the chapel. The board of trustees voted to rebuild immediately. Many of the buildings that were erected in the years following the fire still stand and make up the bedrock of Elon's campus. An institution that for many years enrolled mostly North Carolina residents, Elon began to enroll significant numbers of students from the mid-Atlantic states in the mid-1970s and began to improve its academic standards for admission. [ 4 ] By the year 2000, about 68 percent of Elon's students came from out-of-state and were only accepted if they met high academic standards. [ 5 ] Elon became known as a selective university and, by 2013, 82% of incoming students were from out of state. [ 6 ] Transforming a College: The Story of a Little Known College's Strategic Climb to National Distinction (2004), an academic study by George Keller of the University of Pennsylvania , chronicles how the school changed from a regional religious college to a selective, nationally recognized university. [ 4 ] : 109 Elon is no longer affiliated with the United Church of Christ. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Elon University's mission statement states that the school "embraces its founders' vision of an academic community that transforms mind, body, and spirit and encourages freedom of thought and liberty of conscience" and emphasizes its commitment to "nurture a rich intellectual community characterized by student engagement with a faculty dedicated to excellent teaching and scholarly accomplishment".

[ 9 ] On October 9, 2017, the university's board of trustees elected Constance "Connie" Ledoux Book as the ninth president of the university. Book became Elon's first female President on March 1, 2018. [ 10 ] On September 16, 2025, Elon University announced its merger with Queens University of Charlotte . It is anticipated that the merger will take place by August 2026. [ 11 ]

The university includes Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business ; the School of Communications; the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education; the School of Law; and the School of Health Sciences. Master's programs are offered in business administration, business analytics, accounting, interactive media, education, physician assistant studies, and doctoral programs include physical therapy and law. Elon operates on a 4-1-4 academic calendar, including a four-week term in January known as Winter Term. In 2009, Phi Beta Kappa society voted to establish a chapter at Elon. [ 12 ] Elon is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . [ 13 ] Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, offers 51 undergraduate majors within three divisions: the Arts and Humanities, the Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Natural, Mathematical and Computational Sciences. Elon College is the largest of the university's colleges.

Main article: Martha and Spencer Love School of Business The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business offers undergraduate degrees in accounting, business administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management, and marketing. [ 14 ]