Delivering a keynote address titled “Navigating Change, Empowering Progress: A Roadmap for Leaders Committed to Community and Democracy,” Trudeau shared insights from his time in office, emphasizing strategies for democratic resilience and inclusive leadership.

Made possible by a transformative gift from Bob and Susan Salvin through the Salvin Impact Fund, the event reinforced Queens’ legacy as a premier regional convener in Charlotte, serving as a hub of thought leadership, public programming, and civic engagement.

�鶹��Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book served as the moderator for the main evening program, guiding a thought-provoking discussion on global governance and civic discourse.

Just prior to the evening lecture, Trudeau participated in a student-led discussion moderated by Queens student Sana Konar ’28, a biology major from Charlotte. Alongside three student co-panelists, Trudeau emphasized the importance of youth engagement in shaping the future of their communities.

“We don’t need you to be leaders tomorrow, we need you to be leaders today,” Trudeau said. “We need you to understand the choices you make now, how you choose to spend your time, how you choose to spend your money, how you choose to vote, how you choose to engage, matter deeply and can shape the world.”

Trudeau’s message struck a powerful, immediate chord with Konar, founder and president of the Queens Health Equity Alliance. The student group created a community resource map piloted across local organizations, connecting underserved populations directly with vital healthcare accessibility tools.

For Konar, Trudeau’s call to action gave fresh purpose to her own career path as she prepares to apply to medical school this coming spring.

“I don’t have to wait until I’m a doctor to help bridge healthcare equity gaps,” Konar shared. “I want to work right now to progress healthcare equity and bridge those gaps to make an impact today.”

Redefining True Leadership

Reflecting on his decade in office navigating international diplomacy and domestic policy, Trudeau challenged traditional notions of authority.

“Real leadership isn’t about being the boss and telling everyone how it’s going to be,” Trudeau said. “Real leadership is empowering everyone around you to be the very best version of themselves. Leadership is about lifting up all those around you to try and create the maximum impact.”

A Uniquely Transformative Experience for Queens

For Konar and her fellow student panelists, the opportunity to sit down with a former head of state highlighted the unique value of the Queens student experience. Reflecting on the event, Konar emphasized how moments like these inspire students to think bigger about their own potential.

“It’s incredibly important to have global leaders come and speak in Charlotte. It helps us imagine what is possible, how big our dreams can be,” Konar said. “It gives us an opportunity to interact with global leaders that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise if it weren’t for the Learning Society.”

In closing, Trudeau left the Charlotte audience with an empowering note of hope for the future of global democracy and youth engagement.

“I remain optimistic because I’ve seen just how many good people throughout political systems around the world are leaning in on trying to do right by their people and right by the future that we borrow from our grandchildren rather than inherit from our parents.”

The Liberal Arts Forum plans academic speaker events at �鶹��Ƶ. Student members of The Liberal Arts Forum collaborate to discuss potential speakers and budget management before voting at the end of each semester.

Since its founding in 1958 by James P. Elder Jr. ’60, the Liberal Arts Forum continues to bring unique academic speakers to �鶹��Ƶ and encourage meaningful conversations around the arts and humanities, mathematical and natural sciences, and social sciences, inside and outside the classroom.

During her speech, Maze gave the audience background on how her work started as a “radical street librarian.” She used this term to refer to someone who improves access to literary resources in underserved communities through unconventional ways.

Maze started at her home front stoop, reading books to her nieces in Baltimore. However, kids from the neighborhood began to join, begging Maze to re-read books.

After a couple of rounds, she would say, “Okay, you guys go home and read a book at home.” The children would respond, saying, “We don’t have any books at home.”

She then started Stoop Storytime where she’d read to neighborhood children on Saturdays, giving away books she had available. Eventually, she began a career in libraries but noticed that the children who visited her stoop weren’t the ones coming into the library.

Maze says she then did some research and came across the term “book desert,” a geographical area where access to reading materials is limited or challenging. She found that Baltimore experiences one of the highest levels of book deserts, with one child to every 300 books.

Although libraries are an option, Maze says barriers such as transportation, costs, fixed addresses and a valid ID to get a library card prevent young children from accessing them.

In the past, librarians fought against these barriers. Maze referenced work from pack horse librarians in the 1930s, where they would take pounds of books in pillowcases on mules or horses for children in the mountains.

“They traveled in rain and snow and heat because there weren’t roads,” she said. “They navigated through creek beds and rivers and animal trails along fence lines, often covering 20 miles a day.”

Maze brought to light the barriers that Black communities specifically have faced with books and reading.

“Those who were caught were often violently punished or sold or even killed,” she said. “Enslaved people had to be strategic and resourceful when learning to read and write.”

The barriers and violence that Black communities experienced didn’t legally stop until 1960, when the last anti-literacy law against Black individuals was repealed.

“My mom was born in the ’50s, so sometimes we’re just one generation away from these circumstances,” she said.

Because of these barriers, both current and past, she needed a solution.

Maze gave TikTok a try. She posted a video that described her journey of providing books to local children. The next morning, the video had over one million views, and she had messages from people she didn’t know before.

She went to work at the library and came home to find piles of books from her Amazon Wishlist at her front door.

“It was super overwhelming,” she said. “It just kept coming and coming and coming until the whole garage was filled”

Through her journey, Maze created free public book vending machines, pop-up free bookstores and street-corner storytime. She even started Storybook Trolley, a mobile vehicle with a built-in library.

To date, she has distributed 7,000 books, and her goal is to give away 500,000 books in Baltimore and nationwide over the next five years.

“We’ve built a foundation,” Maze said, “and we’re going to scale our little free libraries and our book vending machines and our trolleys. And I want to launch an army of radical street librarians all over this nation.”

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September brought the �鶹��Ƶ community fully into the rhythm of a new academic year, with classrooms bustling, fall traditions returning and opportunities for learning and connection unfolding across campus. From thought-provoking speakers and engaging performances to Phoenix athletics and everyday moments of campus life, the month offered plenty to capture.

Take a look back at some of the memorable moments from September through the lenses of staff in the Office of University Communications.

One and done

�鶹��Ƶ School of Law Dean Zak Kramer challenged the Class of 2025 to achieve an overall first-time bar passage rate of 83%, a mark that would have been the highest in �鶹��Ƶ Law history.

The class’s Student Bar Association president had a counterproposal: What if they reached 85%? Would the dean get a tattoo? Kramer said yes.

The Class of 2025 responded with a 90.9% overall first-time bar passage rate across North Carolina and 11 other states. On Sept. 4, Kramer responded by rolling up his sleeve.

Lab learning

As the fall semester gets fully underway, students are in the classroom learning through hands-on experience.

Feline fun

�鶹��Ƶ Volunteers!, through the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, provides all members of the �鶹��Ƶ campus the opportunity to develop an ethic of service by connecting campus and community through service experiences. In Sepetember, students had some feline fun with animals at Burlington Animal Services.

Hispanic Heritage Month

�鶹��Ƶ kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a kick-off event. The month-long celebration features the theme “Floreciendo Juntos (Blooming Together): Honoring Identity, Culture and Well-being, ” highlighting the diverse backgrounds, unique stories and rich history that shape Hispanic and Latino communities.

Green Tara Sand Mandala

An annual tradition through the Truitt Center for Relgious and Spiritual Life, Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Palden Sangpo constructs a Green Tara sand mandala for healing and peace during a period of three days.

‘Skills of the heart’

New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks spoke to a sold-out crowd in Alumni Gym for Fall Convocation on Sept. 25, part of Family Weekend and the �鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series. He reminded the audience of two important skills needed for success — two skills that have taken him time to learn: how to see people and how to have an impact on the world.

Family fun

�鶹��Ƶ hosted Family Weekend on Sept. 25-27 with a variety of activites, including a football game as the Phoenix took on the University of Maine Bears.

‘There’s Always This Year’

Author Hanif Abdurraqib reflected on mentorship, home and storytelling during his Common Reading lecture on Sept. 29. His book, part poetry, memoir and meditation on history and modern culture, “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension” was selected as �鶹��Ƶ’s 2026-27 Common Reading. Incoming first-year students read the book over the summer before exploring it from a variety of perspectives with their First-Year Foundations instructors during their first year at �鶹��Ƶ.

“You want to build your own internal Hall of Fame that adheres to what you know, what you love and the people who define a childhood for you,” he said. “I was fascinated to think about and write about the stories of the basketball communities that I grew up in that were players who were ‘LeBron-like’ to me before LeBron.”

Part poetry, memoir and meditation on history and modern culture, “There’s Always This Year” was selected as �鶹��Ƶ’s 2026-27 Common Reading. Incoming first-year students read the book over the summer before exploring it from a variety of perspectives with their First-Year Foundations instructors during their first year at �鶹��Ƶ.

Abdurraqib, a native of Columbus, Ohio, is the author of several poetry and essay collections and books that have earned national acclaim. His 2021 book, “A Little Devil in America,” was a finalist for the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award and PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. It won the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction and the Gordon Burn Prize.

For the Common Reading lecture, Abdurraqib sat down with Paula Patch, teaching professor of English, for a conversation in Alumni Gym. Interspersed with selected readings from the book, their discussion explored Abdurraqib’s writing process, the stories he chooses to tell and the people and places that shape his work.

“There’s Always This Year” is divided into four quarters, like a basketball game played by Abdurraqib’s favorite team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the structure took time to develop, and Abdurraqib readily described his initial draft as “bad.”

“I really took seriously the conceit of the countdown, and so the whole thing was flipped. The fourth quarter was once the first quarter. So, it began backwards. It was difficult, but it wasn’t good, and I think this idea that I had written a very hard book, I was so proud of that,” he said. “I remember feeling so proud when I turned it into my editor … She was very impressed by the rigor of it, but it wasn’t a good book. So, I think one thing that is challenging for writers is to humble oneself.”

Abdurraqib said he often begins writing without knowing exactly what a book will become, allowing curiosity to guide the process.

“The function is, I have a single curiosity that around it has a garden that has not yet bloomed and I’m writing to find the proper ways to water that and feed that,” he said. “I really do think you can come to this book and get reflected back to you what you most want. … I think the idea of writing a book was to create these small illusions to give people the idea that they’re reading one thing when they’re actually reading something else.”

Abdurraqib still lives in Columbus and feels a strong sense of responsibility to the city and the people who shaped him. That connection emerged throughout the conversation as he reflected on what it means to call a place home — and what it means to document that place as it changes.

“I really value that people there have known me since I was a kid, and I lot of people looked out for me since I was kid,” he said. “(The city) is just a bunch of gray, monochromatic columns. They’re tall, gray, metal … that no one really lives in because the city is trying to build itself up for a population it imagines will arrive, and it’s doing that at the expense of the population that already exists. So there’s a way that staying there and writing from the perspective of the city, both the city that is and the city that was, is an archival tool.”

That responsibility to people and place also informs how Abdurraqib thinks about mentorship. He told the audience that mentorship does not always have to take a traditional form.

He recalled a group of children who were beaten by police after stealing candy from a store. In response, drug dealers Abdurraqib grew up around began asking the children to hold their jewelry while they played basketball, paying them for the task.

For Abdurraqib, that seemingly small gesture offered a different possibility to young people in his community — and expanded his understanding of what it means to look out for someone else.

“That’s a level of mentorship that builds an ideology that still propels me to this day,” he said. “I ask the question of, ‘What of myself can I offer to someone that might rescue them momentarily from another life that is different from their current life?’”

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New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks says there are two important skills needed for success — two skills that have taken him time to learn: how to see people and how to have an impact on the world.

“I tried to teach myself these social skills of how to see other people, and they’re basic social skills,” Brooks said. “It’s not mystery. It’s how do you learn to end a conversation gracefully? Are you going to be a good listener? How do you ask for and offer forgiveness? How do you ask somebody out? How do you break up with someone without breaking their heart? These are skills. And somehow, the last couple of generations, we have not taught these skills.”

Brooks spoke to a sold-out crowd of students, families, faculty, staff and friends of the university during Fall Convocation on Sept. 25 in Alumni Gym. The event, held during Family Weekend, concluded with Brooks joining Student Body President Michael Swartz ’27 for a question-and-answer session featuring questions from the audience.

In addition to his longtime work for The New York Times, Brooks serves as a staff writer at The Atlantic, a commentator on PBS NewsHour and a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. He is also the author of multiple bestselling books, including “How to Know a Person,” “The Second Mountain,” “The Road to Character” and “The Social Animal,” which explore moral development, human connection and the search for meaning.

“The purpose of today’s gathering has never changed. A university education is far more than the accumulation of credits and credentials. An �鶹��Ƶ education is about engagement, engagement with ideas and engagement with each other,” �鶹��Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book said during her opening remarks. “We want to listen, to discuss, and to see the world through the eyes of another person, and to use that knowledge to imagine a different world. A better world. Those are the habits of mind and heart.”

Learning to see others

Blending personal anecdotes with stories of people he has encountered throughout his life and career, Brooks offered several ways to become better at seeing and understanding others.

The first begins with something simple: how people look at one another.

“When we’re meeting somebody, we are unconsciously asking ourselves a question. Is this person going to be nice to me? Am I a person to this person? My priority to this person. And the answer to that question will be expressed in your eyes before any words come into your mouth,” he said.

Brooks also emphasized “accompaniment,” focusing on what another person may need or be experiencing in a particular moment.

“Accompaniment is another centered way of being in the normal circumstances of life,” Brook said. “What does this person need right now? What are they going through right now? And that’s just such a generous, everyday skill.”

Becoming a great conversationalist is another part of truly seeing people, Brooks said. He noted that conversation experts have told him a person should give someone either 100% of their attention or none of it, but never split it 60/40.

He also encouraged the audience to become “loud listeners” and to ask questions that invite people to tell stories about themselves.

“Get somebody telling a story. I no longer ask people, ‘What do you believe?’ I ask, ‘How do you comfortably believe that?’ I want to know who influenced them and what event influenced them. The other part of good questions is, they’re more ambitious than you feel comfortable with. You think people are shy, you’ve got to earn their trust. That’s true, of course. But people want to get deep faster than you think.”

Making an impact on the world

Turning to the second skill — how to have an impact on the world — Brooks described the “gleam” he often sees in people’s eyes.

“It’s the gleam on the young person’s eyes who was anticipating a big life, and it (is) hungering for a big life and I just love that boldness of spirit,” he said.

Brooks encouraged those gathered to be “enthusiastically engaged” with the world and to embrace their desires, motivations and passions.

“Deep down inside of us, each of us has a spiritual core. This nuclear actor, a place in the innermost core of all of our beings that produces immense flows of energy,” he said. “This is the place your desires come from, your yearnings, your tears, your aspirations, your affections, your hopes, your enthusiasm, and your loves,” he said.

Skills of the heart

Brooks also offered four concepts for students to consider as they navigate college.

The first was Rumspringa, drawing from the Amish rite of passage. Brooks said college should provide students with opportunities to explore rather than focusing exclusively on preparing for a profession.

“In my view, every college in America, including the one I teach at, is over-professionalized. It is a time in life, which is, for many people, the only time in life, you just get to explore. You get to wander,” he said.

He next introduced epitasis, a Greek term for “stretching” or an increase in intensity. Brooks described happiness as a pursuit and emphasized the importance of teaching people “to keep going.”

The third concept was orthocardio, or having the right kind of heart.

“The kind of heart that will love the right things the right way,” he said.

Finally, Brooks discussed phronesis, the Greek concept of practical wisdom and the ability to understand what matters in a given situation.

“It’s an intuitive grasp of any situation. What really matters here? How are events flowing? It’s the ability to see a person whole. Logic allows us to take things apart, figure it out. Phronesis allows us to see reality cold,” he said.

Together, the ideas returned to the central message Brooks offered throughout his address: Education should develop more than a person’s intellect. It should help students develop the human skills needed to understand others, pursue meaningful lives and engage fully with the world around them.

“The schools I admire most do not treat children and students as brains on a stick; but as whole people, and engage their ambitions and their dreams and the desires just as much as facts about spreadsheets,” Brooks said. “And so, what I’ve tried to describe to you tonight is skills, which are not skills of the head, but are skills of the heart.”

Brooks is a leading observer of American culture, politics and civic life. He serves as a staff writer at The Atlantic, a commentator on PBS NewsHour and a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. Over decades in journalism, his columns have become some of the most widely read in the nation, offering insight into political dynamics, social trends and the challenges facing modern democracy.

Brooks is the author of multiple bestselling books, including “How to Know a Person,” “The Second Mountain,” “The Road to Character,” and “The Social Animal,” which explore moral development, human connection and the search for meaning. His work emphasizes the importance of community, empathy and the cultivation of both inner character and outward relationships as essential to a flourishing society.

Fall Convocation is the first event in the �鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series.

This event is sold out. 

For more information, including ticket details, please visit
elon.edu/speakerseries and .

Fall Convocation with David Brooks

Bestselling author, staff writer for The Atlantic and longtime New York Times columnist

Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, 3:30 p.m. | Alumni Gym,
Koury Athletic Center, �鶹��Ƶ, N.C.
�鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series

David Brooks is a leading observer of American culture, politics and civic life. Over decades in journalism, his columns have become some of the most widely read in the nation, offering insight into political dynamics, social trends and the challenges facing modern democracy.

Common Reading Lecture with Hanif Abdurraqib

Cultural critic and author of “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension”

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, 7:30 p.m. | Alumni Gym,
Koury Athletic Center, �鶹��Ƶ, N.C.
�鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series

Hanif Abdurraqib is widely recognized for his lyrical and deeply personal writing that explores music, identity and the intersections of culture and lived experience. “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension” was selected as �鶹��Ƶ’s Common Reading for 2026-27.

“Navigating Change, Empowering Progress: A Roadmap for Leaders Committed to Community and Democracy” with the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, former
Prime Minister of Canada

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, 7 p.m. | Sandra Levine Theatre, Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement, Charlotte, N.C.
The Learning Society

In an era of unprecedented global challenges and technological change, the foundation of progress remains human — our ability to build and strengthen communities through democratic principles and shared values. Drawing from his transformational decade as Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau shares compelling insights on how leaders can foster resilient, inclusive communities that can thrive in times of opportunity and crisis.

Carol Ann Walker International Lectureship with Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter

Recipient of the Medal of Honor

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, 11 a.m. | McCrary Theatre,
Center for the Arts, �鶹��Ƶ, N.C.
�鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series

The youngest living recipient of the Medal of Honor, Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter was recognized for extraordinary heroism when he suffered life-threatening injuries after throwing himself on a grenade in Afghanistan to protect a fellow U.S. Marine. He is the author of the memoir “You Are Worth It: Building a Life Worth Fighting For.”

Coming in 2027

Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Address with Danielle Coke Balfour

Artist, author and social justice advocate

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2027, noon | Alumni Gym,
Koury Athletic Center, �鶹��Ƶ, N.C.
�鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series

A Conversation with Venus Williams

Olympian, world-renowned tennis champion and entrepreneur

Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2027, 7 p.m. | Sandra Levine Theatre, Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement, Charlotte, N.C.
The Learning Society

Baird Lecture with Tim Tebow

Heisman Trophy winner, former NFL quarterback and philanthropist

Tuesday, March 9, 2027, 7 p.m. | Alumni Gym, Koury Athletic Center, �鶹��Ƶ, N.C.
�鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series

James P. Elder Lecture with Heather Cox Richardson

Historian and bestselling author

Tuesday, April 6, 2027, 6:30 p.m. | Alumni Gym, Koury Athletic Center, �鶹��Ƶ, N.C.
�鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series

This heartfelt project began as a nudge when Keith Alessi’s life took a major turn. Now, it’s his mission to raise money for causes close to his heart. Alessi shares his exceptional true story of leaving the world of corporate board rooms to follow a long-delayed passion – playing the banjo! When faced with a deadly cancer battle, his musical pursuit took him on a journey that became the key to saving his life. Told through authentic storytelling, heartfelt humor and music, Alessi’s story is an uplifting tale of challenge, triumph and the healing power of the arts and music.

Visiting �鶹��Ƶ in the next academic year:

• David Brooks, bestselling author, staff writer for The Atlantic and longtime New York Times columnist – Sept. 25, 2026
• Hanif Abdurraqib, author and cultural critic (Common Reading Lecture) – Sept. 29, 2026
• Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, Medal of Honor recipient and author – Nov. 11, 2026
• Danielle Coke Balfour, artist, author and social justice advocate – Jan. 13, 2027
• Tim Tebow, Heisman Trophy winner, former NFL quarterback and philanthropist – March 9, 2027
• Heather Cox Richardson, historian and bestselling author – April 6, 2027

All programs are free to �鶹��Ƶ students, faculty and staff with ID. Venues will be announced closer to the dates of the programs. Tickets for the public for Fall Convocation go on sale starting in August. Admission: $15 via .

�鶹��Ƶ’s Cultural Calendar for Fall 2026 will be available later this year with additional speakers and a wide range of musical, theatrical, artistic and other intellectual and creative events.

�鶹��Ƶ the 2026-2027 Speakers at �鶹��Ƶ

David Brooks

Sept. 25, 2026

Fall Convocation

3:30 p.m.

A bestselling author and longtime New York Times columnist, Brooks is a leading observer of American culture, politics and civic life. He serves as a staff writer at The Atlantic, a commentator on PBS NewsHour and a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. Over decades in journalism, his columns have become some of the most widely read in the nation, offering insight into political dynamics, social trends and the challenges facing modern democracy.

Brooks is the author of multiple bestselling books, including “How to Know a Person,” “The Second Mountain,” “The Road to Character” and “The Social Animal,” which explore moral development, human connection and the search for meaning. His work emphasizes the importance of community, empathy and the cultivation of both inner character and outward relationships as essential to a flourishing society.

Hanif Abdurraqib

Sept. 29, 2026

Common Reading Lecture

7:30 p.m.

An acclaimed essayist, poet and cultural critic, Abdurraqib is widely recognized for his lyrical and deeply personal writing that explores music, identity and the intersections of culture and lived experience. His work blends criticism with memoir, offering readers a nuanced perspective on art, belonging and the forces that shape contemporary life.

Abdurraqib is the author of several award-winning books and is known for his ability to connect cultural analysis with broader questions about race, community and memory. “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension” was selected as �鶹��Ƶ’s Common Reading for 2026-27.

Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter

Nov. 11, 2026

Carol Ann Walker International Lectureship

11 a.m.

A United States Marine and the youngest living recipient of the Medal of Honor, Carpenter is recognized for extraordinary heroism during his service in Afghanistan. In 2010, he sustained life-threatening injuries after throwing himself on a grenade to protect a fellow Marine, an act of valor that led to years of recovery and more than 40 surgeries.

Following his recovery, Carpenter set and achieved ambitious personal goals, including completing a college degree, running a marathon and traveling internationally. He is the author of the memoir “You Are Worth It: Building a Life Worth Fighting For,” which chronicles his journey of resilience and purpose. Today, he speaks widely about leadership, perseverance and finding meaning in adversity, encouraging others to overcome challenges and pursue lives of impact.

Danielle Coke Balfour

Jan. 13, 2027

Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address

12 p.m.

An artist, entrepreneur and author, Balfour is the founder of Oh Happy Dani, an illustration-based educational platform that uses visual storytelling to make complex ideas about racial justice and advocacy accessible to broad audiences. Through her work, she has built a community of hundreds of thousands who engage with her content on social media and beyond.

Her creative approach to “artivism” combines design, storytelling and education to inspire individuals to take meaningful action in their own communities. She is the author of “A Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbors Well” and a companion workbook that encourages reflection and everyday advocacy. Through partnerships with major brands and speaking engagements across the country, she promotes a message of hope, empathy and sustained engagement in social change.

Tim Tebow

March 9, 2027

Baird Lecture

7 p.m.

A Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion, Tebow gained national prominence as a quarterback at the University of Florida before being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. He later played professional baseball and has become a prominent sports analyst, author and motivational speaker.

Tebow is a seven-time New York Times bestselling author and founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, an organization that serves vulnerable populations in more than 70 countries through initiatives focused on faith, health and human dignity. Through his speaking and philanthropic efforts, Tebow encourages audiences to pursue their passions, lead with integrity and make a positive impact in the lives of others.

Heather Cox Richardson

April 6, 2027

James P. Elder Lecture

6:30 p.m.

A professor of history at Boston College, Richardson is a leading scholar of American political history with expertise in the Civil War, Reconstruction and the evolution of the Republican Party. Her work examines the intersections of politics, economics and social change, helping audiences better understand the forces shaping the nation’s past and present.

She is the author of several award-winning books, including the bestselling “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America,” which explores the nation’s ongoing struggle to uphold its own ideals. Richardson also writes “Letters from an American,” a nightly newsletter that reaches millions of readers with analysis of current events in historical context. She hosts two video series, “Journey to American Democracy” and “American Conversations,” both of which are available on YouTube and Facebook. Her articles and reviews have been published in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and The Guardian, among others.

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As the spring semester at �鶹��Ƶ draws to a close, the campus remained vibrant and full of energy throughout April. The 2025–26 �鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series wrapped up with a visit from bestselling author Frank Bruni, while nearly 200 students, faculty, and staff came together to celebrate Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors. Progress also continued on the new Roberts Academy, and �鶹��Ƶ hosted its largest-ever Spring Undergraduate Research Forum.

Take a look back at April through the lens of the University Communications team.

A new life for Holland House

University leaders and student-athletes celebrated a new era for �鶹��Ƶ’s Holland House on South Campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that debuted a preeminent home for the Phoenix men’s and women’s golf programs. Before the latest renovation, the building was home to two �鶹��Ƶ presidents and administrative offices — and even moved across campus.

The Montagues in McCrary

�鶹��Ƶ Performing Arts brought history’s most famous love story to McCrary Theatre with “Romeo and Juliet.” The Shakespearean tragedy tells the tale of Romeo, from the House of Montague, and Juliet, from the House of Capulet, who secretly fall in love and get married, despite their families disapproval.

Stargazing for mental health

Students were encouraged to engage with nature in support of their mental wellness through the Star Gazing for Mental Health event at Lake Verona. The Astronomy Club, Counseling Services, the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education and the Office of Sustainability sponsored the event.

Trollinger’s new look

Renovations have started on Trollinger House, which was once a small residence hall but will soon serve as the temporary location for Roberts Academy at �鶹��Ƶ, an all-day private school for children with dyslexia that opens in August.

Established in 2025 through a gift from philanthropists Hal and Marjorie Roberts of Lakeland, Florida, the Roberts Academy at �鶹��Ƶ will be the fourth in a series of successful university-based private elementary schools the couple also supported at Vanderbilt University, Mercer University and Florida Southern College.

A Holi Celebration

On April 10, a warm and sunny spring afternoon, nearly 200 students, faculty, and staff gathered on the lawn of the Lambert Academic Village to celebrate Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors. This year marked the 14th anniversary of Holi at �鶹��Ƶ, a tradition led by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.

Escaping the ‘age of grievance’

Journalist and bestselling author Frank Bruni delivered a sold-out Frank P. Elder Lecture in Whitley Auditorium on April 9. He explored how Americans are living in what he calls an “age of grievance,” a time where more people believe they are losing because someone else is winning. The Elder Lecture marks the final event of the 2025-26 �鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series.

A record-breaking SURF

�鶹��Ƶ held its largest-ever Spring Undergraduate Research Forum on April 28, featuring 384 presentations, including 229 poster presentations, 155 oral presentations, and performances.

SURF Day is an annual event at the university, during which other campus activities are suspended to celebrate the academically centered creative endeavors and research efforts of �鶹��Ƶ students.

Double CAA Champs

Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams took home CAA titles in April. The conference title was the , when the Phoenix also took down UNCW. This was �鶹��Ƶ’s fifth straight CAA championship match, all of which were against the Seahawks. With the victory, �鶹��Ƶ secures an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship.

The women have , with both championship match victories coming against William & Mary. With the win, �鶹��Ƶ secured the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship.

Go baby go!

For the first time, �鶹��Ƶ students brought the Go Baby Go initiative to campus, adapting ride-on toy cars for children with mobility challenges.

The collaborative effort between the �鶹��Ƶ Engineering Club, Phoenix Racing and the Department of Physical Therapy brought the Go Baby Go Initiative to �鶹��Ƶ’s campus for the first time. Founded in 2012 at the University of Delaware, Go Baby Go is a national initiative that modifies ride-on toy cars to meet the individual physical needs of young children who experience mobility challenges.