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• The Princeton Review names 麻豆视频 a Best Value College for 2027
• 麻豆视频 MBA named among Princeton Review鈥檚 Best Business Schools for 2027
• 麻豆视频 featured in The Princeton Review 鈥楪uide to Green Colleges鈥�

麻豆视频 is one of 76 undergraduate institutions nationwide that the education services company ^庐 has named to its for 2027.

The Honor Roll recognition is part of an annual project鈥攏ow in its third year鈥攖hat The Princeton Review conducts in partnership with the , an internationally recognized organization that works to end the stigma associated with mental health.

Schools that earn the Honor Roll designation are those that demonstrate a strong commitment to their students’ mental health and well-being. The selections for 2027 were based on data from The Princeton Review’s 2026 . It asked administrators at 739 colleges 77 questions about their school’s counseling, mental health, and wellness services for students. The Princeton Review also surveyed 56,000 students across 300 colleges about their awareness of their school’s mental health services.

The Princeton Review Mental Health Services Honor Roll list for 2027 is on PrincetonReview.com in alphabetical order. The for Honor Roll designation(s) are described .

The Princeton Review profile on 麻豆视频 highlights three main ways the university approaches student mental health:

• Mental health services: Counseling Services听offers free, campus-based mental health support, including prevention and educational workshops and individual counseling. Health Promotion complements these services with education and programs on topics such as aromatherapy, substance use, and risk reduction, as well as a Collegiate Recovery Community.
• Wellness quality of life: The Princeton Review highlights the university’s HealthEU initiative, including HealthEU courses, which听incorporate mental health topics, with several sections taught by clinicians, while other for-credit courses address one or more dimensions of wellness.听It also noted that 麻豆视频 became听the first North Carolina institution to adopt the Okanagan Charter, joining an international effort to advance health-promoting colleges and universities.
• Peer-to-peer resources: The Princeton Review highlights听Peer EARS, a student-to-student emotional support program that uses empathy, affirmation, reflection and support. SOS for Higher Education also offers suicide prevention training on campus for students, faculty and staff, and is required for many student leaders and student employees.

“I am so proud of and grateful for the Counseling Services team, comprised of tremendously smart and dedicated mental health clinicians, whose expertise, compassion and commitment help ensure that students have access to high-quality mental health services and programs,” said Anita Hodnett, interim dean of student health and well-being. “Their efforts, alongside those of our colleagues in Health Promotion, student leadership and peer education programs, academic partnerships, and countless others across the university, reflect a shared understanding that student well-being is everyone’s responsibility.”

The Princeton Review project also works to promote awareness of campus mental health services among college applicants and students attending colleges. The company reports information about the surveyed school’s mental health services in its profiles of the schools on PrincetonReview.com as well as in its annual guidebook.

“We are honored to recognize 麻豆视频 for the many ways it prioritizes the mental health of 麻豆视频 students and its exceptional commitment to their well-being,” said , The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “When it comes to student success in college, well-being is everything.”

Read the release on The Princeton Review 2026 Campus Mental Health Services Survey project

The Princeton Review () is an education services company known for its tutoring, test-prep, admission services, books, and other learning resources. Headquartered in New York, NY, it is not affiliated with Princeton University.

麻豆视频 The Princeton Review

听is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school鈥揵ound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; a of more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. Founded in 1981, the company is now in its 45th year. The company’s brand, now in its 25th year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 29 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review, headquartered in New York, NY, is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit Follow the company on Facebook (), (@theprincetonreview), (the-princeton-review), (@ThePrincetonReview), and . Subscribe to The Princeton Review’s twice-weekly newsletter, Brick & Mortarboard, .

鈥淯sing the Human Attention Lab Lunch-and-Learn鈥�

WHEN: Monday, Nov. 16, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Moseley 215
HOW:听 Space will be limited.

The Human Attention Lab,听a tech-free, faculty-proctored space for a wide variety of student work, ranging from free reading and writing to timed assessments, was created this fall for faculty members to ensure that students complete work without the aid of AI.

The Lunch-and-Learn is sponsored by faculty who established an AI-Critical Working Group and HealthEU, an initiative of 麻豆视频 that brings together programs, people, and resources that empower students, faculty, and staff to cultivate health and well-being in every aspect of university life.

Students using the space in Powell 210 provide their instructors with documentation that attests to the fact that they completed the work without any electronic devices. Faculty who organized HAL said they intend for it to support academic success while building trust between students, their professors and their peers.

Sixteen faculty members have been volunteering their time to operate the lab for two hours at a time, several days each week in the late afternoon and early evening, said Professor Ann Cahill, a member of the AI-Critical Working Group. She said the working group鈥檚 goal is to eventually secure permanent institutional support for staffing the lab.

The Lunch-and-Learn will provide more details about the HAL, including reflections from three faculty who recently have used it in different ways.

Time will also be set aside for small-group brainstorming on potential new uses for the lab, which received logistical and space support this fall from the Office of the Provost.

Contact Professor Ann Cahill at cahilla@elon.edu with questions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just common humanity that we鈥檙e all going to struggle with well-being across our lifetime,鈥� Iselin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 allowing that shared experience of struggle and being able to bounce back, reconnect and reorient.鈥�

This perspective has shaped Iselin鈥檚 approach to teaching and caring for the whole student. Now, as the Faculty Fellow for Wellness and Well-Being, she is exploring how faculty can integrate well-being into their teaching while also caring for themselves.

Putting the person first

Growing up, Iselin spent time with peers whom others viewed as the 鈥渨rong crowd.鈥� However, she saw them first as people and became interested in working with adolescents facing challenges. That interest became her entry into mental health, eventually leading her to work with youth who were in trouble with the law, including beginning as a live-in manager of a group home.

These experiences shaped Iselin鈥檚 life philosophy, which still guides her today: putting the person first.

鈥淭rying to understand that person holistically before focusing on perhaps something that’s not going so well,鈥� Iselin said. 鈥淭he student before the concern. The student before the missed assignment. The adolescent before the criminal behavior.鈥�

The commitment to understanding the whole person continued throughout Iselin鈥檚 academic journey. She studied psychology, social welfare and criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison before completing her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and postdoctoral work at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her career later took her to Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington before a family move to the Triangle and time away from full-time academia brought 麻豆视频 onto her radar.

鈥溌槎故悠� felt like a unicorn,鈥� Iselin said. 鈥淚t was this perfect way of integrating everything that I love, from my research questions to how I live my life and the ways that I care for students in the classroom.鈥�

Iselin joined 麻豆视频 as a full-time faculty member the semester before the COVID-19 pandemic and began integrating wellness practices, such as deep breathing and values affirmation exercises, into her classroom. Once the pandemic began, she became even more intentional about incorporating wellness practices, drawing on her clinical psychology background.

鈥淚 realized I could bring my clinical self into the classroom,鈥� Iselin said. 鈥淣ot as a clinician, but as little healthy strategies that people can pull into their lives. Part of effective teaching at 麻豆视频 is caring for the whole student.鈥�

This realization led Iselin to implement what she calls 鈥渨ell-being rituals鈥� into each class, giving students a few moments to reflect, reset or reconnect with themselves.

For Iselin鈥檚 students, these small practices have made a meaningful difference in the classroom. Anna Grace Gilbert 鈥�27, who took a class with Iselin and now serves as her teaching and learning assistant, has experienced that approach firsthand. She believes Iselin鈥檚 care extends beyond the 鈥渨ell-being rituals鈥� and is an important part of how Iselin supports her students.

鈥淎t our very first meeting, I made name tags for everyone in the class. After I finished writing their names, she wrote a personalized note of encouragement on the back of each one,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淚 think that just demonstrates how much Anne-Marie cares about her students before she even meets them.鈥�

Iselin鈥檚 commitment to integrating wellness practices into the classroom and caring for the whole student ultimately drew her to the Faculty Fellow for Wellness and Well-Being role, allowing her to expand that work beyond her own classroom.

Wellness as part of effective teaching

Central to Iselin鈥檚 work as the Faculty Fellow for Wellness and Well-Being is exploring what she calls the 鈥渕utuality鈥� of pedagogical wellness, where supporting student and faculty well-being can work together.

鈥淎nne-Marie brings a thoughtful combination of expertise, care and collaboration to this role,鈥� said Marna Winter, associate director for the Center for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning, and Teaching Professor of Education at the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education. 鈥淪he understands wellness not as an additional task faculty must take on, but as something that can be meaningfully integrated into pedagogy and course design.鈥�

Jill McSweeney, assistant director of CATL, explained how that integration can create an environment where students can learn effectively.

鈥淲hen a classroom is attentive to how students are doing physically, mentally and socially, it becomes a space that invites them to show up fully and take the risks that deep and meaningful learning requires,鈥� McSweeney said.

Gilbert has experienced the connection between well-being and effectiveness in her role as Iselin鈥檚 Teaching and Learning Assistant (TLA).

鈥淚n the beginning, she set very clear expectations and made sure that I continued to put my well-being first,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淪he has been an incredible support system for me this semester. This has allowed me to be fully present as her TLA and do my job effectively.鈥�

Iselin also emphasizes that supporting student well-being requires clarity about the faculty role, understanding meaningful ways faculty can support students, and recognizing when to connect students with other university resources.

鈥淲ith students, I can empathize. I can affirm. I can support. I can reach out,鈥� Iselin said. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 have to be a counselor. That鈥檚 not my role. That鈥檚 not my scope of practice.鈥�

Rather than seeing role clarity as separate from care, Iselin views it as part of creating healthy and sustainable relationships with students. Being transparent about what faculty can offer and connecting students with others when different expertise is needed allows faculty to remain caring and responsive without assuming responsibilities that belong to mental health professionals.

Iselin is bringing these approaches to faculty and staff through the Kindness Pedagogy Community of Practice, workshops and one-on-one consultations.

Looking ahead, Iselin hopes that creating multiple entry points through the Kindness Pedagogy Community of Practice, workshops and one-on-one consultations with faculty and staff will help strengthen the culture of well-being at 麻豆视频, where pedagogical wellness is recognized as part of effective teaching and learning.

鈥淚f faculty want to build their teaching effectiveness, this is another pathway for them to do so,鈥� Iselin said. 鈥淭o learn how to conceptualize it, implement it effectively and recognize the positive impact that it might have.鈥�

Doesn鈥檛 everyone just love the word sin? I know I don鈥檛. Sin is a loaded word. I find it intimidating, scary, and perhaps a little bit shameful. It is uncomfortable to consider all the ways I fail those I care about and contribute to the brokenness of our world. However, just because something is uncomfortable doesn鈥檛 mean that it isn鈥檛 worth doing. After all, how can I improve myself if I can鈥檛 take an honest look (at least once a year) at all the ways in which I fall short?

Every year I remind y鈥檃ll that Yom Kippur is a day of forgiveness for our communal sins. If we have harmed another person directly, we should apologize to that person directly and work to repair the relationship. On Yom Kippur we confess the collective sins of the Jewish people, hoping, praying, and trusting that God will forgive us and accept us back in love.

The two main prayers of confession are 鈥� 鈥淲e Are Guilty鈥� and 听鈥� 鈥淔or Our Sin鈥� As it happens, we may not have committed many of the sins mentioned in these prayers. We also may not consider many of the actions we鈥檙e confessing to be sinful 鈥� our culture is very different from that of the ancient world. However, some categories of sin 鈥� such as speech-based sin 鈥� are still relevant today. The ancient rabbis understood just as we do that speech can be one of the most potent and harmful forms of sinning out there.

The prayer Ashamnu has 22 phrases, each corresponding to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is an alphabetized catalog of sins. I count 5 explicit instances of speech-based sinning: dibbarnu dofi 鈥� we鈥檝e spoken slander; tafalnu sheqer 鈥� we鈥檝e spoken lie after lie; ya鈥檃tznu ra鈥� 鈥� we鈥檝e advised wrongly (or advised evil); kizavnu 鈥� we鈥檝e deceived; and latznu 鈥� we鈥檝e mocked. If you include other phrases that could apply to speech acts, such as angering, rebelling, betraying, causing others to sin or become evil, sinning deliberately or sinning carelessly, committing abominations, making errors, or just being guilty in general, that鈥檚 at least 9 more. Whether explicit or implicit, most of the sins in Ashamnu can describe speech. This is an extraordinary number.

A similar focus on speech occurs in the prayer Al Cheit. We have sinned through: bittui s鈥檉atayim 鈥� utterance of the lips; dibbur peh 鈥� using (or misusing) our mouths; viddui peh 鈥� only confessing verbally when actions of repentance are required (we might call this a 鈥渓ip service鈥� confession); tifshut peh 鈥� foolish talk; tum鈥檃t s鈥檉atayim 鈥� impurity of the lips; kachash uvkhazav 鈥� false denial and false promise; lashon hara鈥� 鈥� evil talk (or slander); latzon 鈥� scoffing; siach sif鈥檛einu听鈥� prattle of our lips; rechilut 鈥� gossiping; shevuat shav鈥� 鈥� swearing in vain. Like the Ashamnu prayer, Al Cheit mentions many other kinds of actions that can be applied to speech more broadly.

I don鈥檛 know about you, but I find this list of speech-based sins absolutely overwhelming. I have gossiped, scoffed, lied, deceived, and spoken badly of someone not just in the past year, but probably also this past week. I don鈥檛 even know how to track the full impact of my speech-based sin: often it is not directed against someone but contributes to a negative culture more broadly.

I think the rabbis were onto something when they lifted up speech-based sin as both extremely harmful and extremely hard to avoid. And the rabbis lived long before social media鈥�. Nowadays, many speech-based sins aren鈥檛 even directly attributable to humans 鈥� the AI bots have learned from us how to sin with words! They鈥檙e having entire conversations without us!

So why does this matter? Let me tell you one place where I see the most harmful effects of sinful speech impacting the Jewish people and our campus today.

Three years ago when I first learned about October 7th, I was horrified. I had lived in Israel for two and a half years and thought of the many friends I still had there. Were they okay? Were their families okay? As a rabbi and a chaplain, the most pressing work right after October 7th was listening to y鈥檃ll students talk about how Oct 7th impacted you personally. For so many of us here tonight, when we speak about Israel, we鈥檙e not talking about some abstract, far away other: 听we鈥檙e talking about family and friends 鈥� people near and dear to our hearts.

As I listened to students share after October 7th, it quickly became clear to me that there was a second emotional crisis unfolding: the repeated fracturing of friendships, many of which were caused or exacerbated by social media. I repeatedly heard from students who identified as Zionists that they wanted others to know they didn鈥檛 want Palestinian civilians to suffer. And I heard from several pro-Palestinian students (Jewish and non-Jewish alike) that they wanted to express their criticisms of the government of the state of Israel without being antisemitic. Many of them approached me for advice on how to do so.

If we only took our cues from social media or just the media landscape more broadly, we might think that we can either support Israelis OR Palestinians, that we could either support the return of the hostages OR work to safeguard Palestinian civilian lives, or that we need to choose between supporting a Jewish, democratic state OR the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. I don鈥檛 believe that we have to make these choices. Our minds are big enough to hold two ideas simultaneously and our hearts are big enough to care for the whole world.

Another error of social media is that it creates an echo chamber that encourages us to be in relationship only with people who agree with us. Social media encourages a latent human tendency to demonize those who are different. Somehow, engaging with people who hold different views than you do has come to be a thing we should do, rather than a thing we get to do. Yes, conversations highlighting differences of opinion can sometimes be uncomfortable and even downright excruciating. But they can also be generative and even delightful. After all, how would we ever learn anything if we only ever heard opinions we agree with? How would we grow?

When we can engage with others who hold different views than we do from a place of mutual respect and curiosity, our conversations and communities become elevated. Engaging with different voices helps us to develop empathy and wisdom. When we can approach these conversations from a place of psychological and physiological safety, they can broaden our minds and open our hearts. We can learn and we can grow. I cannot tell you how many times my own thinking on various topics has become far sharper when I have engaged with those I disagree with. I also cannot tell you the number of times I have been surprised and touched by someone else鈥檚 story. Hearing differing perspectives 鈥� when practiced in an atmosphere of mutual respect and safety 鈥� is a gift.

If I had to pick one of the biggest communal sins of the Jewish people from the past several years, it is that we have too often used our words to tear each other apart for having different views on Israel. We have failed to speak respectfully to one another. We have failed to listen. We have failed to honor the good intentions of others. We have failed to see the humanity of the person who disagrees with us, or the deeper universal values at play behind their specific politics. We have failed to see how learning to understand different opinions 鈥� including the opinions of those among us who may just want to be Jewish and not think too much about Israel 鈥� can strengthen our community. We have failed to create safe spaces to discuss our differences constructively. And we have failed to open our hearts to each other. We have put politics over relationships.

I want to be clear. I do not believe that we caused this situation on our campus. It is a symptom of a much broader, systemic issue facing the global Jewish community today. However, we do have the opportunity to change how we speak to one another on this campus. We can choose to take a different path together.

On Yom Kippur we confess the collective sins of the Jewish people, hoping, praying, and trusting that God will forgive us and accept us back in love. It is an opportunity for a fresh start. My invitation for us all gathered here tonight is that we may also consider what it might mean to confess our collective speech-based sins to each other. My hope is that this confession might break open our hearts so that we can better connect with one another. I pray that we can work together to build a stronger Jewish community, one based on mutual respect and honoring differences, one that elevates each other and our conversations, and one in which all can trust that we will be accepted in love.

Finally, I want to acknowledge that I have used a lot of words to give this message to you! I am sure my own words have been imprecise and imperfect. I pray my message will be received according to the intention with which it is given 鈥� to strengthen the Jewish community in love. And if I鈥檝e said anything tonight that resonates with you 鈥� whether you agree or disagree, whether you understand or you have no idea what I鈥檓 talking about and want to know more, or if you feel unseen or unheard by what I have said 鈥� I invite you to reach out. Let鈥檚 talk. I am sure that I have something to learn from you. And together we can create a new story about how we talk about Israel together on campus and beyond. To echo the ancient words of the psalmist (adapted from ) yehiyu l鈥檙atzon imrei finu vehigiyon libeinu lefanecha Adonai tzureinu vego鈥檃leinu 鈥� may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you Adonai, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

The first Phoenix Five of the year is here! Each Sunday afternoon, I’ll send you a quick email with five things you need to know for the week ahead. This could include important deadlines and campus events or helpful reminders and opportunities to get involved.听 My goal is simple: keep you as informed as possible with one Sunday email you can use to plan your week ahead.

With classes beginning on Tuesday, here are five things to help you start the semester off right.

Get Connected on Social Media

Social media is one of the easiest ways to stay plugged in at 麻豆视频. If you want to know what鈥檚 happening on campus in real time, here are a few Instagram accounts I recommend:

• 麻豆视频 (main)
• Phoenix Athletics and Phoenix Phanatics
• Student Life
• 麻豆视频 Dining
• Student Union Board
• 麻豆视频 News Network
• HealthEU

Hypnotist

Monday, Aug. 24, 8:30-11 p.m., Alumni Gym

Join the Student Union Board (SUB) for the annual hypnotist show 鈥� a student favorite! Come ready to watch your friends (or maybe even yourself!) take the stage for an unforgettable, hilarious performance. .

麻豆视频 Campus Traditions 鈥� Starting this Week!

College Coffee

Tuesdays, 9:40-10:20 a.m., Alumni Gym

College Coffee is one of 麻豆视频鈥檚 most beloved traditions. Every Tuesday morning, the entire campus gathers for coffee, treats and conversation. It鈥檚 a chance to meet people, connect with faculty and staff, and hear about what鈥檚 happening around campus. If your student organization wants to host an information table at College Coffee, information on .

Numen Lumen: A Thursday Inspiration

Thursdays, 9:50-10:20 a.m., Numen Lumen Pavilion

On Thursday mornings, we pause for a moment of reflection and inspiration. You鈥檒l hear music from student, faculty, and staff performers and reflections from members of our community. This year鈥檚 theme is and the first Numen Lumen of the year will be held this Thursday.

Getting Started with Canvas

Beginning with the Fall 2026 semester, 麻豆视频 is using Canvas instead of Moodle. You鈥檒l use it to access course materials, submit assignments, communicate with your instructors, and view your grades. Before classes begin:

• Log in to Canvas using your 麻豆视频 account.
• After logging in for the first time, as part of setting up your Canvas account. Your account will not be fully functional until you do.
• Visit the for student guides, FAQs and support resources.
• Learn the basics by enrolling in the course.

When you log in, you may not see all of your Fall courses immediately. Your instructors will make courses available before or on the first day of class.

Cheer on Phoenix at First Home Football Game

Thursday, Aug. 27

Student Tailgate

2-7 p.m., Hunt B (back parking lot of the Schar Center)

Before football kickoff, get ready to ignite your game day with Phoenix spirit at the student tailgate. Parking passes are available in Student Involvement and are limited to one pass per student and three passes per student organization or group.

麻豆视频 v. Glenville State

7 p.m., Rhodes Stadium

Start off the fall semester by cheering on the Phoenix as 麻豆视频 opens the football season against Glenville State. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Rhodes Stadium.

Welcome to 麻豆视频! Welcome first years, welcome back returning students, and welcome families. We are so very glad that you have chosen to be here with us.

This week鈥檚 Torah portion (parshah) is called . Ki Teitzei means 鈥渨hen you go out鈥�. In the parshah, this going out refers to war and is immediately followed by laws governing the taking of captives. The parshah then provides an extensive collection of commandments.

I鈥檓 going to go out on a limb and say that while I imagine that moving into 麻豆视频 may have been a rough or challenging experience for many of you, it probably didn鈥檛 feel like going to war. At the very least, I hope it did not! However, I imagine that going out from the homes and families you have grown up in has also involved taking care of an extensive list of seemingly unconnected details, just like the parshah.

In looking over these detailed commandments, one struck me as essential to thriving here at 麻豆视频. says 鈥淚f you see your brother鈥檚 [or your fellow鈥檚] donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it; you must raise it together.鈥�
At first glance, this verse may not appear to be relevant to our lives. I am unaware of any donkeys or oxen present on 麻豆视频鈥檚 campus, although if senior administrators know differently, please let me know! [Correction: apparently have been an issue!] However, if you bear with me, I will show you why this verse still matters for us here today.

The Talmud () 鈥� an ancient collection of commentary on rabbinic law considered authoritative for traditional observance even today 鈥� connects this passage with a similar passage from : 鈥淲hen you see a donkey of your enemy lying under its burden and would refrain from raising it, you must nevertheless help raise it.鈥�

According to traditional rabbinic interpretation (), the verse from Exodus commands us to remove undue burdens from animals, even animals belonging to people who hate us. This command shows us that we should alleviate animal suffering whenever possible.

However, the verse from this week鈥檚 parsha in Deuteronomy is understood to command us to put a load back onto an animal if its load has fallen off. This verse teaches us that we should not just care for the animal, but also for the owner of the animal, honoring their intentions to build a secure life for themselves. The verse also clarifies that we are meant to put the load back onto the animal with the owner. We are meant to care for the economic success and flourishing of our fellows with our fellows.

So why does this matter? These laws in these verses matter in three ways.

First, many of us live our lives carrying heavy emotional burdens. We are not donkeys or oxen, but college life can sometimes be a lot to bear. If the Torah asks us to alleviate animal suffering, how much more so would it want us to assist each other in relieving our own suffering? We at Jewish Life (Betsy, Boaz, Jay, Sarah, Tal, and myself) want you to know that we are here for you and will be here for you whenever you need us.

Second, college is also a time of growth and opportunity. There are some burdens (such as the responsibilities and privileges of adulthood) you will want to take on! Classes, internships, study abroad, leadership experiences, Greek life, clubs 鈥� these are aspects of college life that I know many of you are already excited about! We are also here to help you grow in the ways you want to grow and support your flourishing!

Finally, you may have heard the phrase 鈥� all of the Jewish people are responsible for one another. I believe that forming relationships 鈥� with mentors and with each other 鈥� is the most important part of the college experience. I know that it can sometimes take time to make friends at college and to find your place. It is totally normal to feel anxious about making friends. If you do feel this way, know you鈥檙e not alone!

As you and your families adjust your being in college, I hope all of you gathered here today know that you will always have a home with Jewish Life at 麻豆视频. We鈥檙e here to help you let go of or manage the burdens you don鈥檛 want, take on the burdens you do want, and help you form the relationships with one another that will sustain you through college and beyond. We are so happy that you have chosen to make your home with us. Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh. Let us all take care of one another. Shabbat shalom.

The 麻豆视频 Academy Summer Academy program is a three-week residential program, that models day-to-day life on a college campus. Scholars attend classes taught by various 麻豆视频 faculty and staff, eat in a dining hall and build connections amongst cohorts.

麻豆视频 Academy fosters a supportive culture rooted in the mentorship that EA staff, student leaders and 麻豆视频 faculty/staff provide to scholars. The holistic support 麻豆视频 Academy has cultivated has been further strengthened through the incorporation of 麻豆视频鈥檚 health and well-being initiative, HealthEU.

During the Summer Academy, scholars take academic, life skills and college-prep courses. An important aspect of the program includes Evening Sessions, which have historically served as the scholars’ extracurricular programming ranging from cooking and art to physical activity like soccer, yoga and martial arts. This summer, 麻豆视频 Academy committed to a new approach, intentionally infusing the HealthEU framework into Evening Session planning and development. This was executed through the collaboration of 麻豆视频 Academy鈥檚 Faculty Scholar Evan Small and Coordinator for Well-Being, Melissa Chacon Villalobos.

All Summer Academy instructors participated in a four-part instructor development series in the spring facilitated by Small. During the first session, instructors received an overview of the 麻豆视频 Academy, as well as insights into Alamance County and Alamance-Burlington School System.听 During the remaining sessions, instructors received information related to 麻豆视频 Academy鈥檚 new learning framework, course development and assessment resources. Evening Session instructors, which include 麻豆视频 faculty, staff and connected community members, received an additional piece of training that gave them an overview of HealthEU, its six dimensions of well-being, and insight into how to enact the HealthEU and Wellness-Centered Pedagogy Frameworks.

The goal of this training was to give evening instructors additional resources to support them in infusing well-being into their sessions. Instructors鈥� reflections from their overall experience of teaching evening sessions and how it influenced their own professional growth or perspective as an educator included feeling prepared to embrace new challenges like teaching new subjects, working with new student populations and stepping beyond their comfort zones.

鈥�(The training) helped me step outside of my comfort zone and learn how to teach a new subject to ages that I have never taught before,” said one Evening Session instructor.

In addition, they shared having a deepened understanding of diverse student populations and strengthening their commitment to outreach, particularly in supporting first-generation and low-income (FGLI) students.

鈥淚t is a humbling experience, and provides a more diverse lens of Alamance County,” said an Evening Session instructor.

“Well-being isn’t something we teach in a single session. It’s something we intentionally weave throughout the 麻豆视频 Academy experience,” said Emily Wiersma, director of the 麻豆视频 Academy. “Dr. Evan Small and Melissa Chacon Villalobos played a key role in translating that commitment into meaningful learning experiences by equipping and supporting our Evening Session instructors. Together, our faculty, staff, and community partners created opportunities for scholars to explore their purpose, build community and develop habits that will support them in college and beyond.”

Through several weeks of diverse sessions, scholars were empowered to align their values, skills and goals to their holistic well-being. Evening Sessions allowed scholars to connect career and personal interests such as entrepreneurship, health professions, and culinary arts, while learning how to infuse well-being into their day-to-day life. For example, one Evening Session encompassing the connection between career and personal interests was Introduction to Esports. In this session, Scholars were able to play games and expand the styles of games they play, while also learning about different career paths they can take with Esports. In another course, Introduction to Sports Medicine, scholars were able to blend their interest in sports and or/ medicine with the potential career routes of being an athletic trainer in the 麻豆视频 Athletic Training Room.

The intentional instructor development and integration of the HealthEU framework have further deepened the experiences and takeaways of the Summer Academy for scholars. The Summer Academy fosters independence within scholars to take ownership of their learning and goals for college, while fostering a sense of community and belonging.

When asked to describe the most important takeaways from their evening sessions as it relates to the specific dimension of well-being, scholars shared:

• 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to work together as a team and find something that makes you happy.鈥�
• 鈥淚 learned about myself, what I value, and how I can help others.鈥�
• 鈥淭he evening sessions taught me that everyday physical activity, even if it’s just an hour or thirty minutes, can help a lot.鈥�
• 鈥淜nowing how to grow and make my own food, and how to use that as a way to escape to focus on my own well-being.鈥�

Evening Sessions in particular, model the multidimensional aspect of well-being and convey to scholars the importance of taking initiative of their well-being. Scholars experienced firsthand how career interests can intersect with personal interests and purpose. The culminating outcome of Evening Sessions is that scholars feel empowered to actively explore and make intentional decisions about how they use their time that support their values, goals and well-being.

Expanded academics
School of Engineering and Computing

The new School of Engineering and Computing will open in Fall 2026, anchoring听the university鈥檚 Innovation Quad听in the heart of campus. It will include听20听full-time faculty and three full-time staff positions with more than 300 undergraduate students. The school will include three new majors: , and . John听Walz, a former president of the听Milwaukee School of Engineering听and听longtime leader in engineering and technology education, will serve as the school’s inaugural dean.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

麻豆视频’s new Clinical Mental Health Counseling program will welcome its first cohort this fall. The graduate program, at 麻豆视频鈥檚 main campus and Charlotte national campus, will work to prepare competent, compassionate and ethical counselors committed to promoting mental wellness and addressing an urgent need for counselors.

Charlotte Physician Assistant Studies

麻豆视频 will welcome Charlotte, North Carolina鈥檚 first Physician Assistant program with its inaugural class in January 2027,听pending achieving Accreditation-Provisional status at the September 2026 ARC-PA meeting.听Rooted in 麻豆视频鈥檚 pillars of engaged learning, leadership, and global impact, the 麻豆视频 PA program in Charlotte is designed who uphold clinical excellence, are community-focused, and equity-driven.

Roberts Academy at 麻豆视频

The Roberts Academy,听North Carolina鈥檚 only university-based private school for children with dyslexia, officially opens this fall. It will serve as a statewide and national model for structured literacy education. The school was established through the philanthropic vision of Marjorie and Hal Roberts, who have witnessed the transformative power of a multisensory approach to reading education.

The school will initially welcome third- and fourth-grade students in Trollinger House, before expanding its capacity to grades one through six in a state-of-the-art facility planned for East Haggard Avenue, set to open in Fall 2028.

New sights

Several construction projects have been underway this summer, ahead of the 2026-27 academic year.听The听Slattery Center听will be the university鈥檚 new health and wellness center, a central component to the university鈥檚 broader听HealthEU听initiative that focuses on six dimensions of health and wellness: community, emotional, purpose, financial, physical and social.

Renovations of the Mooney Building, home to the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, are underway, including the replacement of windows and HVAC systems, upgrades to electrical and plumbing systems, and the addition of waterproofing.

Slattery Center

The Slattery Center will be the university’s new health and wellness center, a central component to the university鈥檚 broader听HealthEU听initiative that focuses on six dimensions of health and wellness: community, emotional, purpose, financial, physical and social. The three-story center will feature new classrooms, student-faculty research spaces, multiple floors for wellness and fitness activities, and Counseling Services at the Mark and Kim Tyson Counseling Center, which will provide individual and group therapy, as well as workshops and outreach programs.

Trollinger House

Trollinger House is now renovated to be the temporary home of the Roberts Academy at 麻豆视频, North Carolina鈥檚 only university-based private school for children with dyslexia.听The school will initially welcome third and fourth-grade students in Trollinger House for Fall 2026, before expanding capacity to grades one through six in a state-of-the-art facility planned for East Haggard Avenue set to open in Fall 2028.

Mooney Building

Renovations of the Mooney Building, home to the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, are underway, including the replacement of windows and HVAC systems, upgrades to electrical and plumbing systems, and the addition of waterproofing.

Other projects

Other projects happening on campus include reroofing buildings in Oaks, work on an interior fountain in the Numen Lumen Pavilion, and adding charging ports for electric scooters.

The collaboration framework explored in this article was originally developed for a knowledge-based product development firm by Barker Scott and Manning. The framework outlines three key components of collaboration: collaborative work, relationships, and behaviors.

This scholarly work can be applied through HealthEU initiatives to advance 麻豆视频鈥檚 strategic goal of cultivating a culture of health and well-being. One of the HealthEU initiatives R盲is盲nen and Butler-Storsved, in collaboration with the Student Health and Wellness Coaching Research Coalition, are currently building is developing a peer health and wellness coaching program for 麻豆视频 students. This project, supported by 麻豆视频 Innovates, will create campus work opportunities for students who have completed the Health and Wellness Coach badge program.