Emory : Campus Life : Alumni and Friends

Message from the Sr. Vice President

For almost thirty years, the Division of Campus Life has grown dramatically to meet the complex needs of today’s college students. With more than 800 employees and 15 departments, the Division serves more than 11,300 students and 350 registered student organizations.

Within the Division of Campus Life, students are encouraged to experientially prepare themselves for a changing world by ethically engaging themselves in the Emory, the greater Atlanta, the national and international community.

An enriching co-curricular and residential life environment, combined with Campus Life signature programs such as the Barkley Forum, Volunteer Emory, and a thriving Greek system, provide many students with opportunities to enhance or develop leadership skills.

News Bullets:

First all-female team wins 2007 National Debate Tournament
Emory recognized for community engagement by Carnegie Foundation
New Turman Dedication, Saturday, September 29 th at 11:00 a.m.
Residential Life Reunion Celebration, September 28-30, 2007 at TBD time.
Volunteer Emory Reunion Celebration, November 9-10, 2007 at TBD time.

Get Involved

The Division of Campus Life has partnered with the Emory Alumni Association and the Student Alumni Association to identify opportunities for former student leaders, alumni, and friends to engage with and support current student programs and services. Please email Melissa Kontaridis at mkontar@emory.edu to discuss your specific interests.

Ways of Giving

Gifts intended for use by the Division of Campus Life are made payable to Emory University and designated by the donor for Campus Life, a particular department within Campus Life, or a fund established for a particular purpose within Campus Life. Gifts directed to Campus Life may be used to:

expand and enhance student leadership and development;
launch healthy well-being programs and services;
offer opportunities to engage students in activities that teach them to be conscientious, compassionate and active global citizens; and
build programs that unify the community through respect and appreciation for individual and cultural differences.

For information on designating the use of your gift, visit the online giving site and choose Campus Life or designate your gift within other designation sections.

If there is an initiative of importance to you, but not listed above, please contact the Director of Development for the Division of Campus Life by phone at 404.727.6181 or via email at mkontar@emory.edu

Strategic Fundraising Priorities

Over the past three years, the Division of Campus Life in coordination with Emory University’s strategic planning process has developed a strategic plan to enhance the current programs and services offered to Emory students and advance a new focus on strengthening the Emory community and educating ethical leaders for a global community.

Campus Life Development will concentrate its activity on sharing this new vision for Campus Life with students, alumni and friends and request philanthropic support for initiatives which will foster leadership development and enhance the Emory community.

FOSTERING LEADERSHIP

Athletic Enhancements: The Emory Athletics experience should be qualitatively unique and memorable. Knowledgeable and prepared coaches, who are first and foremost great people, will lead our student-athletes and set a tone for academic and athletic excellence. First rate facilities and support for students will distinguish this program from that of our athletic peers. The teamwork and leadership skills that are developed within a competitive athletic environment will help create an exemplary learning community that experientially prepares students for ethical leadership and active citizenship at Emory and beyond.

Barkley Forum Endowment: The Barkley Forum is a community of hard-working, dedicated, scholars pursuing academic excellence and achievement. The Forum is committed to fulfilling the mission of debate and preparing citizens for full participation in a civil society. The Barkley Forum support academic programs, oversees a national education reform movement for at-risk secondary students, and remains active in many worlds, both national and international, outside of academic debate. Emory’s Barkley Forum became the first all-female debate team to win the coveted National Debate Tournament in 2007, the third first place in Emory’s history. Barkley Forum desires to continue its strong tradition of debate combined with service to the community and will require a more competitive endowment to support the priorities of the program.

Center for Student Leadership & Engagement: The newly established Center for Student Leadership and Engagement will educate students with specialized leadership training, programming guidance, practical experience and opportunities for social interaction. Examples include the Leadership Lifesavers, Real World Workshops and participation in nationally recognized LeaderShape Conferences.

Fund to support scholarships to LeaderShape Conferences and bringing LeaderShape to campus
Fund to support the establishment of a Leadership Certificate Program and Leadership Workshops featuring top scholars in leadership development

CREATING COMMUNITY

Living Learning Communities: Well designed and sited on-campus residential facilities enable students to optimize their Emory experience by participating in formal and informal activities. Emory is implementing a Housing Master Plan that includes creating a Freshman Village of ten new halls for first year students. The first new residence hall, Turman Hall, is set to open in the fall of 2007. This new hall will also include Emory’s inaugural Living Learning Community for first year students. Living Learning communities promote learning through an interdisciplinary focus that brings together students, faculty, and staff. Possible foci might include world cultures, sustainability, civic engagement, and social justice.

Fund to support interdisciplinary academic and social programs to enhance each of the four Living Learning Communities such as stipends to encourage and reward faculty involvement and support for experiential learning activities.
Fund to support creating similar experiential learning opportunities in the non Living Learning Community Halls.

Multicultural Programs and Services: One of the great strengths of a world renowned academic institution like Emory University is the great diversity of its student body. Such diversity presents not only advantages for students, but special challenges as well. There will be times for every student when the adjustments, pressures and conflicting demands of home and school life will seem overwhelming. Studies show that this is especially true for students who are members of underrepresented groups. Consequently, in an effort to minimize these experiences, the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services has created many resources to inform and strengthen the campus community.

Fund to support the Crossroads Retreat. The Crossroads Retreat, created in 2003, has increased from 28 participants to over 100. Students spend 5 days in Covington, GA to explore interpersonal and cross cultural bonding activities within smaller groups lead by upper-class MORE advisors and continue their relationships and dialogue throughout the academic year.
Fund to support enhancement of a multicultural library of resources for staff-led diversity presentations for classrooms and student organizations.

Volunteer Emory: There is a growing expectation, on campus and in communities, that higher education will not only sharpen its focus on student learning and development but also expand commitment to resolve social problems and address human needs. Increasingly, college and universities are meeting this challenge by developing service-learning programs. This intentional linking of community service with specific learning and development outcomes is valuable to students, universities and communities. Volunteer Emory, founded by two students in 1980, provides organized opportunities for students to get involved in community service projects in the metro-Atlanta area. These service projects promote learning about self and society, while striving to meet the needs identified by community organizations.

Fund to support experiential activities which provide an expanded service learning component for all student volunteers.
Fund to support a pre-Orientation volunteer trip to offer new Emory students an opportunity to understand the significance of active citizenship.

Second Year Experience Residential Program: Residential Life & Housing continue to innovate with the Second Year at Emory program. In partnership with other departments in Campus Life and the Office for Undergraduate Education, SYE prepares students for the transition from college life to “real life.” The program enhances and supports second-year students as they develop and enhance competencies in all aspects of their lives. By developing a stellar residential life program and a unifying creed that holds students to high standards, Campus Life can produce additional leaders who lead with integrity.

Fund to support programs to enhance the SYE such as special guest speakers and enriching leadership experiences.
Fund to support career exploration and academic advising.

Multipurpose Center: Coming together for shared activities is part of University tradition and culture. Through the years Glenn Church and the WoodPEC gym have served the purpose of assembly. Both have serious limitations and cannot effectively serve all of the educational and programmatic demands of the Emory community. A planning concept is to build a large Multipurpose Center (able to accommodate up to 2,000 people for major events). The Multipurpose Center could host assemblies involving some of Emory’s most distinguished guests (the Dalai Lama or Jimmy Carter, for example), as well as an array of other creative options including dances and career fairs.

Emory Spirit Endowment: The establishment of a $1 million endowment to support school spirit at Emory University will nurture the continuation of Emory’s traditions and the creation of new ones. Funds from the endowment will support programs that encourage strong participation from all students and foster a sense of loyalty and pride in Emory – programs such as Classroom on the Quad, Wonderful Wednesdays, and the Senior Experience. The fund will be distributed by a diverse committee of students, alumni, faculty and staff who will review requests biannually from within the community.

Student, Faculty and Staff Health and Wellness Center: With the relocation of the existing Emory Clinic to the first phase of the Clifton Road Redevelopment Project, the student counseling center will relocate from Cox Hall to the 1525 Building. Housing both the student clinic and the counseling center in the same facility will allow service coordination and privacy. Additionally, it will encourage the creation of an integrated multidisciplinary service and training center focused on the health and mental health of students, staff and faculty. A comprehensive health and wellness center would have the potential for becoming nationally known as a training facility for health care professionals (e.g., social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses) with expertise in working with university communities.

Endowment to Name the Center
Fund to support interdisciplinary research between Campus Life, Psychology and the Medical School’s Psychiatry Department.
Fund to support programs promoting holistic health for the entire Emory community.

Other Initiatives Underdevelopment

Fund to support LGBT Life Office’s programs and services.
Fund to support graduate student programs and initiatives.
R. Howard Dobbs University Center Renovation.
Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities for Emory Career Center.
Fund to support leadership recognition awards, such as the Marion Luther Brittain Service Award.
Fund to support the establishment of a co-curricular transcript and other student development initiatives linking programs such as; Orientation, FAME, Residential Life, Career Center, Center for Student Leadership and Engagement and the Office for Undergraduate Education.

Strategic Plan

Vision/Mission Statement
The Division of Campus Life enhances and strengthens Emory University as a community of learning through our programs, activities, services, and facilities. We create a welcoming and supportive environment with a commitment to model and teach holistic well-being, ethical leadership, community service, and global citizenship.