Gap Semester Collection

Collection

Identifier: EUA149

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the proposal for the Gap Program, put together by Steve Morrison and dated 2012. This proposal consists of a white paper summary dated April 4, 2011. Supporting documents were included with the white paper in a three-ring binder. The collection also has a copy of the handbook issued to participants for each fall from 2012 to 2016.

During the 2012 Gap semester, participants visited the National Outdoor Leadership School in Denver, Colorado to learn about leadership; the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to learn about the history and challenges facing the Lakota tribes; St. Louis, Missouri, to study the Gateway Greening non-profit’s urban farming initiatives; Harlan, Kentucky, to study the impact of mountaintop removal mining and it’s impact on the Appalachian region; and finally Costa Rica to travel and experience the people and culture of the Central American country. Later Gap semesters featured other destinations and experiences. After each fall Gap semester, participants began their studies at Elon the following January.

Dates

2012-2016

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The nature of the Archives and Special Collections of Belk Library means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of Belk Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research of otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Biographical / Historical

The Gap Semester Program was conceived as a program that would fulfil Theme Four of the Elon Commitment, “to launch a service program as part of a gap-year program.” This initiative was also conceived to address a desire on the part of some prospective students to spend time growing and maturing prior to beginning formal undergraduate studies. Similar to the gap-year experiences of many European college students, this program allowed Elon students to defer traditional courses and participate in an experiential learning semester that combined travel and service during the fall of their first year of college. The Gap Semester Program was conceived as a 13-week “bridge” program designed for an initial cohort of 15 students who plan to attend Elon but who wish to begin their college experience in a non-traditional format at a reduced course load. Students would earn up to 8 hours of academic credit and participate in three distinct international, leadership, and service experiences.

Implementation of this program became an institutional priority in 2010-2011, and President Leo Lambert charged the overseeing committee with piloting the program during the 2012-2013 academic year. The program continued until the 2016-2017 year, after which the program was suspended.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1) : 6 items

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Similar to the gap-year experiences of many European college students, the Gap Semester Program allowed Elon students to defer traditional courses and participate in an experiential learning semester that combined travel and service during the fall semester of their first year of college. The collection consists of the proposal for the Gap Program, as well as a copy of the handbook issued to participants for each fall semester from 2012 to 2016.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged by item, then chronologically.

Physical Location

The collection is located in the Carol Grotnes Belk Library Archives and Special Collections at Elon University. Please contact the Archives and Special Collections staff for further details about the location.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transfer of materials from Office of New Student Transfer Programs.

Related Materials

Office of University Communication Collection, EUA044

Elon Admissions and Orientation Collection, EUA 128

Gap Semester Videos, Elon University Video Collection, EUA141

Processing Information

Processed by Randall Bowman

Subjects

Education, Higher--United States. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Education--Study and teaching. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Education. Higher--Social aspects. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Elon University--Admissions.
Gap years Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings