The Top Elizabethtown College News Stories of 2024

Elizabethtown College experienced a transformative 2024, highlighted by the celebration of the College’s 125th anniversary. Enjoy a look back at some of our most significant Etown News stories from the last 12 months, in chronological order.

These stories showcase an exceptional year filled with research, innovation, and community-building. Within these articles, you’ll read about the accomplishments of our Blue Jays, and discover the many ways in which our community lives out Etown’s Educate for Service motto.

Professor of Finance and International Business Earns Fulbright Award

Dr. Hossein Varamini, Elizabethtown College Turnbull-Jamieson Chair and Professor of Finance and International Business earned a prestigious Fulbright Specialist Award for the spring of 2024. Varamini spent sabbatical leave this past spring at the Ecole Supérieure du Commerce et des Affaires University in Casablanca, Morocco.

Etown Launches Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership and Graduate Certificate in Higher Education

The School for Graduate and Professional Studies (SGPS) is offering professionals a pathway to enhance their careers in the educational sector by launching the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership and Graduate Certificate in Higher Education programs. Courses for both programs began in August 2024.

Power of One Day Receives Record-Setting Support

An outpouring of generosity led to a record-breaking day on March 19 with 2,022 gifts from the Blue Jay community, raising a total of $675,087 – both new Power of One Day records.

Make A Deposit, Make A Difference Campaign Raises $20,000 for Lancaster-Lebanon Habitat for Humanity

The College exceeded its expanded campaign goal for the fifth consecutive year to raise $20,000 for Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity.

Inaugural Public Health Cohort Graduates

Three years after the launch of the Elizabethtown College Public Health program, students from the inaugural cohort completed the requirements for graduation and were recognized at the College’s 121st Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 11.

The Inaugural Graduating Class of Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Students is Celebrated

Elizabethtown College celebrated the graduation of its inaugural class of entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) students at the College’s 121st Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 11. All seven graduates had previously earned their Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from Etown.

Group of Blue Jays Travel to Vietnam for Service Trip

Occupational Therapy, Social Work, and Physician Assistant Studies students and faculty drew on their Etown classroom experience to give back through service activities from May 10 through 25.

Elizabethtown College Welcomes 550 Incoming Students

Elizabethtown College welcomed a total of 550 incoming students to campus this fall, which included 505 first-years who make up the Class of 2028 and 45 new transfer students. Interest in College from incoming students has never been higher with a record 3,618 first-year applications submitted by the Class of 2028.

Elizabethtown College’s Dynamic Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

The Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being is celebrating its fifth anniversary serving the campus community during the 2024-25 academic year. Throughout its five years as a dynamic campus hub, the state-of-the-art facility has made a transformative impact through innovative programming and offerings that have improved the health and well-being of the Etown campus and surrounding community.

Blue Jay Student-Athlete Wins Modern Pentathlon at U.S. National Open in July

Etown’s Cross Country and Track & Field student-athlete Benjamin Ortiz Jaque ’26 took home gold in the modern pentathlon at the 2024 U.S. National Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. in July.

Celebrating 2024 Charter Week and Homecoming and Family Weekend

Students, employees, alumni, families, and friends joined together to celebrate Elizabethtown College’s historic 125th Anniversary by taking full advantage of a fantastic lineup of fun Charter Week events, which included the 2024 Homecoming and Family Weekend from Sept. 23 to 29.

Student-Led Service Dog Training Program Continues to Grow on Campus

Since launching in the fall of 2023, “Dogs in the Dell,” a program designed to allow residential students to raise service dogs at Etown, has grown to three student puppy raisers now on campus.

New Anatomy and Physiology Classroom and Laboratory is Dedicated

Future Blue Jay health professionals have a new dynamic space to call home with the unveiling of the Anatomy and Physiology Classroom and Laboratory, which was dedicated on Nov 7.

Alumnus Appointed Next-Gen Leader by the White House Historical Association

Eric Schubert ’23, an Etown History alumnus, was appointed to the 2024 Next-Gen Leaders (NGL) cohort by the White House Historical Association. The NGL initiative names influential young people who have a passion for history, civics, and education to serve as ambassadors for the White House Historical Association’s work.