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Anytime something big happens at Elon University, Dan Anderson is there. Sometimes he has a camera with him, other times a notepad. Occasionally he’ll be by a video camera. No matter the method, it always ends up one place — E-net. As the Director of University Relations, Anderson spends most of his time working with the site, one he started when he came to Elon in 1998. Since its start, E-net has become ingrained in the daily life of everyone connected to Elon, from parents and students to alumni and prospective students. “Our office kind of writes and manages the narrative of Elon’s day to day goings on,” Anderson said. “We help community [members] talk amongst themselves and relate to the world outside campus. That’s a pretty important role, to help the university tell its story and to help the university share information with [others].” E-net is a website that acts simultaneously as a news source, Anderson said, as well as a place to make announcements and advertise events on campus. Want ads find a place on the site, too, where students post about subletting and try to sell old furniture. For Anderson, the site is about telling the stories as well as documenting the history of Elon, which he said he sees as a crucial role in any university the size of Elon. “We have to be able to understand where the institution is going and what’s happening,” he said. “Whether it be mundane things like events to big long things like the strategic plan that chart the university’s future.” Anderson started his career in broadcast. While in North Dakota, he worked as a news reporter and photographer at Fargo’s WDAY television station and developed a background in journalism. “I left that kind of work in 1993 but have maintained all those skills and interests,” he said. “And as Web technology has evolved so that video could be delivered via the Web, it became easier for me to go back into the world of video and enhance the stories we’re doing by shooting video and putting it online.” By enhancing E-net through video and other aspects, Anderson has found greater connections between his previous and current jobs. “In a lot of ways it was kind of coming full circle to my original career,” he said. “And I think that is only going to continue — I think video will become an essential part of most Web communications.” As a member of the senior staff at Elon, Anderson has become a campus leader. His role with University Relations plays a large role in how the general public views the school. Anderson said he feels connected to the everyday lives of those connected to Elon through E-net and other projects he contributes to. “I am involved in a lot of the discussions and decisions by the senior leadership at the university,” he said, “so I suppose the fact that my role entails being at the table for these things would qualify me as a leader.” KEEPING ELON IN THE KNOW 15 // e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders Story By Jack Dodson
