Congratulations to Todd Johnson, president of WFU Charlotte Center Board of Visitors, whose proposal entitled “Regenerative Medicine: Current Concepts and Changing trends” has been funded by the NC Biotechnology Center.
 
Congratulations to Ron Von Burg, assistant professor of communication, whose proposal entitled “Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Institute” has been funded by the US Department of State.

David Hagy, the Wake Forest orchestra conductor, will celebrate his 25th year as the conductor of the Salisbury Symphony on Saturday, May 18, by playing dual roles in a concert at Catawba College. The event will take place at Keppel Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

Hagy will lead the orchestra in a “Double Your Fun” concert with pairs and trios, then he’ll break out his violin and accompany Daniel Skidmore, the symphony’s concertmaster, in Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins.

Hagy was featured in the Charlotte Observer and on WFDD.

Jamie Sims

Though summer may be a quiet season on much of the Reynolda Campus, the 18,000 square feet behind 1141 Polo Road comes alive May through August.  On May 19, the gates of the Campus Garden will open for a new crop of summer volunteers.

During weekly volunteer hours (Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. and Sunday from 2-4 p.m.), volunteers participate in the entire gardening process: planting, cultivating, harvesting, and, most important, bringing fresh produce home to eat. Staff and faculty are welcome in the garden year round and are especially appreciated during the summer months, when student gardeners are not available.

Jamie Sims, the Campus Garden intern and Master of Divinity candidate, invites gardeners with all levels of experience to join him this summer. Sims, whose academic and practical concentrations are on food and faith, said, “As the Campus Garden enters its most productive and fruitful season, all are welcome to join in and experience the simple pleasures of dirty fingernails and fresh produce. Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn plenty of new skills or brush up on old ones.”

Families are always welcome in the garden and more experienced gardeners may take ownership of small projects. No advanced sign-up is necessary to participate during garden volunteer hours. Find more information about the Campus Garden here on the Office of Sustainability’s webpage. Email campusgarden@wfu.edu with questions.

If you’d like to keep your extracurriculars indoors this summer, the Campus Kitchen is also seeking Wake Forest faculty, staff, and family members to volunteer for their full calendar of summer shifts. Volunteers may prepare meals, make deliveries, or pick up rescued food from the Fresh Market. Shifts run in the afternoons and evenings every day except on Saturdays. Find out more about Campus Kitchen here and contact Brittany Forniotis at fornbn11@wfu.edu to volunteer.

The Central Heating Plant’s annual shutdown for maintenance and inspections will begin on Monday, May 20, at 3 p.m. The steam outage will disable building heating and domestic hot water systems campus-wide. The boilers will be restarted Friday, May 24, at 3 p.m. Barring any delays, steam pressure will be back to normal by 7 p.m. on Friday, May 24.

During the Central Heating Plant shutdown, telephone calls made after 5 p.m. to the Customer Service Center (336.758.4255) for Facilities & Campus Services will not be answered. If, during this week, you need assistance after 5 p.m. but before 8 a.m., contact University Police Dispatch at 336.758.5591.

The Office of the Provost invites applications from the faculty of Wake Forest University for the position of Artistic Director of the Secrest Series.

As many of you know, Lillian Shelton is retiring after many years of dedicated service to the Secrest Series and Wake Forest University. We are truly grateful for her remarkable efforts in bringing the very best of the performing arts to our campus.  Although she will be impossible to replace, it is nonetheless necessary to look for new leadership.

After consultation with and advice from various faculty members who have been closely involved with the Series, we have decided to restructure its stewardship. First, we are searching for a faculty director who will guide the artistic direction of the Series; the responsibilities for this position are set forth in greater detail below. Second, the current Events and Special Projects Manager in the Provost’s office will handle all logistical and technical arrangements for the Series, in consultation with the Artistic Director. The Artistic Director will be selected by the Provost, following advice from an advisory committee, and will receive a stipend for his or her service.

The responsibilities of the Artistic Director of the Secrest Series may include the following:

• In conjunction with the Secrest Series Advisory Committee, select the artists who will appear at Wake Forest during the academic year.
• Chair the selection meetings of the Advisory Committee.
• Attend the annual artists showcase in New York City in January (expenses are covered by the Secrest Series budget).
• In conjunction with the events and special projects manager in the Provost’s office, handle the contractual arrangements for the artists’ visits.
• Arrange a pre-performance talk for each event and/or master classes and visits with students, as appropriate.
• Help select and supervise a student intern.
• Submit an annual report about the Series to the Office of the Provost.

The ideal candidate will have depth and breadth of musical knowledge, a long-standing commitment to the performing arts, and a passion for their importance in the university setting. If you are interested in being considered for this position, please submit a statement of interest, including your vision for the future of the Series, to Jennifer Collins in the Provost’s office no later than May 30.

Griffith

Mills

Two long-time Wake Forest employees — Ross Griffith (’65) and Bob Mills (’71, MBA ’90) — will be honored with receptions in Reynolda Hall.

The reception for Griffith, who was the director of Institutional Research, will be Friday, May 17, from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Green Room of Reynolda Hall.

“All who have the privilege of knowing and working with Ross experience his kindness, professionalism, intellect and passion for Wake Forest,” said Provost Rogan Kersh. “With 46 years of continuous service, he is among the longest-serving full-time staff members in our university’s modern history. His dedication to Wake Forest is genuinely remarkable, and his impact on our community is profound and enduring. I am deeply grateful for Ross’s varied and extraordinary contributions to Wake Forest.”

Read more about Griffith »

The reception for Mills, who was an associate vice president in University Advancement, will be Monday, June 3, from 3-5 p.m. in the Green Room of Reynolda Hall. RSVP to Marsha Wall at wallmc@wfu.edu or 758.5224. Mills worked in Advancement for more than 40 years.

“Few people have influenced University Advancement, alumni relations, and fund raising at Wake Forest as much as Bob Mills,” said Bob Baker, the associate vice president for University Development. “He is leaving an impressive legacy of relationships, successful capital campaigns and transformational gifts. Bob’s commitment to doing things the right way and representing Wake Forest the right way has paid handsome dividends for this institution for decades.”

For both receptions, remarks will be made at 4 p.m., and refreshments will be served.

Commencement is the highlight of our academic year. It is a wonderful time for the campus community to come together and celebrate with graduating students and their families. This year’s Commencement ceremony will be held Monday, May 20, on Hearn Plaza, beginning at 9 a.m.

It is always important for us to be gracious hosts to our visitors and make sure their access to campus is as easy as possible. To make this the best commencement experience possible for our graduates and guests, please observe the following guidelines:

• Faculty and staff should not attempt to park on campus prior to 1 p.m. on the day of commencement. Passes, which have been issued to graduates and their families, will be required for all cars entering campus.
• Faculty and staff who need parking should park at Bridger Field House and ride the shuttle to campus. Enter the stadium parking lot through the Deacon Boulevard entrance and follow the signs to the parking area and the shuttle pickup point. Shuttles will run continuously throughout the day from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. A Wake Forest ID will be needed to access the shuttle.
• Faculty and staff may park on campus after 1 p.m.
• Reynolda Campus staff who do not have a direct commencement responsibility need not report for work until 9:30 a.m. on Monday, unless otherwise required by their department.
• Please have your Wake Forest I.D. with you at all times on campus during commencement.

In case of rain, the Commencement ceremony will be held at Joel Coliseum, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Parking on campus will not be affected if the ceremony is held at the coliseum.

Wake Forest will be hosting the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer Institute (BFTF) for the seventh consecutive year. This is a program funded by the U.S. State Department that focuses on leadership, international relations, social entrepreneurship, and civic engagement to prepare the Fellows for their role as engaged citizens.

The Fellows are 16-18-year-old students who come from 35 different Western, Eastern European, and Eurasian countries, as well as numerous U.S. states. They will be on campus from June 30 to July 27, taking classes, participating in workshops, and volunteering in the community. They also travel to Philadelphia and Washington for a week.

Wake Forest is looking for host families for the 2013 BFTF Fellows for the period of July 12-22. Please see the flier [PDF] and application [PDF] if you are interested in being a host family. Feel free to distribute the information to anyone who may be interested in being involved with the BFTF.

Email bftfhostfamily@gmail.com or contact Annamae Giles at 336.918.7124 for questions. Deadline to apply is May 24.

The following faculty had writings published in April 2013:

Bardon, Adrian, & Heather Dyke, Eds. (Philosophy). A Companion to the Philosophy of Time (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy series). Wiley-Blackwell. April 2013.

Fisher, Louis, & Katy J. Harriger. (Politics & International Affairs). American Constitutional Law, 10^th ed. Carolina Academic Press. March 2013.

Hyde, Michael J., & James A. Herrick, Eds. (Communication). After the Genome: A Language for Our Biotechnological Future (Studies in Rhetoric and Religion series). Baylor University Press. April 2013.

Pressley, Lauren, Craig Fansler, Kevin Gilbertson, Rebecca Petersen, Kaeley McMahan, Gretchen Edwards, & Audra Eagle Yun, Eds. (Z. Smith Reynolds Library). Research like a Librarian: Accessing Information in the 21^st Century. WFU Digital Publishing. April 2013.

Whaples, Robert M., & Randall E. Parker, Eds. (Economics). The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History (Routledge International Handbooks). Routledge. March 2013.

The following is a message from President Nathan Hatch: 

While commencement season always brings about a sense of new beginnings and opportunities, it’s also a time to say thank you and bid farewell to many of our friends, colleagues and mentors who have called Wake Forest University home.

Please join me in congratulating and commemorating a marvelous class of Reynolda Campus faculty and staff retiring from Wake Forest this year. We are grateful for the many contributions from this remarkable group of individuals, who together have more than 800 years of service to the University: Continue reading »