A message from President Nathan Hatch:

Soon, we will have an opportunity to honor longtime Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs Ken Zick.  I invite the campus community to gather on Monday, April 29, in Reynolda Hall’s Green Room for a reception recognizing Ken, who will step down from his administrative responsibilities this summer.

The reception is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m., with remarks and a short program at 4 p.m. Please join us as we express our appreciation to Ken for more than 30 years of service to the University.

I am pleased to add that Ken will remain an active member of the University community. After a much-deserved one-year leave of absence, Ken will be teaching and participating in other administrative assignments at Wake Forest.

I encourage you to place this special event on your calendars.  I look forward to seeing you at the reception.

See a list of employees joining and leaving the University in February 2013: Continue reading »

Wake Forest soon will embark on its next big step in revitalizing Hearn Plaza, following recent improvements that brought a much larger Subway and convenience store to the area.

Preliminary work will begin soon on converting a portion of Poteat Residence Hall into a new dining area that may appear similar to a traditional pub. With some modern, loft-style touches, the dining spot will serve pizza, wings and salads and be appointed with comfortable seating, pool tables, televisions and more. Diagrams and renderings of this new social venue will soon be on display in the Benson Center.

The area set for renovation is now occupied by the campus post office and related package-shipping area below the post office. Initial preparations for the renovation begin within the next month. The new venue will open when the fall 2013 semester begins.

This summer, the post office and package service will move to a new home in Benson University Center. Postal and shipping services now offered in the Poteat Residence Hall space will continue in the first floor of the Benson Center. Until last summer, Residence Life and Housing and Deacon One Card offices were located there.

Decisions on how to use the Poteat and Benson spaces were made after the Office of Campus Life and Leadership sought considerable student input about their interests and preferences.  Forums to garner student input were held, too.

Ken Zick, vice president and dean for student affairs, would like to thank all who have contributed to making this possible: the students who have contributed their ideas and vision to this initiative; the staff who have devoted much time and energy to this collaborative effort; and the University offices that have moved from one place to another in recent times to make room for more student-centered places on campus.

Wake Forest has appointed Dr. Penny Rue as vice president for campus life. Rue, who currently serves as vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), is nationally known for her creative leadership in strengthening campus communities.

Rue will oversee most facets of student life with broad responsibility for the well-being and safety of students and their engagement outside the classroom. The departments she will supervise include: Residence Life and Housing, Student Services, Campus Life, Campus Recreation, Student Health Service, the Office of the Chaplain and University Police.

She will assume her new duties mid-July.

Read more about Rue in the Wake Forest News Center »

The following is a message from President Nathan Hatch and Provost Rogan Kersh:

We are pleased to announce that the search for a Vice President for Campus Life has been successfully concluded and we will be able to introduce to you this individual on Monday, Feb. 18, at 9 a.m. at a welcome event to take place in the Green Room, Reynolda Hall. We hope you will be able to stop by and be part of this announcement and welcome.

As co-chairs of the Vice President for Campus Life Search Advisory Committee, we know we speak for all of the members of the committee in saying how excited we are about this important appointment. The advice and input from the committee members were critical throughout the process. Members of the search advisory committee were:  Wake Forest Student Affairs Fellow Kristen Bryant, Vice President for Career Development Andy Chan, Associate Provost Jennifer Collins, Dean Jacque Fetrow, Professor and Faculty Senate Representative Sam Gladding, Special Projects Administrator Meghan Haenn, Professor Katy Harriger, Professor Jed Macosko, Director of Multi-Cultural Affairs Alta Mauro, Student Trustee Jim O’Connell, and Professor David Yamane.

We hope you can join us on Monday morning to meet and welcome our new Vice President for Campus Life.

This week will mark the 179th birthday of Wake Forest.

On Monday, Feb. 3, 1834, Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute opened its doors and admitted its first student. In those early days, students were schooled in agriculture by day and the Baptist ministry by night. They forged the values – hard work, dedication to helping others, and following one’s true passion – which are still synonymous with Wake Forest to this day.

Celebrate at the events below and use #wfubday on social media to share your moments or your favorite Wake Forest memories. For more information, see the Alumni website.

Monday, Feb. 4: “The Kick-Off”
Birthday Party in the Pit, 5 – 8 p.m.
Celebrate with birthday cake, festive hats, and more!

Tuesday, Feb. 5: “Celebrate Tradition”
Campus Tours at 1, 2 & 3 p.m., Upper Quad
Meet the Traditions Council at the Pro Humanitate Seal for a tour of sacred Wake Forest spots on campus.

Tuesday Trivia, 8 p.m., Shorty’s
Grab your friends and test your knowledge of all things Wake Forest! The winning team gets lunch with Provost Rogan Kersh.

Wednesday, Feb. 6: “Honor Mother, So Dear”
Birthday Card Bonanza, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Pit Patio
Students can visit with the 1834 Campaign outside the Pit to express your gratitude for Wake Forest.

Thursday, Feb. 7: “Throwback Thursday”
Follow along #wfubday & #tbt online as campus social media outlets highlight moments from WFU’s past.
Be sure to check out WFU on Twitter and Facebook, ZSR Library on Facebook, Campus Life on Facebook, and Wake Forest Magazine on Facebook to revisit some of the best of days gone by.

Friday, Feb. 8: “Birthday Social”
Celebrate with President Hatch, 3–4 p.m., Green Room, Reynolda Hall
The campus community is invited to celebrate Wake Forest’s birthday and partake in light refreshments.

Saturday, Feb. 9: “Spirit Saturday”
Men’s Basketball vs. FSU, noon, Joel Coliseum
Come cheer on the Deacs! On your way in to the game, enter a raffle for a chance to win two courtside seats to the men’s basketball game against Georgia Tech on Saturday, Feb. 16. The winners will be announced during halftime.

Sponsored by: 1834 Campaign, Student Government, Campus Life, Tradition’s Council, Student Union, Office of the President, Alumni Office, Office of the Provost, WF Athletics, and Aramark.

Children of Wake Forest faculty and staff are invited to attend the fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Read-In, which is co-sponsored by WFU, WSSU, Salem College, Hands On Northwest NC, and Girl Talk Triad. The program will be held in Benson 401 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, and is targeted towards children aged 4-10.

Children will be paired with a college student reading buddy and will learn about different aspects of Dr. King’s legacy. Each child will be able to take home two books, one new book on the Civil Rights movement and one gently used book of his or her choosing.

This event is free, but children must be registered in advance by Monday, Jan. 14. There are limited spots. To register your child for the event, please send the attached file through interoffice mail to Shelley Sizemore in the Office of Campus Life.

Magjuka

Sizemore

The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) recognized SPARC – Students Promoting Action and Responsibility in the Community – as an outstanding extended orientation program.

Wake Forest’s entry, entitled “Connecting with the Community: SPARC Extended Orientation,” was selected as the Silver Award Winner for the Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, Orientation, Parents, First-Year, Other Year, and Related Category. WFU will be recognized at the annual conference on March 16-20 in Orlando, Fla.

SPARC is an extended orientation program in the Office of Service & Social Action (Campus Life & Leadership), and is administered by Shelley Sizemore, assistant director of Campus Life for Service, and Marianne Magjuka, director of Campus Life.

Longino (right) at the Late Night Breakfast in 2006

The Late Night Breakfast is still in need of a few good faculty/staff volunteers, particularly at the 11 p.m.-midnight hour as servers.

The Late Night Breakfast will be held on Sunday, Dec. 9, in the Fresh Food Company (the Pit) and will run from 10 p.m.-midnight. If you are interested in taking part in this tradition, please register contact Amanda Horton at hortonaj@wfu.edu by Dec. 3 at 5 p.m.

In 1991, Charles “Chuck” Longino Jr. came to Wake Forest as the Washington M. Wingate Professor of Sociology and director of the Reynolda Gerontology Program. He loved teaching undergraduate students and always searched for ways to connect with them outside of the classroom.

The original Late Night Breakfast, a tradition started by Longino, was held before end-of-semester finals. Every year, Longino recruited administrators, other faculty members and staff to serve a late-night breakfast to students. The last Late Night Breakfast was held in December of 2008, and Longino was too ill to attend. He passed away on Dec. 25.

Campus Life & Leadership aims to reignite this once-beloved tradition. It is only through a collaborative effort that this tradition can be revived and flourish with the same vitality that Longino embodied. Late Night Breakfast offers faculty members an opportunity to engage with students in a casual environment outside of the classroom. It also offers the opportunity for staff members and faculty members from all over campus to come together.

See a list of employees joining and leaving the University in September 2012: Continue reading »