"Commencement" Archive

Updates from HR: COVID-19, commencement, Central Heating Shutdown, workshops and events

COVID-19 Update

As a reminder, colleagues are invited to attend next week’s Faculty and Staff COVID Update at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 20. Zoom webinar details will be emailed to faculty and staff soon. Wake Forest students work in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library during final exams

While you’re having conversations about redensifying campus and plans for summer, let us know what questions you have by submitting them to the HR Feedback Form. We will do our best to answer what we can directly or in upcoming newsletters and forums.

Frequently Asked Question: “Can the University ask me to disclose my vaccination status?” Yes, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains that employers may ask employees to disclose their vaccination status. Currently, Wake Forest is asking employees to voluntarily disclose this information via SneezSafe. To avoid gathering or eliciting private medical or disability information, managers and colleagues should not ask individuals for this information directly – specifically, asking why someone has not been vaccinated. Human Resources may be able to provide aggregate vaccination data to departments upon request.

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News team presents about 'Commencement Speaker Drama'

prsa.300x175On April 16, Katie Neal (’03) and Cheryl Walker (’88) presented at the national Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Counselors to Higher Education Senior Summit in Washington, D.C.

Their presentation, “Commencement Speaker Drama? Getting It Right in the National Spotlight,” shared best practices from the media frenzy that descended upon Wake Forest’s 2014 commencement ceremony when speaker Jill Abramson was abruptly fired as Executive Editor of the New York Times.

As they reflected upon the five-day span between her firing and her commencement speech, Neal and Walker credited offices and partners across campus – including University Events, Parking and Transportation, Facilities and Campus Services, Information Systems, Aramark and University Police – with their team’s ability to accommodate a ten-fold increase in media attendance and capitalize on the national spotlight shining upon Wake Forest.

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Categories: Staff News

Listen for the Carillon music

20100625tower4949The Janet Jeffrey Carlile Harris Carillon in Wait Chapel’s bell tower will be ringing more often than usual.

Each semester, undergraduate students apply for the opportunity to learn to play the carillon with the intention of becoming a student carillonneur. Typically, each student carillonneur plays one or two recitals per week. This year, a record-breaking 11 students practiced weekly, but did not have the chance to perform. These students will be playing today and tomorrow.

As is the custom at Wake Forest, after the last classes of the semester on Wednesday, the Carillon will be silent as students concentrate on studying for exams.

For Commencement weekend, Ryan Whittington will be playing the Carillon at the Baccalaureate service. Ryan has composed a fantasia on the letters WAKE, using only the four notes which correspond musically with those letters. On graduation day, Bradley Hicks along with Raymond Ebert, Wake Forest’s Carillonneur, will be playing “Carillon” by the famous French organist Louis Vierne.

Ebert graduated from Wake Forest in 1960 and from Union Theological Seminary in 1962. He was organist at Centenary United Methodist Church from 1970 until 2011.

LGBTQ Center hosts inaugural 'Lavender Graduation'

lav grad inviteThe LGBTQ Center will hold Wake Forest University’s first Lavender Graduation Celebration on April 30 at 6 p.m. in the Z. Smith Reynolds Auditorium. The ceremony will celebrate LGBTQ students and allies who have contributed to the rich diversity of our campus community.

J. Robby Gregg Jr. (’83) will be the keynote speaker. Gregg is a nationally recognized diversity expert with more than 20 years experience in designing and executing multi-platform diversity strategies in the areas of organizational management, human resources, communication and marketing, and corporate responsibility. His expertise includes developing workplace inclusion initiatives that increase opportunities for professionals from all segments of society, especially those with disabilities.

Students need to register to be honored.

Categories: Events

WFU soliciting Commencement speaker nominations

Dear Wake Forest community:

As members of the Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee, we look forward to engaging our graduating students and other members of the university community in the selection process of our 2014 Commencement speaker. As we begin this exciting task, we look to you to provide us with speaker nominations for Commencement 2014.

Please submit your suggestions to CSAC@wfu.edu by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.  Submissions must include:

  • Name of nominee
  • Two to three paragraphs answering the following question: “Why do you think this person would be an exceptional Commencement speaker at Wake Forest University?”
  • Any contact name(s) for your nomination (if possible) and/or any connection to Wake Forest.

We are especially interested in hearing from graduating students. Suggestions are also gratefully welcomed from faculty and staff.

As you can imagine, persons of this caliber are in high demand. While we hope to host a speaker from suggestions we receive, we cannot guarantee that our invitations will be accepted.  Your thoughts will be vital to informing our approach and to selecting a speaker.

This committee is dedicated to the transparency of this process, but please understand that the actual invitation process must remain confidential. Announcement of the Class of 2014’s commencement speaker will follow a similar timeline as in years past.

We look forward to reviewing your nominations.

Sincerely,
The Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee

Rogan Kersh, Provost, Chair
Francie Fisher, Wake Forest Fellow, Provost’s Office
Mary Foskett, Professor, Religion
Jim O’Connell, Wake Forest Fellow, President’s Office
Samantha Perrotta, Event and Project Manager, Provost’s Office
Aubrey Peterson, President, Student Union
Mary Pugel, Chief of Staff, President’s Office
Jennifer Richwine, Assistant Vice President, University Events
Jay Sehgal, Student Trustee
Jacqueline Sutherland, Student Government President
Mark Welker, Professor, Chemistry

Categories: Events

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