"Dawn Calhoun" Archive

Class of 2024 Enrollment Update

Guest post from Eric Maguire, Vice President of Enrollment:

To date, more than 1,500 students have submitted a deposit to secure a seat in the Wake Forest Class of 2024. We are excited to welcome the talented students who decided to call Wake Forest their collegiate home. The class’ academic credentials rival those of prior cohorts. More than half of students are ranked in the top five percent of their graduating class, and more than three quarters are ranked in the top decile. Among standardized test submitters, the middle 50 percentile SAT score is slightly ahead of last year’s class, while ACT ranges remain unchanged.

The Class of 2024 is also notable for its socio-economic and racial/ethnic diversity. Nearly 10 percent of the incoming class qualifies for Pell grants, while an equal proportion identifies as first-generation college students. Among incoming first-year students, 24 percent identify as either African American, Asian American, Latinx, Native American, or of multiple racial backgrounds. This representation is greater than in previous years. Nine percent of the incoming class are international students, North Carolina residents comprise 16 percent, and 56 percent of the class is female.

In a typical year, more than 1,500 students in the first-year class would signal a significant over-enrollment, as only a portion of those deposits would “melt” over the summer and recent classes have had about 1,400 students. This is far from a typical year, with lingering uncertainty because of the coronavirus pandemic. Although it is difficult to predict attrition of deposits and resulting class size with precision, we believe we are well-positioned for a variety of future possibilities.

We will know our final incoming class size and profile later this summer, but I would like to celebrate this high-achieving group of students who have made the commitment to enroll — and recognize staff who worked tirelessly to enroll such a talented and diverse group. Hats off to the Admissions and Financial Aid teams who made an incredibly quick pivot to remote yield activities and helped guide these students to enroll at Wake Forest.
And let me offer a special thanks to a few individuals who were promoted to new roles in January and whose efforts are reflected in our incoming class: Karen Vargas was appointed to serve as Dean of Admissions; Dawn Calhoun was promoted to Sr. Associate Dean; and Terri Legrand was tasked with leading a new department of Enrollment Compliance and Technology. Their work, in addition to Tom Benza’s promotion to Director of Financial Aid after the June retirement of Bill Wells, will serve us well for many years to come.

As we have made the transition to remote teaching, learning and work, please know that we appreciate our campus community’s tremendous effort to affirm and continue the many qualities which make Wake Forest such a special University. I hope you will join me in welcoming the Class of 2024.

Faculty, staff hit the bricks

Bill Kane listens to some helpful hints from the Deacon.

Bill Kane listens to some helpful hints from the Deacon.

Faculty and staff helped the Wake Forest community “Hit the Bricks” hard this year, joining with students to run nearly 23,000 laps around Hearn Plaza and to raise close to $30,000 for cancer research and the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund.

Overall, 17 faculty and staff teams participated this year. Click to view a photo gallery »

The top five teams in the faculty/staff division were:

  1. Crusaders (504 laps): Charlene Buckley, James Buckley, Kevin Cox, Ryan Scholl, Brett Eaton, Sean Daly, Rob McNamara, Phil May, Michael Shuman, James Torrible
  2. The Committee (Undergraduate Admissions, 417 laps): Dawn Calhoun, Paul Gauthier, Frank Brown, Lori Pilon, Brett Kaiser, Victoria Hill, Jennie Harris, Megan Massey, Ethan Groce
  3. Alumni Haul (Undergraduate Advancement, 378 laps): Paul Wingate, Mark Anderson, Mike Haggas, Stuart Tucker, Sarah Boerkircher, Megan Donovan, Pamela Bunten, Liz White, Curtis Bloomer, Sandy Saulpaugh
  4. Chemistry Department (378 laps): Megan Rudock, Rebecca Alexander, Mark Welker, David Wren, Amanda Jones, Kathryn Riley, Craig Clodfelter, Sarah Bergman, Lindsay Macnamara, Justin Piedad
  5. ZSR Library (290 laps): Barry Davis (captain), Susan Smith, Rebecca Petersen, Joy Gambill, Peter Romanov, Patrick Ferrell, Craig Fansler, Bill Kane, Chelcie Rowell, Lauren Suffoletto, Rosalind Tedford, Tanya Zanish-Belcher (for more from ZSR, see their blog, Flickr)

“Hit the Bricks” is part of a series of student-run events and activities to honor the former Chicago Bears running back, Brian Piccolo, who attended Wake Forest in the 1960s. The 1971 film, “Brian’s Song,” was based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers he is dying of cancer at the age of 26.

Categories: Events

Faculty, staff hit the bricks

President Nathan Hatch with students

President Nathan Hatch walks with student organizers.

Faculty and staff helped the Wake Forest community “Hit the Bricks” hard this year, joining with students to run 25,571 laps around Hearn Plaza and to raise $26,782 for cancer research and the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund.

Overall, more than 900 students, faculty and staff participated. Click to view a faculty/staff photo gallery »

The top five teams in the faculty/staff division were:

  • The Crusaders: Caitlin Burchette, Kathryn Yamamoto, Brett Eaton, Jonathan Cox, Kevin Cox, James Buckley, T.J. Peele, Phil May, Mark Henley
  • The Committee (Undergraduate Admissions): Dawn Calhoun, Paul Gauthier, Andrew Britt, Mark Hoover, Anthony Tang, Frank Brown, Phyllis Clodfelter, Kim Snipes, Bonnie Kiger
  • Provost Elite Team: Susan Edwards, Pam Moser, Deborah Snyder, Lori Messer, Andrea Ellis, Diane Samuel, Melissa Clodfelter, John Champlin, Tomma Guastaferro, Angela Mazaris
  • Parent Programs: Betsy Chapman, Austin Shrum, Rachael Walker, Rachel Cook, Mark Anderson, Paul Wingate, Joanne Ritter, Elizabeth Volker
  • Residence Life and Housing: Stephanie Ganser, Nicole Rodriguez-Pastor, Matt Clifford, Lisa Harris, Matt Imboden, Donna McGalliard, Frank Shelton, Michelle Waites Read more

Categories: EventsFaculty NewsStaff News

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