Join us for Founders’ Day Convocation on Feb. 18
Each year, the Wake Forest family gathers for Founders’ Day Convocation to observe the University’s founding in February 1834. This year’s virtual program will include a student oration, musical performances and an update from the President’s Commission on Race, Equity and Community provided by José Villalba, vice president for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, and Erica Still, associate dean of the College for faculty recruitment, diversity and inclusion.
We will award the Medallion of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the University, to Donna Boswell (’72, MA ’74). Dr. Boswell has been a University Trustee since 2004 and was named the first woman chair of the Board of Trustees in 2015, a groundbreaking appointment she held for three terms.
Since current circumstances prevent our gathering together in person, the 2021 Founders’ Day Convocation will be presented as a video which will be streamed on Feb. 18, 2021, at 4 p.m. EST. Watch the video premiere live at convocation.wfu.edu and share your reactions on social media with #foundersdaywfu.
Categories: Events, Inside WFU, University Announcement
Faculty Advisory Committee to hold Presidential Search listening sessions
The following is a guest post from the Faculty Advisory Committee:
Dear Colleagues,
The Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) has been convened to collect and provide faculty feedback to the Presidential Search Committee. As part of our effort to do so, we invite faculty to join us for a set of listening sessions. These hour-long forums, moderated by the faculty comprising the FAC, offer the opportunity to share the concerns, hopes, and priorities that faculty think should shape the search for and selection of the next University President.
Please plan to attend one of the several sessions being offered Monday, Nov. 9 – Friday, Nov. 13; you can register here.
The FAC has also created an anonymous survey to collect this kind of feedback. In addition to or instead of the listening sessions, please consider responding to the Presidential Search: Faculty Feedback Form.
The FAC is made up of faculty from across the University, and you can find a list of members here. Please feel free to direct any questions or concerns to any one of us, including the FAC Chair, Erica Still (stillel@wfu.edu).
Thank you for your participation in this important process,
Faculty Advisory Committee
Categories: Faculty News, Inside WFU
Wake Forest offers support to women seeking senior leadership positions
Wake Forest University has joined North Carolina’s chapter of the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network, which helps colleges and universities achieve parity by promoting the advancement of women, providing networking opportunities and assisting those interested in advancing their careers.
Erica Still, associate dean for faculty recruitment, diversity, and inclusion and professor of English
Steph Trilling, director of the Wake Forest Women’s Center
Steph Trilling, director of Wake Forest’s Women’s Center, and Erica Still, associate dean for faculty recruitment, diversity and inclusion, are the University’s representatives for the state chapter. Moreover, Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch is a Presidential Sponsor of NC ACE Women’s Network, which means, among other things, the University has made a commitment to the organization and its goals.
“We know that our institutions and communities are collectively more innovative, creative, visionary and successful when women’s voices are part of deliberations and decision-making at all levels, including the most senior,” Hatch said. “Therefore, I am proud to sign on as a Presidential Sponsor for the NC ACE Network of Women Leaders, whose work will help assure that a robust set of professional development, networking and leadership opportunities are widely available to members.”
Trilling and Still are excited about helping women better position themselves for leadership roles.
“We have a lot of women who work in higher education, but we’re still underrepresented in senior leadership roles, especially women of color or women who have other marginalized identities,” Trilling said. “Being a member of ACE will help women at Wake Forest gain the skills and the contacts they need to move into these roles and help us as a field achieve gender parity.”
Categories: Faculty News, Inside WFU, Staff News
SAC meeting to feature three speakers
Three speakers will be featured at the March 11 meeting of the Staff Advisory Council. Open to staff and others, the meeting will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in Benson University Center, Room 401 B/D.
Speakers will include Erica Still, associate dean for faculty recruitment and associate professor of English; José Villalba, vice president for diversity and inclusion, chief diversity officer and professor of counseling; and Carmen Canales, vice president and chief human resources officer.
Still and Villalba will provide updates on the work of the President’s Commission on Race, Equity and Community. Canales will provide talent updates.
The meeting and event schedule for the SAC is available online.
Categories: Staff News
A message from the President's Commission on Race, Equity and Community
This message was sent to Wake Forest faculty, staff and students on Feb. 17 on behalf of José Villalba and Erica Still, co-chairs of the President’s Commission on Race, Equity and Community:
Dear Wake Forest Community,
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey for the institutional equity audit in the past week. Overall, 468 surveys were submitted, for an overall response rate of 4.02%. The survey is just one part of the auditor’s data collection process; they will also be holding individual interviews and a thorough document and artifact review in the next few weeks. Taken together, the data will contribute to a picture of the institution’s current position relative to its aspirations for a truly diverse and inclusive community.
We are also grateful to those of you who shared your concerns about the survey’s design, clarity, and methodology. Your questions about the accuracy and validity of the results are evidence of your commitment to achieving a more equitable Wake Forest, and we appreciate both the questions and the commitment. Your thoughtful observations are indeed shaping how we interpret the survey results, as well as how we will use them. The articulated limitations make it all the more important that the results be seen in the context of the additional data being collected.
A final note about the audit: we want to reiterate that it is designed to assess the institution’s efforts to create and sustain racial equity at the structural level. It is concerned with policies, protocols, and practices as they shape the experiences of students, staff, and faculty who are members of underrepresented groups on our campus. It is not a climate survey, which focuses on the feelings, relationships, and tensions experienced by the various constituents of the community. (In fact, conducting a climate survey may be one of the recommendations emerging from the audit and/or Commission, but that is yet-to-be determined.)
So again, thanks to everyone who has been engaged in this work thus far. We hope you will continue to ask questions, give feedback, and offer support. You can keep track of our work on the Commission’s website, and you are always welcome to reach out directly to us (José at villalja@wfu.edu and Erica at stillel@wfu.edu).
José Villalba
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Chief Diversity Officer
Erica Still
Associate Dean for Faculty Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion
Associate Professor of English
Categories: Guest Post, Inside WFU, University Announcement
