$5M gift affirms Wake Debate and moves program forward
The ultimate collegiate debate fan, Megan Medica cheers on the Wake Forest debate team with a level of excitement that rivals any sports enthusiast. She closely follows the outcome of each round of competition and celebrates every victory. 
Her late husband John Medica shared her passion for the deep-thinking, fast-talking world of debate.
To honor him, Megan has given $5 million to ensure the Wake Forest debate program has the resources needed to build on its legacy of success.
“We are so grateful to Megan Medica for choosing to honor John, who served as a trustee of Wake Forest, by investing in the Wake Forest Debate program,” said Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente. “The extraordinarily generous gift will support the academic and personal development of our debaters and inspire them to reach their highest goals.”
The five-year gift is the largest Wake Forest has received from an individual to support a program in the undergraduate college. It may also be the largest given to any debate program in the country. Read more
Categories: Inside WFU
Update on Title IX Office
The following announcement was e-mailed to faculty and staff from the Office of the Provost on Jan. 22 on behalf of Kami Chavis, associate provost for academic initiatives, associate vice president and professor of law:
Good morning, Wake Forest faculty and staff,
Late in 2019, Wake Forest announced that Tanya Jachimiak, Director of the Title IX Office/Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator, had agreed to become Associate Vice President for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance at Michigan State University. Tanya has been a respected and cherished member of our campus community for over six years; her professionalism, integrity, and commitment to fairness are the hallmarks of her legacy. She has played a central role in the university’s efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault, and it is vital that we hire a knowledgeable and equity-minded leader to assume these responsibilities. The university has engaged Isaacson, Miller to assist with this important search.
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
Faculty promotions announced
Congratulations to Wake Forest University faculty who have received promotions, recently.
Promoted to full professor:
Miriam Ashley-Ross (Biology)
Michaelle Browers (Politics and International Affairs)
Judy Kem (Romance Languages)
Stephen Murphy (Romance Languages)
Promoted to associate professor:
Michael Anderson (Biology)
R. Jarrod Atchison (Communication)
Tina Boyer (German and Russian)
Hana Brown (Sociology)
Samuel Cho (Physics and Computer Science)
John Dalton (Economics)
Susan Harlan (English)
Sarah Mason (Mathematics and Statistics)
Gregory Parks (Law)
John Ruddiman (History)
Michael Sloan (Classical Languages)
Joel Tauber (Art)
Andrew Verstein (Law)
Christian Waugh (Psychology)
Heiko Wiggers (German and Russian)
Promoted to associate librarian:
Kyle Denlinger
Jeffrey M. Eller
Categories: Faculty News, University Announcement
Atchison wins debate honor
Jarrod Atchison, assistant professor of communication and director of debate at Wake Forest, has been awarded the George Ziegelmueller Award, which is presented annually to a faculty member who has distinguished himself or herself in the communication profession while coaching teams to competitive success at the National Debate Tournament. Previous Wake Forest winners include Allan Louden (2000) and Ross Smith (2009).
In other debate news, Wake Forest is hosting the revival of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Debate Championship April 11 -12, which brings together debate teams from member schools. The proposition to be debated: Student athletes should receive monetary compensation for participating in athletic competitions.
Atchison said that when the ACC signed its new television deal the agreement included financial support for a non-athletic competition. Provosts from across the ACC submitted proposals and Wake Forest’s proposal to revive the debate championship was selected as the winner. “It’s very exciting that our proposal was selected, and we’re happy to be bringing debate back to the ACC as an official event,” said Atchinson.
Categories: Faculty News
Department of Communication faculty highlights
From awards to publications to presentations, the Department of Communication has written a roundup of faculty news to share:
Categories: Faculty News
