Inside WFU – news for faculty and staff

Wente recognized by Vanderbilt's Women's Center

April 12, 2021

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente is one of five members of the Vanderbilt community who were honored recently by the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center.

Wente was Vanderbilt’s first female provost and will be Wake Forest’s first female president.

The Women’s Center presents awards each spring to recognize Vanderbilt community members who have demonstrated leadership, fostered mentorship, promoted gender equity and contributed significantly to the advancement of women at the university.

Wente is the recipient of the Mary Jane Werthan Award. Named in honor of the first woman to serve on Vanderbilt’s Board of Trust, this award is presented annually to an individual who has contributed significantly to the advancement of women at Vanderbilt University. The award honors three qualities characteristic of Werthan: vision, persistence and extraordinary skill in interpersonal and institutional relations.

Read more about Susan Wente’s leadership on the myVU website.

ResilientWake Workshop Series and SkillShare sessions for faculty and staff

April 9, 2021

Resilience helps us manage life changes, difficulties and failures in healthy ways. Over the coming weeks, the Office of Wellbeing will host a four-part ResilientWake Workshop Series and several single-session SkillShares for faculty and staff to learn and practice skills to better adjust, adapt and cope with challenges and change.

ResilientWake Workshop Series

Faculty and staff are invited to commit to a four-part workshop series on developing and implementing a toolkit of resilience skills.

Sessions will be held on Thursdays, from 12 to 1:15 p.m., beginning April 15.

Single-session ResilientWake SkillShares

Join instructors from the Office of Wellbeing for single-session SkillShares to learn resilience-building skills in the context of living and working through the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits of routine and tips for practicing daily gratitude. Instructors and participants will cover what resilience is and is not, practice trauma-informed mind-body skills and explore intentional perspectives for navigating these uncertain times.

• Resilience and COVID-19: April 14 or May 5
• Routine and Resilience Building: April 19
• Gratitude, Strengths and Values: April 26 or May 10

Visit the Office of Wellbeing for more information, and register on the PDC website.

Update on 2020 Commencement

April 8, 2021

Dear faculty and staff, 

The message below was sent to the Class of 2020 earlier today. As you will see, we have announced that we will have the in-person celebration of the Class of 2020 this fall.

More details will be shared soon.

Read the full message sent to the Class of 2020 »

Community safety advisory

April 7, 2021

A message from Communications and External Relations

University Police and Winston Salem Police are investigating an incident reported to have occurred on April 4, 2021. The reporting party advised that at approximately 1:00 a.m. she was walking on Polo Road between Long and Palm Drive when she was approached by an unidentified male who grabbed her arm. She broke free and ran into a nearby house for safety.

She described the subject as a white male, mid-to-late-30s, six-foot-tall, average build, light brown hair with a receding hairline, and wearing a light-colored shirt and jeans.

If you have any information that might be helpful in this investigation, contact the University Police at (336) 758- 5911. If you wish to provide information anonymously, do so through “Silent Witness.”

Wake Forest is providing resources to assist the individual involved in this incident and will continue to take actions to maintain the safety and security of the campus community.

It is important for all of us to focus on the things that we can all do to keep ourselves and others safe.

• Call 911: If you feel uneasy or unsafe, go to a safe location and call a friend or the police at 911. When your safety is at risk or you need a safe escort on campus, contact University Police, available 24 hours at 336-758-5911.
• Download Live Safe Mobile App
• Ask a friend who may be in a potentially dangerous situation if they want to leave and then make sure that they get home safely.

As a reminder, the Wake Forest Safe Office is a confidential resource available for support and assistance related to interpersonal violence including sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence, and/or stalking. The Helpline is available 24/7: 336-758-5285.

Updates from HR: COVID-19 vaccines, ResilientWake, TEDxWake, Fit for Business 5K

April 7, 2021

COVID-19 update

Beginning today, anyone 16 years or older is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in North Carolina. You must be at least 18-years-old to receive the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccines and at least 16-years-old to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Mass vaccination clinic April 10: A mass vaccination clinic will be held at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds on April 10, offering Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen single-dose vaccine. The University will provide shuttles to the Fairgrounds every 30 minutes starting at 8:30 a.m. and running until 5 p.m. Shuttles will pick up and drop off in front of the ZSR Library. Faculty, staff and students who have not been vaccinated are encouraged to register.

Second dose clinics: Throughout April, the University will be offering second dose clinics for those who received their first vaccine dose at an on-campus clinic in March. If you are scheduled to receive your second dose at an on-campus clinic but are unsure of your appointment date or time, please contact the Faculty and Staff Clinic at 743.223.4217.

ResilientWake: Thursdays in April

Join the Office of Wellbeing for their faculty and staff ResilientWake Workshop, a four-part series to learn how to develop and implement resilience skills into everyday life.

Register » pdc.wfu.edu

TEDxWake: April 10

The 2021 TEDxWake theme is “Spill The Tea,” which asks the audience to lean in, open their ears and find inspiration wherever it may land. This hybrid event is open to the general public virtually and to WFU students, faculty, and staff on Manchester plaza and free of charge.

Register » go.wfu.edu/spillthetea

Fit for Business 5K: April 12-18 

The annual Fit for Business 5K will be held virtually this year and benefit the Chaplain’s Emergency Fund. Faculty and staff are encouraged to register as your gift of any amount counts toward your race registration.

Register » crowdfund.wfu.edu

New Staff Orientation: April 13

Newly hired University staff are invited to register for New Staff Orientation, which provides important information as you join the Wake Forest community.

Register » pdc.wfu.edu

School of Medicine in Charlotte

ICYMI: Leaders from Atrium Health, Wake Forest Baptist Health and Wake Forest University announced a 20-acre site in midtown Charlotte has been chosen for WFU’s second School of Medicine campus.

Read more » news.wfu.edu.