Inside WFU – news for faculty and staff

Memorial service scheduled for Dr. O'Day

September 25, 2018

This announcement was e-mailed to students, faculty and staff on Sept. 25 by Wake Forest Communications and External Relations:

A memorial service honoring the life of Dr. Gail R. O’Day will take place on Monday, Oct. 8, at 1:30 p.m. in Wait Chapel.

Dr. O’Day was the former dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity.  She died on Sept. 22.

Test of Wake Alert set for Sept. 25

September 24, 2018

This announcement was e-mailed to faculty and staff on Sept. 24 by Wake Forest Communications and External Relations:

Wake Forest will conduct a test of its Wake Alert emergency notification system on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. that will involve only University desk phones (land lines).  Cell phones will not be included.

The test message Sept. 25 will clearly state that it is being sent as part of a test of Wake Alert.  No action will be required by any recipient.  The sender of the test message will be identified as Wake Alert.

Testing of Wake Alert is being conducted as Wake Forest prepares to launch a new mass notification software acquired this summer to improve Wake Alert.

Alana James and Anthony Tang named to Chamber's Winston Under 40

September 24, 2018

Alana James, associate director of community engagement at Wake Downtown, and University Advancement Development Officer Anthony Tang, have been named to the Chamber’s Under 40 Leadership Program.

Winston Salem Chamber of Commerce’s Under 40 program, one of the community’s leading organizations for young professionals, honors outstanding individuals who exemplify qualities of strong leadership and community service.

Applications were considered based upon professional and personal growth, civic leadership and volunteerism, desired impact on Winston-Salem’s future, and response to recent issues. This group of 20 young professionals have achieved a variety of notable professional accomplishments, and are making an impact through their participation in a multitude of local nonprofit and community organizations.

The honorees will be recognized at the 2018 Leadership Awards reception on Oct. 4 at Forsyth Country Club.

Visit winstonunder40.com for more information.

Gail R. O'Day

September 22, 2018

This message from President Hatch was e-mailed to students, faculty and staff on Sept. 22:

It is with great sadness that I share with you that former Wake Forest University School of Divinity Dean, Gail R. O’Day, died this morning. Dr. O’Day served as Dean from 2010 until June 30, 2018.

For more than 35 years, Dr. O’Day offered her leadership as a scholar, teacher and administrator to theological schools and the broader world of theological education. When she arrived at Wake Forest, she led the School of Divinity into its second decade, establishing innovative programming and initiating curricular revisions that strengthened the School’s identity as a place where leaders are equipped for ministries and the work of justice, reconciliation, and compassion.

Dr. O’Day was wonderfully creative in her ability to relate the work of the School of Divinity with other dimensions of the University, resulting in new programs that responded to existing needs and were attractive to students and faculty alike. The School now emphasizes critical historical and public issues, such as race and class, gender and sexuality, and religious pluralism, and encourages students to explore ways to connect these concerns with their identities as Gospel proclaimers, pastoral care providers, and teachers.

Dr. O’Day was beloved by the School of Divinity community, especially students. The vision she shared through her writing, teaching, and leadership continues to influence them as they follow their own vocational pathways, carrying her transformative spirit into the wider world.

To honor the life and leadership of Dr. O’Day, we have established a remembrance website – https://gailoday.wfu.edu – where members of our community can share memories, leave condolences and learn more about Dr. O’Day’s remarkable scholarship and contributions to Wake Forest.

We hold her family and friends in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.

Details about a memorial service will be posted when they become available.

Sincerely,

Nathan O. Hatch
President

Faculty, staff invited to visit Office Ergonomics Lab

September 21, 2018

Wake Forest Environmental Health & Safety invites faculty and staff to visit its Office Ergonomics Lab every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in October. The lab is located at Environmental Health & Safety’s offices in the complex of buildings where Facilities and Campus Services is located, off Wingate Road in the southern section of Reynold Campus.

Every time a faculty or staff member visits during those hours they are registered to win a Lifespan Fitness Lifecycle Bike for that person’s department.

Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between people, their work and their physical environment.  According to Environmental Health & Safety, ergonomics is the science of designing the job to fit the worker, rather than physically forcing the worker to fit the job.

The Office Ergonomics Lab serves as an educational resource for the campus community. It offers an ergonomics workstation demonstration and design area.  The lab showcases various ergonomically-designed office products and illustrates ergonomic design to maximize comfort and work performance in an office setting.

The lab includes treadmill desks, bike desks, standing desks, exercise balls and more.

Faculty and staff may sign up for free ergonomic office assessments.

For more information or to schedule an assessment, visit Environmental Health & Safety’s web site or contact Bridget Marrs at marrsbs@nullwfu.edu.