Inside WFU – news for faculty and staff

Library Partners Press names awards in honor of O'Day and Coates

October 22, 2018

Library Partners Press, an imprint of Wake Forest’s Digital Publishing Division, has named its inaugural literary awards the Gail O’Day Award and the David Coates Award.  O’Day and Coates were distinguished members of the University’s academic community before their deaths in 2018.

The Gail O’Day Award for Poetry recognizes outstanding achievements in poetry. “Throughout her career, Gail O’Day relied on poetry–individual poems and collections alike–to guide her teaching, sermons, and reading life,” according to a Literary Partners Press announcement.  O’Day, professor of New Testament and preaching, served as dean of the School of Divinity from 2010 until June 30, 2018.  She died Sept. 22.

The David Coates Award for Non-Fiction honors outstanding achievements in non-fiction, including histories, memoir and creative non-fiction.  Coates “was an expert on American politics, economy and society, and he was a prolific scholar and author of books, articles, and blog posts on capitalism, immigration, and presidents,” according to the announcement.  At Wake Forest, he was Worrell Professor of Anglo-American Studies.  He died Aug. 7.

Wake Forest receives STARS Gold rating for sustainability achievements

October 19, 2018

This is a guest post from the Office of Sustainability:

Wake Forest University has earned a STARS Gold rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. 

The Wake Forest University STARS report is publicly available here on the STARS website.

The Office of Sustainability, established at Wake Forest in July of 2009, facilitated the first STARS assessment for the campus in 2011. The resulting Silver rating served as a baseline for the first campus-wide strategic plan for sustainability. The recent Gold rating reflects the achievements and strategic efforts of stakeholders across the university to incorporate sustainability into academics and research, engagement opportunities, operations, and planning and administration.

With more than 800 participants in 30 countries, AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized framework in the world for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance.

More details are available on the Office of Sustainability website.

Staff members recognized for milestones; two named Employees of the Year

October 18, 2018

This is a guest post from Human Resources:

The campus community celebrated service milestones for more than 250 Wake Forest staff members with approximately 2,800 combined years of service. These individuals were recognized at the annual Staff Rewards & Recognition Luncheon Oct. 9 at the Sutton Center. Faculty and staff joined a campus-wide reception in the Green Room of Reynolda Hall later the same day.

Staff members who have achieved 30 or more years of service are:

• 30 years: Elizabeth Berry (Facilities and Campus Services), Tim Covey (Information Systems), Robert Fisher (University Police), Chris Hartsell (University Police), Patricia Martin (School of Law), Pattie McGill (Office of the Chaplain), Tim Snyder (University Advancement), Kobak Taylor (Facilities and Campus Services), Lucinda Westmoreland (Financial Services).
• 35 years: Hugh Brown (Facilities and Campus Services), Thomas Crews (Facilities and Campus Services), Greg Scott (Facilities and Campus Services), Meri Silveri (Mail Services).
• 40 years: Bob Baker (University Advancement), LeAnn Steele (School of Law).

Philip Honaker, an Employee of the Year, waves. Standing with him are his son, five-year honoree Philip Honaker, and President Hatch

Philip Honaker, Plant Operator in Facilities and Campus Services, and Tom Benza, Associate Director in the Financial Aid Office, also were recognized as Employees of the Year. They were nominated by faculty and staff for their contributions in the areas of innovation, integrity, accountability, inclusion, and Pro Humanitate.

Philip Honaker’s nomination reads: Philip has worked hard over his tenure at Wake Forest and has always given great ideas and suggestions to make communication more clear and concise. He always has a smile on his face and does all he can to make things happen as they should. He is here daily to fulfill his obligation to the University, after many years of service. There is nobody he has met that he could not get along with. His desire and dedication to his job and his fellow employees has made him one of the best employees this University has ever had, and he deserves to be honored.

Tom Benza’s nomination reads: Always looking for new ways to do the same old business, Tom is extremely thoughtful, which permeates through his work with just about everyone here on campus. He goes the extra mile, every single time. Widely trusted, respectful, and honorable would all be words to describe Tom.

Employee of the Year Tom Benza and President Hatch

Dealing with tough issues daily, his moral compass always points north. Showing compassion in tough situations while still remaining professional is an artful gift Tom perfects. He goes above and beyond to protect students’ privacy by making sure his office is a safe place and safe space. Tom is a man of his word. Always willing to go to bat for what is right, Tom takes responsibility for his actions. Tom is an advocate for underrepresented student groups at WFU. He makes students feel welcome and important, which fosters a desire for them to continue towards degree completion. Tom’s kindness and compassion is extended to every student and staff member he encounters. Working on behalf of students and staff, he shines as an advocate.

Business 40 downtown closure to occur Nov. 11

October 17, 2018

Business 40 downtown will close at 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, for a long-anticipated reconstruction of a 1.2-mile stretch of the highway, the Department of Transportation announced Oct. 16.

The $100 million project, expected to be completed in 2020, will include replacing the roadway between Highway 52 and Peters Creek Parkway, as well as constructing nine traffic bridges and two pedestrian bridges.

Extensive details on the project are included in the department’s announcement.  The transportation department also maintains a website and a Facebook page devoted to the project that contain frequent updates.  Detour information, maps, a construction timeline and FAQs are provided by the transportation department on the website, for instance.  Commuter resources are available, including information about public transit.

Wake Forest’s Transportation and Parking Services website also offers a link to potential opportunities for Wake Forest faculty and staff to use public transit. The information is available through the Alternative Modes of Transportation link on the website.

News of the closure date was announced by numerous local news outlets this week, including the Winston-Salem Journal and TV stations WXII, WGHP, WFMY and Spectrum News Triad.  All have stories covering the announcement on their websites.

Pat Ivey, the state transportation department’s local division engineer, is scheduled to speak about the Business 40 project at a Staff Advisory Council meeting on Nov. 13 at 9 a.m. in Benson University Center, Room 401 B/D. Staff and faculty are invited to the presentation.

Highlights from the state transportation department announcement include:

• Beginning Nov. 11, all Business 40 traffic will be diverted to I-40, Peters Creek Parkway and U.S. 52. Vehicles will be able to take these exits but not drive past them.
• Motorists are encouraged to use the cellphone app Waze, which offers route options.
• Not all of Business 40 will close. Only the 1.2-mile section in downtown Winston-Salem will close.
• Even though the construction of Business 40 and 11 new bridges is slated to last up to two years, efforts are underway to open the road in early 2020.
• A portion of the highway from Main Street to U.S. 52 could reopen as early as spring or summer 2019.

Classical Languages department assisting with conference locally

October 16, 2018

Mary Pendergraft, professor and chair of the Department of Classical Languages, and other Wake Forest faculty will be involved in the Oct. 18-20 meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS–SS) in Winston-Salem.

The 98th Anniversary Meeting of CAMWS-SS will be held at the Hawthorne Inn and Conference Center at the invitation of Wake Forest. Pendergraft is working with T. Davina McClain, professor of Classics at Northwestern State University of Louisiana, to organize the event.

At the conference, classicists from colleges and universities across the south (Duke, Emory, Florida State, University of Kentucky, and more) will present on Greek and Latin literature, history and culture and will promote the study of Classics in the states of the organization’s Southern Section. The conference was last held in Winston-Salem in 2004.

An event associated with the conference will be held at Wake Downtown, also.

Additional information is available at the conference’s website.