Tim Auman announces retirement

After 25 years of dedicated and exemplary service to the Wake Forest community, Tim Auman will retire as university chaplain effective June 30, 2024.

The Wake Forest Community is invited to celebrate Chaplain Tim Auman on Monday, Apr. 22, from 3-5 p.m. in the Green Room of Reynolda Hall. RSVP or share a note of gratitude using this form.

Tim began his service at Wake Forest in 1999 as the United Methodist campus minister. He succeeded Ed Christman as chaplain in 2003 and has achieved many notable accomplishments during his tenure. He was named Administrator of the Year at Wake Forest and the National Campus Minister of the Year by the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education.

Under Tim’s leadership, the Office of the Chaplain was one of the earliest to wholly alter its conception of college religious and spiritual life, embracing a multi-faith approach. A cornerstone of this concept is the MindfulWake initiative, which Tim began in 2015.

“Tim has this way about him. This way of immediately making moments feel more still and more mindful. He has broadened what the role of chaplain is on our campus and has helped us to be more dialed in on the evolving nature of spiritual formation at Wake Forest. We are deeply grateful for his leadership and congratulate him on his deserved retirement,” said Vice President of Campus Life Shea Kidd Brown.

Tim’s influence extends well beyond the Office of the Chaplain. He teaches classes in contemplative photography at the Sawtooth School for Visual Arts in Winston-Salem and is a certified instructor through the Nalanda Miksang Society for Contemplative Photography. He is also a certified teacher and trainer with the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults (MIEA).

“The role of the university chaplain is vast at a place so steeped in its values as Wake Forest,” said Matt Clifford, associate vice president for campus life and dean of students. “The immensity of Tim’s approach is best seen in the quiet moments, sitting with a student in the hospital, leading a reflection, or helping a staff member through an emergency. We will miss his calm presence.”

Campus Life will launch a national search to fill the role of university chaplain. More information about the process and timeline will be forthcoming.

“As the university chaplain, I have had the privilege of seeing into the hearts and minds of endless numbers of students, faculty, and staff. And what I discovered was not despair or fear but an extravagant love beyond description,” said Auman. “Cultivating that love is perhaps our greatest task. What other reason could there be for the life we have been given?”

Plans are underway for opportunities to celebrate Auman’s contributions to Wake Forest. More information will be shared at a later date.