Dean Gillespie announces Erica Still’s appointment as associate dean; other transitions

The following announcement is from Dean of the College Michele Gillespie:

I am delighted to announce that Erica Still, Associate Professor of English, has been appointed Associate Dean for Faculty Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion, effective January 1, 2019. Please join me in congratulating Erica on her full-time position in the Office of the Dean of the College (ODOC).

In her new administrative role, Erica will oversee faculty recruitment and hiring practices as well as develop and lead programs to increase diversity and support for inclusivity within the College. Her three-year appointment will run through December 30, 2021.

Erica joined the Department of English as an Assistant Professor in 2007. In addition to teaching courses in African-American Literature, she has served as a lower-division advisor and a senior faculty fellow.

Erica has shown a long history of commitment to faculty governance at Wake Forest through her roles as Chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs and Chair of the Curriculum Development Task Force for the President’s Commission on the First-Year Experience. She has also served as a member of the Honors and Ethics Council as well as the Student Code of Conduct Review Committee. She is also a Collegiate Senator.

In additional ODOC news, Anthony Marsh, Professor of Health and Exercise Science, will become Senior Associate Dean for Faculty on January 1, 2019, as he begins his second three-year appointment in ODOC.

Tony’s responsibilities in ODOC have been extensive over the years. He has overseen faculty tenure and promotion processes and managed faculty development awards in his current role as Associate Dean for Research, Scholarship, and Creativity while serving as acting Associate Dean for Faculty since July 1, 2017.

Meanwhile, Laura Giovanelli, Assistant Teaching Professor of Writing, will be appointed Associate Dean for Learning Spaces, effective January 1, 2019. She accepted a half-time position as Assistant Dean for Learning Spaces on July 1, 2018, but we quickly discovered that the scale of her responsibilities and her expertise warranted a full-time appointment.

Laura serves on all space-related university-wide committees and helps coordinate classroom, office, and academic building renovations and allocations.

Tony and Laura have been highly effective advocates for the College, and Erica will be a great addition to a strong team committed to supporting faculty in her new position with ODOC. I look forward to collaborating with each of them on behalf of our wonderful students and teacher-scholars, as I know you will too.