Farewell reception honoring Barbee Oakes
Barbee Oakes
This email was sent to faculty and staff on July 19 by the Office of the Provost:
Please join us on Tuesday, Aug. 1 between 3-5 p.m. for a reception honoring Dr. Barbee Oakes in the Green Room of Reynolda Hall. Remarks will be at 4 p.m.
Barbee Oakes was recently named Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and will begin that role in September. Dr. Oakes, a graduate of Wake Forest, has served as the University’s Chief Diversity Officer since 2015 and has been the Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion since 2009. Since coming back to the University in 1989 as an assistant professor in the health and exercise science department, she has led collaborative initiatives, authored the Wake Forest strategic plan to enhance diversity and inclusion, and has been a leader in higher education.
We look forward to seeing you on August 1 as we wish her the best of luck on this new journey!
Categories: Guest Post, Staff News
Barbee Oakes named chief diversity officer at UNLV
This announcement was emailed by Provost Rogan Kersh to students, faculty and staff on July 6:
Dear Wake Forest Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Barbee Oakes
After three decades as a champion of diversity and inclusion at Wake Forest, Dr. Barbee Oakes will become the Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) on September 1.
Appointed Wake Forest’s first Chief Diversity Officer in 2015, Dr. Oakes has also served as Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion since 2009.
We are grateful for Dr. Oakes’ years of pioneering leadership and the vital, central role she has had in making Wake Forest a more diverse and inclusive place. She has been unwavering in her commitment to creating an inclusive environment for every member of the Wake Forest community. Though sad she will leave her alma mater and professional home for 28 years, we know UNLV will benefit from her extraordinary combination of wisdom and passion for fostering community.
Dr. Oakes was Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs (now the Intercultural Center) for 14 years prior to her appointment as Assistant Provost. She came to Wake Forest as an assistant professor in the health and exercise science department in 1989.
Under her leadership, Wake Forest implemented key retention strategies that positioned the University among the nation’s most successful institutions with respect to graduating college students of color. She has worked collaboratively with faculty, administrators, staff and students to develop initiatives to broaden the curriculum, increase the number of minority faculty and staff, enhance diversity education, better prepare our students to work and lead in a global society and, in countless ways, create an inclusive and engaging campus culture.
Dr. Oakes was also the lead author of Wake Forest’s strategic plan to enhance diversity and inclusion, among the first and most expansive such university strategies when published nearly a decade ago. Many of the initiatives proposed there, including creating a LGBTQ Center and Women’s Center, have come to rich fruition under her supervision.
Beyond Wake Forest, she has also been a leader in higher education. In 2012, Diverse Issues in Higher Education nationally recognized her as one of the “25 Women Making a Difference” to foster community on college campuses. She has served as president of the North Carolina Diversity and Inclusion Partners.
An exercise physiologist by training, Dr. Oakes (’80, MA ’81) received a B.S. with honors and an M.A from Wake Forest. As a Hylton Smith Fellow, she received a Ph.D. in exercise physiology and nutrition from the University of Tennessee and was the first African American woman with a doctorate in the American College of Sports Medicine. She has also held faculty appointments at Arizona State and Penn State University.
I will oversee a national search for her replacement.
I know I speak for us all wishing Dr. Oakes the best of luck at UNLV—she will be missed across the Wake Forest community, one she has done so much to enhance!
Sincerely,
Rogan Kersh
Categories: University Announcement
Campus Climate Team announces new measures strengthening campus community
On behalf of the Campus Climate Implementation Team, this message was emailed to students, faculty and staff on Oct. 13:
Dear Wake Forest Community,
It is with great enthusiasm that the Campus Climate Implementation Team reports several community improvements. Commissioned by Provost Rogan Kersh in the fall of 2015, the team is responsible for coordinating action items that resulted from the advocacy of student leaders and a series of campus dialogues to foster a more inclusive campus environment.
The team’s efforts, in partnership with campus departments across the university, have produced some promising outcomes including:
- Scholarships from the Wake Will campaign totaling more than $55 million that will help reduce indebtedness of students receiving financial aid and support LGBTQ students;
- Enhanced intercultural education offerings, including a faculty summer institute and first-year experience with sessions focused on diversity and inclusion, and a pilot first-year course with a major component on how to live in community;
- Expanded and renovated spaces for students, including lounges and our Intercultural, Women’s, and LGBTQ Centers;
- Innovative and ongoing training on unconscious bias and diversity for law enforcement on campus;
- A comprehensive assessment plan is being developed to ensure accountability for advancing diversity and inclusion across the university
These are only a few of the changes that have happened as a result of the engagement and collective efforts of leaders in our community. Members of the community are invited to ask questions and learn more over a meal with team members at one of the community meetings sponsored by the Campus Climate Implementation team. Registration is available under the Events tab at community.wfu.edu, in addition to a full list of campus improvements on the site.
Thank you for your support and commitment.
In partnership,
Dr. Barbee Oakes, Chief Diversity Officer
Dr. Lynn Sutton, Vice Provost
Co-Chairs of Campus Climate Implementation Team
Categories: University Announcement
Update from Campus Climate Implementation Team
This message was e-mailed to students, staff and faculty May 5 on behalf of Chief Diversity Officer Barbee Oakes and Vice Provost Lynn Sutton:
Dear Campus Community,
With the end of the semester officially coming to a close with the conclusion of final exams, it seems fitting to update students, faculty and staff about Wake Forest’s ongoing efforts to strengthen our community and commitment to inclusion.
Over the past two years, several groups comprised of students, faculty, and staff met to provide recommendations on how to do so.
Through the work of our Campus Climate Implementation Team, a collaborative network of University leaders, faculty, staff and students commissioned by Provost Rogan Kersh, we have several notable updates to share:
- By the time students return to campus this fall, we will have renovated and expanded Intercultural, LGBTQ, and Women’s centers, in addition to making more gender neutral facilities available, continuing the transformation of our community into a place that meets the needs of our increasingly diverse student body.
- Our efforts to enhance the intercultural skills of students, faculty, and staff and improve our abilities to communicate and manage across differences will continue with the introduction of a new pilot course for first-year students, inclusive teaching workshops for faculty, and more social justice and cultural competence offerings for staff professional development.
- Under the direction of Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue and the Police Accountability Task Force, the University Police hired new staff and modified policies to ensure better relationships with community members. Significant changes include ongoing unconscious bias training, a new student patrol program, and continued dialogue between students and officers.
These improvements and many more are available at community.wfu.edu, our redesigned “Community-in-Progress” website that features updates about campus climate and sources feedback from members of the community to share with faculty, staff, and students driving change around diversity and inclusion.
We welcome any questions or comments and plan to provide details about forthcoming changes with community engagement opportunities this fall.
Thank you for your role in our collective and sustained efforts. We move forward only when we all remain committed to the promising work of making Wake Forest a place that truly feels like home to all university members.
Sincerely,
Barbee Oakes, Chief Diversity Officer and Lynn Sutton, Vice Provost
Co-Chairs, Campus Climate Implementation Team
Categories: University Announcement
Jonathan McElderry named as director of Intercultural Center
Jonathan McElderry has been named assistant dean of students and director of the University’s Intercultural Center, formerly known as the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
McElderry, who will join Wake Forest on June 1, is the director of the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center and interim coordinator in the Office of Greek Life at the University of Missouri. He recently completed his doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis at Missouri.
“Jonathan McElderry’s experience in higher education has focused on enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion on college campuses,” said Barbee Oakes, assistant provost and chief diversity officer. “His research has sought to raise awareness of the experiences of underrepresented students at predominantly white institutions and provide strategies to increase their academic and social success.”
This summer, the Intercultural Center will be renovated to include additional offices, expanded lounge space and meeting/conference/workroom space.
Categories: University Announcement
