"David Finn" Archive

President Wente visits Wake Forest classes

September 16, 2021

Wente visits Wake Downtown engineering class.

On Sept. 3, Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente took a seat in the EGR 211 Materials and Mechanics class at Wake Downtown to learn about the electronic conductivity of metals and semiconductors and get a student’s view of the academic experience at Wake Forest.

It is one of several classes Wente has visited so far this semester.  She plans to join a divinity school class in the next few weeks and looks forward to additional classroom and lab visits later this year.

“One of the foremost attractions of Wake Forest for me was the commitment to academic excellence that the faculty embrace and students seek,” Wente said. “Discovery and exploration of knowledge is at the heart of the University, and I am so pleased to see how Wake Forest delivers on those elements of the academic mission.” Read more

WFU tops last year's Arts Council campaign

July 6, 2012

Wake Forest staff and faculty have contributed nearly $28,000 in the annual campaign for The Arts Council of Winton-Salem, topping the $26,000 contributed last year.

Led by professor of art David Finn, the formal stage of the Reynolda Campus campaign took place in March and April. Staff and faculty still wanting to contribute to the current campaign may give through Sept. 30 by visiting the Arts Council’s website at intothearts.org.

Romance Languages received recognition as the department which has the most  new donors, while the School of Divinity was honored as the school with the most new donors. The Arts Council gave a “special honorable mention” to the Athletics Department for several new donors. In all, Wake Forest added 29 new donors to the campaign this year.

Locally, The Arts Council’s 2012 overall campaign goal is $2.35 million. It will support 21 arts organizations, such as the Piedmont Opera, the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Hispanic Arts Initiative. In addition to providing annual operating support for artists and arts organizations, the Arts Council supports such projects as the “City of Arts and Innovation” branding campaign, as well as the ongoing operation of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts.

Thursdays at Byrum Hall

March 8, 2012

The Provost and the Undergraduate Admissions Office invite faculty and staff to Thursdays at Porter B. Byrum Hall (the Welcome and Admissions Center) on March 8.

A wine and cheese reception will run from 4-4:30 p.m., followed by a program from 4:30-5:15 p.m. that will feature David Lubin, Peter Kairoff and Morna O’Neill and Allison Slaby. The event also will serve as a kickoff for the Arts Council campaign kickoff, so there will be remarks by David Finn, WFU campaign chair and professor of art; Nathan Hatch, WFU president; Leon Porter (’78), campaign chair; and Milton Rhodes, president and CEO of The Arts Council.

Lubin, Charlotte C. Weber professor of art, will discuss an essay he’s writing on oil money and oil painting for an exhibition co-organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art to mark the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination.

Kairoff, professor of music, will discuss and perform The Keyboard Suites of J.S. Bach.

Morna O’Neill, assistant professor of art history, and Allison Slaby, managing curator, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, will discuss their collaboration on the current exhibition, “Domestic Bliss: Art at Home in Britain and America, 1780-1840.”

Art Department work showcased downtown

February 26, 2012

“Yellow Pillow” by Page Laughlin

Tom Patterson of the Winston-Salem Journal recently reported:

“The best of the few new exhibitions that opened early this month in downtown Winston-Salem showcases works by 10 artists who teach in the art department at Wake Forest University. ‘Strictly Academic: Part 2,’ on view through March 31 in the Milton Rhodes Center’s Womble Carlyle Gallery, is the second show in a series highlighting works by teachers at local colleges and universities.”

The exhibition features work by Bryan Ellis, David Faber, David Finn, Page Laughlin, Jennifer Gentry, Leigh Ann Hallberg, Alix Hitchcock, Joel Tauber, Will Willner and John Pickel.

Read more from the Journal article »
See gallery information on the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts site »

Innovative ideas for engaged teaching

January 18, 2012

Register now for the Fellows & Friends Engaged Teaching Luncheon Series, which is led by inspired faculty. The next event will be Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 11 a.m. in 301 Reynolda Hall. Lunch will be provided.

The Institute for Public Engagement promotes engaged teaching that fosters critical thinking, gives each student a voice, and encourages students to engage with issues affecting the Wake Forest community and the community beyond. Within the broader concept of engaged teaching is the recognized pedagogy of service-learning, usually involving direct service to meet community needs. Other forms of engaged teaching may not involve such service but nevertheless engage students in the process of identifying and understanding community issues.

The purpose of this discussion series is to afford faculty the opportunity to share their ideas and gain inspiration for engaged teaching in an enjoyable, informal setting. Faculty are invited to enjoy lunch, highlight their work, share ideas, and gain inspiration. Featured faculty will speak for about 20 minutes followed by open conversation.

Tuesday, Jan. 24 (11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.): Innovative Ideas for Engaged Teaching

• Featured Faculty: David Finn (Art), Mary Pendergraft (Classics), Cindy Gendrich (Theatre), Phoebe Zerwick (English)

Tuesday, Feb. 28 (11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.): Navigating Engaged Teaching in a Global Context

• Featured Faculty: Steve Virgil (Law – Nicaragua Nexus), Ananda Mitra (Communications – India Study Abroad), Betina Wilkinson (PS – Latino Political Behavior and Public Opinion)

Monday, March 26 (11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.): Assessment in Engaged Teaching

• Featured Faculty: Michele Gillespie (History), Adam Friedman (Education), Andrew Allwine (Classics -Latin poetry)