"Dean of the College" Archive

Response to malicious emails

September 19, 2019

The following message was emailed to students, faculty and staff on September 19, 2019

Last week, an unknown individual or individuals with malicious intent sought to spread a message of bigotry, division and fear among members of our campus community through emails sent to seven members of our faculty and staff and five offices on campus. Our faculty and staff have worked to protect everyone on our campus while striving to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

We hear the questions posed by some of our students: can you see us, can you hear us, do you understand our lived experiences? Yes, we see you. Yes, we hear you. And, no, we cannot fully understand what some of you are enduring.

The emails, steeped in the vitriol of white supremacy and nationalism, were sent to individual and office inboxes associated with the Department of Sociology, the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the LGBTQ+ Center, and the Intercultural Center. These emails have hurt, scared, threatened, angered, and confused many on our campus in different ways. This cuts at the core of who we are at Wake Forest and impacts us all.

While none of the emails contained actionable threats or detailed a specific attack on our campus, they still managed to elicit the fear the sender intended. Wake Forest consulted with law enforcement and national threat assessment experts — including the FBI’s leading experts on domestic terrorism, white nationalism, and hate crimes — before deciding to continue classes and normal University operations. The increased police presence on campus and enhanced security measures will continue while the investigation proceeds.

Our decision to continue classes does not diminish the real emotions and concern some in our community still feel. We pledge to stand by all our students, staff and faculty when they experience hate and discrimination of any kind. We will revise protocols where necessary and improve on the processes that we know are effective. We must remember who we are as a caring and supportive community and move forward in the spirit of those values.

There are many sources of support for those of you who are affected by these hateful emails. The University Counseling Center (336-758-5273), the Chaplain’s Office (336-758-5210) and the Employee Assistance Program (336-716-5493) are invaluable resources, as are our friendships and circles of personal support. Please continue to look out for each other.

Sincerely,

Nathan Hatch, President
Rogan Kersh, Provost
Jane Aiken, Dean of the School of Law
Michele Gillespie, Dean of the College
Charles Iacovou, Dean of the School of Business
Penny Rue, Vice President for Campus Life
José Villalba, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Jonathan Walton, Dean of the School of Divinity

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

November 8, 2018

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.

Revamped Undergraduate Bulletin available online now

June 29, 2018

This is a guest post of the Office of the Dean of the College:

Wake Forest University has revamped the Undergraduate Bulletin for the 2018-19 academic year. The new bulletin allows students, faculty, and staff to easily search for courses, programs, degree requirements, and academic policies.

The new bulletin is located at https://bulletin.wfu.edu/.

Representatives from Information Systems and the offices of Communications and External Relations, the Dean of the College, and the University Registrar have spent the past year collaborating on the design and implementation of the easy-to-navigate bulletin.

Wake Forest University’s Undergraduate Bulletin for 2018-19 utilizes CourseLeaf software, which allows universities to oversee the editing and publication of online catalogs and bulletins. Some of the features of the new academic bulletin include:

• Course information is integrated with the Student Information System to allow for course information to be better checked for accuracy.
• The bulletin has the same look and feel as other WFU sites.
• The program filter function allows students to browse and discover new programs based on academic areas of interest.
• Searchable listings are available for faculty, administrators, and committees.
• The entire bulletin can be downloaded and printed if a paper copy is desired for in-office advising.
• Academic bulletins from previous years will be archived and readily available.

Please share the link for the new academic bulletin (https://bulletin.wfu.edu/) with the students, faculty, and staff in your department and programs.

Staff retirements in 2017-2018

June 6, 2018

The following Wake Forest staff (Reynolda Campus) retired in 2017-2018:

Donna Gung, Executive Assistant, Office of the President
Kathy Idol, Communications Coordinator and Counselor, Financial Aid
Terry Poovey, Admissions Assistant, Undergraduate Admissions
Preston Stockton, Manager, Reynolda Gardens
Lynn Sutton, Vice Provost, Office of the Provost
Connie Green, Administrative Coordinator, English
Pamela Karr, Training and Development Manager, Counseling
Patricia (Patty) Kennedy, Administrative Assistant, Health and Exercise Science
Patricia (Patty) Lanier, Administrative Coordinator, Office of the Dean of the College
Cindy O’Hagan, Coordinator, Curriculum Materials, Education
Judith (Judi) Affeldt, Administrative Assistant, School of Business
Patricia (Pat) Peacock, Associate Director, School of Business
Janet Cromer, Associate Director, School of Law
Ann Robertson, Program Coordinator, School of Law
Ronald (Ron) Atkins, Service Technician, Facilities and Campus Services
Winford Cook, Sanitation Coordinator, Facilities and Campus Services
Carrnell Covington, Custodian, Facilities and Campus Services
Hazel Daniels, Custodian, Facilities and Campus Services
Lester Ferrell, Custodian, Facilities and Campus Service
Rebecca Harrington, Maintenance and Utilities Analyst, Facilities and Campus Services
Annie (Ann) Knox, Parking Supervisor, Parking and Transportation
Ava Nelums, Custodian, Facilities and Campus Services
Julio Parada, Server, Graylyn
Raymond (Ray) Trindade, Auto Technician, Facilities and Campus Services
Diane Wise, Administrative Coordinator, Procurement Services
Michael (Mike) Ford, Director, Philanthropy Programs, Pro Humanitate Institute
Donalee White, Administrator Coordinator, Learning Assistance Center
Jane Jones, Administrative Coordinator, University Advancement
Nancy Pierce, Territory Development Coordinator, University Advancement
Cherin Poovey, Managing Editor, Wake Forest Magazine, University Advancement
Janet Williamson, Deputy Editor, University Advancement
Walter (Doug) Bland, Associate Athletic Director, Athletics
Dianne Dailey, Head Coach, Women’s Golf, Athletics
Anita (Ann) Flynn, Academic Counselor, Athletics
Ethan Reeve, Head Coordinator, Sports Performance, Athletics
Betty Shronts, Administrative Assistant, Athletics

Staff and faculty milestones April 2018

April 19, 2018

See a list of staff and faculty milestones for April 2018:

Read more