"Jennifer Richwine" Archive

Giving thanks every day, not just on Thanksgiving

richwine.175x275A guest post by Jennifer Richwine, University Advancement’s executive director of the Washington, D.C., office.

Thank you notes were non-negotiable in my house growing up. My mother was a stickler on writing thank you notes when we received gifts for birthdays or holidays, and often we weren’t even allowed to enjoy the gift until the thank you note was written, stamped and in the mail. Like most children, I balked at the idea and hated trying to come up with the right thing to say.

As an adult I moved into my first job, my first apartment, my first time truly on my own and became more disconnected from the people who had always been so prevalent in my life. I realized how much I missed these friends and family and wondered if they understood just how important they were to me.

With Gratitude

  • Jennifer Richwine’s “With Gratitude: The Power of the Thank You Note” is available on Amazon, which recently named it the number one new release in business etiquette. It was published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform with help from Wake Forest’s digital publishing expert Bill Kane. The book is also available as e-book through Wake Forest Digital Publishing.

So one Thanksgiving, I decided to make a list of the people who had been important influences in my life over the past year, and I proceeded to write thank you notes to every single person on that list, thanking them for a kindness, a friendship, a piece of well-timed advice. And as I wrote, I began to feel like I was bursting with joy for all of these people I had in my life. I never realized just how fortunate I was until I actually put onto paper and into words why I was thankful for them.

As the notes began arriving in mailboxes, my phone started ringing. Friends and colleagues and family were delighted, surprised, thankful themselves, to receive my notes of thanksgiving. Common phrases were “I didn’t know it meant so much to you,” or “I can’t believe you took the time to write that,” or “I’ve never been thanked for just being me before.” It quickly became clear that something special was happening.

Read more

Categories: Guest Post

Richwine to establish Washington, D.C., Office

richwine.175x275Over the last 15 years, Jennifer Richwine (’93) has been responsible for every major event on the Reynolda Campus – from annual favorites such as Convocation and Commencement, to once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as the recent Wake Will campaign launch and Dr.Maya Angelou’s memorial service.

This fall, she’s taking her omnipresent clipboard to the nation’s capital, where she will take on the responsibility of establishing an office for Wake Forest University in Washington, D.C.

Effective Sept. 1, as the Executive Director of the Washington Office, Richwine will serve as the central point of contact for Wake Forest in D.C. and provide strategic planning, direction, and execution of programs and connections between D.C. area alumni, parents, students and the University as a whole. She will help raise the University’s profile in this increasingly alumni-populated city by identifying and cultivating relationships inside and outside the Wake Forest family in the metro area.

Read more

WFU soliciting Commencement speaker nominations

Dear Wake Forest community:

As members of the Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee, we look forward to engaging our graduating students and other members of the university community in the selection process of our 2014 Commencement speaker. As we begin this exciting task, we look to you to provide us with speaker nominations for Commencement 2014.

Please submit your suggestions to CSAC@wfu.edu by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.  Submissions must include:

  • Name of nominee
  • Two to three paragraphs answering the following question: “Why do you think this person would be an exceptional Commencement speaker at Wake Forest University?”
  • Any contact name(s) for your nomination (if possible) and/or any connection to Wake Forest.

We are especially interested in hearing from graduating students. Suggestions are also gratefully welcomed from faculty and staff.

As you can imagine, persons of this caliber are in high demand. While we hope to host a speaker from suggestions we receive, we cannot guarantee that our invitations will be accepted.  Your thoughts will be vital to informing our approach and to selecting a speaker.

This committee is dedicated to the transparency of this process, but please understand that the actual invitation process must remain confidential. Announcement of the Class of 2014’s commencement speaker will follow a similar timeline as in years past.

We look forward to reviewing your nominations.

Sincerely,
The Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee

Rogan Kersh, Provost, Chair
Francie Fisher, Wake Forest Fellow, Provost’s Office
Mary Foskett, Professor, Religion
Jim O’Connell, Wake Forest Fellow, President’s Office
Samantha Perrotta, Event and Project Manager, Provost’s Office
Aubrey Peterson, President, Student Union
Mary Pugel, Chief of Staff, President’s Office
Jennifer Richwine, Assistant Vice President, University Events
Jay Sehgal, Student Trustee
Jacqueline Sutherland, Student Government President
Mark Welker, Professor, Chemistry

Categories: Events

Commencement speaker nominations open

Dear Wake Forest Community,

As members of the Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee, we look forward to engaging graduating students and other members of the university community in the selection process of our 2013 Commencement speaker. As we begin this exciting task, we look to you to provide us with speaker nominations for Commencement 2013.

Please submit your suggestions to CSAC@wfu.edu by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9.  Submissions must include:

  • Name of nominee
  • Two to three paragraphs answering the following question: “Why do you think this person would be an exceptional Commencement speaker at Wake Forest University?”
  • Any contact name(s) for your nomination (if possible) and/or any connection to Wake Forest

We are especially interested in hearing from graduating students.  Suggestions are also gratefully welcomed from faculty and staff. Read more

Hatch names committee members

Dear Wake Forest Community,

Early this month, I shared plans for three advisory committees to lead Wake Forest in discussions of important topics: Commencement Speaker Advisory, Chick-fil-A Campus Dialogue and Vice President for Campus Life Advisory.  Today, I am pleased to announce the faculty, staff and students who will serve on them this year.

The committees and members include: Read more

Archives