"Matt Williams" Archive

Campus activity related to executive order on immigration

This is a message emailed by Provost Rogan Kersh and Vice President Penny Rue on Feb. 3 to students, faculty and staff:

To the Wake Forest community:

On Monday, President Hatch affirmed the University’s values in the wake of the recent executive order singling out political/social refugees and other immigrants from a list of seven majority-Muslim countries. In addition, President Hatch, along with many other university presidents and chancellors, this week signed a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly emphasizing the “chilling effect” of the Administration’s executive order “on the ability of international students and scholars to continue to see the U.S. as a welcoming place for study and research.” Wake Forest University leaders pledge our continued support for all our students, faculty and staff, particularly those potentially at risk of having their education disrupted by this and similar policies.

We continue to work with students as well as faculty and staff on campus who have personal or familial concerns about possible changes to immigration status, including the DACA policy.  Law School professor Margaret Taylor is coordinating this effort, along with José Villalba of the College Dean’s Office.

Through conversations across our community we understand that many seek to engage directly in activities consonant with our mission and values: educating ourselves and one another about ongoing developments and their implications, or extending assistance to those newly arrived in our city. This is an initial list of the many encouraging actions taking place on our campus and locally. We will continue to update the list at the Community in Progress website.

If you are interested in supporting recently-arrived refugees in Winston-Salem, information about ‘Every Campus a Refuge,’ and related opportunities, is available through Michaelle Browers in the Department of Politics and International Affairs and/or Sam Perrotta in the Provost’s Office. Michelle Voss-Roberts from the Divinity School and Alessandra Von Burg from the Department of Communication have joined in this effort — a testament to the cross-university nature of many related actions.

For those seeking to learn more about the administration’s executive order on immigration/ refugees, open discussions, led by faculty, staff and students are scheduled in the near future.

Today at 3 p.m. in Pugh Auditorium, a group of interdisciplinary faculty will host a forum on the administration’s refugee and immigration policy.

Next Wednesday, Feb. 8, our chapter of the national political-science honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha, will host a discussion focused on the President’s first 100 days in office, featuring faculty from the politics and international affairs department.

On Monday, Feb. 13, at noon, Law School faculty experts will discuss Trump Administration executive orders and other policies affecting immigration, climate change, and safety regulations in the 2nd floor courtroom of Worrell Professional Center.

Additionally, several campus groups are offering information and support:

Our Office of International Students and Scholars is also providing regularly updated information about the executive order’s apparent implications.  Contact Kelia Hubbard for more information.

SAFAR is a group of Wake Forest students, faculty, and staff committed to supporting refugees in the Winston Salem community. Rose O’Brien is the founding member, and sponsored Refugee Day last semester. She is the 2017 recipient of a Martin Luther King Building the Dream Award for this work.

The Social Justice Incubator in the Kitchin Hall lounge is a discussion/engagement space for students concerned about the executive order and impact on immigrant and refugee populations. Contact Chizoba Ukairo, student coordinator, or Marianne Magjuka.

There are several ways to get involved beyond our campus boundaries. Several local organizations support immigrants and refugees:

World Relief High Point

CWS in Greensboro

North Carolina African Services Coalition

New Arrivals Institute

Faith Action

The Center for New North Carolinians

We salute the many Wake Foresters who are taking initiative, and urge all of us to do the same. If you are organizing or are aware of related efforts to inform, discuss or assist, please send details to Matt Williams or either of us, for inclusion on the Community in Progress site.

The degree of engagement across and beyond campus emphasizes the care Wake Foresters are taking, on many fronts, to ensure that our learning community is preserved and that our core commitment to inclusion is exemplified during this difficult time.

Spiritedly yours,

Rogan Kersh                                                                                       Penny Rue
Provost and Professor                                                                       Vice President, Campus Life

 

Piscetelli, Williams received Winston Under 40 Leadership Awards

The Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce has named Michael Piscetelli, associate athletic director of development, and Matthew Williams, director of communication in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Winston Under 40 Leadership Award winners.

They were among 20 who were presented the award this month at a Winston-Salem event.

According to the Chamber, the winners are “actively influencing the growth, prosperity, and quality of life in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.”

Winston Under 40, started three years ago, is the Chamber group “that’s committed to attracting and retaining young professionals in our community.”

Categories: Inside WFUStaff News

Campus can support DonorsChoose.org #BestSchoolDay

This is a guest post from the University’s Leadership Project:

Too many students in K-12 classrooms don’t have the resources they need. Students can’t dream big when classrooms lack books, microscopes and tablets — or even paper, pencils and paste.

Now you can make a difference through Wake Forest’s #BestSchoolDay.

On March 29 faculty, staff and students can support a K-12 classroom by picking up a free $25 DonorsChoose.org gift card in one of several locations around campus and redeeming it toward a project of their choice. Participants are only able to redeem one gift card. Our goal is to have all 1,000 gift cards picked up on March 29 and redeemed on the same day. Gift cards will be available for pick up at most locations from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

  • Outside the main entrance of the Fresh Food Company (The Pit),
  • At the Spirit Walk in between Tribble Hall and Benson Center,
  • At Wake Forest University Law Commons,
  • In the faculty lounge in the School of Divinity (11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. only),
  • In the Founders Day Living Room at the School of Business
  • At the Luter Hall Block Party for First-year Students (5 p.m. – 7 p.m. only)

You can choose from among hundreds of projects nationwide, although you are encouraged to support a local teacher in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Donate to one project or split your $25 among several projects.

#BestSchoolDay at Wake Forest is being held in conjunction with the University’s Leadership Project, which is hosting Charles Best, CEO of DonorsChoose.org on Tuesday, April 5, at 6 p.m. in Broyhill Auditorium in Farrell Hall.

DonorsChoose.org provides a simple way to address educational inequity. In Forsyth County so far this academic year, 174 projects, including hands-on science labs, vocabulary enrichment tools and playground improvements for children with special needs, have been funded — supporting more than 13,500 students. In the local school system, nearly 450 teachers have raised funds for more than 1,000 projects since 2003.

Please help make Wake Forest’s #BestSchoolDay a community success by picking up and redeeming a $25 gift card on March 29.

For questions or more information on gift card distribution, contact Matt Williams at williamj@wfu.edu.

Categories: Guest Post

OPCD staff share thought leadership with industry peers

Several members of the Office of Personal and Career Development presented at industry conferences, recently, on such topics as marketing strategies to engage students and how to build a college campus around mentoring. In addition to sharing successful ideas that Wake Forest has implemented, staff members received recognition for their work and assumed leadership positions within organizations.

Presentations:

The International Mentoring Conference occurred on April 22-24. The theme of the conference centered on practical strategies around mentoring.

  • Lauren Beam, assistant director of mentoring and alumni personal and professional development, presented “Building Your Toolkit: Engaging Your (Campus) Community around Mentoring.” The presentation focused on ways in which the Wake Forest mentoring department uses National Mentoring Month to engage the campus community with creative marketing materials.
  • Allison McWilliams, director of mentoring and alumni personal and professional development, served as this year’s conference chair.

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Categories: Staff News

WakeUnited: Live United Matt Williams

matt.williams.300x175OPCD’s associate director for marketing and communications, Matt Williams, is a graduate of Project Blueprint, a leadership development program sponsored by the United Way that increases the participation of individuals from under-represented groups on nonprofit and community boards. Participants receive training and support to drive change in these organizations where diverse perspectives and experiences are needed and valued.

“I graduated from Project Blueprint in 2012 and found it incredibly helpful,” says Williams. “I received instruction on strategic and financial planning, diversity and inclusion, operational processes and more. The experience introduced me to other citizens seeking to use their strengths to serve and familiarized me with organizations working to eradicate many challenges within our community.”

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Categories: Guest PostStaff News

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