"Medallion of Merit" Archive

Founders’ Day Convocation is today at 4 p.m.

Graphic that says "Founders' Day Convocation" in old gold lettering over a white background, white text that says "Thursday, February 25, 4 p.m." over a black background, and an old gold ornamental heading with a design of the WFU ceremonial mace

Please join us today at 4 p.m. EST for Founders’ Day Convocation. Each year, the Wake Forest family gathers to observe the University’s founding in February 1834. This year’s virtual program will include a student oration, musical performances and an update from the President’s Commission on Race, Equity and Community.

We will award the Medallion of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the University, to Donna Boswell (’72, MA ’74). Dr. Boswell has been a University Trustee since 2004 and was named the first woman chair of the Board of Trustees in 2015, a groundbreaking appointment she held for three terms.

Since current circumstances prevent our gathering together in person, the 2021 Founders’ Day Convocation will be presented as a video which will be streamed today, February 25, 2021 at 4 p.m. EST. Watch the video premiere live at convocation.wfu.edu and share your reactions on social media with #foundersdaywfu.

Join us for Founders’ Day Convocation on Feb. 18

Each year, the Wake Forest family gathers for Founders’ Day Convocation to observe the University’s founding in February 1834. This year’s virtual program will include a student oration, musical performances and an update from the President’s Commission on Race, Equity and Community provided by José Villalba, vice president for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, and Erica Still, associate dean of the College for faculty recruitment, diversity and inclusion.

We will award the Medallion of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the University, to Donna Boswell (’72, MA ’74). Dr. Boswell has been a University Trustee since 2004 and was named the first woman chair of the Board of Trustees in 2015, a groundbreaking appointment she held for three terms.

Since current circumstances prevent our gathering together in person, the 2021 Founders’ Day Convocation will be presented as a video which will be streamed on Feb. 18, 2021, at 4 p.m. EST. Watch the video premiere live at convocation.wfu.edu and share your reactions on social media with #foundersdaywfu.

Awards presented to faculty, others at Founders' Day Convocation

Associate Professor of English Melissa Jenkins was among the faculty presented awards at Founders’ Day Convocation

Wake Forest commemorated 185 years since the University’s founding at Founders’ Day Convocation in Wait Chapel on Feb. 21.

At convocation, faculty were honored with awards for teaching, research and service; the Medallion of Merit was presented to two individuals; and student leaders were recognized.

The winners of the 2019 Senior Orations Competition also made their presentations.

Detailed information about the event, including the names of award recipients, is available here.

Click here to watch the full 2019 Founders’ Day program.

Videos are also shown about each Medallion of Merit recipients: Sandra Boyette and Charley Rose.

A message from President Hatch

This message was emailed by President Hatch to students, faculty and staff on Jan. 14:

Dear Wake Forest community,

Welcome to 2019! I hope your time away from Wake Forest was refreshing and you return with a deep anticipation of what this year holds. As we start a new semester, I want to offer you a reflection and some encouragement.

Last year, we spent a lot of time talking about and discovering how our community could engage in greater understanding of one another. In the classroom, among colleagues and within our community, we joined in more frequent and deeper conversations with one another; we shared and chose to become vulnerable; and we learned that what we have in common is more important than what we hold in difference. We introduced Call to Conversation on our campus, and I am grateful to all who facilitated and participated in the effort. I look forward to more of these gatherings that blend hospitality and mutual sharing.

Beyond conversation, we carried out the practice of caring for one another. This fall, in the midst of two hurricanes and a historic snow, I watched as our community rallied together. Faculty worked with productivity and flexibility to reschedule exams and accommodate student needs when snow disrupted finals week. Facilities and maintenance personnel worked around the clock to clear snow and ice – some even spending one or two nights on campus to ensure the rest of us could go safely about our routines. And we reached out to our alumni, parents and friends affected by the storms to assist as we could.

At the end of last year, we also reached a milestone because of the contributions of many. To date, Wake Forest has raised more than $900 million in gifts and commitments to invest in students, faculty and facilities as part of the Wake Will Lead campaign. This achievement is possible only because of widespread support, including the gifts of more than 2,000 current and retired faculty and staff who have collectively committed nearly $20 million to the future of Wake Forest.

But our greatest strength as a community is often felt most in the quiet moments that are not widely known. Philosopher Simone Weil once noted that “attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” What I see every day is the critical work of faculty and staff extending themselves in such generosity. I note our Counseling Center staff and Campus Ministry colleagues who see to the many needs of our students, faculty and staff. It is evident in the ongoing efforts of Campus Kitchen and other service organizations that connect us to our local community. It is found in the listening ear and generosity of a professor, staff member, roommate or friend.

I am grateful for this community – one dedicated to understanding, supporting and caring for each other. Thank you for your efforts in making Wake Forest a place we can call home.

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Founders' Day Convocation to be held Feb. 15

Mike Ford

Founders’ Day Convocation will be held Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. in Wait Chapel.  All are invited.

At convocation, the Medallion of Merit will be presented to Michael G. (Mike) Ford, who served on Wake Forest’s staff in several roles throughout a career that spanned from 1981 to his retirement in the summer of 2017. The Medallion of Merit is the highest honor presented by the University.

A 1972 Wake Forest graduate, Ford is well known as a Campus Life leader who rallied students around an extensive array of volunteer and philanthropic efforts, mentored and advised generations of students,  dedicated himself to coaching students to become future leaders, and shared his faith with students in various settings.

At a retirement reception in his honor last summer, Ford told a crowd of colleagues, friends and family: “As I reflect back over my 36 years at Wake Forest, my student-facing work has taken many twists and turns and in the process found many forms and expressions … But one thing has always been a constant for me. I have always felt that my time at Wake Forest has been a calling … God’s calling on my life.”

Also at convocation:

–Faculty awards will be presented in the areas of advising, teaching and service.
–Student’s will present their winning senior orations.
–The Class of 2018 will be honored with a reflective video featuring student testimonials.

A reception hosted by the Office of the Provost will follow in Reynolda Hall’s Green Room immediately after convocation.

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