Wake Forest Celebrates Endowed Chairs and Professors
On May 2nd, Wake Forest University held a celebration to honor its distinguished endowed chairs and professors. Provost Michele Gillespie hosted the event, remarking that these faculty “are the very embodiment of the teacher-scholar ideal that lies at the heart of our Wake Forest community.”
Endowed chairs and professorships are bestowed upon faculty who have demonstrated exceptional excellence in their scholarly fields and as educators. “You have made significant contributions to the advancement of student learning and you have made a profound impact on society through your research, scholarly or creative endeavors,” Provost Gillespie noted. “Moreover, you model within your department or area, within your college or school, and across the university, for students, staff, alumni and faculty alike, the highest ideals of our academic mission and our University’s Pro Humanitate spirit.”
Three esteemed professors – Dr. Julie H. Wayne, Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme, and Dr. Mary Foskett – shared reflections on what it means to them to hold an endowed position.
Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme, the Tribble Professor of Psychology, drew upon his childhood experiences amidst conflict in Sri Lanka to underscore the importance of institutions that foster engagement across differences. As endowed professors, he believes they must model the ability to have respectful disagreements, practice genuine tolerance by engaging with views they may disagree with, and remain open to acknowledging when they are wrong.
“I think one of the wonderful benefits we have as teacher-scholars is we’re part of a community that promotes and scaffolds a lifelong project of deepening what we know about the world and how we come to know it,” he remarked. “In addition to teaching our students about what we know about the world, we also hold the possibility that we can also learn from them.”
“In addition to teaching our students about what we know about the world, we also hold the possibility that we can also learn from them.”
Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme, Tribble Professor of Psychology
Jayawickreme emphasized the importance of faculty taking ownership of their roles as catalysts for change. “I think consciously committing to the ideals of Pro Humanitate, where we take responsibility for the work of making our community a better one for others, is important,” he said. He believes this means continuing to strengthen the institution by modeling intellectual humility, curiosity, and open-mindedness, while also maintaining perspective. “While we should, of course, continue to take our work very seriously, we should also make it clear that we do not take ourselves too seriously.”
Dr. Julie Wayne, the David C. Darnell Presidential Chair of Principled Leadership, emphasized the profound responsibilities that accompany the honor of an endowed position. She highlighted the critical interplay between groundbreaking research and the cultivation of the next generation of leaders.
“As we do this groundbreaking research, we have undergraduate and graduate students working alongside us,” she noted, citing examples like Dr. Will Fleeson publishing an influential paper with an undergraduate that now has over 1,500 citations, and Dr. Jayawickreme engaging students in his research on post-traumatic growth in Rwanda and Sri Lanka. “When we do this work alongside our students, not only do we make an impact on our disciplines as thought leaders, we also nurture our students’ intellectual curiosity and their passion for discovery while equipping them with the skills they need to navigate our ever-changing world.”
“When we do this work alongside our students, not only do we make an impact on our disciplines as thought leaders, we also nurture our students’ intellectual curiosity and their passion for discovery while equipping them with the skills they need to navigate our ever-changing world.”
Dr. Julie H. Wayne, David C. Darnell Presidential Chair of Principled Leadership
Wayne also emphasized the importance of making scholarly work accessible and relevant to society at large. “Especially for those of us over the tenure hurdle and who are leaders in our fields, we should strive to make our work accessible and relevant to society at large, addressing pressing issues, and contributing to the betterment of humanity,” she said, citing examples like Jayawickreme’s media engagement and faculty like Melissa Harris-Perry’s “Wake the Vote” program.
For Dr. Mary Foskett, the Wake Forest Kahle Professor of Religious Studies, being awarded an endowed professorship in 2014 brought “gratitude mixed with a profound sense of responsibility” and an even greater sense of stewardship.
“What the years between being tenured and being awarded the Kahle professorship taught me was that this university belongs to those who have come before us, those who are here now, and those who will come later,” she reflected. “No generation ‘owns’ the university, but every generation is a steward. A steward of the liberal arts education we provide our students, of the teacher-scholar and student interaction we cherish, and of the overall Wake Forest experience we treasure.”
“No generation ‘owns’ the university, but every generation is a steward. A steward of the liberal arts education we provide our students, of the teacher-scholar and student interaction we cherish, and of the overall Wake Forest experience we treasure.”
Dr. Mary Foskett, Wake Forest Kahle Professor of Religious Studies
Foskett believes that as endowed professors, they have been entrusted with the responsibility to embody the University’s motto, Pro Humanitate, in their teaching, research, and service – to continually ask vital questions about what constitutes and will support human flourishing. “What better time is there than this — to embody our motto, as Jim Powell understood it?” she asked. “What better time is there to invite students into Pro Humanitate the question, and then — after examining the question, Pro Humanitate the imperative.”
She highlighted the importance of engaging students’ big questions, even when it means taking risks. When her department decided to offer a spring half-semester course on religious perspectives on Israel/Palestine, “students began enrolling in 5 minutes’ time,” she said. “We endowed professors and chairs are faculty who can take the risk to offer courses that address difficult and fraught topics. I believe it is our responsibility to do so, because our students are looking to us for help.”
Foskett also emphasized the profound impact that teaching undergraduate students at Wake Forest has had on her own research trajectory, causing her to ask new questions and helping determine the direction of her scholarship. Additionally, she believes that in a time when students are feeling particularly unsafe, “our presence as teachers and mentors — what the late Dr. Ed Wilson called friendship and community — can make all the difference for real learning.”
As Provost Gillespie closed the celebration, she expressed deep gratitude for the endowed professors’ extraordinary achievements and ongoing dedication. “In today’s complex and ever-changing world, the intellectual leadership and community engagement that you demonstrate are more critical than ever,” she said. “By pushing the boundaries of your disciplines, fostering collaboration across fields, and engaging with the pressing issues of our time, you not only advance the frontiers of human understanding but also serve as powerful role models for our students and colleagues.”
“By pushing the boundaries of your disciplines, fostering collaboration across fields, and engaging with the pressing issues of our time, you not only advance the frontiers of human understanding but also serve as powerful role models for our students and colleagues.”
Provost Michele Gillespie
Wake Forest is immensely proud to recognize and celebrate the profound contributions and unwavering commitment of its endowed chairs and professors. Their impact as exemplary teacher-scholars will continue to shape the University, its students, and the broader community for generations to come.