A Letter to Faculty: December 2024
December 12, 2024
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
As this hectic fall semester comes to a close, and as you wrap up grading and prepare for a well deserved winter break, I write with updates on a number of academic fronts.
Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression:
Be on the lookout in early January for materials surrounding the University’s Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression work. You’ll see a series of videos featuring faculty, staff, and student voices discussing freedom of speech, academic freedom, and the history of free speech at Wake Forest. Academic freedom will be the theme for Founders Day on Thursday, February 20 with an address from Dean of the Law School, Andy Klein. At that time, a draft Freedom of Expression statement will be shared and invitations extended for members of our campus community to offer feedback through March 15. The drafting group will revise the statement in light of the feedback and share it with President Wente, me, and university leadership groups. We will bring a final report to the Academic Committee of the Board of Trustees in April.
Handling Potential Legislative Changes:
Also know that as the new year approaches, we are working collaboratively to understand the potential implications of the recent election for higher education generally and for Wake Forest specifically. Changes in presidential administrations typically carry the potential for significant changes in legislation related to higher ed, and we anticipate that will very much be the case beginning in January. The North Carolina General Assembly also will begin its long session this spring, where they will set policy and budget for the next two years, with several newly appointed leaders in the legislature. Coordinated by AVP for Government Affairs and Policy Julia Jackson-Newsom, and Director of Government Affairs Jimmy Broughton, we are leveraging our networks – including relationships with elected officials, colleagues at peer institutions, and the professional associations that represent higher education relative to legislative and policy issues – to inform a legislative agenda. This agenda will provide a roadmap for direction and strategy as we navigate the next year. If you have issues or concerns, please share them with the appropriate office, your Dean and/or the Faculty Senate.
Search Updates:
Our search for the next Dean of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library is well underway. We have an exceptionally strong applicant pool and look forward to completing this search early in the next semester. Similarly, we anticipate announcing a new Financial Aid Executive Director very soon, and had a very strong candidate pool for this critical position as well.
Space Planning:
On November 19, nearly 200 faculty and staff participated in a terrific How Wake Works session on our Comprehensive Campus Space Planning. Kevin Petersen, principal at Ayers Saint Gross, and his terrific team, led a visioning exercise to identify highest needs and biggest aspirations for an exciting space plan that matches our strategic framing ambitions and includes all our campus spaces and Wake Downtown, those in Washington D.C. and Charlotte, as well as our houses in Europe. You can view that presentation here.
WakeUnited:
We also heard from Antonia Richburg, Executive Director of the Winston Salem/Forsyth County United Way, as part of Wake Forest’s WakeUnited campaign. She shared the tremendous impact our community-giving makes on 36,000 local lives. If you have not made your contribution yet, please consider doing so here. And please know the campaign leaders for WakeUnited (Sam Perrotta, Berthi Hotham, Ritt Culbreth, Brandi Cleveland) and I are happy to answer any of your queries.
Collegiate Athletics Changes:
On November 20, President Wente and VP and Director of Athletics John Currie made a presentation to the University Faculty Senate, supported by EVP and CFO Jackie Travisano and myself, on the seismic changes affecting collegiate athletics nationwide and Wake Forest’s preparations for managing these major disruptions. The session was a key illustration of thoughtful communication and governance at work given the role of the Faculty Athletics Committee and the Senate Committee on Athletics in shaping this ongoing conversation.
Numbers Tell the Story:
There are times when a couple of data points can speak volumes. As we prepare for the return of this fall’s 709 study abroad students (13% of the undergraduate student body), it is worth noting that 83% of our undergraduates study abroad and that Wake Forest ranks 4th in the country for undergraduate study abroad participation. Meanwhile, in preparing for our upcoming SACSCOC accreditation reaffirmation, and in sharp contrast to the vast majority of U.S. universities, we have documented that permanent faculty taught 75% of all undergraduate student credit hours last year and full-time faculty taught 91% of all undergraduate student credit hours. These numbers are definitely worth bragging about.
Talented Junior Faculty:
Speaking of bragging rights, I have just finished reading more than three dozen faculty reappointments for the College, and have checked in with the Deans of the Graduate and Professional Schools on the progress of their junior colleagues. The biggest takeaway is that regardless of discipline or school our newest members of our academic community are imaginative, dedicated teachers and innovative, pathbreaking scholars who embrace Wake Forest’s distinctive teacher-scholar ethos and Pro Humanitate values.
Provost Office News:
I am happy to report that we are completing a new cross-school teaching agreement with significant collaboration from across the college and schools. The SACSCOC Compliance Group has drafted 250 narratives in preparation for our 2025-2026 reaffirmation review. In collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and VP José Villalba, the The Slavery, Race and Memory Project has reorganized itself to align better with the Strategic Framework and to provide more support for curricular, co-curricular, scholarly and public history pursuits surrounding the SRMP mission. On a related note, and also in collaboration with ODI and VP Villalba, the Steering Committee for Campus Memorialization has completed gathering campus feedback on conceptual themes for a memorial from more than 170 participants. The architectural firm Baskervill will use these rich perspectives to generate a proposed memorial design this spring semester.
Happy Holidays:
Thank you to each of you for your commitment to Wake Forest. May you have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends!
Best Regards,
Michele Gillespie
Provost