Tuesday newsday
Today we had sunshine for the first time after days and days of cold rain. It is a welcome relief and is brightening the mood a little.
I’m keeping my eye on the weather as there is some potential for late Wednesday/early Thursday. We should have a clearer picture tomorrow, but for tonight it may be worth mentioning the possibility of wintry weather if your Deacs live off campus, so they make sure they have food in their house/apartment just in case, that they keep all their devices charged, have a flashlight, etc. Related: we got the question over the weekend at the Call Center about what an off-campus student does if their power goes out. They need to call their power company (not Wake); Duke Power is a common provider in the city. And for those with students at the hotels or quarantining in place on campus, we do have plans to ensure food delivery to those students in case of ice.
We have heard from a number of families in recent days in the Call Center and via emails and want to reassure you that your messages are heard. Even for those I have not been able to respond to personally due to the high volume, messages and call reports are shared with our COVID leadership team. We have been meeting daily during the surge and I am sharing our Call Center and email logs. So please know you are being heard. I know you all want things to get more back to normal; believe me, I do too. Please know we are working toward that end and I will bring you news as soon as I have it.
In non-COVID news, I got a message about Fulbright scholarships; this is probably most applicable to our P’22s, but could also be for our P’23s who have students who want to plan ahead:
If your Deac is ready to explore the world after this long year, encourage them to set their sights on the U.S. Student Fulbright program. This prestigious grant funds a post-graduation year of research, study, or English teaching assistantships virtually anywhere on the planet. It’s a life-changing experience, a great way to spend a funded gap year between college and the world beyond, and a fabulous thing to have on a resume.
Students start thinking seriously about the application process during the spring of their junior year (the national deadline is September of the senior year), but the earlier they can put a plan into place, the better. There are several things that first- and second-year students can start doing now to make themselves competitive, and WFU has a Fulbright advisor available to help them on every step of the application journey. We have several info sessions coming up this semester, open to all majors and career goals. For more information, contact Dr. Alyssa Howards at howardal@wfu.edu or linked from this page.
Proud to note that WFU just had 14 Fulbright semi-finalists named; they are nominated to spend a year abroad in places ranging from Fiji to Scandinavia. (They had me at Fiji.)
Our Divinity School got some fantastic news: with a $5 million grant from Gilead Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Divinity will establish a new center to fight HIV/AIDS throughout the South:
Wake Forest University School of Divinity is uniquely positioned to unite and strengthen faith communities to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. A focus on social justice and equity will guide the mission and vision of the center. “At Wake Forest University School of Divinity, we shape agents of justice, reconciliation, and compassion,” said Jonathan Lee Walton, dean of the School. “Our origins are rooted in preparing a place for those often marginalized and left out of not only conversations, but congregations. This new center will help us put that mission into needed action in communities across our region.”
Also want to share a copy of the Wake the Arts e-newsletter I received today. Lots of good info in there if you or your Deac is interested in the arts (and I hope you are). You can also subscribe to the e-newsletter to get future issues.
— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)