Meet A Deac
Happy Valentine’s Day, Daily Deacdom! I have a lot of love for all my colleagues, and today I am pleased to introduce you to someone I didn’t know all that well before COVID, but we certainly worked together a LOT during the pandemic. She is an outstanding communications professional and is the hand behind the scenes that provides a lot of important campus life information to your Deacs. Please allow me to introduce you to Lindsay Jamison.
Lindsay, thanks for doing this. Let’s start at the beginning: your job title and how long you’ve been at Wake. I’m the Communications and Marketing Manager, Division of Campus Life. I’ve been at Wake for four years (my Wake-a-versary was this week!)
I know you went to a school just up the road. Tell me about your educational background. I received my BS in Communications/Advertising from Appalachian State, and then got an MA in Sports Management, also from Appalachian State.
How would you describe your job in layperson’s terms? I support the communication efforts of the departments that make up the Division of Campus Life and try to help amplify the story of the Division as a whole and it’s impact on our students. Basically it means I spend a lot of time on websites, social media accounts, newsletters, posters, and nonstop collaborative Google docs and meetings.
You and I did a lot of work together during the pandemic on the Call Center and our COVID website. What would you say was one of your biggest pandemic challenges? Pandemic challenge? Hmm, I’m keeping it relatively light and I’ll say negotiating having a new puppy around. Ruthie the border collie interprets virtual meeting time as potty time (every time).
I will never be sorry to see Ruthie on Zooms!
Your job is to help communicate with students about key parts of the campus experience. If a student asked you for advice, what would you tell them? There are so many amazing resources on our campus supported by professionals who are so dedicated to the wellbeing of our students. I can’t list all of the wonderful initiatives, services and programs, because there are too many to name, but would love to shine a light on ResilientWake and MindfulWake – be sure to check those out!
You’re a mom (to much younger kids than college students). What advice would you give Wake families if they asked? You’ve succeeded! Your student is intelligent and capable and at Wake Forest they can thrive and grow into themselves more fully. They have a strong network of support here who will guide, empower, and sometimes challenge them. Cheer them on!
What you do like best about working at Wake Forest? Being surrounded by the beauty of campus, working alongside dedicated, caring colleagues, and being around the bright, passionate students that we have here at Wake Forest.
Favorite place on campus? The Bookstore (office supplies bring me joy) and the swings on Davis Field by Scales Fine Arts Center.
We’ve now reached the bonus round questions. Let’s go!
Book you are reading now/podcast you are listening to, etc.: My favorite mental distraction is podcasts about movies and filmmaking. So in my rotation: Story Mode and We Just Watched from Gamefully Unemployed , Best Bad Movie Ever, and How Did This Get Made. Am I interested in pursuing a career in film? Not at all! But I love learning about the art of storytelling and how filmmakers use visual, auditory and timing cues to take us on a journey. I especially love when it doesn’t exactly work out how they intended (e.g., How Did This Get Made).
Favorite music: Living in the mountains for most of my adult life, I have a soft spot for bluegrass and folk music. I have a lifelong love of James Taylor thanks to my parents and recently discovered a group named Dawes that I enjoy singing along to. However, 99% of the time my Spotify is on a retro-mix full of gems from the late 80’s and early 90’s – Roxette, Howard Jones, Janet Jackson, etc.
Movies/TV/Netflix picks: What We Do in the Shadows and Letterkenny on Hulu. I’m a sucker for dry comedy.
Website you frequent: campuslife.wfu.edu (we have a new site under construction – hopefully coming soon!)
Guilty pleasures: Reece’s Pieces, aforementioned office supplies, and tying all my decision-making and mood back to my Enneagram number (6).
Introvert or extrovert? Introvert with Extrovert Tendencies.
Something most people don’t know about you: I’m actually still pretty good at rollerblading, a skill I mastered when I was 8 or 9 years old.
What question didn’t I ask you that you want to answer? “Who is the hardest-working colleague I know who has the best one-liners? Answer: Dr. Betsy Chapman!
Ha! Thanks, Lindsay, for all you do for our students and to bring awareness of all of Campus Life’s offerings for our campus!
Reminder: read past Meet A Deacs here.
— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)