25 Things You Can Do
In this Issue:
- Top 25 Ways Families Can Help Wake Forest
- Some beautiful views of campus over break
Campus is starting to come to life, with some students moving in for sorority recruitment, and we look forward to everyone else returning this weekend, as FDOC (First Day of Class) is this coming Monday, Jan. 12.
Some colleagues from the Office of Family Engagement and I had the chance to visit with our counterparts at another NC school today, which was an opportunity to talk about the work we do, as well as learn from their school.
One of the things we talked about was that both our schools are blessed to have very engaged and enthusiastic parents and families. And it reminded me of a blog post I did many years ago and it had fallen out of the rotation somehow – but I thought I would resurrect it today.
Top 25 Ways Families Can Help Wake Forest
Sometimes we have families who ask us what they can do to help Wake Forest. If your life is like mine, there may be times when you have time to give (but not money), or you have money (but no time or energy to take on something new) – you get the idea. So we tried to fill this list with options that might meet our families wherever they are. Here are 25 things you can do to help Wake Forest:
- Talk about Wake Forest in your community – your neighborhood, your place of work, among your friends. Help tell our story to those who may not know us yet.
- Foster your Deac’s independence and accountability: push responsibility back to your student for things like missed deadlines, registration issues, roommate conflicts (i.e., coach, don’t fix) and respect faculty roles: students—not parents or family members—should be the only ones interacting with professors about coursework.
- Keep your mailing address, email address, and phone number current with Wake Forest. You’ll help us the most if you log in to Wake Network and update your info yourself, but you can always email parents@wfu.edu with your updates and we will be happy to help you.
- Hire Wake Forest students and graduates for internships and jobs, and/or talk to your HR department to ensure Wake is in their recruiting pipeline.
- Encourage prospective students to consider Wake Forest in their college search.
- Read official school communications: websites, emails, e-newsletters, blogs, etc. (I hope you will find most questions are answered there!)
- Make an annual gift to the Parents’ Campaign of the Wake Forest Fund. Every gift is needed and appreciated – no matter its size!
- Attend Wake Forest events in your home area and bring another Wake Forest parent, family member, or friend with you.
- Act as an ambassador and share your love of Wake Forest: how families talk about the institution can affect reputation, recruitment, and morale.
- Display Wake Forest paraphernalia at home and at work.
- Support Wake Forest athletics: attend games, cheer loudly, and/or buy season tickets.
- Encourage incoming Wake families with new students to subscribe to the Daily Deac (if they have not already done so).
- Engage with Wake Forest content online by liking and resharing posts from official university accounts.
- Wear Wake Forest apparel when you are out and about – it’s a great conversation starter or way to help identify yourself to other Wake people.
- Read the Wake Forest Magazine and share it with a friend when finished.
- Recommend Wake Forest to high school counselors, college advisors, and educators in your community.
- Put a Wake Forest bumper sticker or magnet on your car. Everywhere you drive, people will see the Wake Forest name and help us increase our recognition in your home area.
- Participate in parent/family surveys when you receive them; your voice can help inform important university decisions.
- Visit campus whenever you can!
- Encourage your Deac to attend Homecoming and their class reunion when the time comes.
- Buy tickets to our Face to Face speaker series (either individual tickets, or a season subscription).
- Encourage your student to pursue high-impact opportunities such as study abroad, research, service, and/or internships that reflect our Pro Humanitate motto.
- Encourage alumni friends who may have disengaged to reconnect with Wake Forest.
- Attend arts events on campus: University Theatre, dance or musical concerts, the Secrest Artists Series, etc.
- Consider including Wake Forest in your will and estate plan.
I’d encourage you to do any of the above items that you can. And if you have any additional suggestions of ways families can help, you can hit reply on the Daily Deac (from your Inbox) and send me your thoughts for consideration for future iterations of this list.
Some beautiful views of campus over break
When students are not here, campus can feel very empty and devoid of energy. But sometimes you also get magnificent views – things you wish our students had been able to see.
Fortunately I have many friends in the Daily Deacdom, and one of my longtime readers took some great pictures during the break. These photos are by David P. Friedman, M.S., Ph.D.,, Professor Emeritus, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and a resident of Faculty Drive on the south side of campus.
Many thanks to Dr. Friedman. Hope you enjoy these as much as I did!