Rainy Tuesday
In this Issue:
- Program for Leadership and Character updates
- New technology to enhance safety and security in classrooms
- Senior Showcase
- WFU in the News May 6-12
- Weekly update for P’28s: travel and transportation
It’s a rainy day today and a little cooler than normal, high 60s only. The forecast says it looks like we have a chance of rain Friday through Sunday. I hope that the forecast might change. P’24s traveling here for Commencement, keep your eyes on the weather and come prepared.
Program for Leadership and Character updates
I am a big fan of our Program for Leadership and Character and appreciate the work they do to help our students consider how to be “ethical leaders whose values, virtues, and vision orient them toward the common good.” I am on their distro list for their e-newsletter (you can subscribe here) and got their most recent edition, which you can read here.
This edition is devoted to issues of research and impact, and I encourage you to read the whole thing, because it is really impressive. This stood out to me as particularly notable:
“By collecting data on outcomes for students and faculty who engage with the Program, our research and assessment team is able to understand which programs and courses are most effective for character development and where we can improve. So far, we’ve:
- Assessed more than 35 courses
- Surveyed more than 1,000 participants
- Received more than 2,000 completed surveys
- Collected more than 500,000 data points….
Our research has shown positive changes in students in our courses, discussion groups, and athletics programming. Among students, these positive changes include measurable increases in:
- relevant virtues of character
- a sense of purpose
- a general sense of well-being
- an ability to apply strategies to develop their character”
In the class I was teaching this semester about marketing, we talked a lot about the importance of communications professionals inspiring trust, being ethical, and making choices that are consistent with your values. I hope to get the chance to teach it again.
New technology to enhance safety and security in classrooms
Some news that hit my inbox this morning:
“The University has invested in new technology to enhance safety and security for faculty, staff and students in the classroom….Beginning May 21, Deacon One and Pathway Technologies, Inc. (PTI) will install manual thumb turn locks and emergency buttons in 25 buildings and 300 classrooms on Reynolda Campus and Wake Downtown. The project is expected to take 15 to 18 months to complete.”
You can read the full story here.
Senior Showcase
If you want to read some inspiring stories of our amazing senior class, visit our Senior Showcase. Additional profiles and stories that highlight members of the Class of 2024 can be found on the Old Gold & Black website.
WFU in the News May 6-12
For those who like to know where Wake Forest people are appearing in the media, we have WFU in the News. I especially recommend this story about E.J. Masicampo:
“Psychology professor E.J. Masicampo knew he was destined to be in front of a crowd. He said that growing up he thought he would be the new Magic Johnson. Instead, he has found an audience in the classroom, as an associate professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, and at comedy venues, where he does standup.”
It’s a fun story – and you can read others in this week’s issue of WFU in the News.
Weekly update for P’28s: travel and transportation
As we do each Tuesday, we sent a message to our P’28s with information about upcoming due dates or action items, as well as information on a particular theme of interest. Today’s message is about travel and transportation, which P’28s can read here.
Especially important for those of you who live at some distance is the information about airports and shuttles. While Greensboro, Raleigh, and Charlotte are all regional airports, we do not offer shuttle service to Raleigh at designated times a year. So please be aware that your Deac will need to Uber or get a private car service from Raleigh to campus.
When families ask me where to fly in to, I always tell them my preference as a student was to fly into Greensboro because it is so much easier to get to campus from Greensboro than from Charlotte or Raleigh. Even if the cost to fly into Charlotte or Raleigh is cheaper than Greensboro, the cost of ground transportation from Charlotte or Raleigh to Winston-Salem may eat up much of that ‘savings.’