Stories this week at Wake Forest University

WFU’S FIRST GRADUATION SPEECH FEATURED IN COLLECTION— The Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest is using a $23,500 federal grant to digitize the papers of Samuel and Sarah (Sally) Wait. The couple helped shape higher education and Baptist history in North Carolina, as Samuel Wait was the first president of Wake Forest University and a founding member of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. The library will debut a Web site in late June that features scanned images of the couple’s original papers and transcriptions of each document. The papers date back to 1813 and include letters, drafts of speeches, and the Waits’ personal diaries. The first graduation speech ever given at Wake Forest is also featured in the collection. To arrange coverage of this project, contact Vanessa Willis at willisv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

ZSR LIBRARY CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF STORING FEDERAL DOCUMENTS— This year, the Z. Smith Reynolds Library celebrates 100 years of making government documents available to the university and local community. The library became a Federal Depository Library in 1902. The program was developed in 1895 to provide citizens access to government documents housed in libraries across the country. Publications in the Wake Forest collection include printed transcripts of congressional hearings, census reports from 1790-2000 and reports from the U.S. surgeon general. Many of the documents are now stored digitally. For more information, contact the News Service.

SERVICE GROUP LEAVES FOR SOUTH DAKOTA MAY 12— Eleven Wake Forest students will travel to the Cheyenne River Reservation in Eagle Butte, S.D., to work with the Cheyenne River Youth Project from May 12-25. Their flight will depart from Piedmont Triad International Airport at 9:15 a.m. on May 12. Called “The Tie That Binds,” the Wake Forest program seeks to cross bridges of race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status and promote cultural awareness and respect. While in South Dakota, the students will mentor and tutor children in an after-school program. They will also work at a nutrition center for the elderly. To arrange coverage of the group’s departure, contact Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

MANY DIVINITY GRADS CALL NORTH CAROLINA HOME— Twenty students will make history May 20 when they become the first graduates of Wake Forest Divinity School. The students are from six states and represent seven denominations. Thirteen of the students are from North Carolina. They will use their master of divinity degrees for various types of ministry including congregational ministry, social work and chaplaincy. The Divinity School opened in 1999 as the first university-affiliated theological program without an official denominational tie. To arrange an interview with a student or for more information, contact Vanessa Willis at willisv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

INTERNSHIPS PROVE HELPFUL FOR WFU GRADS— While many of her classmates spent their fall semester of their senior year preparing for job interviews and campus recruiting, senior Shea Foley studied abroad in London and spent the time traveling the countryside of Europe. She could afford to— she already had a job lined up with GE Capital. Foley, an analytical finance major from Connecticut, completed two summer internships with the company and was offered a position in their financial management program in August 2001. “My job offer was based on my success during my two internships,” says Foley. Approximately two-thirds of Wake Forest seniors complete at least one internship before graduation. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, employers rank internships second in preparing students for the workplace, behind related work experience. To arrange an interview with Foley, or for more information, contact Sarah Mansell at manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

MANY SENIORS CHOOSE SERVICE OVER TRADITIONAL WORK— Many will head to accounting firms, others to graduate school, but for a growing number of Wake Forest graduates, their post-graduation plans call for service work all around the world. Doug Pulse, a Spanish major from Rockville, Md., and Lisa Miller, an accounting major from Gainesville, Fla., will be business advisors with the Peace Corps in Central and South America. Jami Johnson, a biology major from Southbury, Conn., will be a health educator with the Peace Corps in Africa. “It’s an opportunity to do something that I would probably not have the chance to do in the future,” says Johnson. Other students are serving with various volunteer corps across the United States. To arrange an interview with these students or for more information on graduates going into volunteer work, contact the News Service.

MEDIA INVITED TO COVER EDELMAN’S ADDRESS MAY 19— Marian Wright Edelman will deliver the baccalaureate address at 11 a.m. May 19 in Wait Chapel. Seats are reserved for graduates and their guests only. To arrange coverage of the event, contact Sarah Mansell in advance at manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

PRESS PASSES AND MEDIA PARKING FOR COMMENCEMENT— Parking information and media passes for the May 20 commencement ceremony featuring U.S. Senator John McCain will be mailed by May 14 to members of the media who have requested them. Contact Sarah Mansell with requests at manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

Categories: Community, Events, Media Advisory, Speakers, University Announcement