Campus Update - December 8

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December 8, 2021

A note from the Dean

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,

I enjoyed seeing so many of you and your families at the Dean’s Annual Holiday party last Friday. We had good weather, good food, and good cheer!

I know this is a busy and sometimes stressful time of year for students and all of us who support them. As you prepare for finals week, I want to thank you for all you have done to help our first- and second-years rejoin our campus community. It’s been an adjustment for everyone, and faculty and staff have led the way in making the transition back to in-person learning successful.

If you find yourself in need of a sweet treat or a caffeine fix as you prepare for finals week, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life is providing hot drinks and donuts on the Quad tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 9, from 7:30–10:30 a.m.

Congratulations on reaching this point in the semester!

Best,

Doug

Oxford in the news

Michele Hempfling, Director of Community Engaged Learning and Internships, was quoted in the latest edition of Talking Stick Magazine, published by the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International. She spoke about helping Oxford earn the Skyfactor Benchworks 2021 Assessment & Impact Award in Housing and Residence Life during her time as Associate Dean of Campus Life and Director of RES.

Oxford's Feast of Words honorees

The Emory Center for Faculty Development and Excellence announced its annual Feast of Words honorees this week. The recognition celebrates faculty authors and editors of books, and three Oxford faculty were among this year's group. See the full list here.

María Davis, Senior Lecturer in Spanish, was recognized for her book Creating your Own Space: The Metaphor of the House in Feminist Literature.

David Gowler, Pierce Chair of Religion, was recognized for two books: editing Rhetoric and Scripture: Collected Essays of Thomas H. Olbricht and writing The Parables after Jesus: Their Imaginative Receptions across Two Millennia.

Jack Hardy, Assistant Professor of Linguistics, was recognized for his role editing The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Approaches to Discourse Analysis.

Staff and faculty updates

Oxford is pleased to welcome AAE veteran Ryan Roche back as Managing Director of Development. He is familiar with Oxford in many ways: as an alumnus (03Ox05C); as a volunteer; as past President, Oxford College Alumni Board (2013-2015); and as our former Associate Director of Development. Ryan joins us at a critical time as we continue to expand Oxford's prospect base throughout the 2036 Campaign.

Bill Shapiro, Professor of Political Science, will be retiring at the end of this academic year after more than 40 years teaching at Oxford. He will be on research leave in the spring as he continues to work on some writing projects. We wish him all the best in retirement!

Alumni news

Cara Schroeder 88Ox won the run-off election for the District 2 City Council seat in Tucker, Ga., last week. Cara has been a longtime businesswoman and community volunteer, having previously won Tucker's "Citizen of the Month" award in April 2020. She will be sworn in on January 11.

First-Gen Week recap

Read our story on how first-generation Oxford students participated in Emory's First-Gen Week and connected with faculty and staff who share their experience.

Staff Organization Engagement survey

Help out OSO by completing the brief Staff Organization Engagement survey so they can see your preferences on Oxford events.

DECEMBER

Reading Day

Final exams

Finals Coffee Kick-off

The Quad, between JRC and OSB | 7:30–10:30 a.m.

Final exams

Final exams

Final exams

Final exams

To submit a news item for the next Campus Update, please email Daniel Christian.

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