Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
I hope you’re all back in the swing of post-Spring Break campus life as we approach the final weeks of the semester.
Last week, some of our students participated in Alternative Spring Break where they traveled to South Carolina to help build a house for the Sea Island Habitat for Humanity. Thanks to Volunteer Oxford for organizing this and past trips, which always offer equal parts adventure and opportunities for service.
Next Monday—March 20—the Oxford Creative Writing Department and Division of Humanities will host the inaugural Writer-in-Residence DK Nnuro for a reading and conversation with Tameka Cage Conley. Nnuro will read from his recently published What Napoleon Could Not Do, a critically acclaimed novel about a Ghanian family seeking to make a life for themselves in America. You can read more about the event below.
Finally, I shared earlier this week that Dean of Campus Life Joe Moon will deliver our 2023 Commencement keynote address. A cherished member of our community, Joe will be retiring on August 1 after more than 35 years at Oxford College. Mark your calendars for May 6 to hear Joe’s parting words of wisdom!
Best,
Ken
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Submitting to Campus Update |
To submit items for Campus Update, please email Julia Kim. The newsletter is distributed weekly on Wednesday. Please submit items by Monday afternoon.
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Oxford Communications is featuring a staff member each week to help us get to know our colleagues. To nominate a staff member to answer our five-question profile for publication in future issues, please contact [email protected].
NAME: Joy S. Budensiek
TITLE/DEPT: Academic Department Administrator - Division of Natural Science and Mathematics
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How long have you been at Oxford?
I joined Oxford's Division of Natural Science and Mathematics in 1986 (37 years ago!). I laughingly say, deans, faculty, staff and students come and go but Dooley and Joy have stayed forever!
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What do you like best about your job and about Oxford?
I love supporting the faculty at Oxford College. It's all about the relationships. No job is unimportant, and whatever I can do to make their load lighter and then to watch our students thrive brings me satisfaction. I also love hearing from our former students and following their successes.
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What is your favorite song/tv show/movie/restaurant/podcast?
I love music and many different genres. Too hard to choose just one.
Restaurant: I love a good seafood restaurant, but there is nothing like a home-cooked meal at my mom’s table!
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What makes you happy or brings you joy?
I love a good shopping trip but time spent with my family and friends brings me the greatest joy!
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Please complete this sentence: It might surprise people to know that I...
...am a Newton County native. There are currently four generations of my family living here and the best days ever are when we hook up our fifth-wheel and tritoon boat for a time of camping and fun on the water!
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Ami Hernández, Assistant Director of Career Services, was featured in Inside Higher Ed for describing the collaborative work Oxford has done in developing the Oxford principles—belonging, care, accountability, learning, presence and identity. The article focused on how Oxford has created a new vocabulary for the campus community to address student needs. You can read more here.
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Kelley Lips, Assistant VP of Emory & Dean of Oxford Enrollment, has been accepted into the Inspire Atlanta 2023 program sponsored by the Atlanta Women’s Foundation. Read more about Kelley’s efforts to bring awareness to issues facing women and girls here.
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Lyn Pace, Oxford Chaplain, had his latest column for The Covington News published last month. You can read the piece—"What does it mean to be a good mentor?"—here.
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Gwendolynne Reid, Associate Professor of English, co-authored an op-ed published in The Conversation about how current citation practices in JAMA continue to reinforce the legacy of racism in medical knowledge production. The research was previously published in Harvard Law's Bill of Health. You can read the op-ed here.
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A message from Kristin Bonnie, Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs:
We're thrilled to share that the Board of Trustees have approved the following faculty promotions (effective 9/1/2023):
Jack Hardy, Linguistics — Associate Professor with tenure
Jack is a thoughtful and dedicated teacher; his passion is not only in linguistics, but also in the act of teaching itself. He is a productive scholar who has published multiple articles, two books, and multiple book chapters.
Pablo Palomino, Latin American and Caribbean Studies — Associate Professor with tenure
Pablo is an engaging, empathic, and inclusive teacher who brings an interdisciplinary approach to the discipline. His scholarship spans a number of topics and countries, and his 2017 book on Latin American Music received rave reviews and was quickly translated into Spanish.
Gwendolynne Reid, English — Associate Professor with tenure
Gwendolynne is an inspirational and caring professor who helps builds confidence in students and helps them find joy in the writing process through innovative and flexible pedagogies. Her leadership of the writing program was instrumental in helping the Oxford faculty develop writing courses across their own curriculum, and she is a respected scholar in her field.
Molly McGehee, English and American Studies — Professor
Molly is a rigorous, creative, and influential teacher who helps students engage in difficult discussions of challenging topics. In her role as associate dean, she has become teacher of teachers - and she was instrumental in helping Oxford faculty move to remote learning during the pandemic. Her productive scholar work is nationally recognized by other scholars in her field, and she is a leader at both Oxford College and the University.
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Cody Nelson 22Ox 24C had his Oxford Milestone Project featured in Emory's News Center. Read Cody's 3 question interview here and his portfolio here.
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Andy Wilkinson 09Ox 11C was recently a story producer for the TV show Below Deck Sailing Yacht (2020). You can watch the TV show here.
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Teresa Rivero 85Ox 87B 93PH, has been featured in an Emory article that discusses her philanthropy and dedication to give back to the community. You can read the article here.
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DK Nnuro Reading & Conversation Event |
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Please join the Creative Writing Department and the Division of Humanities in welcoming DK Nnuro, the inaugural Writer-in-Residence at Oxford, in a reading from his stunning, critically acclaimed debut novel, What Napoleon Could Not Do, about two Ghanaian siblings, Belinda and Jacob, and their pursuit of US citizenship.
Nnuro will read from the novel on March 20, at 7 p.m. in Phi Gamma. The reading will be followed by a conversation with Dr. Tameka Cage Conley, Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing, and a Q&A. This is an Oxford Studies event and is free and open to the public.
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Advocacy Day at the Capitol |
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Oxford students from Stacy McQuaide's Novels for Social Change participated in Advocacy Day at the Capitol to show support for the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison and Beyond the Box, the initiative to remove barriers to higher education for people who are justice-impacted. The students met legislators who co-sponsored HB 427, the bill to remove questions about criminal histories from university applications in the Georgia state system. Students visited elected representatives and attended legislative sessions.
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This year, Emory Day of Giving is Wednesday, March 22 from 6 a.m. to March 23 at 6 p.m. This is the day when students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends join in support of everything exceptional at Emory, from life-changing scholarships to outstanding experiences and more. Offering fun and easy ways to support what inspires you, Emory Day of Giving allows you to help advance the cause, program, or enterprise within Emory that matters most.
Gifts of all sizes are vital to sustaining Emory’s mission to create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity. Please visit here to participate. You can also support the 2023 Oxford Class Gift on Emory Day of Giving which still is being decided. However, the gift will be in honor of Dr. Kitty McNeil, dean of the Oxford Library and Dr. Joe Moon, dean of Campus Life. Both administrators are retiring after decades of service to Oxford and Emory.
Important Note: The Faculty/Staff Challenge is on March 23 from 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Gifts received on those days and within that time will help Oxford receive extra funding.
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Emory Day of Giving Watch Party |
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Come celebrate the culmination of Emory Day of Giving 2023! Oxford advancement volunteers, alumni, emeriti, faculty, staff, students, and parents are invited to a celebration event on March 23 from 4-6 p.m. in the Oxford Student Center Mural Room. Food and beverages will be provided. You can RSVP by March 20 here.
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During this year's Alternative Spring Break, students traveled to South Carolina to help build a house for the Sea Island Habitat for Humanity. Enjoy these photos from the trip! A story will be posted on the Oxford website later this week.
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Sammy Clark Scholarship Nominations Open |
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The Sammy Clark Scholarship, named for Oxford's longest-serving chaplain, is given to a rising sophomore student each year and presented at the annual All-College Awards Ceremony in April. You can learn more about the scholarship and nominate a current first-year student here.
Students do not nominate themselves for this award, so we rely on faculty and staff nominations. Please help us with this important process and nominate by Wednesday, March 15.
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Kitty McNeill's Retirement Party - Invitation |
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Please join us for Kitty McNeill's retirement party on Monday, April 24th from 3-5 p.m. at the Oxford Library. Individual invitations have been sent out over email. Please RSVP through the link that was given.
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Chosen - followed by a Q&A with the director, Joseph Juhn
Dean's Dining Room | 7:00 p.m.
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History of early Islam - How Sunni and Shi'eh sects developed
Oxford Chapel | 7:00 p.m.
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DK Nnuro - Reading and Conversations
Phi Gamma | 7:00 p.m.
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Take a Break Tuesday
Conduct
Oxford Student Center Front Plaza | 1:15-2:45 p.m.
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The Vega String Quartet presented by the Emory Chamber Society
Williams Hall | 7:00 p.m.
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Emory Day of Giving
March 22 6:00 a.m. - March 23 6 p.m.
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Emory Day of Giving Watch Party
Phi Gamma | 7:00 p.m.
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To submit a news item for the next Campus Update, please email Julia Kim.
The newsletter is distributed weekly on Wednesday. Please submit items by Monday afternoon.
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