The following faculty were honored during the Commencement ceremony:

Reynolda Campus

Wake Forest University honors Umit Akinc, Ph.D., for nearly thirty-four years of commitment to the students of the School of Business, where his passion for teaching and genuine interest in their success provided valuable and rewarding learning experiences; for his work in developing the Mathematical Business joint degree and for committed leadership as co-director from its inception; for his distinction as the Thomas H. Davis Chair in Business in recognition of exceptional scholarship and innovation, practical competence, conceptual expertise, and strength of character; for his dedicated service to the University community; and for being a genuinely collegial professor, mentor, and friend.

Wake Forest University honors Bernard L. Beatty, DBA, for nearly forty-two years of unswerving commitment to rigorous academic principles and extraordinary professionalism; for joy in teaching coupled with a commitment to uncompromising academic standards; for staunch advocacy of experiential learning; for tirelessly delivering advice and counsel with deepest care; for a sharp wit and wry sense of humor in and out of class; for training the eyes of the School toward a global economy; for service to the University as a tireless and fair-minded administrator; and for being a sincere and  collegial professor, a trusted counselor, and steadfast friend.

Wake Forest University honors Jonathan Christman, M.F.A., for thirty three years of leadership as a member of the Theatre and Dance Department and dedicated service to Wake Forest University; for artistry in gifted scenic and lighting design; for being a beloved teacher and mentor; for leadership on a wide range of departmental and college committees and initiatives; and for offering quiet wisdom as a dedicated, kind and thoughtful colleague.

Wake Forest University honors Yomi Durotoye, Ph.D., for twenty-two years of dedicated service as a member of the Politics and International Affairs Department, the International Studies Program, and Wake Forest Universityfor a commitment to internationalizing the curriculum, leadership in the African Studies minor, and development of opportunities for summer study abroad programs in Africa; for scholarship in international politics, West African politics, and African Art; for demonstration to both students and colleagues the importance of opening their eyes to the world; and for his dignity, grace, humanity, and great sense of humor.

Wake Forest University honors Earl Clayton Hipp, Jr., JD, for nearly twenty-five years of tireless instruction and mentoring to the students at the School of Business where he challenged them to rise above their expectations; for expertise in the legal field and for constant recognition of the constitutional implications in law; for commitment to travel and teaching business courses on numerous occasions in the Study Abroad programs; for garnering respect and admiration leading to several awards during his tenure, including two Senior Class Awards and the Horace Kelly Alumni Teaching Award; for dedicated service to the institution;  and for being a friend to the entire Wake Forest community.

Wake Forest University honors Muriel Beth Norbrey Hopkins, J.D., for thirty-one years of inspired leadership across many years to the Law School and to the University; for her enormous energy as the first Director of Outreach for the Law School; for her passion for public service; for leading law students in important pro bono projects; and for her infectious self-belief and self-confidence that has made every student she touches a better leader and a better person.

Wake Forest University honors Charles M. Lewis, Ph.D., for forty-eight years of dedicated service to Wake Forest University as a member of the Philosophy Department; for being a beloved teacher who is recognized for tireless instruction and mentoring to many students in his department and in the College, whom he challenged and inspired to probe life’s fundamental questions and to rise above their own expectations; for his commitment to student life as an integral part of education, especially through his long-standing role as a fraternity advisor; and for being a kind, caring, and thoughtful colleague.

Wake Forest University honors Mary Martin Niepold. B.A., for thirteen years of leadership in the English Department and dedicated service to Wake Forest University; for combining professional experience with accumulated wisdom, for taking students off-campus to teach them about public service; for founding the Nyanya Project, a nonprofit organization for African grandmothers who care for grandchildren orphaned by AIDS; and for modeling a life of courage and grace for all to see.

Wake Forest University honors David H. Stroupe, M.A.T., for twenty-eight years of devoted and valued service to the Health and Exercise Science Department, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Wake Forest University; for his dedication to and passion for teaching; for his tireless instructional wisdom and mentoring to the students at Wake Forest, whom he challenged to rise above their own expectations and instilled in them the love of golf; and for being a kind, caring, thoughtful colleague who shared wisdom, knowledge and home grown vegetables with dignity, grace and a green thumb.

Wake Forest University honors E. Frank Tupper, Ph.D., for nineteen years of dedicated service to the School of Divinity and Wake Forest University; for his thoughtfulness in always helping colleagues and students to remember the reasons that theology matters for the life of the church; for being a beloved teacher, to whom generations of students point as their mentor and inspiration; for combining intellectual honesty with theological passion, earning him the love and gratitude of ministerial  leaders around the country;  for shaping the School of Divinity as one of the founding faculty with his legacy of challenging students to move beyond theological platitudes in the hope-filled struggle for the eschatological enactment of the gospel of love.

Wake Forest University honors Byron R. Wells, Ph.D., for thirty-five years of valued leadership and dedicated service as a member of the Romance Languages Department;  for being an inspiring and devoted teacher of French and Interdisciplinary Honors, and a champion of study abroad; for service as a generous, fair-minded department chair for seventeen years; for remarkable leadership in his scholarly field, most notably as Executive Director of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies for the past nineteen years; for being a valued voice on a wide range of university committees and initiatives; and for being a beloved colleague and friend whose unflagging optimism and ready smile will be sorely missed.

Medical Campus Center

Wake Forest University honors Terrence Dale Bogard, M.D., for thirty-six years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology; for his expertise in the specialty of Obstetric Anesthesia; for his dedication to resident and fellow education and well-being; for his courageous leadership in educating physicians in the danger of addiction; and for his tireless departmental, institutional, and community service.

Wake Forest University honors Thomas B. Clarkson, DVM, for over fifty-eight years of service to the University and its School of Medicine as Professor of Comparative Medicine in the Department of Pathology; for outstanding contributions and internationally recognized research in atherosclerosis and women’s health; for excellent teaching and mentoring of graduate students and veterinary research fellows; for service as a member of numerous committees; and for continuously serving as a model of excellence in all his endeavors until his death on December 1, 2015.

Wake Forest University honors Raymond S. Garrison, Jr., D.D.S., M.S., for thirty-five years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Dentistry; for his leadership in the creation of a new clinical model for dentistry in an academic medical center; and for his exceptional dedication to patient care and resident education.

Wake Forest University honors Samy Samuel Iskandar, M.B.B.Ch., Ph.D., for twenty-nine years of service as a faculty member to the University and its School of Medicine in the Departments of Pathology and Nephrology; for outstanding contributions and the excellent teaching of residents, fellows, and medical students; and for continuously serving as a model of excellence in all his endeavors.

Wake Forest University honors John G. McHaffie, Ph.D., for twenty-one years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy; for exceptional talent as a teacher and researcher in the neurosciences; for extensive collaboration with his colleagues; for numerous professional publications and grants; and for an exemplary record of many other professional appointments and institutional service.

Wake Forest University honors Steven B. Mizel, Ph.D., for thirty years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology; for leadership and vision in the department of Microbiology and Immunology, for exceptional talent as a teacher and researcher, for innovation in immunology and vaccine development; and for an exemplary record of professional publications.

Wake Forest University honors Burton V. Reifler, M.D., for twenty-eight years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Departments of Psychiatry; for his leadership in the Geriatric Outreach Program; for his significant contributions to the fields of psychiatry and behavioral medicine within the geriatric population; for his exceptional dedication to patient care; for educating a generation of students, residents, and fellows in psychiatric care; and for an outstanding record of academic publications and grants.

Wake Forest University honors Peter B. Smith, Ph.D., for thirty-nine years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Biochemistry; for exceptional talent as a teacher and researcher; for leadership in innovation in our medical curriculum; for maintaining a consistently high standard for teaching students at any stage in their career, including medical students, graduate students, physician assistant students, and students in the PREP Program; and for touching the lives of so many students and faculty members.

Wake Forest University honors David A. Stump, Ph.D., for thirty-eight years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Departments of Anesthesiology, Neurology, Psychology, and Cardiothoracic Surgery; for his expertise in the study of cerebral blood flow and  the consequences of cardiopulmonary bypass; for his outstanding record of external funding and published scholarship spanning four decades; and for his extensive outreach as a visiting professor, scientist, and consultant.

Wake Forest University honors Michael Tytell, Ph.D., for thirty-five years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy; for exceptional talent as a teacher and researcher in the neurosciences; for extensive collaboration with your colleagues; for numerous professional publications and grants; and for an exemplary record of many other professional appointments and institutional service.

Wake Forest University honors Mary Lou Voytko, Ph.D., for twenty-two years of service to the University and its School of Medicine in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Pathology/Comparative Medicine, and the Translational Science Institute; for leadership in the Office of Women in Medicine and Science; for exceptional talent as a teacher and researcher in the neurosciences; for extensive collaboration with colleagues; for numerous professional publications and grants; and for an exemplary record of many other professional appointments and institutional service.

RETIRING STAFF, REYNOLDA CAMPUS

  • Donnie Adams, Manager, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Keith Allred, Assistant Director, Information Systems
  • Gary Alwine, Business Manager, Biology
  • Kathy Arfmann, Assistant Director, Finance Systems
  • Craig Bartholomew, Transportation Assistant, Graylyn
  • Gary Blankenship, Shuttle Driver, Parking and Transportation
  • Sandra Boyette, Senior Advisor to the President, President’s Office
  • Michael Caporaletti, Parking Enforcement Officer, Parking and Transportation
  • Julie Edelson, Editor, Researcher, Research and Sponsored Programs
  • Larry Etchison, Service Technician, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Jim Gardner, Service Technician, Facilities and Campus Services
  • Betsy Gatewood, Associate Director of CERE, Innovation and Creativity
  • Bill Giroux, Maintenance Technician, Graylyn
  • Reba Greene, Mail Service Clerk, Mail Services
  • John Henderson, Director, Information Systems
  • Margaret Kittrell, Nurse, Student Health Service
  • Nancy Moore, Executive Assistant, President’s Office
  • Preston Oldham, Police Lieutenant, University Police
  • Nancy Respess, Assistant to Associate Deans, College Summer Administration
  • Joanne Ritter, Administrative Coordinator, University Advancement
  • Rick Rumley, Police Sergeant, University Police
  • Bruce Sanspree, Special Projects Coordinator, University Police
  • Debbie Walker, Conference Coordinator, School of Law
  • Keith Wise, Superintendent, Facilities and Campus Services