Wofford College

Bradham, Jennifer L

Wilson, Drew

Wellford
Duncan
Inman
Reidville
Woodruff
Greer
Campobello
Lyman
Spartanburg
Arcadia
Arkwright
Ben
Avon
Boiling
Springs
Camp
Croft
Drayton
Fairforest
Fingerville
Gramling
Hilltop
Inman
Mills
Mayo
Pauline
Roebuck
Saxon
Southern
Shops
Startex
Valley Falls
Whitney
Average Presence
Quality Score
>22% Hispanic
N/A
Low Quality
Medium Quality
High Quality
Amenity Quality Per Census Tract in
Spartanburg County, South Carolina
0 3.5 71.75 Miles
¯


English

Amenity Quality Per Census Tract in Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Wofford College.  Office of Marketing and Communications

ISSUE #68 | JUNE 17, 2021 | FROM THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Following in his footsteps
Susu and George Dean Johnson Jr. ’64 have honored Corry Oakes ’89 and his contributions to their
company, as well as to the college and Spartanburg community.
Corry Oakes ’89 was just out of college and in his fourth interview with WJB Video, a
Blockbuster Video franchisee, when he met George Dean Johnson Jr. ’64, who was the
managing partner at the time. Within 15 minutes, Johnson had offered Oakes the job saying,
“See you in the morning at 7 a.m.”
Now, 32 years and several ventures later, Johnson and Oakes are still business partners,
and Susu and George Johnson just honored Oakes’ friendship and service to their company,
the community and Wofford College by establishing the Corry W. Oakes III Endowed Interim
Support Fund to provide opportunities for students with financial need to make the most of
international travel and internship experiences.
“We wanted to do something to honor Corry and the person he is, including his tremendous
leadership on the college’s board of trustees,” says Johnson. “We also wanted to support
students who are following in his footsteps.”
Oakes just finished a 12-year term on the board and two years of service as the chairman.
When he and Johnson first met, however, Oakes had never been out of the country, partly
because of the demands of playing football for the Terriers and partly because of financial
constraints.
“We have become more connected,” says Oakes. “This fund will give students the opportunity
to participate in study abroad or internships, giving them a different perspective that’s critical.
… I’m incredibly grateful for this wonderful gift and to continue to be associated with George.
Our relationship is one of the great gifts in life I have received.”
READ MORE
 
Stories on other high-profile “For Wofford” gifts geared
toward experiential learning opportunities:
Helping others
Paying it forward
Making Wofford better
Inspired giving
 
The Thinking Men
Wofford College asked poet Nikky Finney to dedicate a poem to the enslaved men who built its Main
Building. An excerpt from the poem is part of a memorial to the men that can be found on the first floor of
the building’s east tower.
Their names aren’t recorded anywhere in the college’s history, but they made a central piece
of the Wofford College experience possible.
Main Building was built by enslaved men.
Every Wofford College graduate takes at least one class in Main Building before graduation.
After a 2007 renovation, a portion of brick was exposed in the building’s east tower and a
poem by the poet Nikky Finney was dedicated to the men.
“John Lane (a Wofford professor emeritus) called saying he was on a committee that wanted
to publicly commemorate what had never been spoken about,” says Finney of how she
accepted the task of writing “The Thinking Men.”
She received a box that included a history book about Wofford and documents related to the
construction of Main, including specifications for the size of rooms.
“These men were enslaved in South Carolina,” says Finney, who is the John H. Bennett Jr.
Endowed Professor of Creative Writing and Southern Letters at the University of South
Carolina. “We don’t know their names, and I had to piece together what it would have
emotionally been like to be an intellectually curious person building a school that you could
not attend.”
Saturday is Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the official end of slavery in the United
States, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Earlier this
week, the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives passed a bill to make Juneteenth a
federal holiday.
Finney looks back at “The Thinking Men” and sees the work as capturing the history of the
United States while still having relevance today.
READ MORE
 
Melvin’s reflections on fatherhood (Father’s Day gift idea)
Trustee Craig Melvin ’01, an NBC “Today” show host and NBC News anchor, wrote a book
reflecting on fatherhood and his relationship with his dad. “POPS: Learning to be a Son and
Father” was released earlier this week.
READ MORE
 
Follow us @woffordcollege


Conquer and Prevail Issue 68 June 17 2021

ISSUE #88 | NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | FROM THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Family tradition
Chardonnay Durrah ’23 is attending her dad’s alma mater, and they will soon share U.S. Army
experiences.
Chardonnay Durrah’s days often consist of 5 a.m. physical fitness tests with the Wofford
College Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), classwork and service with a couple of
campus organizations.
Whenever she needs some words of encouragement or help keeping things in perspective
while honing her leadership skills, her dad is just a phone call away.
Durrah ’23 is a government major from Roebuck, South Carolina. Her father, Leroy Durrah
’92, served 30 years in the U.S. Army before retiring in 2018 at the rank of master sergeant.
“He says all the time that he’s lived seven lifetimes, and he has the stories to back it up,”
Durrah says.
Durrah took the U.S. Army oath at halftime of the college’s annual Salute to Service football
game on Nov. 6. Leroy Durrah was in the stands thinking, “She’s one step closer to making
the magic happen.”
Durrah would like to pursue a career as an Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG)
officer.
READ MORE
A Day for Wofford
Terriers from everywhere came together for A Day for Wofford earlier this week. Here’s a
breakdown of the day’s success:
941 people made a gift to the college.
$572,978 was the total contributed.
447 alumni made gifts.
310 parents gave.
69 faculty and staff contributed.
There’s still time to give. Visit Wofford.edu/give to support student success at Wofford
College.
Find more information about A Day for Wofford and how you can continue to
contribute.
Wofford recognized for high voter participation
Woods Wooten’ 23, Sadie Fink ’21 and Jurnee Jones ’21 shared doughnuts with voters standing in long
lines in 2020 to encourage them to stay the course.
Wofford College’s students have been recognized for having high voter participation through
the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. The college received the nonprofit’s gold seal, its
highest recognition earned by a member of the Southern Conference.
According to the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE), 66% of
college students voted in the 2020 elections, a 14% increase from 2016.
Wofford’s campus voting rate was 75.5%, which was an increase of 25.4% from the 2016
election. Wofford’s percentage of students registered to vote was 93% in 2020, which was
more than 10 points higher than in 2016. The college also had 80.8% of its eligible students
vote in 2020, which was 20 points higher than 2016.
READ MORE
Ground broken for new plaza that will include
Wofford College Bookstore
Interim Provost Dr. Tim Schmitz delivered remarks on behalf of the college at a groundbreaking
ceremony for a new plaza that will be home for the Wofford College Bookstore.
The Wofford College Bookstore will soon have a new home in The Hub, a shopping plaza
that will include restaurants, retail and gathering spaces.
The college participated in a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 10, for the 16,699-
square-foot shopping center that will be located at 578 N. Church St.
“The Hub is an exciting development that will complement revitalization efforts for the city’s
Northside and Wofford’s continued integration across Church Street into the Northside
community,” said Dr. Tim Schmitz, Wofford’s interim provost, who has overseen a 2015 grant
from the Romill Foundation for the Milliken Sustainability Initiative to support the college’s
involvement in the neighborhood.
The Hub is expected to be complete by summer 2022.
READ MORE
6th Annual Terrier StartUP Challenge
Students competing in the 2019 Terrier StartUp Challenge pitch their business concepts to the
competition’s judges. The sixth annual event takes place 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17.
The Terrier StartUP Challenge will be live and in person for the first time in three years. It will
be held 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17 in the McMillian Theatre. Nineteen student ventures will
compete for their share of $10,000 in start-up funding. Each venture will receive two minutes,
30 seconds to pitch their business before fielding a minute and 30 seconds of questions from
judges.
This year’s judges are John Bauknight ’80, an entrepreneur and real estate developer;
Marcos Gomez, founder and owner of Delfrio; Paul Clark, managing director with
VentureSouth; and Lakesa Whitner, supportive services manager with the Northside
Development Group.
A recording of the event will be uploaded to the college’s YouTube channel.
Southeastern Medieval Association Conference
Wofford is hosting the 2021 Southeastern Medieval Association Conference, which will be
held today through Saturday, and it’s going to be well represented with four presenters: Dr.
Timothy Schmitz, professor of history and interim provost; Dr. Laine Doggett ’88, professor of
French and co-chair of the Department of International Languages and Cultures at St. Mary’s
College of Maryland; Dr. Daniel Bennett ’14, adjunct instructor of history and humanities at
Wofford; and Sam English ’22, an English major from Charleston, South Carolina.
Wofford is hosting the conference for the first time since 2007.
READ MORE
Follow us @woffordcollege
 


Conquer and Prevail Issue 88 November 11 2021

ISSUE #90 | NOVEMBER 23, 2021 | FROM THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
‘Capturing the Everyday’
Members of the culinary services team at Zach’s food court in the Mungo Student Center were celebrated
in a series of paintings by Walker Antonio ’23.
Capture the “everyday.” That was one of Walker Antonio’s assignments in a beginner
painting class during the spring semester. What he captured expressed both the everyday
and the extraordinary.
“I decided I wanted to paint those who take care of not only me, but so many others every
day,” says Antonio ’23, a studio art major from Kilmarnock, Virginia. “When times got hard
due to COVID-19, these workers took extra time out of their day to ensure the safety of not
just their coworkers, but the students as well.”
The paintings — Mr. Rod, Ms. Sandra, Ms. Finch and Kiwi — are all 24 x 18 inches, acrylic
on Masonite. Antonio gifted the paintings to their namesakes, and the paintings now hang in
the Zach’s food court in the Mungo Student Center.
“It was a great pleasure working with Ms. Finch and Mr. Rod in organizing the painting and
gifting of these pieces,” says Antonio, whose work is influenced by Pablo Picasso, Henri
Matisse, Francis Bacon and Paul Gauguin. “The series that I call ‘Wofford essential workers’
is about story and emotion. That’s what I wanted to bring to light.”
The gesture was been appreciated by Zach’s staff.
“We were excited,” says Rod Martin, director of retail for AVI Fresh. “One thing that I’ve
noticed about the students at Wofford is that they are very appreciative of what we do.”
Donelle Finch, an AVI supervisor, considers herself a second mom to many students,
including Antonio.
“It’s overwhelming and heartfelt that he cared enough to paint a picture of us,” Finch says.
Watch Antonio and Finch discuss the project with WSPA.
See more of Antonio’s work and follow him on Instagram.
Finding opportunities
People traveling through Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport will have an opportunity to see art
by five Wofford College students. It’s an example of how the college’s studio art program connects
students to opportunities to display their work.
By Noah Ravan ’23
Student Intern
Five Wofford College student artists have work featured at the Greenville-Spartanburg
International Airport’s Connections Exhibit through December.
The college’s studio art program connects students with opportunities to display their work.
“We try to provide as many opportunities for our students as possible,” says Michael
Webster, assistant professor of studio art. “We have an exhibition called ‘Hot Now,’ which
features some of the best student work created each year. We also have off-campus
opportunities that come up regularly, like the collegiate exhibition at the Spartanburg
Public Library.”
“Hot Now” is an exhibition of student art in the Richardson Family Art Gallery, which runs
from March 1 through March 31. Admissions are open year-round via @Woffordstudioart.
“We aim to support students who want art to be a part of their lives, whether that’s a career
or not,” says Webster. “Part of that goal is developing experience and building a CV
(curriculum vitae) that will help students find opportunities in the future. Our hope is that the
students in our department have the tools and exposure to know what to do once they
graduate.”
READ MORE
Athletics recognition
Volleyball lands three on All-Southern Conference Teams
Alexis Tomlin selected to preseason WNIT Classic All-Tournament Team
Follow us @woffordcollege
 


Conquer and Prevail Issue 90 November 23 2021

Wofford College. Department of Athletics

Men\u27s Tennis Media Guide 2021-22

United Methodist Church.  South Carolina Conference

South Carolina Conference Journal 2021

ISSUE #81 | SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 | FROM THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Sophomore Week 2021
Because of the pandemic, the Class of 2024 missed out during 2020 on some of the
orientation events and gatherings that mark the typical start of the Wofford experience.
“As we continue to return to a sense of normalcy, we are excited to empower students to
build strong bonds with their peers and develop deeper connections within our community,”
says Allen Lollis, assistant dean of students for residence life and dean of the sophomore
class. “Our inaugural Sophomore Week will kick off a continuing series of events aimed to
celebrate this extraordinary class, their resilience and all that they add to the Wofford
community.”
The week has included:
Donuts with the dean.
Meet and greet with sophomore Campus Union delegates.
Dump the sophomore slump workshop.
BenJo Bash (an event that brings all students together).
Class of 2024 photo and banner signing.
Study abroad fair (all students).
Mungo Exchange Block Party (all students).
Class of 2024 celebration.
Lollis says the week has been a success, and he looks forward to working with the Class of
2024 on other upcoming events and programs.
Meeting needs
Woods Wooten ’23, Destiny Shippy ’22, Sera Guerry ’22 and Kenzie Syiem ’23 worked together to
improve access to menstrual products across campus and to get dispensers installed in restrooms.
Kenzie Syiem ’23 watched Netflix’s award-winning documentary “Short, Period. End of
Sentence” and immediately felt moved to email students, faculty and staff at her high school
in Virginia to stress the need for menstrual products in the school’s restrooms.
She again championed the cause shortly after arriving at Wofford College in 2019 and made
requests to a Campus Union candidate last spring.
“Menstrual products should be freely available,” says Syiem, an English and Spanish major
from Shillong, Meghalaya, India. “It’s as necessary as toilet paper.”
The request was heard, and a team of students took action.
“As I was campaigning for student body president, I started an Instagram campaign where I
would ask Wofford students to share their concerns, questions, comments, literally anything
that they would like to see changed at Wofford,” says Destiny Shippy ’22, a sociology and
anthropology major from Spartanburg, who is a senior delegate. “Kenzie said she wanted to
see free menstrual products around campus. When I saw this, I instantly began thinking
about the people to contact to make this happen, because it's such a necessity.”
Shippy was connected with Sera Guerry ’22, an at-large delegate with Campus Union and a
student coordinator in the college’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Woods Wooten ’23,
chair of Campus Union’s Campus Relations Committee. The three of them partnered with
Syiem and had discussions with the college’s administration. Dispensers were installed over
the summer in six restrooms across campus.
READ MORE
Raising their voices
“Place, memory & identity: contemporary Korean-American women artists” highlights the work of three
artists.
Two collections showcasing works by traditionally underrepresented artists are on exhibit in
the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts.
“Elevation from Within: The Study of Art at Historically Black Colleges and Universities” and
“Place, memory & identity: contemporary Korean-American women artists” will be on exhibit
through Dec. 15.
“These exhibitions are timely with the college’s work on the new (Justice, Equity, Diversity
and Inclusion) strategic vision,” says Dr. Youmi Efurd, Wofford’s curator. “They focus on
diversity and marginalized artists. We are pleased that they have chosen to share their work
at Wofford.”
“Elevation from Within” pays tribute to alumni and faculty of historically Black colleges and
universities (HBCUs). The exhibition features 47 works by 41 artists and was curated by Dr.
Leo Twiggs, the distinguished artist in residence at Claflin University, for the Johnson
Collection. Twiggs created “Requiem for Mother Emanuel,” a series of nine works, in the
aftermath of the 2015 murders at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South
Carolina.
“Place, memory & identity” consists of recent works by In Kyoung Chun, Kakyoung Lee and
Jiha Moon. Born and raised in Korea, Chun, Lee and Moon now live and create in the United
States. Efurd says their work is shaped by their culture, memories and sense of place.
Efurd says the works in both exhibits are as diverse as the artists themselves, reflecting a
variety of mediums, styles and eras.
READ MORE
Upcoming event: African-American History Talk
Dr. Sylvanie Diouf, visiting scholar at Brown University's Center for the Study of Slavery &
Justice, will give a talk titled “Out of Slavery and into the Wild: Maroons in the United States.”
It is the story of the men, women and children who escaped slavery to make the Southern
wilderness their home. The event will be held Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. in the Olin
Theatre.
Upcoming campus events:
Mustafa Akyol, lecture and book signing
Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.
Leonard Auditorium
Aykol is a senior fellow at the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity at the CATO Institute.
He focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam and modernity. Since 2013, he has
been a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, covering politics and religion in
the Muslim world. He’s the author of three books, including one released earlier this year,
“Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance.”
An evening with Eddie Glaude
Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.
Leonard Auditorium
Glaude, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American
Studies at Princeton University, will speak on James Baldwin and African American history.
A book signing will follow. His most recent book is “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America
and its Urgent Lessons for Our Own.”
SEMA 2021: Medieval Passions and Proclivities
Nov. 11-13
Spartanburg Marriott, 299 N. Church St.
Wofford will host the Southeastern Medieval Association Conference.The conference will
include plenary speakers: Dr. Wan-Chuan Kao, associate professor of English at
Washington and Lee University, and Dr. Michelle Sauer, Chester Fritz Distinguished
Professor of English at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Laine Doggett ’88 and Dr. Daniel
Bennett ’14 return to Wofford to present at the conference. Also presenting are Dr. Tim
Schmitz, Wofford’s interim provost, and Sam English ’22 also will present. Dr. Natalie
Grinnell, Reeves Family Professor in Humanities, made the proposal for Wofford to host the
conference.
Find more exhibits and events on the campus calendar.
Follow us @woffordcollege


Conquer and Prevail Issue 81 September 23 2021

ISSUE #77 | AUGUST 26, 2021 | FROM THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Steady growth
Dr. Katharine Putney, left, assistant professor of biology, with Dr. Doug Rayner, professor of biology
emeritus, Taylor Thornton ’22 and Alex Michaels ’22 at the Glendale Shoals Preserve. Their research on
creating a citizen-science powered phenology trail is one of several undergraduate research projects from
the summer.
By Robert W. Dalton
To Dr. Natalie Grinnell, working on a research project is a huge milestone in the life of an
undergraduate student.
“It’s the moment where a student transforms from just absorbing knowledge to helping create
knowledge,” says Grinnell, Reeves Family Professor in Humanities. “You get to add your
voice when you participate in research and create something. That, to me, is at the heart of
what it can mean to be an academic.”
Over the summer, Grinnell directed a project on gender and fertility in contemporary werewolf
literature. She was one of 21 members of the college faculty leading 38 Wofford students in
undergraduate research focused on 19 different projects.
Dr. Ramón Galiñanes Jr., Wofford College’s director of undergraduate research and post-
graduate fellowships, says he has seen a steady increase in student research opportunities
and participation. That’s a trend Galiñanes wants to see continue. A robust undergraduate
research program helps cement Wofford’s standing as one of the country’s top residential
liberal arts colleges, he says.
“There is a tradition of undergraduate research at Wofford,” says Galiñanes, who over the
summer led a project on news media production in Angola from 1989-2002. “We’re much
more visible as a national liberal arts college, and in order to continue to have that recognition
this is something we need to do. It’s critical to the liberal arts mission.”
READ MORE
 
College’s first chief equity officer named
Dr. Dwain C. Pruitt has been named Wofford College’s first chief equity officer. In this role,
Pruitt, who is a 1995 Wofford graduate, will lead the college’s collaborative efforts to advance
strategic goals, with emphasis on informing diversity initiatives, policy development, campus
climate and the implementation of high-impact efforts that ensure inclusion. He also will
ensure institutional compliance with applicable federal and state laws related to Title IX.
Pruitt comes to Wofford most recently from the University of Louisville, where he served as
the assistant dean for curriculum and governance in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“Remaining connected with students has always been a priority, and I look forward to working
with Wofford students both inside and outside of the classroom to develop a more just,
equitable and diverse community,” Pruitt said.
He has also worked in undergraduate research at the University of South Florida and at
Morgan State University’s College of Liberal Arts in a variety of administrative and student
support positions.
READ MORE
 
David Beasley to visit Wofford Sept. 7
Former S.C. governor to discuss work with United Nations
Former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley will visit Wofford College for the Hipp Center for
National Security and Foreign Policy’s Annual Lecture Series.
Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme, will give a lecture Sept. 7 at 7
p.m. in the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts. The public is invited. A
reception will follow.
READ MORE
 
 
Claire Burke Stokes ’09 interview launches podcast
Claire Burke Stokes ’09, executive administrator to the general manager of football
operations for the Carolina Panthers, was the first interview for the team’s InspiHER podcast
that’s highlighting the stories and careers of women across the Carolinas. Stokes has been
with the team nine years. Listen to the podcast.
 
Follow us @woffordcollege


Conquer and Prevail Issue 77 August 26 2021

ISSUE #47 | JAN. 14, 2021 | FROM THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Giant Legacy
The first time he saw U.S. Rep. John Lewis in person, James Stukes learned the truth about 
giants.
Giants come in all sizes.
"It was a surreal moment," says Stukes, Wofford College's coordinator for college access and 
student success who helped lead a group of Bonner Scholars and other Wofford students on 
trips to Washington, D.C., during Interim in 2018 and 2019. "We were in his office, and it was 
my first time being in the Capitol. He walked in and the first thing that struck me was seeing 
in the flesh how small (5-foot-6) he was, but realizing what a huge legacy he had built."
Lewis, who represented Georgia in Congress from 1987 until his death in July, was a key 
figure, along with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in the civil rights movement that sought 
to end segregation. He was one of the leaders who helped organize the 1963 March on 
Washington and led a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, that resulted in state 
troopers and police attacking marchers, including Lewis, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Lewis spoke to visitors from Wofford on several occasions. Sarah Hager, a 2011 Wofford 
graduate from Rock Hill, South Carolina, worked in Lewis' office and helped organize the
congressman's meeting with the college's contingent. Hager is now a senior communications 
associate with the American Federation of Teachers in Washington. Read more.
MLK Events 2021
The entire college community is invited to participate in the Wofford College Dr. Martin Luther 
King Jr. Virtual Celebration. This year's theme is "Keeping the same energy: Whatever affects 
one directly, affects all indirectly." In alignment with the life and legacy of King, the Wofford 
College Planning Committee has used three Bonner Scholar social justice benchmarks to 
categorize each event to meet attendees where they are in their understanding. See the 
college's complete list of MLK events.
Town Hall Recording
The college hosted a town hall with students and families earlier this week to discuss COVID-
19 guidelines and lessons learned from the fall. Watch the recording of the event and 
review a list of frequently asked questions that can also be found at
wofford.edu/coronavirus. More information on the college's guidelines can be found at 
wofford.edu/wofford-together.
Follow us @woffordcollege


Conquer and Prevail Issue 47 Jan 14 2021

ISSUE #55 | MAR. 11, 2021 | FROM THE OFFICE OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Our Methodist Roots
The Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson ’78, Perkins-Prothro Chaplain and Professor of Religion, and a 
panel of Methodist thought leaders recently explored race and justice during the “Our 
Methodist Roots — Symposium on Race and Justice.”
Panelists included:
The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, general secretary of the General Board of Church & 
Society (Doctor of Humane Letters, Wofford College 2014).
The Rev. Ken Nelson, superintendent, Orangeburg District of the UMC.
Dr. Phillip Stone ’94, archivist, South Carolina Conference of the UMC and Wofford 
College.
Bishop Will Willimon ’68, professor of the practice of Christian ministry, Duke Divinity 
School.
The Rev. Lisa Yebuah ’99, (above), campus pastor, Southeast Raleigh Table, Edenton 
Street UMC and spiritual director and advisor for inclusion and equity, North Carolina 
Conference of the UMC.
The Symposium on Race and Justice was sponsored by the President’s Office at 
Wofford College and the Tyson Family Lecture Series.
Reminder: JEDI Preliminary Report Town Hall Today
The Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion steering committee will share its preliminary
research and report that was presented to the Wofford College Board of Trustees in February
today (Thursday, March 11) at 4 p.m. There is still time to register for the event.
Johnson Named NACDA Athletic Director of the Year
Wofford’s Athletics Director Richard Johnson is one of 28 
winners of the Athletic Director of the Year Award 
(ADOY). The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of 
athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and 
positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and 
their surrounding communities. 
The award spans seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, 
Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/other four-year institutions and 
junior college/community colleges). Winners will be 
recognized leading up to and in conjunction with the 2021 
NACDA & Affiliates Virtual Convention in July.
Johnson is one of four honorees from the Football 
Championship Subdivision.
Read more about Johnson’s contributions to Wofford 
over the past 35 years.
JEDI Working Group 5 Update: Policies, Procedures and
JEDI Structure
Working Group 5 focuses on policies, procedures and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion 
structure. We are reviewing polices relevant to hiring, Title IX, bias reporting and the overall 
structure of the institution’s practices pertaining to those areas. We also are looking closely 
at possible structural needs to ensure Wofford remains committed to issues pertinent to 
diversity, equity and inclusivity; long after the work of the JEDI committee ceases. 
Some guiding questions that aid in both the development and course of action for our work 
include: 
On issues of Title IX and bias reporting, we tried to understand:
How does the incident reporting process proceed for students, faculty and staff? 
How is disciplinary action considered and carried out in these incidents and who
makes such determination?
For hiring practices:
How does Wofford seek to identify and ensure a diverse talent pool when hiring?
Specifically — (i.e., knowing medium used to advertise for hiring opportunities). What 
is the onboarding process like for new faculty and staff hires? This also includes an 
exploration of the faculty handbook/manual and the staff handbook manual. What 
training opportunities, specifically those with JEDI focus, are present throughout the 
year for faculty and staff?
During our exploration process of these areas, we have tried to be diligent in understanding 
the responsibilities of those charged with oversight in these respective areas. 
We also are looking closely at peer institutions, speaking directly with individuals working in 
the areas associated with our work and looking at trends and data related to higher education 
and these specific areas.
Many of our peer institutions are engaged in work similar to JEDI’s. While they are currently at 
different phases in their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we have noticed that many 
institutions have a senior diversity official in place — both to elevate the importance and 
visibility of the role as well expand or bolster the institution’s current efforts and resources to 
achieve diversity, equity and inclusion objectives. Our analysis and reviews have led us to 
recommend the hiring of a senior-level diversity official to help Wofford achieve its objectives.
We’ve met with the following internal stakeholders: Amanda Estabrook, Title IX and ADA 
coordinator; Chee Lee, director of human resources; and Mike Sosulski, provost.
The Wofford community is invited to share thoughts with the group’s leader Dr. Tasha Smith-
Tyus (smithtyusl@wofford.edu). The group's other member is Trustee Greg
O’Dell ’92.
Follow us @woffordcollege
