Dr. Karen An-Hwei Lee Named New Provost
Succeeding Provost Margaret Diddams, Lee took her post in August
Words: Emily Bratcher
Photos: Diana Sokolov
Dr. Lee leads the Senior Academic Leadership Team, serves on the Senior Administrative Cabinet, and oversees all aspects of the academic division. She also holds faculty rank as Professor of English. Dr. Lee earned her B.A. magna cum laude in English from Brown University; an M.F.A. in fiction writing from Brown; an M.A. in English (poetry writing) from the University of California, Berkeley; and her Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Berkeley.
Previously, Dr. Lee served as Vice Provost of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness for Point Loma Nazarene University. Before that, she served as Professor, Chair of the English Department, and Director of Educational Effectiveness at Vanguard University.
“I’m honored to support Wheaton’s time-honored mission of Christ-centered liberal arts,” said Dr. Lee. “It will be a pleasure to serve Wheaton’s distinguished faculty and highly accomplished students.”
A respected poet, fiction writer, literary critic, and translator, Lee is a voting member of the National Book Critics Circle and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist’s Grant.
A Newly Refreshed Brand Identity
On August 3, Wheaton unveiled a new brand identity. This new identity, which includes a logo, underscores what has been true of Wheaton for more than 150 years—that the Wheaton is the quintessential Christian Liberal Arts college, the academic home for intellectually ambitious, deeply faithful Christians who want comprehensive world-class quality and an environment of curiosity, conviction, and community. Effective across digital and print channels, the new logo preserves elements of Wheaton’s former logo, including the historic Blanchard tower, the full College name, and its motto "For Christ and His Kingdom," while adding elements, such as two books symbolizing Wheaton’s twin emphases on top-tier academics and Christ-centered faith, and a striking new color palette. These elements lend the logo a new boldness, distinctiveness, and gravitas.
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Dr. Wendy Smith’s Vision for the New Center for Family and Relational Health
Wheaton College alumna Dr. Wendy Smith M.A. '16, Psy.D. '19 was appointed as the first-ever director of Wheaton's Center for Family and Relational Health, poised to open in October. Almost simultaneously, she is launching the Roseland Good News Center for Family and Relational Health on the South Side of Chicago. Both sites will provide Wheaton students practical experience offering therapy in a supervised setting.
Inaugural Hudson T. Harrison Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship
Thanks to a generous gift from the Harrison family, Wheaton’s Board of Trustees is pleased to appoint Dr. Denise Daniels ’91 as the inaugural holder of the Hudson T. Harrison Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship. Situated in the Department of Business and Economics, the Harrison Chair was established to prepare students to turn innovative ideas into entrepreneurial realities—in both for-profit and non-profit contexts. Dr. Daniels brings nearly 25 years of teaching and research on marketplace innovation, leadership, and faith in the workplace.
#30under30
For the past 30 weeks, Wheaton College has released the name of one alumna, alumnus, or alumni couple to its #30under30 lineup— 30 young alumni under the age of 30 who are thoughtfully living out a variety of vocations in ways that demonstrate the unique value of a Wheaton College education.
Living and Learning in the Time of COVID
All first-year and transfer students were invited to take a five-week virtual course called “Living and Learning in the Time of COVID.” The course, held on subsequent Mondays in June, aimed to answer challenging questions such as: How should Christians respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic? How can they be agents of social good in a time of social distancing? How can they thrive in the midst of worldwide distress? How should they consider everything from studying the liberal arts to the goodness of God in the face of widespread sickness and economic downturn? Students were given one hour of course credit for taking the free class.
A New Director for the Certificate of Worship Arts
Donté Ford will direct the College’s new Certificate in Worship Arts, which launched this academic year. With the 24-credit-hour Certificate in Worship Arts, students will acquire the skills to serve as a church worship leader or a church music director, including how to recruit and lead choirs of all ages; manage budgets; handle audio, video, and lighting technologies; arrange chord charts and lead sheets; choose music for events such as weddings and funerals, and more. The certificate, which can be added to any Wheaton undergraduate degree, consists of worship arts and theology classes with private and group music lessons and an internship.
