By Dudley Brown
Dr. Sandra Rouse landed her first job after college in banking. She was a compliance manager, and she soon realized it wasn’t the right job for her.
She didn’t like the paperwork and limited interactions with people. So she started thinking about previous work experiences that she enjoyed. Being a resident assistant and an orientation leader at Columbia College topped the list. She enrolled in the University of South Carolina’s Master of Education program in college student personnel services with an emphasis on counseling.
Now, 24 years later, she’s still working in higher education and was recently named Wofford College’s vice president for campus life and student development and dean of students. Many of her peers in that master’s program decided to pursue other careers, but Rouse still finds higher education rewarding.
“Each day is different,” she says. “Students excite me.”
Rouse came to Wofford from Newberry College, where she served as dean of students for six years after spending her first two years on that campus as associate dean of students. Wofford embodies what she likes in higher education.
“The size of the student body allows you to get to know students,” she says. “This role isn’t a one-person, one-mindset kind of role. You must take in as much information as possible to make the best decisions for students.”
Rouse moved to Spartanburg and began working on campus in July.
Wofford has been warm and welcoming,” she says. “I’ve been thrilled with people inviting me to lunch and dinner and offering advice on places to go and people to see.”
Rouse, who was a first-generation college student, recognizes the value of the many departments and services under the umbrella of Campus Life and Student Development, including residence life, campus safety, the wellness center, student activities and fraternity and sorority life.
“It’s cliché, but the different departments are the pieces that shape the college experience,” Rouse says. “The classroom and academics are a central part of life, but campus life is where memories are made, and people come back, think about the good times and laugh.”
Rouse, who has already met with students individually and in groups, plans to make even more time to visit with and listen to students during the fall semester’s first few weeks, especially first-year students. She wants to learn more about their expectations for their college experience, and she wants to begin to know students as people.
“As we focus on being a more inclusive campus, we want to make sure students feel at home and welcome regardless of who they are and where they are from,” she says.
In addition to Newberry, her experience includes positions at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Salem College and Voorhees University. She served as the director of education and research for the National Association for Campus Activities from 2011 to 2014.
She is active in professional organizations, including the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the South Carolina College Personnel Association, the National Association for Campus Activities and the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience. She has National Incident Management Systems certification and is a peer evaluator for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. She has presented her scholarship in the field at conferences and in a variety of publications.
Away from campus, Rouse enjoys dancing. She was a psychology and dance major in college. While at Newberry College, she served as interim coach for the college’s dance team for a while, and she also taught the team ballet and helped with its choreography. Since moving to Spartanburg, she’s signed up for a contemporary dance class at the Chapman Cultural Center.
Rouse looks forward to getting immersed into campus life and once again finds herself “negotiating football schedules” with her husband, Todd Berry, who played football at the University of South Carolina.
Ask Dwayne Harris ’86 how he’s doing during a walk across campus, and he’ll often respond, “Living the dream.”
Harris was promoted to the director of Campus Safety during the summer. He has worked with Campus Safety since 2000 and began serving as the office’s interim director in April.
During his tenure as interim director, Harris successfully filled multiple vacancies, enhanced relationships with partnering agencies and provided positive leadership. He has long been a popular figure on campus while providing a listening ear and being a go-to person for students, faculty, staff and parents. His sense of humor is often on display, even when he’s writing tickets.
“I love these kids,” says Harris, who could be seen fist bumping graduates and sharing laughs with many of them shortly after they crossed the graduation stage last spring. “It’s fun to watch them grow and become fine individuals.”
He’s been known to change tires, grab items from the store when students are sick and has even bought vegetable soup from the Beacon Drive-In. He’ll often look out for students that he senses could use a friend while adapting to college life. Harris began his career in banking before realizing he wanted to pursue his childhood dream in law enforcement.
“I’m excited to be given the opportunity to lead the Office of Campus Safety at my beloved alma mater,” Harris says. “I look forward to the challenge of making our department the model of integrity, professionalism and an integral part of the Wofford College experience.”
Trey Arrington assumed the role of associate vice president for information technology in July. He previously served as vice president of operations and chief information officer at Spartanburg Methodist College.
Arrington is a University of South Carolina Upstate graduate. He earned an MBA in project management from Louisiana State University in August.
“I am excited to join the talented Wofford ITS team,” Arrington says. “We have a strong technology foundation here that I look forward to building upon alongside my teammates. Wofford ITS will have a strong focus on customer service, process improvement and providing the college with the technological resources needed for a world-class educational experience.”
Wofford welcomed New York Times best-selling autahor Sheri Reynolds to its faculty to serve as the John C. Cobb Endowed Chair in the Humanities. She’s the author of seven novels and specializes in contemporary Southern fiction.
Reynolds came to Wofford from Old Dominion University, where she served as chair of the English department since 2016. She has received numerous awards, including the State Council for Higher Education of Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Member. Her 1995 novel “The Rapture of Canaan” was a New York Times bestseller. Her most recent novel, “The Tender Grave,” was published in 2021.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Wofford, which is a model for providing an education in the liberal arts,” says Reynolds, who was a visiting writer at Wofford in 2008. “Wofford has a commitment to student success, a strong academic program and impressive students who are creative and hardworking.”
The John C. Cobb Endowed Chair in the Humanities was established by a $2.5 million gift from Cobb’s sister, Ann Cobb Johnson of Spartanburg. Cobb, a 1976 Wofford graduate, joined the college as a professor of humanities and English in 1994. He died in the summer of 2004 in an automobile accident.
Tenure and promotions
Wofford College’s Board of Trustees approved tenure for one faculty member and voted to promote 10 to associate professor and three to full professor.
TENURE
Professor Michael Webster, assistant professor of studio art
PROMOTIONS
Dr. Tim Bersak to associate professor of economics
Dr. Peter Brewitt to associate professor of environmental studies
Dr. Deidra Coleman to associate professor of mathematics
Dr. Lori Cruze to associate professor of biology
Dr. Zachary Davis to associate professor of chemistry
Dr. Aaron Garrett to associate professor of computer science
Dr. Kimberly Hall to associate professor of English
Dr. Carolyn Martsberger to associate professor of physics
Dr. Geoffrey Mitchell to associate professor of biology
Dr. Patrick Whitfill to associate professor of English
Dr. Kara Bopp to full professor of psychology
Dr. Dan Mathewson to full professor of religion
Dr. Dawn McQuiston to full professor of psychology
NEW FACULTY
Dr. Solmaz Bastani, assistant professor of physics
Dr. Crystal Carr, assistant professor of psychology
Dr. Johnathan Davis, assistant professor of biology
Dr. Allison Douglass, assistant professor of English and director of the Writing Center
Rebecca Forstater, assistant professor of studio art
Dr. Robert Harris ’09, assistant professor of chemistry
Dr. Amanda Olsen, assistant professor of finance
Dr. Russ Sandifer ’06, assistant professor of business and finance
VISITING FACULTY
Karl Adam, James A. and Susan K. Keller Fellow in Philosophy
Dr. Amelia Atwell, visiting assistant professor of biology
Dr. James Beveridge, visiting assistant professor of anthropology
Dr. Jeyoul Choi, visiting assistant professor of religion
Dr. Douglas Clark, visiting assistant professor of religion
Todd Dobbs, visiting assistant professor of computer science
Dr. Ahmed Eddhir, visiting assistant professor of economics
Josh Harris ’09, visiting professor of finance
Eric Kocher, visiting assistant professor of English
Ambrin Ling, visiting assistant professor of studio art
Dr. Will McWhorter, visiting assistant professor of chemistry
Dr. Cassie Schrank, visiting assistant professor of chemistry
Dr. Kim Shaffer, visiting assistant professor of psychology
Dr. Ian Varga, visiting assistant professor of history
Dr. Patrick Whitmarsh, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies