Assistant Professor Ellen Walk, Adjunct Professor Gregory Foreman earn emeritus status

August 26, 2020

At the August 13 meeting of the University of Richmond Board of Trustees, Dr. Ellen E. Walk, former chair of the Information Systems program and former associate dean of the School, and Professor Gregory D. Foreman, adjunct professor of Paralegal Studies, were approved to earn emeritus status for their retirements.

Walk worked at the University of Richmond twenty-six years when she retired in 2019. She was one of the founding Program Chairs in the School of Professional & Continuing Studies, and in that role she designed the Information Systems program from the ground up. She retired from the University effective June 30, 2019. She has been awarded the title of Assistant Professor Emerita.

Foreman served the University of Richmond for 40 years as an adjunct professor of Paralegal Studies. In 1986 and again in 2004, he was awarded the Itzkowitz Family Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award, and in 2006, he received the University’s 25-year Service Medallion. Foreman retired from teaching earlier this year. He has been awarded the title of Adjunct Professor Emeritus.

The University of Richmond Faculty Handbook outlines the process by which emeritus status is awarded.

A faculty or administrative staff member who has served the University with distinction for 20 years or more, and who remains on active status until retirement, will normally be awarded the title of “Emeritus” upon recommendation by the President, by action of the Board of Trustees. The Board may, at its discretion, award emeritus status to particularly deserving retirees who have served less than 20 years.

SPCS Dean Jamelle Wilson recommended to Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Jeff Legro that Walk and Foreman receive emeritus status. Provost Legro, in turn, recommended both to the Board of Trustees.

In Dean Wilson’s letters of recommendation, she highlighted each professor’s distinguished service to the school.

Highlights of Walk’s professional and academic career include the following:

  • Graduate of the College of William and Mary, B.S. in Chemistry, 1977
  • M.B.A. earned from the University of Richmond, 1983
  • Graduate of V.C.U., Ph.D. in Information Systems, 1996
  • Along with Dr. Andy Litteral, co-authored an insightful article on enrollment management, 2010
  • Served on numerous University Committees
  • Made significant contributions through her appointment to the Cross-School Curricular Oversight Committee, 2011-2012
  • Received the 2012 International Education Award from the University’s Office of International Studies
  • Awarded the University of Richmond Distinguished Educator Award in 2017
  • In 2019, received the University’s 25-year medallion for service to the University of Richmond.

Wilson recognized Walk’s commitment to excellence, which she described as the “central focus for her in both her administrative and teaching responsibilities all the while seeking opportunities to advance the University and the SPCS.”

Highlights of Foreman’s professional and academic career include the following:

  • Graduate of Hampden-Sydney College with a B.A. in Political Science, 1971
  • J.D. earned from the T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond, 1974
  • Distinguished Military Graduate, U.S. Army ROTC, University of Richmond, 1974
  • Has been practicing law in the Richmond area since 1975.
  • Began his academic teaching career with the SCS in 1980.
  • Over his 40-year span of teaching, he has taught Real Estate Law, Constitutional Law, Contract Law, Wills, Trusts and Estates Law, First Amendment Constitutional Law, Privacy (Fourth Amendment) Law, Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Land Use and Zoning Law, and the Paralegal Capstone Course.
  • Received the prestigious Itkowitz Family Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award twice: 1986 and 2004.
  • In 2006, he received the University’s 25-year medallion for service to the University of Richmond.

Wilson quoted a 2006 letter from President William Cooper to Foreman in which Cooper wrote, “Your commitment to excellence has been an essential ingredient in elevating the University’s stature nationally.” Wilson seconded Cooper’s assessment in her justification for awarding emeritus status to Foreman. 

The faculty and staff of the School of Professional & Continuing Studies are proud to honor both professors for their decades of service to the University of Richmond.