End-of-Semester Update and Sharing Gratitude

Dear students, faculty and staff,

As we near the end of this special fall 2021 semester, I wish each of you all the best. Last week during the Thanksgiving holiday, I spent some time reflecting on the semester, and I want to share my gratitude with you and some end-of-semester updates.

First, thank you for the immense support I have received during this time of leadership transition. I am grateful for all of the energy and care invested in welcoming me and helping me discover all that is special about the Wake Forest community.

Together, we have also learned more about how to better promote and support the health and safety of our campus community. Your commitment to each other, and to our mission, is remarkable. We have engaged in fully in-person learning experiences, reimagined and taken part in special traditions, and found so many moments to celebrate together and to live our motto of Pro Humanitate.

Most importantly, I am grateful for your partnership as we approach all that lies ahead of us with confidence and collaboration. Wake Forest is an institution that aspires to further excellence and to being responsive in evidence-based ways. We are continually evaluating how to best support the needs of our incredible staff, faculty and students. Indeed, this is why we are expanding our student counseling and wellbeing resources and extending the University’s winter closure period for campus operations by four days from Monday, December 20th through Monday, January 3rd. The new University Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council met for the first time this week and accepted my charge of ensuring we are transparent in making progress towards our goals. Additionally, on Tuesday night, the Student Government passed a resolution to appoint an executive advisory committee of students to work with the Sexual Assault Prevention, Support and Accountability (SAPSA) Taskforce. We will conduct a survey this coming spring about student experiences with sexual misconduct and gain actionable data to determine how to enhance prevention and survivor support.

I also want to thank you for continuing to be thoughtful and vigilant with regard to the changing COVID-19 pandemic conditions. We know the new Omicron variant reports are concerning, and we are working closely with our public health experts as new information becomes available.

I appreciate everyone’s efforts this fall semester in preventing the spread of COVID on campus. Our experience to date puts us in a strong position to continue being nimble and to adapt if needed. I strongly encourage everyone to get a COVID vaccine booster as you become eligible and to adhere to indoor masking requirements. As we learn more, we will keep you closely advised. Please check your emails and the Our Way Forward website regularly for any updates over break.

With our teamwork and our successes, there is so much to be excited about at Wake Forest right now. Our faculty, students and staff are obtaining nationally visible grants, awards, gifts and victories. Through further transformative education and research pursuits, we will write the next chapter of Wake Forest’s story. For more reading on our future visioning strategy, I encourage you to review my presidential address from November 19th as well as my blog posts, including one to be released next week on “what is expected of a great university.”

When we leave campus for the winter break, my most sincere hope is that you will find meaningful ways to reflect on the past several months and anticipate the year ahead. Best wishes to you all and safe travels until we meet on campus in January.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Wente, Ph.D.
President