Investing for strategic impact 

August is here, and a distinct energy is again stirring on campus as we launch a new academic year. This sense of anticipation for all that is possible at the beginning of each semester at Wake Forest is unmistakable. 

As we venture into this new year together, I see this as a moment to pause, reflect, and also recommit to our shared community vision for the future. And, it has never been a better time to be a Wake Forester. We continue to realize record-breaking demand for the comprehensive, yet deeply personal educational experience we offer to students. Across our College and schools, Wake Forest faculty and staff are devoted to creating environments where all can discover their passions. I felt this so deeply in Worrell Hall on Monday when I welcomed our newest 1L law students, and in visits to our new second campus of the School of Medicine in Charlotte, where the very first cohort of 48 students started in July. As always, move-in of our new and returning undergraduates over the past week inspires me. 

The work we do, and that ahead of us, is guided by our Strategic Framework that anchors us to who we are and who we aspire to become. With the framework as our compass, I am pleased to announce that we are launching a series of further investments that reflect what we value the most: academic excellence, the ability to attract talented students, and a transformational learning experience for all Wake Forest students. This summer, the Wake Forest Board of Trustees endorsed a bold set of strategic directions to further support the core aims of our Strategic Framework. Though investing for strategic impact happens every day, this plan lays out a multi-year vision for action that will ensure all we care about, all we love most about Wake Forest, is strengthened for the students, faculty and staff of today and tomorrow.

We will invest in what we care about most

The guiding question behind every action we take is clear: What must we do today to ensure Wake Forest thrives tomorrow? The answer, again and again, points to three priorities:

• Enhancing student financial aid for low- and middle-income students;
• Extending academic excellence through investing in areas of academic distinction and improved research and learning spaces; and
• Deepening the undergraduate student experience by building upon the relational, Pro Humanitate-rooted education that defines and distinguishes our university – an experience grounded in our liberal arts foundation, where intellectual growth is inseparable from the development of character and purpose. 

These are the areas where further investments will have the greatest impact, and our actions will most powerfully reflect our values. Taken together, to do this, we will use a balanced, future-focused strategy that relies on three carefully modeled funding sources. First, we will optimize our existing operating budget and seek new efficiencies guided by the Strategic Framework. Second, we are planning for the most ambitious capital campaign in Wake Forest’s history, culminating in 2034, to fund more academic scholarships and financial aid, academic innovation, and campus renewal. Finally, the Board of Trustees has approved a modest, phased increase in undergraduate enrollment in order to further grow resources for academic investment and financial aid.

The Board will annually review and approve potential annual incremental increases of 50-60 new undergraduate students and regularly review the impact of growth in partnership with our University leaders and shared governance groups. Our ability to sustain academic quality and our distinctive relational culture will inform decisions about future enrollment increases, including an extensive review of our progress in the 2028-2029 academic year. With this plan, the forecasted undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment in the 2029-2030 academic year is approximately 6,200 students. 

Each of these funding streams plays a specific role in our investment strategy. As stewards of University resources, it is my commitment to you that we will leverage what we have for the greatest impact. Modest enrollment growth will provide immediate funding to deploy in service to our priorities; the campaign will extend our reach and ambition. Together, these sources of funding will position Wake Forest to act with both good judgment and vision.

What this will mean for us 

This is not just a financial plan for how Wake Forest will focus its resources, but a vision for our future. We will build on our recent progress to ensure that more students can experience a Wake Forest education. Approximately 14% of undergraduates in the class of 2029 are Pell-eligible, a notable increase from recent years. With each incoming class and greater financial and merit aid, we will continue to extend the reach of our education to students from low- and middle-income backgrounds. Our campus community will be more vibrant and innovative, more connected and engaged, and always focused on catalyzing good, in our own community and beyond it. 

In addition to investing in our people, the teaching, research, student life and wellbeing of our faculty, staff and students, we will also continue to devote resources to new and renewed spaces across our campuses to support our current and future needs. As I have shared often during my presidency, our spaces and places are at the heart of fostering our personalized, mentoring interactions. In the coming year, we will see the transformation of Alumni Hall into academic space (opening in summer 2026) and begin planning for the demolition and reconstruction of Collins Hall and the construction of a new student center with expanded dining capacity, allowing repurposing and redesigning of the Benson University Center as a modern academic building. This will maintain the integrity of the original campus master plan that undergirds the Reynolda Campus – and take great care of this place so many call home.   

All we do is focused on maintaining our commitment to high-impact, personalized classes; meaningful relationships among faculty, staff and students; and a campus community committed to Pro Humanitate.

Where we go from here 

Every decision and action we take will be guided by our mission, our values and our commitment to our people. In a time of great complexity for higher education as a whole, Wake Forest is distinct, and a Wake Forest education is real and enduring. Because it is rooted deeply in our liberal arts foundation and commitment to the teacher-scholar model, our education both imparts knowledge and also shapes character, preparing students to lead lives of meaning and purpose. We are taking these actions now and launching these plans so that we will be positioned to invest and begin further enhancing the value of the Wake Forest experience over the years to come. As always, I welcome your feedback and perspectives as we walk this path together. I believe this is the time to spread our Pro Humanitate ethos through lives transformed, communities strengthened, and ideas advanced. Thank you for your continued partnership as we move forward together with confidence in our future.