Framing Our Future

Dear members of the Wake Forest community: 

We are pleased to present “Framing Our Future,” a strategic framework for Wake Forest University. The Framework and complementary content available at framework.wfu.edu are products of a year-long process that engaged the entire University community in affirming Wake Forest’s distinctive identity and articulating a vision for who we will become. 

“Framing Our Future” is a living document. Societal shifts, the changing landscape of higher education and new thinking from faculty, staff and students may inspire updates over time. With its emphasis on the future, the Framework will be a valuable tool to align our efforts with our shared vision as we approach the institution’s 2034 bicentennial and prepare for Wake Forest’s third century. 

At the center of the Framework is our commitment to Pro Humanitate. Our unique value proposition, “Wake Foresters will embody Pro Humanitate at home and in the world,” underscores our strong community identity and a commitment to reckoning with our past to inform our present and future. When we achieve our goals and strategic aims, Wake Forest will be a catalyst for learning and discovery, for innovation and society, and for access and opportunity. Wake Forest University will be a catalyst for good in society.    

In the coming weeks, Provost Gillespie, the Deans and Vice Presidents will provide information about the timing and sequencing of our ongoing action steps, how the University community will be further engaged, and how we will keep all informed about our shared progress. In the meantime, we invite you to review the Framework and recognize the role each of you can play in contributing to the University’s ongoing success.

We are grateful for the work of more than 100 faculty and staff members whose leadership and keen insights informed the Framework we share today. We offer our thanks for the input and ideas provided by thousands of faculty, staff, students, alumni and parents over the past year. Your contributions were, and will continue to be, critical to charting our path forward. 

May the Strategic Framework provide inspiration to us and to others, as we build on our strong foundation to fulfill our responsibilities and our fullest potential as a great university.

With excitement for the future of Wake Forest University,

Susan R. Wente
President

Michele Gillespie
Provost