President Wente walks and talks with Lina Benabdallah about China’s rise as a superpower, its influence in Africa and what that means for international relations. Dr. Benabdallah challenges her students to think beyond stereotypes about Africa and says she likes to keep an “open door between research and teaching.”
Categories: Walk with Wente
Cheers to the Class of 2025! I hope everyone – newly minted alumni and their families, students, staff, and faculty – are settling in for a quieter week in the wake of our biggest celebrations of the year. Busy though it is, Commencement Weekend is […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
Last week, Wake Forest welcomed EGOT-winning artist John Legend as the final speaker in this year’s Face to Face series. Before the event, I had the opportunity to speak with him backstage. What struck me most wasn’t his fame or accomplishments but his steady, […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
Good afternoon, and welcome to our annual Wake Forest Founders Day ceremony. Each year, we come together as a community to celebrate the founding of Wake Forest College, in February of 1834. This year, 2025, marks 191 years of Wake Forest! Many universities celebrate the […]
Categories: Speeches
Over the course of my more than 30 years in academia, the highlight of May for me has always been university commencement exercises. Seeing graduates cross the stage on Hearn Plaza and in Wait Chapel and receiving their degrees or their graduate hoods reminds me […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
Last week, we celebrated Founders’ Day Convocation on campus, our first in-person convocation since February 2020. For myself, it was yet another opportunity to learn and to reflect on what makes Wake Forest such a special place — it was a celebration. And, it […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
Delivered in Wait Chapel on Feb. 17, 2022. Remarks as prepared. View Full Video Welcome to our 2022 Founders’ Day Convocation. This is my first Founders’ Day on campus, as it may be for many of you, and I’m delighted we can meet together […]
Categories: Speeches
Dear Wake Forest community, Today, our Wake Forest and Winston-Salem communities were shaken by the deadly school shooting that occurred at nearby Mount Tabor High School. First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the high school student […]
Categories: Emails