From Wente’s Desk

When I think of the summer, it often includes making a list of “to do” goals – the  most important of which is reflecting on the past academic year, planning for the next, AND diving into making time for reading. And, just as in the […]

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 […]

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, […]

Though I serve as Wake Forest’s President today, my life and career are profoundly shaped by my work as a scientist. Building from my first lab experience as an undergraduate student to decades of running complex experiments with my graduate students and fellows as a […]

This coming Thursday we will gather in Wait Chapel for our traditional Founders Day celebration, marking 191 years of commitment to our academic mission. Reflecting on this commitment has been particularly poignant over the past several weeks as we are witnessing a rapidly changing landscape […]

Over winter break, I spent time thinking about my mentor and teacher, the late Dr. Howard Schachman. Last year, I was asked by the National Academy of Sciences to co-write a tribute to Howard, and it has been an honor to do so. Howard […]

Happy holidays to all! And congratulations on another exceptional semester! I sincerely hope that each and every one of you is wrapping up the semester with high hopes, and maybe a little bit of relief, and is looking forward to an extended winter […]

Whenever we reach the Thanksgiving holiday in our academic calendar, I know that we are nearing the home stretch! All across campus, you can feel the energy rising as finals approach, projects peak in intensity, and our eyes start turning toward the approaching winter breaks. […]

Across the academic year, I meet regularly with the President’s Aides, a group of undergraduate students, to hear their perspectives on the life of the University and their experiences. Over lunch recently, I asked them to go around the room and share a piece […]

As we navigate these early weeks of the fall semester, I cannot help but recall my own experience as a first-year student at the University of Iowa. Having come from a small town with only a few thousand people, I remember navigating those early weeks, […]