Walk with Wente Archive

President Wente walks and talks with Mark Curtis, Reynolds Professor of Economics and Chair of the Economics Department, about the challenges of designing policies that both address environmental outcomes and promote economic growth. He shares how his experience working with a non-profit providing microcredit in Peru shaped his career and why he is so passionate about engaging students in current issues. Curtis said, “The biggest impact we have is on the students we are teaching and motivating [them] to go on and make a difference in the world.”

President Wente walks and talks with associate professor Kyana Young about engineering research, hands-on learning and how her students are making meaningful contributions to community projects focused on water quality. Dr. Young said: “As engineers, it is our responsibility not just to provide the technical solution, but also to consider the ethical components.”

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.”

President Wente walks and talks with Dr. Kishida about how the brain works and his research focused on big questions about consciousness and choice. They discuss his collaborations with both neurosurgeons and humanities faculty… and his love for the movie The Matrix.

President Wente walks and talks with Dr. Jurchescu about flexible electronics and how they will change the way we interact with technology and improve our lives. They discuss her love of experimental physics research and her love of teaching. She wants her students to “approach every problem in life with the mind of a scientist.”

President Wente walks and talks with Liz Gandolfo, Associate Professor of Catholic and Latin American Studies in the School of Divinity, about how people of faith respond to major challenges in the world. Dr. Gandolfo’s teaching and research place Christian theology in conversation with human responses to vulnerability, suffering, violence and oppression. They discuss student engagement and how faculty perspectives from various departments enrich her classroom discussions.

President Wente walks and talks with Amol Joshi, Professor in the School of Business, about his work in finding ethical ways to use technology to solve interdisciplinary problems. They discuss his background with artificial intelligence and how he sees AI relating to Pro Humanitate, how literature inspired his career and how he teaches failure as a key to success through experiential learning.

President Wente walks and talks with Nina Lucas, Professor of Dance, about how combining dance and academics is a win-win for students at Wake Forest. They discuss teaching students how to connect something in their lives with dance, the benefits of dance as a communication tool, and the need to stay authentic and explore.

President Wente walks and talks with Kevin Jung, Professor of Theological Ethics and Moral Philosophy, about how his work addresses big questions about finding reality, the meaning of life and how one should live their lives. They discuss how students must learn about moral interdependence and self-deception if they are going to help others and why Jung loves challenging questions from students. 

President Wente walks and talks with Greiman about how 18th- and 19th-century American literature can inform our approach to today’s issues, especially about democracy. They discuss the impact of Wake Forest’s Humanities Institute on interdisciplinary scholarship and how liberal arts classes build upon each other. Greiman describes how she encourages students to step outside the things they know and then what she learns from them when they do.