Walk with Wente Archive

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.

President Wente walks and talks with Henslee about her cell research and her collaborations across departments and schools. They discuss the importance of the “liberal arts engineer” at Wake Forest and Henslee’s belief in both the philosophy of yes and the fearless pursuit of knowledge.

President Wente walks and talks with Robinson about his work at the intersection of technology and law. They discuss the ability for lawyers to help in the design process, why radical collaboration is so important and a potentially positive impact of AI.

President Wente walks and talks with Waugh about his work in using positive emotions to regulate stress. They discuss the impact of major events, like 9/11 and COVID, on his work, plus his enthusiasm for doing research with his students and then taking that research to the public.

President Wente walks and talks with Beavers about her work in preventative health, her passion for being a mentor and other topics.