Each year in February, we celebrate the founding of our great university in February 1834, originally in the town of Wake Forest, North Carolina. During my first Founders Day address to the community, I asked a question I have recently reflected on as it […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk, Presidential News
On Monday, I had the privilege of sitting down with Chancellor Bonita Brown of Winston-Salem State University for a conversation moderated by Wake Forest’s Dean Corey D. B. Walker. The topics we explored centered on the importance of courageous leadership and community building, and the […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
Traditions can do so much more than mark the passing of time. At Wake Forest, our holiday and end of semester traditions, like Pitsgiving, Lighting of the Quad, and Lovefeast, gather us together in friendship and community. They encourage us to pause, to spend a […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
Happy Thanksgiving week, Wake Forest! This is a season of gratitude for many, and this year, I feel especially grateful for our Wake Forest community. As I reflected on in my presidential address last week, I feel so fortunate to serve as Wake Forest’s […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
Character is forged in challenge, and integrity defines how we respond. Leading with character and integrity — especially at Wake Forest — means embracing what is distinctly human: community, creativity, and optimism. And my time as President of Wake Forest has only reinforced my belief […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
I have enjoyed seeing so many of you on campus this month, and I look forward to the beauty that the fall season brings here in North Carolina. Last month, I wrote to you about our commitment to investing for strategic impact. I shared […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
August is here, and a distinct energy is again stirring on campus as we launch a new academic year. This sense of anticipation for all that is possible at the beginning of each semester at Wake Forest is unmistakable. As we venture into this new […]
Categories: 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 […]
Categories: From Wente's Desk
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