From Wente’s Desk

Last spring with commencement weekend on the horizon, I had lunch with a group of students that included graduating seniors. I asked the seniors to reflect on their time at Wake Forest and what they believed makes Wake Forest distinctive.  All of them paused and […]

Across time and around the globe, some of the world’s most influential thinkers and writers in history emphasize a timeless notion: being true to oneself.  Ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus is often credited with the phrase, “Know thyself,” which was found inscribed on the […]

During last month’s commencement festivities, Larry Culp, the chairman and CEO of GE and CEO of GE Aerospace, called on our School of Business graduates to “constantly look to learn and improve and grow … substantively, in ways that really matter.” In the classroom, […]

As one of our most beloved Wake Foresters Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” As I reflected last month, perhaps nowhere is this more true than within the confines of our academic community. The predictable, even […]

One of my favorite things about being part of a higher education community is the reliable rhythm of an academic year. The multiple beginnings, of the semesters and year as a whole, provide opportunities for excitement and starting anew. The multiple endings, likewise, bring opportunities […]

I find the nature of life at the cellular level fascinating. Though microscopic, individual cells are incredibly complex, they retain sophisticated mechanisms for staying the course and doing the particular work they are designed to do. Even in the most difficult circumstances, cells constantly adapt […]

There is something magical about springtime on a University campus. After the sometimes dark and cold of January and February, the days start to get longer, flowers and trees begin to bloom, and our community takes the rhythms of campus life outdoors. On an unseasonably […]

Anyone who has lived or worked in a college or university community knows how precious a campus can be. The academic buildings, classrooms, and library; residence halls and dining spaces; beautifully landscaped quads and towering spires. Campus places and spaces become dear to us as […]

Universities are inquisitive communities, always asking questions and seeking answers. We also acknowledge that definitive answers are not based on one dialogue, or one experiment, or one creative work. Consensus comes from rigorous debate by a community of experts, a consensus that is informed by […]

The inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, once said, “great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds.”  As a scientist, I’ve seen this assertion play out many times — and in real time — both in my own career and those […]