Old Gold&Black “Covers the campus like the magnolias”
WA K E F O R E S T ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 6
VOL 112 , NO. 3
OCTOBER 2, 2025
President Susan R. Wente concludes her presidency After five years, the Wake Forest University president will step down in June 2026
Wake Forest drops below top-50 in U.S. CAROLINE KHALAF News Editor
Forest University Board Chair Jeanne Whitman Bobbitt shared sentiments about Wente’s time in office.
“Serving now in the fifth year of her presidency, she has positioned Wake Forest well for greater success, and after leading through a tumultuous time in higher education, she has earned our deepest respect and gratitude.” Whitman Bobbitt said. “And when her presidency concludes, she will enjoy a well-earned sabbatical, followed by a return to her scientific roots.” Further information on a succession plan is not known at the time of publication.
For the third year in a row, Wake Forest has dropped in the U.S. News & World Report's annual Best National Universities list. After falling dramatically from a top 30 spot in 2023, Wake Forest is now below the top 50 line. Wake Forest tied with five other universities for the No. 51 spot — Case Western Reserve University, Florida State University, Texas A&M University and Virginia Tech. Most of the metrics were consistent with the 2023 methodology, which introduced a new way of ranking schools, changing 17 of the 19 measures. This year, many top-ranked universities maintained their positions on the ranking. Princeton, MIT and Harvard all took the No. 1, No.2 and No. 3 spots for the third consecutive year. In 2023, Wake Forest’s ranking dropped 18 spots from its No. 29 spot. This was the first time the university has been ranked out of the top 30 since 1996 and its lowest ranking since joining the National Universities list. This year, the university dropped from No. 46 to No. 51. Beginning in 2023, U.S. News no longer considers factors such as small class sizes, instruction by professors with a terminal degree, alumni giving average, graduate debt or students’ high school standings. Wake Forest highlights and prioritizes many of these elements, according to Vice President of Communications & Chief Communications Officer Brett Eaton. The algorithm change in 2023 also added seven new indicators — four related to faculty research, two related to first-generation graduation rates and one related to graduate income.
Contact Ella Klein at kleikek22@wfu.
See U.S. News Rankings drop, Page 4
Ken Chen/Old Gold & Black
Wake Forest University President Susan R. Wente speaks at her annual presidential address in 2024. She will conclude her term as the school's 14th and first female president on June 30, 2026. ELLA KLEIN Editor-in-chief
Wake Forest’s 14th President, Susan R. Wente, has announced she will conclude her presidency on June 30, 2026. In a broadcast titled “A message from President Wente,” she briefly touched on her reasoning behind this decision. “In higher education, timing is critical, and I believe now is the right moment to begin this transition. This is because Wake Forest is in a strong, stable, and even enviable position among the nation’s universities,” she said. “And with nine months to carefully plan before June 30, I am confident our University is well-positioned to attract an extraordinary new leader.” In the broadcast, she referred
NEWS Chris Paul steps in at Face to Face Page Three
to concluding her presidency as a ‘personal decision.’ Following a sabbatical, Wente plans to return to ‘her roots’ as a faculty member. She did not offer further explanation regarding the decision to conclude her time in office. In a release from Wake Forest University Marketing and Public Relations office, Senior Executive Director of News and Public Relations Cheryl Walker reported this decision was made after discussions with the board of trustees. “Wente arrived at this decision after discussions with Board of Trustees leadership about the university’s current stability, positive momentum, and the need for a thoughtful succession plan,” Walker wrote. In the same release, Wake
CITY & STATE Iryna's Law passes General Assembly Page Five
What's Inside
FEATURES The bright side of stress Page Seven
ENVIRONMENT Q&A with Office of Sustainability interns Page Ten
OPINION
Letter to the Editor: Dr. Susan R. Wente
Page Fourteen
SPORTS Wake vs. UNC field hockey upset Page Seventeen
ARTS & CULTURE Poetry, poetics, and praryer Page Eigthteen