“Students reflected on the ways in which Wente impacted the university throughout her presidency and what the future holds for Wake Forest.”
President Susan R. Wente plans to conclude her presidency on June 30, 2026, after five years as president at Wake Forest. The university made the announcement in a broadcast titled “A message from President Wente” on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.
Following a “sabbatical,” Wente plans to return to her “roots” as a faculty member and science educator.
“President Wente has engaged faculty in a collaborative spirit to shape Wake Forest’s direction,” Steve Virgil, chair of the Wake Forest University Faculty Senate, said. “Her openness to dialogue, her support for research and teaching, and her respect for faculty and her appreciation of shared governance have strengthened the academic core of the university.”
Student Body President Amaya Williams reflected on the ways Wente interacted with the student body.
“I felt a real sense of appreciation and gratitude for her commitment to Wake Forest while reading her message,” Williams said. “She has always shown genuine care for students and taken the time to connect with us directly.”
Along with gratitude, the announcement on Wednesday afternoon was seen by many as unexpected.
“My first reaction to her resignation was that it felt so rushed and completely out of the blue,” said senior Jeffery Ayako.
The announcement was made on the same day as Hit the Bricks, the annual campus fundraising event for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund. Junior Mati Romagnoli was concerned that the announcement took focus away from the fundraiser.
“I really didn’t see it coming, but I feel like what shocked me, rather than just her resigning, was the timing. I thought it was just not right,” Romagnoli said. “I thought it was not super delicate to send out communication like that today because it would take a lot of attention away from the event.”
Surprise was a common theme amongst the student body.
“I think I had an inclination that it would happen eventually, but I didn’t think it would happen until the end of another year,” sophomore Maya Chavis said.
As Wake Forest transitions to new leadership, students are interested in seeing what the future holds.
“To be honest, the direction Wake has been going in lately feels off with the loss of departments like the Office of Diversity and Inclusion,” Ayako said. “I hope this opens up space for new leadership and a clearer sense of direction for the university.”
Despite administrative changes, students expect Wake Forest to continue in greatness.
“The future of Wake has a large amount of potential,” Chavis said. “One of the great things about Wake is that it has an amazing student body and faculty, and this won’t change depending on who is president.”
According to junior Sarah Lekan, the new president’s efforts need to be a continuation of what Wente was working on.
“I see Wake moving in a good and more prosperous direction in the future, but the new president definitely needs to come in and pick up the work that Wente was doing,” Lekan said. “Wente had a goal of improving our ranking again after it dropped two years ago, so it will be important for the new president to come in with the same mindset and, hopefully, help in returning Wake to a top 30 institution.”
President Wente’s impact on the university will be present, even after she is gone.
“I’m confident that the foundation she’s built will allow Wake Forest to continue growing in strength and community,” Williams said.
