On Dec. 17, Curt Farmer and Jeanne Whitman Bobbitt, co-chairs of the Presidential Search Committee, sent an email broadcast to the Wake Forest community to share an end-of-semester update on the ongoing presidential search.
Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente first announced her impending resignation on Oct. 1 in an email broadcast to the Wake Forest community. Her announcement led to the creation of a committee tasked with finding and interviewing prospective candidates for the position of president.
After a five-year presidency, Wente will officially step down from her position on June 30.
“Following a sabbatical, I plan to return to my roots as a faculty member, focused on mentoring and advancing science in service to society,” she wrote in her resignation broadcast.
The Presidential Search Committee includes Trustees, parents, alumni, faculty, staff and a student. In their recent update, Farmer and Bobbitt remarked on the immense amount of feedback Wake Forest students submitted to an online survey and listening sessions. The online survey yielded 1,055 responses, and the listening sessions had 850 participants.
Committee member Matt Clifford, Associate Vice President of Campus Life and Dean of Students, commented on the importance of student perspectives in the search for Wake Forest’s 16th president.
“Student feedback gave us a great sense of how students want to connect and relate to the next president, as well as what they think is important to the university as a whole,” he said in an emailed statement. “Student perspective further becomes part of our conversation with prospective candidates.”
Junior Ben Hobson serves as a President’s Aide and shares the same sentiment as Clifford.
“As long as the priority is finding someone who upholds quality education, then students are, in a way, inherently at the core of the presidential search, and it should all revolve around them,” Hobson said. “I think they’re already doing a good job of holding space for students to have a voice, so I hope that can continue throughout the process.”
The committee created a leadership profile in response to student feedback, which was shared with students in the recent broadcast and outlined the role of president to potential candidates.
“A leader of uncompromising character who embraces the University’s mission of Pro Humanitate (“For Humanity”) and who has the courage and imagination to lead the institution in a time of great change in higher education will be the ideal candidate,” it reads.
The profile details the unique Wake Forest experience and opportunities for advancement of the University. It also includes an explanation of finances and governance structure and a profile of the type of leader who would succeed at Wake Forest.
Farmer and Bobbitt shared in their update that the partnered search firm Major, Lindsey and Africa have begun the process of identifying potential candidates and have found there to be strong interest in the position.
“We know that Wake Forest holds an enviable position in higher education, and as many of you mentioned, there is much to look forward to in Wake Forest’s future,” they wrote. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to bringing a new president into our community for the start of the next academic year.”
Hobson’s hopes for the future president of Wake Forest reflect the values at the forefront of the ongoing search.
“I hope the next president will continue to uphold an academic community that genuinely prioritizes student learning and the value of Pro Humanitate,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This is an ongoing story.
