In many ways, Courtney Flynn (’14) is the poster child for a 21^st century liberal arts education.

A junior Classical studies major, she pursues her passions while simultaneously safeguarding her future with the help of Assistant Director of Career Education and Counseling Carolyn Couch.

“I believe that while primary the purpose of the institution is to teach us, it’s also to teach us things that are applicable to the rest of our lives,” said Flynn, who will intern with Citigroup this summer. “There are no Romans out there hiring and I don’t want to go to law school, which is the typical path afterwards. I declared my Classical studies major because I love it. For me, the career office is a vital link between what we learn and what we can do with it.”

Wake Forest has been at the forefront of transforming the traditional, outdated concept of “career services” into a holistic, four-year approach to personal and career development.

Now, a new report issued by the Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD), “A Roadmap for Transforming the College-To-Career Experience” outlines a seven-step process to help colleges and universities of all sizes and resources rethink the way they prepare students for the world of work.

This crowdsourced paper, which includes input from 20 innovators in higher education and business, also profiles and shares insights from some of the country’s leading personal and career development models in higher education.

Building upon the ideas of national thought leaders representing the professional world and from 74 premier colleges and universities, the report captures feedback from the “Rethinking Success” conference hosted by Wake Forest last year.

In addition to examining issues related to the value of a liberal arts education and employment today, the conference also helped catalyze a national movement with a clear takeaway and an urgent call-to-action.

Chan

“Career preparedness is not a talking point for graduation season only. Higher education as a whole must do more to prioritize personal and career development as a four-year long, mission-critical component of the college experience,” said Chan. “To achieve a life of meaning and purpose, students need to be employable for life, not just employable immediately after graduation.”

Investing in personal and career development pays off

Four years ago, President Nathan Hatch envisioned an undergraduate experience that gave students not only an academic education, but also a career education that teaches them about themselves and their options in the world of work.

Since 2009, Chan has built an innovative, resourceful “College-to-Career” community designed to intentionally prepare students in a comprehensive way, starting with their first days on campus.

In three years, Wake Forest has raised more than $10 million to invest in personal and career development, and the results are paying off. Of the Class of 2012, 95 percent reported being employed or graduate school just six months out of college (compared to a 66 percent nationally).

Rethinking personal and professional success for students

To that end, it might seem surprising that, according to the National Association for Colleges and Employers, colleges and universities have slashed career office budgets by an average of 16 percent in the past year.

Though many schools – from large public research universities to traditional liberal arts colleges – face real resource constraint issues, they cannot be an excuse for not providing the necessary career support for every student, says Chan. To that end, he outlines seven key steps institutions of all types should take to successfully enable and implement transformational change in the area of personal and career development.

“Unless we can demonstrate to current and prospective students and their families that the four years spent at college will result in real employment prospects, there will continue to be those who disparage a college education as a waste of time and money,” Chan said.

For students like Flynn, the OPCD experience isn’t just professional – it’s personal.

“I want to emphasize how office is invested in us as people. I have developed a relationship with my career counselor and she emails me all the time about events that would be of interest to me,” she said. “She’s also interested in how I am as a person and how things are at home. That’s the allure of the office. They’re interested in getting to know you and helping you.”

The full report and roadmap are available at http://opcd.wfu.edu.

Alec Christian, a junior from Salem, Conn., who studies organic chemistry, was recently awarded a Goldwater Scholarship. Christian was selected as one of 271 math, science and engineering students from around the country to receive the award for the 2013-2014 school year.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship recognizes outstanding college juniors or sophomores who are pursuing careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500.

“It is a huge honor to receive such an award,” says Christian, “and it exemplifies how well my professors in the chemistry department have prepared me to be a creative, independent and well-rounded scientist.” Originally planning on attending medical school, he changed his mind after completing an organic chemistry course and becoming involved with research. “I knew graduate school and a future in research would be a better path for me,” he says. Christian now plans to become a professor.

His desire to teach has been inspired by his personal relationships with his professors, especially his research advisers Paul Jones and Dilip Kondepudi, both Wake Forest chemistry professors.

“Their love and passion for science as well as their dedication to their students and teaching exemplify the type of professor I would like to become.”

Christian is working in Jones’ lab on a project involving “chiral” molecules.

“Hands are the most common example of chirality in nature,” Jones said.  “If I simply describe a hand in two dimensions: palm with four fingers and a thumb, then you would think that a left and right hand are interchangeable. But, because of the way the fingers and thumb are connected to the palm, they obviously aren’t.  This is why one can’t put a right glove on a left hand.  Alec is using light to turn left-handed molecules into right-handed molecules. Structurally manipulating molecules is important in drug development.”

Jones has been impressed with Christian’s passion for organic chemistry.

“The Goldwater award requires students to excel in the classroom and undergraduate research,” he said. “Alec has a great interest in and aptitude for organic chemistry and an eagerness to carry out scientific research that is exceptional.”

In other research, Christian has focused on organometallic reactions. His goal is to make a positive impact on the medical field by synthesizing natural products in an effective and sustainable manner and he hopes his research will lead to the development of sustainable products that can be mass-produced by pharmaceutical companies to treat various diseases.

This summer he will be interning at Pfizer, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, in the organometallics lab.

In addition to his current research and studies, Christian is also a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and a Wake Forest Scholar. He serves as the vice-president of the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates and as a student adviser. He was the recipient of the 2013 ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Award.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater.  The program was designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.  The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.  A complete list of this year’s winners is available here.

A few years ago, the idea of 3-D printing a major body organ like a kidney was unthinkable, but now scientists eye North Carolina as a national hub for human organs partly due to regenerative medicine research at Wake Forest University.  Medical advances in biotechnology seem to be coming faster than the public can understand them all or even discuss how society should handle ethical, legal and moral considerations.

To spark the national conversation, Wake Forest has partnered with Baylor University to host “After the Genome: The Language of our Biotechnological Future” April 12-13. Fourteen scholars from across North America with expertise in medicine, science, religion and communication will present, including:

• Baylor University President Ken Starr;
• Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Dr. Anthony Atala;
• Cohen Professor for the Study of Ethics and Human Values at Dartmouth Ronald M. Green;
• Ezra E.H. Griffith, Professor of Psychiatry and African-American Studies, Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist at Yale School of Medicine 

“There is a rising awareness that the way we talk about science, biotechnology and medical miracles is not neutral, but suggests agendas,” Michael Hyde, Distinguished Professor of Communication Ethics at Wake Forest and conference organizer said. “And this national conversation will help shape public expectations regarding medical science. How far can we stretch science to give us longer or better lives through medical miracles? And if we use the word miracle, should we consider the religious implications of biotechnological advances?”

In many conferences, the papers presented are compiled into a publication afterward, but in this case, the book comes first. Wake Forest and Baylor University Press have worked for nearly two years to produce a book of essays containing the scholarship of the thought leaders who will present at the conference. That book will be available at the conference. 

“Everybody is a moral agent,” said Nancy King, co-director of the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society. “Academics don’t have any special corner on figuring out what the right thing to do is, but we can help to deepen and broaden public discussion. Science is extremely important and medicine is extremely important, but they’re not going to solve all the world’s problems. What’s going to solve all the world’s problems is how society makes use of science.”

The conference will end with a debate between Wake Forest and Baylor’s collegiate debate teams, using the presentations given over the two-day event as evidence and materials for discussion. Both schools trace their debate team histories back to the 1850s and have national titles under their belts, so it should be a spirited conversation.

Beyond the language, biotechnology has enormous economic implications. North Carolina is third in the nation behind California and Massachusetts when it comes to the life-science industrial sector and it generates $59 billion in economic activity, according to a recent study.

The Office of the Provost, Department of Communications, Humanities Institute and the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society at Wake Forest University, along with the Provost’s Fund, Baylor University Press and the Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University have organized the event. 

Wake Forest has been named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.  The University is one of 28 schools in North Carolina to be recognized for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.

The Honor Roll is announced by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency that leads President Barack Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve.

From classes that incorporate service learning to projects outside the classroom, Wake Forest, whose motto is Pro Humanitate, encourages students to cultivate responsibility and civic-mindedness. More than half of undergraduates make volunteerism a priority in their educational experience. Many volunteer regularly at local service agencies, while others travel around the country or abroad to participate in projects.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 690 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.

Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

“The Honor Roll schools should be proud of their work to elevate the role of service-learning on their campuses,” said Eduardo Ochoa, the U.S. Department of Education’s assistant secretary for post-secondary education. “Galvanizing their students to become involved in projects that address pressing concerns and enrich their academic experience has a lasting impact – both in the communities in which they work and on their own sense of purpose as citizens of the world.”

Wake Forest was named to The Princeton Review’s annual list of “Best Value Colleges,” published today.

The Princeton Review 2013 “Best Value Colleges” highlights 150 undergraduate schools: 75 public and 75 private institutions, based on more than 30 data points covering academics, cost and financial aid.  In each group, The Princeton Review ranks the top 10 schools. The remaining 65 schools in each group are reported in alphabetical order, unranked.

The Princeton Review “Best Value Colleges” list is based on data gathered from institutional and student opinion surveys conducted from Fall 2011 through Fall 2012. The surveys were conducted at 650 colleges and universities Princeton Review considers the nation’s academically best undergraduate institutions.

The 2013 “Best Value Colleges” list is published on princetonreview.com and USATODAY.com

Wake Forest is one of three North Carolina schools included on the private schools list.

In the midst of talking black history with singer Alicia Keys, Maya Angelou breaks out singing a hymn a cappella. That teaching moment for Angelou, the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest, is one of many during her third annual Black History Month program, “Telling Our Stories,” airing on public radio in February.

To better understand virtue and vice and how to define good character, The Character Project at Wake Forest University has granted funding to theologians and philosophers from around the world.

The Character Project, a three-year, multimillion dollar program, awarded 16 grants, totaling nearly $1 million to scholars seeking new insights into the nature of character.

Eight projects on the philosophy of character and eight projects on the theology of character were selected. In total, 170 proposals were submitted.

Christian Miller, director of The Character Project and associate professor of philosophy at Wake Forest, oversaw the review process for the philosophy awards.

“We were thrilled with the quality of the submissions,” Miller said.  “Those selected should contribute many new and far-reaching insights into our understanding of morality and character.”

Angela Knobel, associate professor of philosophy at The Catholic University of America, oversaw the review process for the theology awards.

“These projects, which focus on forgiveness, grace, humility and other theological aspects of character, will do much to advance an underexplored aspect of research into moral character,” Knobel said.

The awards complement the many other Character Project initiatives, including a major conference held during the summer.

“The Character Project has already made a number of discoveries about how and why we behave the way that we do, and these projects will take the existing research further by considering topics such as the characters of those who commit war crimes and the importance of following moral exemplars,” Miller said.

The Character Project is supported by a $4.2 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation with the goal of fostering new advances in the study of character in psychology, philosophy and theology. Because of the quality of the research proposals, Miller also received a grant of $417,759 from the foundation to be able to fund all 16 of these projects.

Following is the list of winners:

Philosophy of Character

• “Epistemic Justice and the Social Virtue of Deference”  Principal Investigator: Kristoffer Ahlstrom-Vij (University of Kent)

• “Vindicating Virtue”  Principal Investigator: Bradford Cokelet (University of Miami)

• “Virtue Epistemology: Unexplored Territory”  Principal Investigator: Nathan King (Whitworth University)

• “Aristotelian Autonomy”  Principal Investigator: Rebecca Stangl (University of Virginia)

• “Character, Emotion and Value”  Principal Investigator: Charles Starkey (Clemson University)

• “Virtue Epistemology & Intellectual Character”  Principal Investigator: John Turri (University of Waterloo)

• “War Crimes, Obedience, and Responsibility”  Principal Investigator: Jessica Wolfendale (West Virginia University)

• “Moral Exemplars in Theory and Practice”  Principal Investigator: Linda Zagzebski (University of Oklahoma)

Theology of Character

• “Humility:  A Study in Analytic Moral Theology”  Principal Investigator:  Michael Austin (Eastern Kentucky University)

• “Pious Fashion:  The Virtues of Hijabi Fashionistas”  Principal Investigator:  Elizabeth Bucar (Northeastern University

• “Virtue, Providence, and the Moral Life: Retrieving the Stoics for Contemporary Christian Ethics”  Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Cochran (Duquesne University)

• “Being for the Good:  Essays on Liturgy and Character”  Principal Investigator: Terence Cuneo (University of Vermont)

• “Voles, Vasopressin, and Virtue”  Principal Investigator: Daniel McKaughan (Boston College)

• “The Virtue of Forgiveness:  Between Jerusalem, Athens, and M.I.T.”  Principal Investigator:  Cristian Mihut (Bethel College)

• “’And Afterward None Like Him Arose’: Exemplarity and the Limits of Exemplarity in Rabbinic Judaism”  Principal Investigator: Tzvi Novick (University of Notre Dame)

• “Character Formation by Grace: Towards a Model for Understanding the Role and Nature of Transforming Grace in Christian Character Formation”  Principal Investigator: Clemens Sedmak (King’s College London)

In 2011, the Character Project granted $2 million in funding to researchers focused on the psychology of character.

Students in the Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program at the Schools of Business achieved the top pass rate in the nation on the Certified Public Accountant exam once again, according to the 2012 edition of Uniform CPA Examination Candidate Performance.

Wake Forest had the highest pass rate among 793 institutions with 10 or more candidates sitting for the exam, as well as the No. 1 pass rate for large programs (a total of 258 institutions with more than 60 candidates.)

Wake Forest students have earned the top ranking ten times since the School began offering a Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) degree in 1997, more than any other university during the same time period.

Service is the key to rekindling the American Dream, Time magazine columnist and bestselling author Joe Klein said in his speech, “Exploring the State of the American Dream: On the Road in America with Joe Klein,” in Wait Chapel Oct. 10.

“Think more about the things that you owe than the things that you want,” said Klein, whose popular Time.com blog, “The Swampland,” has captured an international audience fascinated by the stories of Americans who pursue the American Dream despite challenging times.

Klein’s message resonated with Leann Westin, a junior from Boston who is majoring in biology and attended the event.  “Mr. Klein’s speech reminded me what we can do to become better Americans—the importance of the habits of citizenship.”  She liked the idea of national service.  “I think it should be required.  It would make for a much better world.”

The experience of service and sacrifice united his parents’ generation, said Klein, who is writing a new book “The New Greatest Generation” focused on the contributions soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are making in their communities.

“If I had one wish for my generation, it would be that everyone in my generation had gone to boot camp to push themselves physically and psychologically,” he said.

He emphasized the importance of shared experience for this generation of college students, too. “The things we have in common are more important than those that divide us…How can we make you better than us?  As good as my parents?  The answer is service.  It is going to make you better people, better citizens.”

In a wide-ranging talk that included stories from his more than 40 years covering wars in the Middle East and U.S. presidential elections, he also commented on the detrimental effects of political consultants on politics and the challenges facing today’s journalists.

“We’ve gotten to the point where people only hear what they want to hear,” he said.  “We moved from three channels to 1000.  If this has been the golden age of anything, it is the golden age of marketing.  We’ve retribalized ourselves.”

Five Wake Forest students had the opportunity to ask questions during the event. Shelby Smith, a senior political science major from Charlotte, asked about women’s place in the American Dream.  Klein responded, “We’re going to have a woman president pretty soon.  We’re going to be better off as women move into positions of power in this country.”

Marc Barnett, a philosophy major from Tennessee, asked how America can redefine the American Dream in a way that goes beyond the monetary.  Klein said moving the values of the military into mainstream society in other forms of service is one way.

Klein hit the road last year to find out what people in America were thinking outside the Washington Beltway. He traveled from New York to Los Angeles, and more recently, drove south to north, starting at the border in Laredo, Texas, and winding up in Iowa. Along the way, Klein met with politicians and community leaders as well as everyday people who invited him into their homes and businesses to talk about politics, politicians and the challenges facing America.

Klein’s speech was the kickoff for Wake Forest’s Rekindling the American Dream Conference, a symposium jointly sponsored by the music department and the politics and international affairs department.

The idea for the conference started with a conversation between David Coates, professor of politics and international affairs and Patricia Dixon, senior instructor in music.  Both immigrants, Coates from the United Kingdom and Dixon from Chile, they talked about what they could do to add to the quality of the debate around the elections.  They focused on exploring the history, character, present condition and future potential of the uniquely American vision of continuing prosperity and rising social mobility.

“We thought it was a good thing to combine a serious discussion of public policy with a celebration of the music of the American Dream,” Coates said.  “Rekindling the American Dream” brings together eminent speakers and performers who will build on Joe Klein’s discussion of the American pursuit of the prosperity.

Dixon teaches a first-year seminar, “Music of the American Dream,” this fall.

“Just because you are a music major, doesn’t mean you are not interested in politics. And, majoring in politics doesn’t mean you are not interested in the arts,” Coates said.  “We want people to be both socially sensitive and culturally aware.”

The event is part of Wake Forest’s Voices of Our Time speaker series, which recently featured Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles. Voices of Our Time brings to campus the world’s thought leaders—including scholars, scientists, writers, business and public policy leaders, activists and religious leaders—for discussions on the important national and international issues of our time.

While at Wake Forest, Klein also met with the editorial board of the student newspaper, Old Gold & Black, to share insights about the evolution of the journalism industry and wisdom from his years of on-the-ground reporting. He stressed the importance of political engagement among college students, said Old Gold & Black editor Meenu Krishnan. “And, he encouraged us not to lose hope in politics.”

If air travel is in your near future, put away that laptop and pick up a copy of U.S. Airways Magazine for your in-flight entertainment.

The October issue highlights Winston-Salem as its featured destination. An unprecedented 98-page spread positions the Twin City as a hub for arts and innovation, showcasing more than two dozen local educational institutions, arts and theater organizations, restaurants and other attractions – Wake Forest chief among them.

The University is featured prominently in an eight-page story immediately following the city’s introduction. “Educating the Whole Person … at Wake Forest University” calls attention to the combination of vision and values that make Wake Forest a destination and a journey. From our test-optional admissions policy to our spirit of entrepreneurship, the article captures the essence of the Wake Forest community’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, personal exploration and Pro Humanitate.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the Reynolda House Museum of American Art also have lengthy articles in the city’s profile.

Even if air travel is not on your itinerary, take a look at the digital edition to see all of the amazing opportunities Winston-Salem has to offer.

And if you can see yourself here, don’t wait. Schedule your campus visit today.