With its strategic plan, Wake Forest charted its path to staying comparable to its best peers, but keeping its priorities and culture distinct. In his annual State of the University speech, President Nathan Hatch outlined Wake Forest’s progress along that path.

President Nathan Hatch is involved in decisions at the highest levels of collegiate athletics and academics today. He recently sat down to discuss the latest developments in intercollegiate sports, leadership and academics.

Q: ACC Commissioner John Swofford acknowledged your pivotal role in bringing Notre Dame to the conference. Given your previous role as provost, dean and faculty member at Notre Dame, what is your unique perspective on this historic move and what does it means for Wake Forest?

A: It has been my distinct privilege to have grown up in the heart of ACC country and to have represented the fine institutions of Wake Forest University and the University of Notre Dame for most of my professional career. Personally, the convergence of these three things – Wake Forest, Notre Dame and the ACC – is quite terrific.

When the 4x4x4 committee¹ asked Clemson President Jim Barker and me to join John Swofford in discussions with Notre Dame, I was both honored and glad to do so. Whenever there are delicate negotiations, it helps when you know someone. I knew all the parties in this discussion and have a longstanding relationship with President John Jenkins.

As I said in the news conference, the institutions in the ACC and Notre Dame share a belief in the balance of academics, athletics and integrity. Keeping that strong blend is something we take particular pride in at Wake Forest. Bringing Notre Dame to the ACC only reinforces that distinctive. We believe in doing things right. We’re committed to the well-being of student-athletes. We are serious about becoming better universities.

In these ways and more, Notre Dame is an excellent fit for our conference, and I look forward to welcoming the Fighting Irish to Winston-Salem again. And since I have the floor, it’s worth noting that I also look forward to a Demon Deacon victory in South Bend on November 17.

Read more of President Hatch’s perspective in this USA Today article written by Tom O’Toole (’78, P ’07).

¹ The ACC’s 4x4x4 committee is comprised of four university presidents, four athletic directors and four faculty representatives, each from one of the ACC’s schools before Notre Dame’s joining the conference.

Q: “Academics, athletics and integrity.” What do you think the state of college athletics is today, and where does Wake Forest fit into that picture?

A: Many strains weigh on collegiate athletics today, including commercialism, winning at all costs, the treatment of student-athletes. At Wake Forest, athletics is a great source of pride, but we are also careful to keep it in its proper role within the greater institution. We have seen what can happen when this balance is not sustained.

There is a misinformed narrative that intercollegiate athletics today is worse than before. Rather, I believe that overall, college athletics is in a stronger position than ever before. Of course, when there are problems or scandals, they become so public in this interconnected age. But when you consider the NCAA’s ongoing reform efforts, continual improvements for student-athletes, and higher graduation rates, it paints a pretty good picture. For example, Wake Forest has the second highest percentage of varsity teams with perfect Graduation Success Rate scores in all of Division I sports. Our goal is to serve as a model for what intercollegiate athletics can be.

Read the NCAA profile on President Hatch’s longtime interest in sports.

Q: As chair of the NCAA Division I Board, what priorities will you focus on during your two-year term?

A: Under the leadership of President Mark Emmert, the NCAA has a reform agenda that began about a year ago. Reform efforts span academics, playing standards, transfer students, and perhaps most significantly, new baselines for what it means for teams to compete in NCAA championships. These are significant efforts.

In the coming year, the NCAA is streamlining its enforcement efforts by taking a 1,000-page rulebook and simplifying it drastically. The process of establishing core principles instead of focusing on minute details is complicated. In doing so, the NCAA hopes to make enforcement more transparent so that people will know the range of penalties for certain violations. It also will speed up related processes.

Right now, the NCAA is also doing a lot to improve the well-being of student-athletes. For example, there are serious efforts in football around the issue of head injuries. Wake Forest, in partnership with Virginia Tech, is a leader in this important area of research. For women’s athletics, ACL injuries are another area of focus. I certainly applaud those efforts and the national studies that assist individual colleges and universities in addressing these chronic issues with student-athletes.

Learn more about the Wake Forest and Virginia Tech’s research on head impact exposure in youth football from ESPN.

Q: You also currently serve as chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. What is your personal approach to leadership?

A: Max DuPree said, “The first job of a leader is to define reality.” That is, understanding where an organization is and where it needs to go. This includes having a vision and a collective sense of purpose.

I would add that getting the right people and building a collaborative team is also the sign of a good leader. I’m so blessed at Wake Forest to have strong leaders around me who work collaboratively. I’m convinced that teams of leaders together can do so much more than leaders working in isolation.

I often reflect upon Ralph Waldo Emerson’s certainty that “character is higher than intellect.” If university leaders are to fulfill our highest purpose, we must focus on educating whole people and framing issues of character. It’s a big challenge given the highly professionalized, specialized academic environment in which we live. At Wake Forest, we are trying to address these issues creatively because they are the heart of what we do.

Q: Character is central in educating the whole person, a great passion of yours. What other passions do you envision bringing to life on the Wake Forest campus over the next few years?

A: We have to challenge and encourage students to be able to focus, deliberate, and think deeply about things. In this world of digital connection, continuous partial attention and continual interruption, maintaining that kind of focus is difficult. I don’t think we will have really well-educated people and develop mature leaders unless students can learn to focus. It’s a passion of mine in some measure because I see how easily I can be distracted by a full range of digital connections.

Read President Hatch’s 2012 commencement speech, The Art of Conversation, on this topic.

We also need young people who don’t accept easy answers. I hope our students will read all sides of a position and, at times, agree with both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Communities of discourse tend to be internal. In other words, one person watches a certain channel with one point of view, while someone else watches another. The upcoming election is a great example. I would encourage students to listen to the best arguments of both sides, not just to caricatures one of the other.  This kind of cultural and political polarization is great danger in our society.  In this vein, I am delighted that Wake Forest is welcoming Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles to campus on September 25.

Finally, Wake Forest is looking at a broad range of issues relating to wellness and well-being. In keeping with our mission to educate the whole person, we want Wake Forest to be where they learn a lifestyle that helps them integrate complexities. Students today have never been under more stress, but this will also be true as they become young professionals. This year, we will talk more about how Wake Forest will help students develop habits of the body that include physical fitness and nutrition, as well as habits of mind that relieve stress and promote relaxation. If we can establish a culture that addresses those issues to and prompts young people to live healthfully – not just in body, but also in spirit – we will have done a great service to our students.

Q: Of course, academics are also central to educating the whole person.

A: I hope Wake Forest will be a place that continues to know the magic between great teachers and great pupils. There’s something about that kind of interaction that is at the heart of quality education. The President of Williams University recently wrote about the irreplaceable value of a student’s relationship with a “living, breathing professor” in The Wall Street Journal. I agree with his suggestion that there’s a deep correlation between improving the skills students really should develop in college – how to write clearly, communicate effectively, and think clearly, among them – and time spent between students and professors. I would hope we nurture great teachers so they can continue inspire students on an ongoing basis. That nexus is at the heart of what we do.

And it’s great to welcome Rogan Kersh (’86), back to Wake Forest as our new Provost and professor of politics and international affairs. Before his return to Wake Forest, Rogan has been a brilliant and captivating teacher at Yale, Syracuse and, most recently, at NYU. Rogan absolutely loves students, and he is a riveting lecturer and a wonderful scholar. He represents the very best of Wake Forest, and I look forward to his leadership of our academic life.

Get to know Provost Kersh.

Q: Do you have any advice for Wake Forest students?

A: Students need to break out of their comfort zone. It’s very easy to say, “I’m good at math or writing or I’m ‘this kind of person,’” and tailor one’s curriculum and social life according to perceived strengths. As I look at people who are really successful, transformative experiences ultimately become very helpful, and often those experiences are completely unexpected.

Say someone wants to go to Wall Street. Perhaps one summer, she should go to a third-world company and do something completely different than a track in finance. Or, if someone has avoided math, science or art, he should delve into those. That’s the beauty of the liberal arts environment Wake Forest offers. By expanding one’s mindset, a person begins to use muscles that previously haven’t been exercised, which can be both surprising and enriching. After all, isn’t that what college is all about?

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors has elected Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch as chair of the board.

The election took place today during the board’s first meeting of the 2012-2013 academic year. Effective immediately, the position is a two-year term that will run through August 2014.

“This is truly a transformative time in college athletics and Division I sports,” Hatch said. “The NCAA has taken up the challenge to raise academic standards, streamline its enforcement process, and ensure the well-being of student athletes. I am honored to be selected chair of this important body as we seek to address these important issues and work to uphold the ideals of collegiate athletics.”

The Division I Board of Directors is comprised of 18 presidents and chancellors representing different Division I conferences. Under the chair’s leadership, the board directs the affairs of the entire division and has final authority on all Division I matters.

Each NCAA division creates its own rules governing personnel, amateurism, recruiting, eligibility, benefits, financial aid, and playing and practice seasons – consistent with the overall governing principles of the association. Over the next year, Division I will continue reform efforts begun in 2011.

Hatch became president of Wake Forest in July 2005. He has represented the ACC on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors since April 2010 and has served on the Executive Committee since August 2010. Additionally, he was appointed to the Division I Bowl Licensing Task Force in May 2011.

In addition to the NCAA, Hatch has been a longtime active leader in American higher education and community affairs. He currently serves as chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and recently served on the board of the American Council on Education. As a board member of the United Way of Forsyth County, he also served as chairman of the 2010 United Way Campaign.

Stephen Prothero, an author and religious scholar named Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch’s “The Democratization of American Christianity” one of the five best books on religion and politics in the Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal prominently featured Wake Forest for its national leadership in making personal and career development a mission-critical component of the college experience.

The article, “Colleges Get Career-Minded,” appeared the day after commencement. It highlighted the relevance of Wake Forest’s Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise minor in today’s job market, the importance of engaging faculty in preparing students for life after college, and the demand for an ongoing national conversation as evidenced by the recent “Rethinking Success” conference on campus.

Andy Chan, Vice President for Personal and Career Development, and Lesley Gustafson (’12), a political science-computer science double major, were quoted in the article, which appeared on page A3.

Additionally, President Nathan Hatch was featured in a related WSJ blog post about the relevance of liberal arts to CEOs.

“The transition from college to career has always been difficult for students, and the world of work has been fundamentally transformed,” Hatch said. “I’m honored that The Wall Street Journal publicly recognized Wake Forest as a leader in creating a supportive ‘college-to-career’ community of faculty, parents and advisors. We believe personal and career development are integral in guiding and inspiring our students to lead lives of purpose.”

Neither wind, nor rain, nor the threat of lightning dampened the spirits of 30 Wake Forest students who, with tents, sleeping bags and pillows in hand, arrived at the home of Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch on Friday, March 23, for Camp Hatch 2012.

Now in its second year, Camp Hatch offers students the opportunity to camp out on the front lawn of the President’s home while enjoying food, games, and the chance to interact with Hatch and his wife, Julie, in an informal setting.

“Julie and I love to meet as many Wake Forest students as possible, and we prefer informal situations. This encourages a kind of give-and-take that helps us get to know them and the issues they are facing better,” said Hatch.

Camp Hatch Cup winners

Campers took part in the first-ever Camp Hatch Cup, a competition featuring a series of challenges, which put the contestants’ focus and concentration to the test. The winning team, who adopted the moniker, “Hatch’s Finest,” took home Camp Hatch Cup trophies.

Campers also enjoyed an outdoor screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on a giant, inflatable screen, made s’mores over an open fire and were invited to tour the President’s home.

Although the event was cut short due to inclement weather, students said Camp Hatch 2012 was a success. “I think Wake does an amazing job when it comes to breaking down the barriers that prevent students from feeling comfortable interacting with faculty and administrators. An event like Camp Hatch is just one example of many that make me realize how lucky I am to be a part of such a special and unique community,” senior Carrie Stokes said.

First-year student Nirali Vagadia agreed with Stokes’ sentiments, adding, “Wake Forest is truly like a family.”

Today, members of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) elected Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch as chair of its board of directors.

NAICU represents private, nonprofit colleges and universities on policy issues with the federal government, such as those affecting student aid, taxation, and government regulation. The chair is a four-year position responsible for convening the 44-member board, which governs an organization with more than 1,000 members nationwide.

“The vitality and diversity of private colleges and universities have long been distinctive of American life,” said Hatch. “Today these institutions face a wide range of challenges as they seek to serve students and the public more effectively.  It is a privilege to work together on important issues such as financial aid, access, and accountability.”

Hatch became Wake Forest’s 13th president on July 1, 2005. His leadership at Wake Forest has been characterized by achievements on four fronts: 1) clarifying Wake Forest’s mission and strategic plan; 2) assembling a remarkable team of leaders; 3) making significant realignments in business and medicine to better position the University; and 4) undertaking bold initiatives to make standardized tests optional for applicants and to develop new programs to educate the whole person.

Hatch is an active leader in American higher education and in local and community affairs. He recently served on the board of the American Council on Education, and he is currently a member of the Division I Board of Directors of the NCAA. He has also been very active in community development in Winston Salem. A board member of the United Way of Forsyth County, he also served as Chairman of the 2010 United Way Campaign. Most recently, he served as vice-chair of NAICU.

“President Hatch was selected by his peers because of his expertise in the field, proven leadership, and commitment to America’s college students,” said NAICU President David L. Warren. “He assumes his responsibilities at a time of great challenge and transformation for American higher education.”

NAICU has served as the unified national voice of independent higher education since 1976 and its member institutions enroll nine out of every 10 students attending private institutions. Today, through new communication technologies, an improved governance structure, and increased member participation, NAICU has become an even more effective and respected participant in the political process.

NAICU staff meets with policymakers, tracks campus trends, conducts research, analyzes higher education issues, publishes information, helps coordinate state-level activities, and advises members of legislative and regulatory developments with potential impact on their institutions. In addition, NAICU has spearheaded several major public initiatives, such as the Student Aid Alliance – an ambitious effort to enhance funding for existing student aid programs – and the nonpartisan National Campus Voter Registration Project that has helped member institutions conduct both voter education programs and campaigns to register students and employees in the last three congressional elections.

Wake Forest has appointed Rogan Kersh as the University’s new provost and professor of political science.  A Wake Forest alumnus, Kersh currently serves as the associate dean of academic affairs and professor of public policy at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Kersh will assume his new duties as Wake Forest’s chief academic officer with responsibility for supervising and administering the academic programs and plans of the university’s Reynolda Campus this summer.

Kersh will report directly to Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch.  He will supervise the deans of the undergraduate College, the Schools of Business, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Law, the School of Divinity and the Library.

“Wake Forest was my first academic home,” Kersh said. “During my undergraduate years and regular return visits to campus I developed an abiding devotion to the University; its faculty, students, and staff; and its traditions. I look forward to returning to my alma mater in a professional capacity.”

After graduating with a B.A. in political science from Wake Forest in 1986, Kersh earned two masters’ degrees and a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University, where he also began his teaching career. He taught political science and public administration at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University for ten years and has served in his current role at NYU since 2006. He also studies the U.S. health care policy system and is a nationally recognized expert on obesity. He is currently part of NYU faculty teams holding two separate National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants on obesity politics.

In addition to his professional credentials, Kersh brings to the position longstanding connections to Wake Forest. He served for more than a decade on the selection committee for the Reynolds, Carswell, and other named merit scholarships, traveling to Wake Forest each spring semester for a four-day selection event.  Kersh also served as an informal mentor to several of the scholar recipients during and after their time at Wake Forest, as well as graduates who enrolled in masters programs at NYU, Syracuse, and Yale.

“I cherish opportunities to represent Wake Forest,” Kersh said. Those opportunities have included representing Wake Forest as a Luce Scholar in Tokyo, Japan, and contributing to Provost Emeritus Ed Wilson’s fifth volume of the History of Wake Forest. “Twenty-five years after graduating, I remain immensely proud to be a Demon Deacon,” Kersh added.

He looks forward to the opportunity to meet with faculty, staff and students during his first months on the job to learn more about the University’s recent achievements and challenges. “I am eager to begin work with President Hatch and the extraordinary team he has assembled to advance a range of priorities, from enhancing faculty teaching and research activities to supporting a student-centered educational experience.”

A search committee chaired by  Hatch and composed primarily of faculty from Wake Forest’s academic units recommended Kersh’s appointment. He will become the fifth provost in Wake Forest’s history, succeeding Jill Tiefenthaler who served as provost from 2007 to 2011.

“The appointment of a provost is one of the most important decisions that a University president must make,” said Hatch. “Rogan brings recent and relevant leadership experience and a commitment to preserving the core values of Wake Forest while growing in new directions. He is a dynamic leader who has used his talents for teaching, strategic planning and administrative management to the benefit of every university he has served. I could not be more pleased to welcome him back to Wake Forest.”

Since taking the associate dean role at NYU Wagner, Kersh has been active in every aspect of the school’s operations, from strategic planning, budgeting, and fundraising to creating an undergraduate program and expanding the number of full-time faculty. He was also heavily involved in NYU governance, chairing or otherwise participating in approximately two dozen university committees and serving on the team responsible for NYU’s expansive global network. Heavily involved in student life, Kersh and his wife, Sara Pesek, currently live among students in a residential community at NYU.

“Dr. Hatch and the search committee have identified a great candidate in Dr. Kersh,” said board of trustees chair Jim Williams. “Rogan possesses an excellent combination of leadership, talent, and knowledge of Wake Forest. I look forward to working with him in the years ahead.”

Kersh is active in the wider public-policy and political-science profession. He has worked with NYU colleagues to advance social justice and diversity issues at the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Two years ago he was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.  Kersh currently serves as president of the American Political Science Association’s organized section on health politics and policy.

Hundreds of Wake Forest students, faculty, staff, alumni and local dignitaries were in attendance to celebrate the grand opening of the University’s new Uptown Charlotte campus during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 26.

Speakers at the event included: Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch, Dean of Business and retired chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Steve Reinemund, Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon, District 1 City Council Member Patsy Kinsey and Charlotte Chamber of Commerce President Bob Morgan.

“We are committed to providing nothing less than the highest quality of education,” Reinemund said, “and the programs and services offered here are designed specifically to develop the ethical, engaged and visionary leaders that will keep Charlotte thriving.”

Reinemund also reminded the crowd: “We are not moving to Charlotte. We are relocating within Charlotte.”

Wake Forest began offering classes in Charlotte in the Morrocroft Centre in the SouthPark Neighborhood in 1995 with 30 students in one MBA program. Today, there are two Charlotte-based MBA programs, offered either weekday evenings or Saturdays, with more than 200 total students.

The Wake Forest MBA for working professionals is the top-ranked program of its kind in North Carolina and in the top 10 percent nationally, according to the latest U.S. News and World Report ranking.

The Wake Forest University Charlotte Center, located at 200 N. College Street, provides much needed space for the more than 6,000 Wake Forest alumni who call Charlotte home.

President Nathan Hatch, the Demon Deacon and Dean Steve Reinemund

“Charlotte is the home of the greatest number of Wake Forest graduates of any city in America,” said Hatch. “It is also one of the most dynamic cities in America.”

Cannon and Kinsey presented a proclamation from Charlotte Mayor Anthony R. Foxx declaring the day as “Wake Forest Day” in the city, lauding the new Uptown location as being “designed with the Charlotte community in mind, offering state-of-the-art communication and learning technology and a facility available for rental by local groups.”

“Wake Forest University Charlotte Center is yet another example of stellar higher education institutions choosing to move to Charlotte,” Morgan said. “The business community appreciates not only the educational needs this campus will provide to our citizens and workforce, but also the many jobs it will bring over time to our economy.”

After the ribbon cutting, guests were invited to tour the new space.

Gloria Hayes Emery’s daughter, Mandy, will graduate from Wake Forest in 2013. Emery was impressed by the space and thought her daughter would be as well. “If this doesn’t inspire you to study then I don’t know what would,” she said.

Wake Forest alumna Erin Kerr (’10) said the space was very inviting. “It has a great flow,” she said. “Very conducive to collaboration.”

The Wake Forest University Charlotte Center in Uptown features 30,000 square feet of collaborative and innovative space equipped with state-of-the-art technology such as SMART® Boards, LCD screens and web enabled video cameras inside the classrooms. The boardroom features two-way video conferencing, and silent Skyfold® walls add versatility to multipurpose areas.

Tina Carper started the Evening MBA program at the South Park campus before beginning classes at the new Charlotte Center location a couple weeks ago.

“The new space is much bigger,” she said. “The meeting rooms and flexibility of the space are a big benefit. This is an awesome development for Wake to have this visibility in Charlotte.”

President Nathan Hatch doesn’t often drive a Harley Davidson into Joel Coliseum or serenade his wife, Julie, while playing the part of the Phantom of the Opera on stage, white mask and cape in tow.

But Hatch has done both at the President’s Ball, and now Wake Forest is invited to see him take center stage again on Friday at the fourth biennial President’s Ball.

The President’s Ball began in 2006 when Hatch became Wake Forest’s 13th president. Several student leaders wanted to organize a formal event as an official welcome, and the President’s Ball was born.

“The Ball is special for Julie and me because it was a main way we were introduced to Wake Forest and continues to be such a festive occasion,” Hatch said. “The best thing about the Ball is that it brings so many of our community together.”

This year’s event will feature the band Hip Pocket in the main arena, a jazz room filled with the sweet sounds of “Swing On,” waiters offering guests hors d’oeuvres such as crab cakes and signature mocktails, a dance-floor lounge area and décor centered on this year’s ’50s Yacht Club theme.

The public relations committee collaborated with Hatch to produce a series of parody videos, based off the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” ads, to promote the Ball.

The President’s Ball will be held Friday, October 14. The entire Wake Forest community is invited to attend. For more information (including transportation details), visit http://wfupresidentsball.com/.