From researching regenerative medicine in Sweden to teaching in Vietnam, 11 Wake Forest students and recent graduates have been awarded Fulbright scholarships to go abroad during the 2013-1014 academic year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program — the most prestigious international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government — offers opportunities for students and young professionals to conduct research or teach English in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Jason Green (’13) of White Plains, N.Y., will conduct regenerative medicine research in Sweden, and Diane Hazel (’05) of Washington, D.C., will study law in Namibia.

Nine students were awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships and will be teaching English abroad:

• Sal Badillo (’13) of Tampa, Fla. is teaching in Spain
• Theodore Barton (’13) of Pinon Hills, Calif., is teaching in Poland
• Amanda Cain (’13) of Alexandria, Va., is teaching in Vietnam
• Elizabeth Cannon (’13) of Atlanta, Ga., is teaching in South Korea
• Carter Kenyon (’13) of Brentwood, Tenn., is teaching in Germany
• Carleigh Morgan (’12) of Greensboro, N.C., is teaching in Turkey
• Annie Ornelles (’11) of Winston-Salem, N.C., is teaching in Andorra
• Becky Perry (’13) of Monroe, N.C., is teaching in Germany
• Renee Slawsky (’13) of Knoxville, Tenn., is teaching in Russia

Including the 11 named here, 83 Wake Forest graduates or students have been named Fulbright scholars since 1992.

Two students who were recommended by the U.S. Fulbright committee to the host committees in other countries are currently listed as alternates for English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) abroad:

• Molly King (’13) for Ecuador
• Ken Meyer (’13) for Turkey

Maggie Rodgers (’13) is an alternate for the Fulbright ETA to Germany. She is the recipient of an Austrian Fulbright Commissions ETA for 2013-14.

One Wake Forest graduate, Paige Haynes (’11), was chosen as an alternate to conduct political science research in Poland.

A senator, a humanitarian and a banker received the University’s 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of their extraordinary service to Wake Forest, their field, humanity or society.  Richard Burr (’78), Jane Cage (’78) and Graham Denton Jr. (’67) were honored.  Read their individual stories and watch videos presented at the awards ceremony April 19.

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.

For the first time in the history of Wake Forest debate, three teams made the sweet 16 out of 78 teams in the National Debate Tournament.

“This was a historic year for Wake Forest debate that signals the start of another successful chapter in our long history,” says Jarrod Atchison, assistant professor of communication and director of debate. “With one national championship this year and four of the six debaters from the sweet sixteen National Debate Tournament returning next year, we are very excited about the future and the overall direction of the squad efforts.”

Another debate highlight: Wake Forest received the award for being ranked fourth in the nation going into the National Debate Tournament — an award recognizing the entire season’s performance.

Read more about the debate team in Wake Forest Magazine’s story: “Think Hard, Think Fast. Yikes!” (Spring 2013 Issue)

Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Wake Forest’s undergraduate business program No. 1 in the nation for academic quality and among the top 20 programs overall for the fifth consecutive year. “The Best Undergraduate Business Schools” ranking report was released on March 20.

Melissa Rogers, who teaches in Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity, has been named the new director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Rogers has led the Center for Religion and Public Affairs at Wake Forest University School of Divinity since 2004. The Center has promoted research, study and dialogue regarding the intersection of religion and public affairs.

Rogers has taught courses on church-state relations. In the fall, she taught “Christianity and Public Policy” with divinity school faculty member James Dunn. Perry Dixon, a divinity school student in the class, wrote about his experiences in this blog.

“The context she has given our students in D.C. has been invaluable,” said Gail O’Day, dean of the School of Divinity. “Every year, they get to meet with the ‘A’ list of movers and shakers in D.C., and it has had a lasting impact on our students. They are much more sophisticated about the ways religious leadership and politics intersect. Melissa has been a good guide for them for the important issues of church and state that are often so complicated in the U.S.”

Because of her teaching at Wake Forest, Rogers has a lot more experience with what “religion on the ground looks like,” O’Day says. “The questions that School of Divinity students ask have given her a glimpse into what is important to today’s religious leaders.”

In a statement posted March 15 on the White House web site, Rogers says, “I’m honored to be appointed s the director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. … It is a privilege to serve President Obama and my fellow Americans by forging and promoting a wide range of effective partnerships to help people in need.”

Rogers also serves as a nonresident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution and has held other leadership roles focused on religion and public policy. She previously served as the executive director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her chair of the first Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She has testified before the Constitution Subcommittees of the Judiciary Committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

In 2010, Wake Forest’s Center for Religion and Public Affairs released a statement titled Religious Expression in American Life:  A Joint Statement of Current Law.

“As happy as we are for her and for the country, it will be a great loss for us,” O’Day says.  “We will look for new ways to partner with her in her new role.”

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.

The Wake Forest Schools of Business Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program continues to boast a 100 percent job placement rate and attract candidates from across the country and around the world.

Victoria “Tori” Stewart grew up in Medina, Ohio, and was initially attracted to Wake Forest as an undergraduate student.

“During my junior year of high school, my dad and I researched a lot of schools.  We were looking somewhere toward the South, and we wanted a good business school.  I visited a lot of schools in North Carolina and South Carolina, but I just fell in love with Wake Forest’s campus,” she said.

Stewart didn’t specifically come for the accounting program, but she quickly learned that was the place for her.

“I’ve always been a math person,” said Stewart.  “Once I was accepted into the Schools of Business, the accounting program just really seemed attractive with its internship program, high job placement and success rate on the CPA exam.”

One of the draws of the Wake Forest MSA program is a required nine- to 10-week professional internship, typically conducted during a student’s second semester of study. The internship has proven not only to deepen students’ understanding of their coursework but enhance full-time job opportunities.

Accountancy graduate student Tori Stewart (’12, MSA ’13) stands outside Kirby Hall.

“I completed an internship with PwC [PricewaterhouseCoopers] in Charlotte, which gave me the opportunity to work directly with three of their clients,” says Stewart. “It was an awesome experience to work for a Big 4 accounting firm while still a student, and at the completion of my internship I accepted an offer to work for PwC full-time after I graduate this year.”

In a market where finding a job is of paramount concern, every 2012 graduate of the MSA program received and accepted a job offer prior to graduation, with many choosing among multiple offers.  In Stewart’s case, in addition to having accepted an offer from PwC, she is currently in the running for a spring internship with the Financial Accounting Standards Board post-graduate technical assistant program.

A large draw to Wake Forest’s program is the 100 percent placement rate it boasts for nearly every year since the first class graduated in 1997. The vocational success of Wake Forest MSA graduates is hardly surprising, given that Wake Forest has held down the top pass rate on the CPA exam a record 10 times, including in 2012. Last year, Wake Forest’s pass rate exceeded the pass rates at 792 other institutions with 10 or more candidates sitting for the exam.

Wake Forest University, which also boasts the #1 pass rate for large programs, is considered a premier recruiting school for the Big 4 accounting firms. Wake Forest MSA graduates draw an average starting salary of more than $53,000, and under the “MSA Advantage” program, they also have the opportunity to further advance their careers by completing an MBA degree at Wake Forest in just 12 months.

“The success and growth of our accounting program over the roughly 25 years I’ve been here boils down to what I would describe as a restless pursuit of excellence,” said Jack Wilkerson, Professor of Accountancy and Senior Associate Dean, Accountancy Programs. “The faculty, staff, students, and alumni of this program refuse to take our successes for granted. This characteristic permeates, epitomizes, and describes our culture better than any other feature of our program.”

The MSA program is AACSB accredited in business, with a special accreditation in accounting. Students in the MSA program have the option of specializing in one of three career tracks: Assurance Services, Tax Consulting and Financial Transaction Services. They can also take courses in other areas of interest, including business, law and entrepreneurship.

“I truly believe Wake’s MSA program is the quintessential accounting program,” says Stewart. “It combines excellent faculty with a demanding curriculum, an internship requirement and thorough CPA exam preparation, making it ideal for diligent students committed to learning. I will graduate confident that Wake has prepared me well for the working world.”

Wake Forest is currently accepting applications for admission to the Master of Science in Accountancy program. Learn more at business.wfu.edu/msa.

During the past year, Wake Forest welcomed a new provost, launched a new home for its business school in Charlotte and began construction on two new residence halls. Find out what other milestones marked this year at the University.