Big moment on campus
“Wake Will: The Campaign for Wake Forest” represents the largest mobilization of support for the mission of Wake Forest in the institution’s 179-year history.
Wake Forest University and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will significantly increase their impact on the region, the nation and the world by investing $1 billion over the next five years to strengthen and renew their ability to carry out their respective missions.
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With the help of alumni, parents and friends, the University will invest $600 million in students, faculty and enhancements to campus life. Wake Forest Baptist will invest $400 million in its mission of patient care, research and education.
“The Wake Forest promise – to create, educate and inspire – is the driving force behind our charge to educate the next generation of leaders, men and women who are smart, well-grounded, who know themselves and something about this marvelously complex world; and who are eager to make a difference,” said Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch. “From our founders to our class of 2017, the unspoken expectation of all Wake Foresters has been to use their talents and ingenuity to lead lives that matter.”
Don Flow toasts the crowd as he kicks off the Wake Will campaign. Flow is the chair of the Board of Trustees and of the campaign.
Approximately 400 campaign volunteers, donors, alumni and friends gathered Thursday night to celebrate the public announcement of the campaign.
The University is already halfway to its goal with approximately $315 million raised toward the $600 million mark. Wake Forest Baptist has raised more than $133 million and will publicly launch its complementary campaign once half of its $400 million goal has been reached.
The campaign will focus on several key priorities, including:
- Student scholarships and financial aid
- Endowed faculty chairs, professorships and resources necessary to attract and retain top talent
- World-class facilities
- Faculty and student programming
Donald Flow, Chairman and CEO of the Flow Companies based in Winston-Salem, chairs Wake Forest’s Board of Trustees and also serves as the chair of the campaign.
“Now is the time to celebrate and grow the culture of philanthropy that makes the Wake Forest experience possible,” said Flow. “With the help of alumni, parents and friends, Wake Forest will create opportunity, educate the whole person and inspire excellence for generations to come.”
Retired professor Doug Bailey (left) and Bentrice Jusu (’13) during the celebration on Thursday night
Taylor Anne Adams, a senior from Houston, Texas, will serve as the student chair for the campaign. “I am so excited to be the student leader of ‘Wake Will,’” Adams said. “Over the course of the campaign, we will all have opportunities to share our enthusiasm and love of Wake Forest with our alumni, parents, and friends, and thank them for their support that makes the Wake Forest experience possible.”
The campaign website, wakewill.wfu.edu, launched Oct. 17 with details about priorities, the President’s vision, and Wake Forest facts and figures. The site also features stories about Wake Forest professors, students and alumni and the extraordinary work they are doing.
Information about the campaign will also be shared through social media using the hashtag #WakeWill.
Categories: Alumni, Campus Life, Happening at Wake, Transformative Giving, University Announcements
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