WFU to celebrate inauguration of Susan R. Wente as 14th president

Wake Forest will celebrate the inauguration of Susan R. Wente as the University’s 14th president with a five-day series of events promoting service and showcasing the University.

Representatives from around the country will gather at Wake Forest to participate in a celebration of academic achievement, leadership and community.

Some events are open to invited guests only, while others are open to faculty, staff and students.

See the presidential inauguration website for a full schedule of events.

Wente’s installation ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 25, in Wait Chapel.

The formal ceremony will include University Trustees, delegates from higher education institutions, government officials, alumni, faculty, staff, students and other guests. Wake Forest faculty and invited delegates will process into the chapel wearing academic regalia. Wente will present an inaugural address at the installation ceremony, following formal greetings delivered by speakers who will include Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines and Winston-Salem State University Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson.

Admission to the installation ceremony is by invitation only and the event will be livestreamed for the community. A limited number of seats at the event have been reserved for the news media.

On Friday morning, a Community Breakfast will be held for Wake Forest faculty, staff and invited guests on Manchester Plaza.

Earlier in the week, inauguration festivities will begin with campus-wide community service projects on Wednesday, March 23, to demonstrate the University’s motto, Pro Humanitate. Throughout the day, campus community members and inauguration guests are invited to kit-packing gatherings that will benefit Campus Kitchen, the homeless and area schools.

Events for faculty, staff, students and invited guests will also include: an Inaugural Ball at Joel Coliseum, academic forums and special faculty presentations. Throughout the week, a number of other activities will be taking place, including exhibits, open houses, a Sunday worship service, and tours conducted by faculty and students.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Library’s exhibit “Pro Humanitate: Wake Forest Presidential Inaugurations, Past and Present” will display programs, photographs and other memorabilia from March 21 through June 30, 2023.

A Face to Face Inauguration Forum will feature a conversation between Larry Culp, CEO of General Electric, and Eugene Woods, CEO of Atrium Health, discussing radical collaboration. The event will be moderated by Wake Forest Trustee Marybeth Torbet Hays.

Wente took office as Wake Forest’s President on July 1, 2021. A renowned biomedical scientist and visionary higher education leader, Wente served as Vanderbilt’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs before joining Wake Forest. She is the first woman to lead Wake Forest in its 188-year history.

The inauguration of a University president is a rare event at Wake Forest with the most recent taking place 17 years ago in 2005.