WFU in the news: Sept. 5-11

FEATURED NEWS

U.S. News ranks Wake Forest among top 30 universities
U.S. News & World Report
In U.S. News and World Report’s 2022-23 Best Colleges, Wake Forest ranked among the top 30 national universities for the 27th consecutive year. The University was 29th overall among 443 national universities and was ranked 21st for undergraduate teaching. “Wake Forest is among the nation’s best at delivering on the promise of an exceptional education, and I am pleased to see that commitment to excellence recognized,” said President Susan R. Wente. “We know our position in the rankings is anchored by the extraordinary teaching and scholarship of our faculty across the University, and the academic success of the talented students Wake Forest enrolls.” –9/12/2022

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Triumph of the “rejection”
By Gerardo Lissard | BBC
That three out of five Chileans (62%) voted against the text of the new constitution proposed in Sunday’s plebiscite has come as a surprise even to experts such as politics professor Peter Siavelis. A scholar of Chile, Siavelis warns that it would be a mistake to read that vote as the shipwreck of the process of constitutional change in the South American country. “People want a new constitution, but one that is more representative of the entire range of political opinion in Chile.” – 9/05/2022

To bet or not to bet: Washington to decide whether voters can wager on elections
By Declan Harty | POLITICO
Americans are not new to election markets, with betting going back well over 150 years, according to economics professor Koleman Strumpf, who researches prediction markets. In the 1916 presidential election alone, the equivalent of more than $276 million in today’s dollars was wagered, according to a paper by Strumpf and University of Michigan economics professor Paul Rhode. “People have been interested in betting on elections as long as the country has had elections. There’s always been an underground tradition in the U.S.” – 9/05/2022

Political prediction markets are an antidote to degraded public discourse
By Koleman Strumpf and Harry Crane | Chicago Tribune Opinion
In this opinion piece economics professor Koleman Strumpf discusses the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s withdrawal of its no-action letter from Victoria University of Wellington, which since 2014 has been allowed to operate the political prediction market PredictIt. – 9/06/2022

We’re not as good (or bad) as we think we are
By Lee C. Camp | Tokens Podcast
Philosophy professor Christian Miller discusses if people are really as good as they think we are. Miller is the director of the Honesty Project, funded by grants totaling $4.6 million from the John Templeton Foundation. The project examines the virtue of honesty from the perspectives of philosophy and the empirical study of honesty. – 9/08/2022

Pushed online in pandemic, women of color find safe spaces for faith and healing
Religion News Service
Rev. Melva Sampson, a minister in the Progressive National Baptist Convention and assistant professor of preaching and practical theology at Wake Forest School of Divinity said, that the church “allows women to engage and practice and stand and speak from their own lived experiences, validating them in a way that traditional religious faith has not.” – 9/08/2022

LOCAL

Triad tourists in England react to the queen’s death
By Louie Tran | WXII-TV (Winston Salem, NC)
WXII 12 News talked with people from the Triad who are currently visiting England after they learned about the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Wake Forest junior Rachel Gauthier said when she learned about the Queen’s death as she just began her study abroad trip in the UK at the University’s Worrel House. “It was very surreal. It’s such a moment of change. It’s a moment of loss. It’s the end of an era.” – 9/08/2022

Experts weigh in on 70 years of history that Queen Elizabeth II ruled over
By Grace Holland | WFMY-TV (Greensboro, NC)
Politics professor Mark Vail said, “Queen Elizabeth is one of the most stable, effective and ultimately beloved monarchs in British history. The idea that we were all in this together is something that Queen Elizabeth was very effective at conveying. It’s something from which and I think about which Americans could learn a lot.” – 9/08/2022

Queen Elizabeth II was symbol of national unity, Wake Forest professor says
By Michael Hewlett | Winston-Salem Journal
Queen Elizabeth II was a symbol of British national unity and purpose and her loss will be keenly felt throughout the world, said politics professor Mark Vail. “Her death will represent a challenge for Britain to see if the monarchy, which has been tarnished by scandal, can regain some of its lost luster.” – 9/09/2022

Juniors Kate Upchurch, Evan Souza and Syndnie Cockerham, who are studying abroad this semester at the University’s Worrell House in London also commented for this piece.

Face to Face Speaker Forum returns to Wake Forest University
WXII-TV (Winston Salem, NC)
Sue Henderson, executive director of Face to Face, spoke with WXII on the upcoming event with George W. Bush and Jon Meacham. “What’s differentiating to our series is we pay a lot of attention to who we choose as a moderator. To have the two of them together will be a special evening for folks to remember.” – 9/08/2022

Piedmont Triad events commemorate 9/11 terror attacks
WXII-TV (Winston Salem, NC)
Wake Forest University’s ROTC will host their Climb to Remember 6 a.m. on Saturday, Sept 10 at Truist Field. The Winston-Salem Community is invited to come out and participate in climbing 2,997 steps which represents the lives of families, friends and loved ones that were lost during the tragic incident. – 9/09/2022

As pandemic changes, so, too, are NC A&T, UNCG and other area schools this fall
By Annette Ayres | Greensboro News & Record
The Greensboro News & Record published a roundup story about how area colleges and universities are approaching COVID this fall. “Due to changes in testing, reporting, contact tracing and the reduced severity of the disease among a highly-vaccinated community, the number of positive cases is no longer a useful indicator of the overall health of our campus,” said Cheryl Walker, a spokeswoman for Wake Forest. “The dashboard previously served as a tool when we were managing a crisis.” – 9/08/2022

WAKE FOREST NEWS

What’s ahead for the British monarchy?
By Cheryl V. Walker | Wake Forest News
Queen Elizabeth II was a symbol of national unity and purpose, said politics professor Mark Vail, and one that will be difficult to replace. In this Q&A, Vail, an expert on British political economy and political and economic history, explains the challenges facing the British monarchy, why Americans should care about the monarchy, and how the monarchy influences international relations. – 9/09/2022

WFU Secrest Artists Series presents six artists for the 2022-23 season
By Kim McGrath | Wake Forest News
The Secrest Artists Series has a long and distinguished history of presenting, to the campus of Wake Forest and to the surrounding community, performing artists of national and international reputation. All events begin at 7:30 p.m. Each event is usually accompanied by a pre-concert talk and/or a residency activity by the artist. Wake Forest University and Medical School faculty, staff and retirees receive free admission for themselves and one guest to each Secrest Artists Series performance. Admission is free for WFU students with ID. – 9/06/2022