WFU in the news: May 8-15, 2023

FEATURED NEWS

Wake Forest graduates more than 2,000 at Monday’s commencement
By Lisa O’Donnell | Winston-Salem Journal
Commencement speaker Kathy Killian Noe (’80), who has spent her life providing “radical hospitality” to people living in the margins, encouraged graduates to go out into the world and use their power for good.

“You understand that what gives purpose and meaning to life is not what we get, but what we give. But today, you enter more fully into a dominant culture hellbent on convincing you that life is about acquiring more and more of what will never satisfy your deepest longings,” said Noe (’80), founder of the Recovery Café network. – 5/15/2023

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Is it true that ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’?
By Laura Newberry | Los Angeles Times
In this Q&A, psychology professor Eranda Jaywickreme answers questions about post-traumatic growth. “It’s not clear whether when people report that they have changed for the better that they’re reporting actual change, or whether they’re reporting a self-enhanced assessment of how much they think they’ve changed. One question I’m very interested in is the extent to which people’s reports represent socially desirable ways of thinking.” – 5/09/2023

New report shows capitalism still popular and that’s a good thing
By Adam Millsap | Forbes
In a report published by the Center for the Study of Capitalism at Wake Forest University, authors Christina Elson and Kylie King examine how well people think capitalism is working. They asked a representative sample of 1,600 Americans aged 18 and older to answer various questions about capitalism and America’s economy. They call their headline finding the Capitalism Satisfaction Barometer and it is modeled on the Net Promoter Score (NPS) methodology commonly used by marketers. – 5/02/2023

REGIONAL & TRADE

Wake Forest School of Law takes big jumps in U.S. News & World Report rankings
By Daniel P. Finnegan | Triad Business Journal
The U.S. News & World Report, facing pushback from many of the country’s top universities, made significant changes to its law school and medical school rankings this year. And the Triad’s two law schools were among the biggest beneficiaries. Wake Forest University’s School of Law made one of the biggest jumps in the new law school rankings, moving from 37th last year to a tie for 22nd in this year’s rankings. –5/12/2023

NIH grant will fund next steps of research on dance and brain health
By Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist | Triad Business Journal
Wake Forest University and Wake Forest University School of Medicine will receive $3 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help researchers take the next steps in nearly a decade of research that indicates dance can promote cognitive health. – 5/14/2023

LOCAL

Community Milestones
Winston-Salem Journal
The Pulitzer Center has selected junior Una Wilson as Wake Forest’s 2023 Reporting Fellow. She will receive a $3,000 stipend to report on the impact of community gardens on poor communities near Mumbai, India. “Unstable construction of tightly packed buildings, poor sanitation, and polluted water and air pose serious human health risks, including malnutrition, disease and death,” she said. – 5/13/2023

Innovation Quarter had $1.66 billion economic impact on Forsyth County, report says
By Richard Craver | Winston-Salem Journal
The research and product development occurring within downtown Winston-Salem’s Innovation Quarter produced an overall $1.66 billion economic impact in Forsyth County during fiscal 2022. IQ is a key part of the local Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Wake Forest University School of Medicine systems.–  5/10/2023