Outstanding physicians awarded Medallion of Merit
Two widely respected leaders in the medical field received Wake Forest’s Medallion of Merit during the University’s Founders Day celebration Thursday, Feb. 19. Dr. Julie Ann Freischlag, a vascular surgeon, educator and senior executive whose leadership has shaped academic medicine and guided Wake Forest’s educational health system, and Dr. J. Wayne Meredith (MD ’78), a…Categories: Awards & Recognition, Pro Humanitate, University Announcements
In 2021, Wake Forest’s Dr. J. Wayne Meredith (MD ’78) and Julie Ann Freischlag made history by becoming the first two physicians from the same institution to serve back-to-back as presidents of the American College of Surgeons. On Thursday, Wake Forest University will bestow them each with the Medallion of Merit, the University’s highest honor,…
Wake Forest University is launching a new study away program in Charlotte for sophomores and juniors that will integrate rigorous academic inquiry with high-impact professional experience. The program is designed to allow students to explore the intersections between business and the liberal arts. The first cohort in 2027 will tackle subjects ranging from the modern…
Ballet dancer, author and founder Misty Copeland, who made history as the first Black woman to become a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, will deliver Wake Forest University’s commencement address on Monday, May 18. The ceremony will take place on Hearn Plaza and begins at 9 a.m. Copeland began her ballet studies at…
The German Men’s National Team has selected Winston-Salem as its home base for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, choosing Wake Forest University and The Graylyn Estate as its official training site and team headquarters – bringing one of the world’s premier soccer programs to the Triad and placing Winston-Salem on an international stage. As part…
The Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Open Doors 2025 report—published on Nov. 17 and considered the world's benchmark for global educational exchange—showed that 85.7% of Wake Forest undergraduates received credit for study abroad in the 2023-24 academic year and summer of 2024, placing Wake Forest fourth on the list of leading doctoral universities. "The high…
Beth Norbrey & Larry D. Hopkins Hall isn’t just a building, their son David said at the dedication of the residence hall on Saturday, Oct. 25. “It’s about legacy. It’s about what it looks like to open doors for others, even when you had to break them down yourself.” Beth Hopkins ('73) has had a…
The Board of Trustees announced the launch of a national search for Wake Forest University’s next president. Earlier this month, President Susan R. Wente announced plans to step down at the end of June 2026. A message was sent today to the Wake Forest community from Jeanne Whitman Bobbitt, chair of the Wake Forest Board…
Dr. Susan R. Wente announced today that she will step down as Wake Forest University’s president on June 30, 2026. She has served as Wake Forest’s 14th president and a Distinguished University Professor of Biology and Biochemistry since July 2021. 
NOTE: Questions from prospective students and families should be directed to admissions@wfu.edu. Questions from media should be directed to media@wfu.edu. Wake Forest University announced today that undergraduates from North Carolina with annual family incomes less than $200,000 will attend tuition-free, beginning for students admitted for the 2026 fall semester. For North Carolina students with an…