Framing Our Future: Introduction
Wake Forest’s bicentennial is within sight. For more than 189 years, this university has adapted to sweeping changes in our world and evolved with purpose to be one of the great institutions of higher education in the country.
Wake Forest is well positioned to address the complex issues facing higher education, including the financial uncertainty caused by global economic instability; questions about future enrollment trends caused by shifting demographics and the changing expectations of degree-seeking students and their families; evolving pressures on college athletics caused by a new legislative and competitive landscape; and physical space needs caused by aging facilities and infrastructure. While these tensions are not new to higher education, sustaining the University’s current success will require a strategic approach to leveraging recent investments and partnerships. We are at the beginning of an exciting journey for Wake Forest.
Framing our Future is our collective vision, formed through conversations with more than one thousand faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and friends from summer 2022 through summer 2023. In undertaking this unprecedented visioning exercise by the full Wake Forest community, the university affirmed its values and set its aspirations for its third century.
With Pro Humanitate as the inspiration, a series of thematic goals emerged into a strategic framework. The strategic framework provides structure to make decisions regarding where to invest to preserve distinctive value and inspire creativity. The goal of this work is to support Wake Forest’s mission, enhance its value, underscore the institution’s purpose and enable decisive responses to the changing needs of students and society. This process generated a clear collective vision that honors our deeply held values and elevates our ambitions to position Wake Forest to be a catalyst for good in society well into our third century and beyond.
Framing Our Future is a living document. The totality of work captured in these pages is best understood with complementary context and content on this dedicated website (framework.wfu.edu).