The Visioning Process

Shaping the Future of Academic Excellence

At Wake Forest University, we are committed to fostering research and scholarship that address society’s most pressing challenges.

Through the Visioning Process, we are working to develop ambitious aspirations for five areas of excellence identified in our Strategic Framework. These areas will build upon Wake Forest’s academic strengths, enhance interdisciplinary collaboration, expand experiential learning opportunities, reimagine our community partnerships, and position the University as a leader in transformative research.

The focus on developing these areas of distinction is in addition to, and not to the exclusion of, Wake Forest’s commitment to excellence in teaching and research across the University.

Purpose

The strategic framework working groups detailed a range of concerns and suggestions for improving support, recognition, and infrastructure for research, scholarship, and experiential learning. We are working to address these complex issues at the Provost and school level. Now, we invite the University community to take the next step: co-creating a visionary future for Wake Forest research, scholarship, and creative work.

True to our belief that education is both knowledge and action, the cross-school and cross-disciplinary initiatives that emerge from this process have the potential to be transformative for learning and research on our campus as well as for our partnerships with local and global communities. Integration of efforts by teams composed of faculty, staff, and students across disciplines university-wide will be essential for our success. These interdisciplinary teams will include natural and basic scientists, business and policy leaders, humanists, artists, engineers, anthropologists, theologians, historians, ethicists, story-tellers, and human health experts among others.

Guiding Principles

• Collaboration Across Disciplines: Research thrives when scholars from diverse fields come together to tackle big questions.
• Impact Beyond Campus: Our research should drive innovation, inform policy, and serve communities at local and global levels.
• Commitment to Excellence: This process reinforces Wake Forest’s dedication to rigorous inquiry across all academic fields.

Why Now?

Why now, when higher ed is increasingly under threat?  Times of threat and insecurity are often the most important times to reaffirm our values and aspirations.  The challenge becomes more clear, and the solutions may end up being even more aspirational, innovative, and personal.  

Where do we want to see WFU make a difference in our strategic framework areas of academic excellence in 20 years?  How can we be unique in our contributions to this field?  What is our vision, and what will we need to achieve it?