Letter from President Susan Wente

Dear friends,

If you have been on our campus recently, you may have seen signs that read “Our Motto Means More.” Since 1908, the Wake Forest seal has included the words: “Pro Humanitate,” which translates roughly to “For Humanity.” Over the last seven years, the Program for Leadership and Character has revealed as well as inspired our community’s commitment to living out our motto – on campus and in the world.  

The work of educating character – and developing our own character – is important but not always easy. Trust in institutions, in facts, and in each other can feel elusive. A skeptical public sometimes wonders: What is the role of a college or a university? We at Wake Forest believe that educating leadership, character, and integrity is at the core of what we do and who we are.  This commitment is not an add-on, after-thought, or something that we tell each other to feel good about ourselves. It informs how we recruit prospective students, inspires faculty teaching and scholarship, and animates student programming.  Pro Humanitate isn’t just a motto. It means more. It is an aspiration that we strive to infuse into everything we do. 

As the work of the Program has expanded from the College to the professional schools and now, through the Educating Character Initiative, to other institutions, we have been pleased to see the varied and creative approaches that are being deployed to prepare students to live –  and lead – with integrity.  These new and expanding efforts in character education remind us there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Institutions become stronger – and serve their students and their communities better – when they recognize that understanding their differences can lead to better outcomes, a truth that was on full display during the December 2024 “Educating Character Across Differences” conference. 

Our efforts to educate leaders of character are only possible because of the imagination and dedication of those featured in these pages, as well as the many individuals and foundations whose guidance and generosity support this work at Wake Forest and beyond. Thank you for being a part of this transformative endeavor.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Wente, Ph.D.
President
Distinguished University Professor of Biology and Biochemistry
Wake Forest University