Issues of social justice, diversity and inclusion; issues of fair and effective law enforcement; and issues that require institutional and cultural change require our collective and sustained effort. Five years ago, Wake Forest embarked on a strategic plan to enhance diversity and inclusion on campus. Dozens of engaged Wake Foresters – students, faculty, and staff – helped shape the plan, and numerous offices across campus have continued to collaborate to ensure its success.

Today, Wake Forest has its most diverse student body ever. In fact, according to The New York Times ranking of the most economically diverse top colleges, Wake Forest is among the 10 fastest changing universities in the country. By its very nature, change challenges the status quo, often for the better.

Several groups comprised of current faculty, staff and students met during the Fall 2014 semester to focus on issues of diversity and, more importantly, inclusion. The Provost’s Office received more than 150 recommendations from the following groups:

  • Campus Climate Collaborative (convened by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion)
  • Campus Deliberative Dialogue (convened by the Pro Humanitate Institute)
  • Forward Together (convened by students)
  • President’s Leadership Conference (convened by Student Government, in collaboration with the Office of the President)
  • Roosevelt Institute (convened by students)
  • Town Hall Meetings (convened by students)

Following the Deliberative Dialogues, six action teams compromised of faculty, staff, and students formed to address emerging ideas from these meetings. Provost Rogan Kersh tasked those teams to address all recommendations that fall the following areas: Admissions, Communication, Curricular and Faculty Engagement, Orientation, Space, and Student Engagement (consisting of Civic Engagement, Diversity Peer Education, and Student Leadership Development). Additionally, recommendations were submitted and addressed by the President’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs and The Police Accountability Taskforce. 

Comprehensive Reports

Please explore the following pages for more information on the institutional work that is being done in these areas.