Welcome to the New Academic Year

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the fall semester of our 2023-2024 academic year.  It is truly wonderful to be at Wake Forest! Thank you for welcoming me into this community over the past several weeks. It has been a pleasure meeting many of you, and I am grateful for the warm reception. If we haven’t had the chance to connect yet, I look forward to doing so soon. In the meantime, if you see me, please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself!

As we start this new academic year, I am cognizant that the theme of transition is present across the University and throughout our team. Many new University leaders arrived this summer, and some familiar faces have left our community for other opportunities. Change is all around us, and while some things may feel different, change calls us to recognize and accept being challenged – challenged to chase new dreams, experiment with new ideas, explore new paths.

Change is what inspires opportunity and growth. Think of Wake Forest 15 years ago. The university had yet to imagine Wake Downtown; there was no Sutton Center or McCreary Field House; and Angelou Hall, Dogwood Hall and Magnolia Hall had not been constructed yet. The physical campus has grown in significant ways recently, and all of that change has enabled Wake Forest to provide enriching experiences for our students, faculty, staff and community.

I look forward to exploring how, together, we will use the challenge of change to invest our efforts into what comes next for Wake Forest. It is my hope that we will approach this time of transition with grace and anticipation – grace for one another as we chart our course together and anticipation for how we will advance the services we provide as we do our part to contribute to the vision, mission and future of this magnificent institution.

You have my deepest gratitude for the work you have done to sustain Wake Forest and for all you will contribute to making it even better in the years to come. 

Sincerely,

Jacqueline A. Travisano, Ed.D.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer