This is Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is among a small, elite group of American colleges and universities recognized for their outstanding academic quality. In this group, some schools offer intimate classes taught by full-time faculty - not graduate assistants; an undergraduate enrollment of fewer than 4,000; need-blind admissions; big-time athletic programs; and supportive alumni networks.

Some schools offer joint research projects between undergraduate students and faculty, nationally-ranked graduate programs and worldwide study-abroad programs. Only Wake Forest brings together all of these qualities to offer a liberal arts education that is greater than the sum of its parts. Steeped in a rich history and tradition, Wake Forest is a private university with two campuses in Winston-Salem. The Reynolda Campus is home to the undergraduate College, the Calloway School of Business and Accountancy, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Law, the Babcock Graduate School of Management, and the Divinity School.

The Bowman Gray Campus is home to the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. A leader among American educational institutions, Wake Forest has annually received recognition from U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 30 schools in the nation. Barron's Guide to the Most Competitive Schools has also ranked Wake Forest among the nation's 50 best public and private universities.

The eyes of the world focused on the university in the fall of 2000 when it hosted a presidential debate between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Hundreds of national and international news organizations covered the event. The university also hosted a presidential debate between George Bush and Michael Dukakis in 1988. Big events are planned for the 2001-2002 academic year. Two new buildings will rise and "Honoring the Promise," the capital campaign to raise $450 million, will continue. And, finally, the first class will graduate from the Divinity School.

The Student-Athlete Enhancement Center (SAEC) will open this fall and construction on a major addition to Calloway Hall will begin in the fall. The Reynolda Campus also grew last year, with the dedication of Greene Hall, a five-level classroom building that is home to the German and Russian, Romance languages and psychology departments.

The four-story SAEC will include training, office and meeting space for the university's athletic programs. It will also feature a state-of-the-art fitness center open to entire Reynolda Campus community. The 6,000 square-foot fitness center will feature the latest in "cardio" machines and a variety of weight workout options including Cybex machines, free motion machines and free weights. A separate aerobics area will be on the fourth floor.

The fitness center was designed to provide a comfortable and inviting workout experience. Natural light will come in through several large windows and the center will feature a state-of-the-art sound and video system. Visitors will be able to view their favorite television programs, including Deacons sports events, on several televisions mounted throughout the center.

The "cardio" workout area will feature treadmills, stationary bikes, rowing machines, step machines and elliptical machines. The aerobics area will feature an 800-square-foot room used for spinning and yoga classes. A separate 2,500-square-foot room will be open for other aerobic activities including kickboxing and step classes.

The Calloway School of Business and Accountancy will break ground on a project that will add 50,000 square feet of space to Calloway Hall. The three-story project will be named after the F.M. Kirby Foundation, which donated $5 million for the addition. It will include an entrepreneurial incubator, classroom and office space, and breakout space outside classrooms for group meetings. The incubator will be a special center designed for entrepreneurial business study.

Like all buildings at Wake Forest, the Calloway addition will feature Old Virginia brick trimmed with limestone and granite. The Calloway School is the largest undergraduate program at Wake Forest.

The expansion will allow the school to exist in its own space for the first time in the university's history. The program currently shares space in Calloway Hall with the computer science and mathematics departments.

Another major initiative on campus is "Honoring the Promise," the university's $450 million capital campaign. Last spring, the campaign kicked off publicly with the Parade of Deacons on University Plaza. Student groups decorated seven-foot-tall fiberglass versions of the Deacon mascot in themes ranging from Greek life to public service in the spirit of Pro Humanitate - the university motto that means "For the benefit of humanity."

Graduate and professional students joined in the fun, transforming Deacons into a physician with an enormous lab coat, a judge complete with a curly wig and an MBA student with a stock ticker tape sash. Other Deacons in the parade celebrated the university's big-time athletic programs.

One featured a shoe from each team that was signed by every player. Another celebrated the career of Tim Duncan, a former basketball star. The Deacons will be auctioned off during Homecoming this fall as part of "Honoring the Promise."

The capital campaign is focused on increasing endowment for students and faculty. Money raised for endowed financial aid will reaffirm Wake Forest's commitment to its historical constituency - middle-class students, first-generation college students, and those from rural areas - and its need-blind admissions policy.

Gifts for endowed faculty support will help attract, retain and reward teacher-scholars, increase existing faculty salaries, recognize exceptional young and senior-level faculty and offer additional professional development activities.

Ongoing support of the university's Annual Funds - the College Fund, Calloway Fund, Law Fund, Babcock Fund, Divinity Fund and the Medical Alumni Association Annual Fund - will come in the form of unrestricted gifts. Finally, funds will also be raised for the facilities including the addition to Calloway Hall, the Student-Athlete Enhancement Center and Wingate Hall's recent Divinity School addition.

A strong network of university supporters is one way Wake Forest is able to continue to combine the best aspects of a liberal arts college - access to professors, individualized attention, a strong sense of community - with the technological resources and state-of-the-art facilities of a large university. With a 10.3 to 1 undergraduate student/faculty ratio, Wake Forest's focus on one-to-one relationships between faculty and students continues. With the exception of one-credit health classes and some labs, all classes are taught by university faculty, not graduate students.

Wake Forest students receive international recognition for prestigious academic achievement. Last year, a student won the British Marshall Scholarship. Students often win other top academic awards like the Rhodes Scholarship. Seven students have received the Rhodes award in the past 15 years. Students also frequently win Truman Scholarships and fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.

The university has also enjoyed national recognition for its use of technology. Wake Forest won the 2000 Educause Award for Excellence in Campus Networking. This prestigious award honors strategic, integrated and innovative use of networked technologies to serve campus communities. Yahoo! Internet Life magazine also has ranked Wake Forest among the 50 "most-wired" universities and research schools in the nation.

In 1996, Wake Forest became one of the first schools in the nation to launch a program to put laptop computers in the hands of all undergraduate students. Today, the university community enjoys wireless access to the campus computer network, enabling students to send and receive e-mail, read course information and do research from almost anywhere on campus.

In addition to first-class academics, Wake Forest offers endless opportunities for students and faculty to participate in social and service activities. While much of their learning takes place on Wake Forest's campus, many students also make the world their classroom. More than 1,100 students regularly volunteer with the university's Volunteer Service Corps (VSC).

One popular VSC program is Project Pumpkin, which brings local disadvantaged children to campus to trick-or-treat in residence halls along University Plaza. Since 1988, more than 35 social service agencies have referred children for the project, including the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs, the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem and Hispanic Outreach.

The VSC Children's Division also offers volunteer positions with local nonprofit organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Children's Home, Downtown Church Center, Special Children's School, Women's Shelter, Girl Scouts, Head Start and Kid's Café.

The Community at Large Division sends volunteers to local agencies including the AIDS Care Service, Brookridge Retirement Community, Habitat for Humanity, Humane Society, Meals on Wheels, Prodigals Community and Samaritan Ministries Inn. The VSC also has a Schools Division and an Extended Service Division. The School Division sends students into local elementary and middle schools for long-term projects. The Extended Service Division offers programs like Alternative Spring Break which allows students to spend their vacation doing service projects.

The university's commitment to public service is expanding with the help of a $384,000 grant received last spring. The new Pro Humanitate Fund for Service-Learning in Action will help more faculty integrate community service into their courses.

The program will build on the success of the Academic and Community Engagement (ACE) Fellowship program, which introduces selected faculty to service-learning techniques so they can include community service as course requirements. The fund will allow more professors to complete this training and will also provide grants to faculty engaged in community-based research.

Wake Forest students already volunteer all over the world each year. More than 100 students participate in annual international service programs like City of Joy in Calcutta, India; HOPE in Honduras; and at a youth refugee home in Tbilisi, Georgia, in Eastern Europe.

Through City of Joy, university students work in facilities for the poor which were founded by Mother Teresa. The HOPE Scholars program sends students to work alongside villagers in the most impoverished part of Honduras to build latrines, schools and other facilities that were damaged by Hurricane Mitch. Through "The Tie that Binds," students work at the Tbilisi Youth House for Internally Displaced Persons teaching English and computer skills.

Wake Forest also offers extensive traditional study abroad programs. About 37 percent of students study outside the United States. Many study at the university's international residential centers - Flow House in Vienna, Casa Artom in Venice and Worrell House in London. Others travel to Benin, Mexico, Cuba, Japan, Russia, Spain and France. This summer, the anthropology department founded Wake Forest's newest study abroad program, called SPIN, for Summer Program In Nepal. SPIN students will trek through the Himalayas, visit Buddhist temples and live with Nepalese families during their trips. They will also complete a service project while they study Nepalese culture.

Numerous opportunities for personal growth are found on campus through more than 60 student organizations. From the Aviation Club and an a capella group, Demon Divas, to the Rugby Football Club and numerous Greek organizations, there is something for everyone at Wake Forest. The Campus Ministry office also offers a host of social and service activities for students.

From academic achievement to social development and spiritual growth, Wake Forest University offers a unique college experience. Students find outstanding academic programs, sophisticated computing and networking technology, intimate class settings, a strong sense of community and active social life. They experience an ethically informed education of the whole person inspired by religious heritage, volunteer service and honor codes. Only here, at Wake Forest, can they find it all.