Susan R. Wente stepping down as Wake Forest University president in 2026 after five years

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WHGP) — The president of a Triad university will step down after five years at the helm.

According to a release from Wake Forest University, on Wednesday, Susan R. Wente announced she would step down as the university’s president effective June 30, 2026, which would be the end of her fifth year in the role.

Wente is the 14th president in the university’s history and also serves as a Professor of Biology and Biochemistry. She came to this decision alongside the Board of Trustees, and the release states they both believe that “the university is ideally positioned to attract and recruit its next leader” and that they are beginning this transition now to ensure WFU’s “long-term strength.”

“Susan Wente is a gifted servant leader,” said Wake Forest University Board Chair Jeanne Whitman Bobbitt. “She is the president who led Wake Forest out of the pandemic, expanded access and financial aid programs, and she has brought new ideas and energy to our campuses and communities. Serving now in the fifth year of her presidency, she has positioned Wake Forest well for greater success, and after leading through a tumultuous time in higher education, she has earned our deepest respect and gratitude.” Whitman Bobbitt added, “And when her presidency concludes, she will enjoy a well-earned sabbatical, followed by a return to her scientific roots.”

The university says that under Wente’s leadership, WFU has “advanced its vision of becoming a model student-centered research university” while staying true to its community-focused roots. Undergraduate applications are up 70 percent over the past five years and WFU has seen “record-setting philanthropic support” in the 2025 fiscal year.