Opportunities abound at Wake Forest. The University has a tradition of bringing world class speakers, artists, and thinkers to the campus, and we hope students will take advantage of these events. One that is coming up in September is an appearance by noted author and attorney John Grisham as part of our “Voices of Our Time” speaker series. Grisham is coming to demonstrate support for the School of Law’s Innocence and Justice Clinic. He will hold a candid conversation about the American justice system, focusing on wrongful convictions and exonerations.
Voices of Our Time is an annual guest speaker series that exposes students, the Wake Forest community and the general public to some of the world’s leading thinkers — including scholars, scientists, writers, business and public policy leaders, activists and religious leaders — for discussions on the important national and international issues of our time. It was established in 2006 by President Hatch. Voices of Our Time events are free and open to the public – so parents, feel free to join us!
Another series students should be aware of is the Secrest Artist Series. The Secrest Series brings the best artists in the performing arts (both established artists and those at the beginning of promising careers) to our campus. I am proud to say that these events are free for students, faculty, and staff of Wake Forest. Wake Forest’s philosophy is that attending first class artistic events is part of the cultural education and enhancement of students’ experiences, and students who attend will see many familiar faces in the audience – both faculty and staff. This year’s schedule is available online.
Wake Forest also has a very talented student body and faculty who contribute to theatre, dance, music and visual arts on campus. Concerts and programs take place throughout the semester and I would urge you to urge your students to attend artistic events whenever possible. It is wonderful to see your hallmate or classmate on stage in a performance, or to see a concert by faculty or students – it shows you a different side of people that you may not see in class or casual conversation in the residence halls. There is a wonderful Arts web site that consolidates information – please check it out.
