Invitation to a Conversation Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch
The following messages were sent to incoming students and families, and returning students and families, respectively
Dear incoming students and families,
During the first couple months of the pandemic, I heard friends and colleagues comment on the odd stillness of each day juxtaposed with the frenzy of each passing month. Wake Forest Philosophy Professor Adrian Bardon explained this phenomenon during a recent interview with Vox for an article titled, “Why Time Feels So Weird Right Now.” As we look ahead to the start of the fall semester at Wake Forest, I imagine the way we experience time will continue to be slowed by a seemingly endless wait for clarity about what to expect from your first semester in college, and yet accelerated by anticipation.
I want to invite you and your families to participate in a “town hall” style Zoom call this week so that I and other Wake Forest leaders can communicate what we know at this time and share our excitement for what promises to be a completely unique experience for us all.
This virtual gathering specifically for families of the Class of 2024 will take place on June 17 at 7 p.m. EST. We expect the call to last about an hour. We do plan to share a video recording of the call with students and families unable to participate at this time.
I look forward to the opportunity to share with you how we are preparing for the fall semester. I will be joined by other University leaders who will share insight into what to expect from academic and residential campus experience.
As previously noted, we will officially announce details about the fall semester on June 30, but we know you have questions now. We will set aside time on the call to address those we are able to address at this time, however, as I am sure you can appreciate, fielding questions from 1,400 families on a Zoom call presents a logistical challenge. I invite you to submit your questions in advance, and we will answer as many of them as possible. We will also provide information about how to get answers to the questions we are not able to address on the call.
Please register for this event and submit your questions here: https://ourwayforward.wfu.edu/get-involved/register/ by June 17 at 12 p.m. EST. At that time, we will send log-in information to all registered participants.
As Professor Bardon noted in the article above, time is a big, complex system, and our brain processes time by constantly integrating information and coordinating action. This is a fairly poignant metaphor for the complexity of the higher education system and the work of countless Wake Forest faculty and staff who are processing a rapidly evolving picture. I am grateful for your patience while we coordinate the actions that will make your first year of college a remarkably rewarding experience.
Sincerely,
Nathan O. Hatch
President
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Dear returning students and families,
During the first couple months of the pandemic, I heard friends and colleagues comment on the odd stillness of each day juxtaposed with the frenzy of each passing month. Wake Forest Philosophy Professor Adrian Bardon explained this phenomenon during a recent interview with Vox for an article titled, “Why Time Feels So Weird Right Now.” As we look ahead to the start of the fall semester at Wake Forest, I imagine the way we experience time will continue to be slowed by a seemingly endless wait for clarity about what to expect from this upcoming semester, and yet accelerated by anticipation.
I want to invite you and your families to participate in a “town hall” style Zoom call this week so that I and other Wake Forest leaders can communicate what we know at this time and share our excitement for what promises to be a completely unique experience for us all.
This virtual gathering specifically for families of current Wake Forest undergraduate students will take place on June 18 at 7 p.m. EST. We expect the call to last about an hour. We do plan to share a video recording of the call with students and families unable to participate at this time.
I look forward to the opportunity to share with you how we are preparing for the fall semester. I will be joined by other University leaders who will share insight into what to expect from academic and residential campus experience.
As previously noted, we will officially announce details about the fall semester on June 30, but we know you have questions now. We will set aside time on the call to address those we are able to address at this time, however, as I am sure you can appreciate, fielding questions from thousands of families on a Zoom call presents a logistical challenge. I invite you to submit your questions in advance, and we will answer as many of them as possible. We will also provide information about how to get answers to the questions we are not able to address on the call.
Please register for this event and submit your questions here: https://ourwayforward.wfu.edu/get-involved/register/ by June 18 at 12 p.m. EST. At that time, we will send log-in information to all registered participants.
As Professor Bardon noted in the article above, time is a big, complex system and our brain processes time by constantly integrating information and coordinating action. This is a fairly poignant metaphor for the complexity of the higher education system and the work of countless Wake Forest faculty and staff who are processing a rapidly evolving picture. I am grateful for your patience while we coordinate the actions that will make your next year of college a remarkably rewarding experience.
Sincerely,
Nathan O. Hatch
President