Wake Forest Fund
Wake Forest’s 100,000th Graduate
Do you have any idea just how rare you truly are? When our Class of 2025 walks across the commencement stage, Wake Forest will pass the 100,000 mark for all-time graduates. Ever. In recorded history.
Let that sink in.
In recognition of our 100,000th graduate, one of your fellow Deacs has thrown down a challenge: If we can raise $100,000 for the Wake Forest Fund for Student Aid, it will trigger a matching gift and provide $200,000 worth of opportunity in support of present and future Demon Deacons and their remarkable faculty. In this world, Unicorns need to stick together, and your gift can help us reach this goal.
How rare are you?
There are 200,000 four-leaf clovers in the world right now for every Wake Forest graduate in history.
In human history, more people have become nuclear physicists than Wake Forest graduates.
More people have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro than have graduated from Wake Forest.
Let the world know.
It’s not bragging, it’s pride. Well, maybe it’s both. Either way, let the world know you are one of the 100,000 who bleed Old Gold and Black. Post your favorite photo from your graduation with the hashtag #WakeForest1of100K and let the world know just how Unrivaled you really are.
Give to something that could
change everything.
This is how the fund that’s all over the place brings Wake Forest together. Not only does a gift to the Wake Forest Fund set in motion a chain of events that keeps the best and brightest on campus and increases the value of your degree, it’s also a direct investment in those with the potential to change our world for the better.
At any amount, your gift makes a real difference.
Student financial aid, faculty development, emerging programs for students, library and technology resources and facilities renovation – these opportunities, and many more, are possible because of unrestricted gifts to the Wake Forest Fund.
The Wake Forest Fund is the annual fund of Wake Forest University. It fills the void between where tuition dollars end and endowment funds begin. This support directly impacts the student experience on our campus. It reinforces our mission to create opportunity, educate the whole person and inspire excellence so our students can lead lives that matter.
For more information regarding the Wake Forest Fund, please contact Blake Absher (’84), executive director of the Wake Forest Fund, at 336.758.5824 or abshertb@wfu.edu. To learn more about becoming a member of a Wake Forest Giving Society, please visit the Giving Societies page.
Wake Forest Fund for:
Gifts to the Wake Forest Fund for the College support the University’s mission to create opportunity, educate the whole person and inspire excellence. That means these gifts enable talented undergraduates to explore creative ideas, discover their passions and engage in mentored research. As we seek to educate leaders who will impact the world for the better, we are able to recruit and develop world-class faculty who will teach and guide our students. Above all, the Wake Forest Fund is a commitment to promoting the spirit of Pro Humanitate in our community.
The Wake Forest School of Business is committed to developing passionate, ethical business leaders driven to achieve results with integrity. The undergraduate and graduate experiences combine thought-leadership, rigorous academic preparation and unrivaled connection. Gifts to the Wake Forest Fund for the School of Business are used to supplement that mission by funding student development and services, faculty development, vital curricular internship development and technology initiatives. These funds will be spent at the discretion of the Dean of the School of Business to develop consistent and targeted programs to move the school forward.
As we seek to develop the complete legal professionals our complex world requires, we use the unrestricted funds to support our long-range plans which have included: increasing scholarship opportunities, creating new legal clinics, enhancing experiential learning through externships and developing new joint degree programs. Every Wake Forest law school student has benefited from – and will continue to thrive because of – the philanthropy of those who support the Wake Forest Fund for the School of Law.
As we prepare our divinity students for a life of service, your gifts to the Wake Forest Fund for the School of Divinity play an integral role in shaping tomorrow’s leaders. Nearly all who enroll at the School of Divinity receive some form of financial aid. It is this unrestricted giving that provides scholarships to our students and graciously allows them to focus on their academic pursuits rather than their financial obligations. Your contribution to this fund yields a significant return – individuals following the high calling to serve others.
The Graduate School prepares the next generation of academic leaders who will continue to expand the frontiers of knowledge and improve the wellbeing of society. The Wake Forest Fund for the Graduate School is used at the discretion of the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to advance the work of our students. As we link the liberal arts with the sciences and health sciences, we are able to offer degree programs that are innovative and interdisciplinary – accomplishing our goal of educating the whole person.
The School of Medicine boasts a proud tradition of excellence and dedication to others. One opportunity to uphold that tradition is through the Wake Forest Fund for the School of Medicine. This unrestricted giving offers scholarships and financial support to current medical students. Alumni participation in annual giving is also a major factor in receiving support from corporate and foundation sources. By joining efforts, these gifts make a lasting difference for our future medical professionals.
One of our primary goals is to create opportunity for students to attend Wake Forest and to have access to pursuing their passions while they are enrolled. The Wake Forest Fund for Student Aid makes it possible to welcome the best students – regardless of their financial resources. This includes first-generation students, middle-income students and alumni students. The Wake Forest Fund for Student Aid opens a door and encourages young people to realize their potential.
The Z. Smith Reynolds Library has become a hub of learning and engagement on our campus. Because of unrestricted support, we are able to strengthen our collections, services and resources. The library must also accommodate the technological needs of today’s researchers. The Wake Forest Fund for the Z. Smith Reynolds Library allows flexibility in selecting materials to enhance the educational and research experiences of our students and faculty.
The Wake Forest Fund for a Beautiful Campus supports the creation and maintenance of our bucolic campus that inspires and invigorates the minds of our students and faculty. From flowering trees and green spaces to work stations and study alcoves the physical environment of our campus is both distinctively Wake Forest and fundamental to making the student experience an exceptional one. Our campus is a point of pride for our alumni and the first thing prospective families encounter as they visit Wake Forest online or in person.
The Wake Forest Fund for the Student Experience is intended to provide support for the co-curricular activities and programs that enhance the lives and learning of Wake Forest students. This fund supports a wide variety of activities and opportunities for students outside of the classroom ranging from support for the Women’s Center to Club Sports from service-learning trips to Campus Ministries from Student Government to the Euzelian Society.
The Wake Forest Fund for Career Readiness directly supports the University’s efforts toward empowering every student to flourish in both work and life. This fund contributes to areas of personal and career development that include internships, career coaching and employment treks, campus recruiting events, career fairs and self-assessments.
Contact: Blake Absher | abshertb@wfu.edu | 336.758.5824