Distinctively Wake

Students and the Wake Forest community participate in Hit the Bricks.

Cultivating a community of impact

Discover the unique traditions and values that define our “Forest” and set the Wake experience apart from any other.

Our Motto Means More

At Wake Forest, Pro Humanitate is a shared calling that guides our daily lives. This philosophy encourages us to use our knowledge, talents, and compassion to better the lives of others. Whether through local service projects or global research initiatives, our students take their learning beyond the classroom to address real-world challenges.

Explore Distinctively Wake Topics

Demon Deacon

There are few college mascots as interesting as the Wake Forest Demon Deacon.

The Demon Deacon is a nod to the university’s history. Though now an independent university, Wake Forest was founded by Baptists near Raleigh in 1834. The name Deacon made its first appearance in the public domain on Nov. 9, 1923, when the Old Gold and Black referred to the football team as the “demon deacons” in a brief story about the next day’s game.

But it wasn’t until 1941 that some WFU students came up with the idea of designing a mascot based on a Baptist church deacon. The Deacon made his first appearance in top hat, tails, and umbrella.

Then, anecdotally at least, the Deacon was christened with his fierce adjective during a football game when a school reporter announced, “Those Deacons are playing like demons.”

The mascot has gone through some changes over the decades – but remains distinguished and distinctive.

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godeacs.com

Did you know

The Demon Deacon mascot is 7 feet tall. While he is not certified to compete in actual games, he does make an appearance at more than 120 home contests every academic year.

Face to Face

The Face to Face Speaker Forum brings world-class voices to Winston-Salem for moderated conversation, and every keynote event has its “moment.” Personal engagement and unique moments have made Face to Face one of the nation’s most highly regarded speaker series.

Yo-Yo Ma lent his priceless cello to a Wake Forest student, Peyton Manning described how a chat with Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan influenced his decision to delay going pro and George W. Bush recalled finding the right words after 9/11. When possible, student-led events on campus allow students to engage with speakers in one-on-one conversation.

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facetoface.wfu.edu

Did you know

Every year, Face to Face brings several compelling guests to campus in one of the nation’s premier speaker series. Malcolm Gladwell (2023-24), John Legend (2024-25), Peyton Manning (2024-25) are among those who have been here, and the 2025-26 calendar includes Cynthia Erivo, who is currently in London in her 23-role, one-woman performance of “Dracula.”

The Grounds

Wake Forest and Winston-Salem are transforming 100 acres of space near campus that surround key entertainment and sports venues. The Grounds is a mixed-use development project that blends retail, dining, office and living space. It encompasses the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds and four Wake Forest athletic venues: LJVM Coliseum (basketball), Allegacy Stadium (football), Couch Ballpark (baseball) and the Wake Forest Tennis Center.

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visitthegrounds.com

Did you know

The Grounds, a 100-acre mixed-use development 1.2 miles from the Reynolda Campus entrance, is under construction and will be ready to go in 2027. It will include retail space and a residential village available to students seeking to complete their three-year campus residency requirement.

Pro Humanitate

Pro Humanitate, “for humanity,” is our guiding philosophy and university motto. Wake Foresters embody the motto in myriad ways – by creating art, conducting research, mentoring peers, or connecting with others in the local community. In his piece The Meaning of a Motto, professor James Powell notes, “Pro Humanitate calls us to consider what we are as human beings and what constitutes genuine human flourishing.”

The idea of Pro Humanitate is at the center of the Wake Forest experience. As the hub of community-based activity at Wake Forest, the Office of Civic & Community Engagement (OCCE) offers multiple pathways to involvement. Whether you are interested in leading philanthropic programs like Hit the Bricks and Wake ‘N Shake; tutoring school children; fighting food insecurity through the Campus Kitchen; or advocating for a cause, the OCCE will help you put our motto into action.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

ourmottomeansmore.wfu.edu
communityengagement.wfu.edu

Did you know

In the 2024-25 academic year, 46.2% of undergraduates participated in at least one of the University community’s two cancer-research fundraising events, Hit The Bricks and Wake ‘N Shake.