Near-Term Timeline and Progress

May 2024

Design

  • Continued iterative design conversations with potentially-impacted units
  • Held an in-person Open House May 1 to engage Faculty, Staff and Students for input on learning, study, open, work, and outdoor spaces
  • Created an online survey to gather input from Faculty, Staff and Students who could not attend the Open House
  • See pre-May 2024 timeline here

June-July

Plan/Design

  • Updated scenarios for renovations and new build following input from departments/ programs

August

Plan/Design

  • Communicated with departments/ programs that will move to Alumni Hall: Computer Science, Education, Philosophy, and Entrepreneurship
  • Continue refining scenarios for renovations and new build following input from departments/ programs

Sept.-Oct.

Plan/Design

  • Iterative planning and design conversations with Computer Science, Education, Philosophy, and Entrepreneurship
  • Present plans to the Board of Trustees for student center and future phases of renovations

Nov.-Dec.

Plan/Design/ Move

  • Move University Advancement and UMC (formerly CER) to the University Corporate Center swing space
  • Continue iterative design conversations with Computer Science, Education, Philosophy, and Entrepreneurship
  • Campus Master Plan kickoff to address other impacted buildings, including Scales, Wait Chapel, and ZSR Library

2025-2026 +

Design/Build/ Move

  • Design and renovations of Alumni Hall and swing space
  • Build new Student Center
  • Academic units will move only during winter or summer breaks; earliest anticipated academic move is Summer 2026
  • Continue iterative design conversations with impacted units

Projects Completed

  • Office of the Dean of the College Engagement Meetings with academic leadership
  • Baity Street Administrative Planning Meeting
  • From Wente’s Desk February 2024 Blog Post
  • Provost’s February 2024 Letter to Faculty
  • Scales Department Engagement Meeting
  • University Space Planning Group Meeting
  • How Wake Works presentation on this project
  • Focus Groups with academic (or administrative) leadership and Ayers Saint Gross, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of the College, and Facilities, Real Estate, and Planning
  • Project website created
  • Held an Open House on May 1 for faculty, staff and students to provide input on learning, study, open, work, and outdoor spaces
  • Launched an online survey in late May for those who could not provide input at the May 1 in-person Open House
  • Reviewed the feedback from over 250 participants who participated in the May in-person open house and the June online survey and developed design themes and goals for new spaces.
  • Re-engaged with department and program leadership for areas that will be moving to Alumni Hall to share what they can expect over the next year through the design process.
  • Worked with department/program leadership to notify the departments and programs that will be moving to Alumni Hall (projected date: Summer 2026): Computer Science, Education, Entrepreneurship, and Philosophy.
  • Updated academic department/program leadership who will not be moving to Alumni Hall, but who had been part of the space planning discussions, to share that future phases may involve additional relocations or reconfigurations, and we will engage departments as applicable. 
  • Shared an update with President Wente and project sponsors Provost Gillespie, and EVP Travisano; this included a high-level discussion of potential renovation of the Benson University Center for academic space, the eventual razing of Tribble Hall, and options for the building of a new student center.

What’s Next

During the 2024-25 academic year, we will: 

  • Move University Advancement and University Marketing and Communications (formerly CER) to the University Corporate Center (projected for November-December 2024)
  • Continue iterative design conversations with the earliest impacted academic units
    • It’s important to know that these iterative design conversations will take place with impacted units based on the sequence of their move. We anticipate the earliest moves into a newly renovated Alumni Hall could be Summer 2026.
  • Begin initial architectural planning of Alumni Hall
  • Begin renovations to Alumni Hall once design plans are ready (early summer 2025)
  • Create proposed plan for student center

Academic Departmental and Program Leadership
Focus Groups

The Office of the Dean of the College met with leadership of potentially impacted academic departments and programs in February 2024 to invite departments to the How Wake Works presentation.

Ayers Saint Gross, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of the College, and Facilities, Real Estate, and Planning held focus groups with the leadership of potentially impacted departments and programs in March 2024 to discuss the overall plan and listen to their needs. Departments and programs included:

  • African American Studies
  • Classics
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • Education
  • English
  • Entrepreneurship
  • History
  • Mathematics
  • Philosophy
  • Politics and International Affairs
  • Sociology
  • Statistical Sciences
  • The Math and Stats Center
  • The Writing Center
  • The Writing Program
  • Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Administrative Department Leadership
Focus Groups

The Office of the Dean of the College met with leadership of potentially impacted administrative departments in February to invite departments to the How Wake Works presentation.

Ayers Saint Gross, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of the College, and Facilities, Real Estate, and Planning held focus groups with the leadership of potentially impacted administrative departments in March 2024 to discuss the overall plan and listen to their needs. Departments included:

  • First in the Forest
  • Wake Forest Scholars

Iterative Design Process

We want to stress that we are focusing on “near-term” projects: things we can do within the next 3-5 years. While the academic and administrative departments listed above are potentially impacted in that near term timeframe, other projects may arise from the Campus Master Plan or through this project that could impact additional departments.

We will be working through a cyclical process of: listening to our campus community about their academic, living and learning spaces; thinking with Ayers Saint Gross about what is possible in terms of designs that best meet our needs; and adapting our plans as new opportunities arise.