2026: Honorary Degrees
Susan R. Wente, Ph.D.
Dr. Susan R. Wente is a values-driven leader who has guided Wake Forest University toward its third century with enduring contributions and a commitment to academic excellence. She serves as the University’s 14th president and Distinguished University Professor of Biology and Biochemistry, beginning her five-year tenure in July 2021. As the institution’s first female president, Dr. Wente created access and opportunity for students while advancing her vision of Wake Forest as a student-centered research university with a liberal arts foundation. Throughout her remarkable presidency, she oversaw unprecedented investment in academic space renewal and community partnership, amplified the work of exceptional faculty scholars and modeled unwavering dedication to Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate values.
In her inaugural address, Dr. Wente set the tone for her presidency by calling on Wake Forest to be a catalyst for good. Her impact on affordability and access began with the For Humanity scholarship initiative, and she later introduced an early-action pathway for first-generation students. In 2025, Dr. Wente announced the North Carolina Gateway to Wake Forest University, opening doors for deserving students in our home state. She attracted talented professors to Wake Forest as well, elevating the visibility of faculty scholarship with initiatives like her signature video series, “Walk with Wente.”
Mindful of the beauty of Reynolda Campus, Dr. Wente led significant facilities renewal projects that strengthened Wake Forest’s academic core while preserving its sense of place. Adjacent to campus, she launched an extraordinary partnership with the City of Winston-Salem to redevelop 100 acres of land for a mixed-use development called The Grounds. Dr. Wente also extended Wake Forest’s reach in Charlotte. During her tenure, Wake Forest opened a second medical school campus in Charlotte’s innovation district, The Pearl, expanded the degree program at the School of Professional Studies in Charlotte and laid the groundwork for a Charlotte study-away program.
Dr. Wente championed efforts to reckon with and share a fuller story of the University’s history, renaming four roads and a residence hall to recognize trailblazers who shaped Wake Forest. She initiated a memorial project to honor and remember the lives and labors of enslaved women, men and children who served Wake Forest College.
On the national stage, Dr. Wente elevated Wake Forest’s visibility through intercollegiate athletics. During her tenure, the Demon Deacons earned multiple NCAA and ACC titles while maintaining exceptional academic performance among student-athletes. Dr. Wente serves as chair of the Atlantic Coast Conference Board of Directors, a role that reflects her peers’ confidence in her leadership in a complex college athletics environment.
For guiding Wake Forest with clarity of purpose and scholarly distinction, for nurturing holistic growth in the Wake Forest community and forging strong partnerships beyond campus, and for positioning Wake Forest to thrive academically and ideologically in its third century, Dr. Susan R. Wente is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Eugene Cho
Reverend Eugene Cho is a Christian minister driven by an unshakeable faith that we can end extreme global hunger in our lifetimes if we are willing to elevate inclusion over division. He serves as president of Bread for the World, a Christian anti-hunger and anti-poverty group that advocates for long-term policy goals while meeting real-time emergency needs. Reverend Cho’s humanitarian appeal to political leaders across partisan and ideological divisions has led to dramatically increased support of sustainable policies that promote access to food.
The work of Reverend Cho is celebrated as both morally just and practically effective. In 2024, Bread for the World secured $9 billion in humanitarian aid to support tens of millions of people confronted with starvation. Since 1990, the collective efforts of Bread for the World and other like-minded organizations have cut extreme hunger worldwide in half.
Reverend Cho is co-chair of the U.S. Nutrition CEO Council, which unites leaders of nongovernmental organizations in thoughtful service. He is also a member of the Committee for the Circle of Protection, a coalition of ministries. In 2009, he founded One Day’s Wages, a grassroots organization dedicated to sustainable relief from poverty, by donating his personal annual earnings to the cause.
As a child, Reverend Cho emigrated from his native South Korea to San Francisco with his family. As a young adult, he pursued the ministry. Early in his career, he founded the nondenominational Quest Church in Seattle on the strength of one philosophical rock: “Everyone belongs here.”
Reverend Cho has shared his guiding principles even more widely in the pages of his three books, urging others to lead for good by refusing to denigrate those with whom they disagree. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recognized Reverend Cho as an Outstanding American by Choice, a distinction honoring achievements and contributions of naturalized U.S. citizens.
For his courageous and tireless commitment to the ideals of Pro Humanitate in many forms and forums, for holding humanity accountable with grace and for appealing to all of us through the best in us all, Reverend Eugene Cho is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
Misty Danielle Copeland
Misty Danielle Copeland is a pioneering performer and thoughtful philanthropist whose courage, determination and talent broke down racial barriers in elite professional dance. The first African American woman named principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre, Ms. Copeland has introduced countless people worldwide to the beauty of her craft and its lifelong lessons.
Ms. Copeland began her dance career at age 13, which is late by the standards of the discipline. She soon earned the attention of mentors who recognized her immense talent and dedication and encouraged her to pursue ambitious goals.
In just five years, Ms. Copeland went from complete novice to celebrated professional in the prestigious American Ballet Theatre in New York. Over a 25-year career, she thrilled audiences in lead roles in “Firebird”, “The Nutcracker”, “Swan Lake”, “Romeo and Juliet” and others. In 2015, she became the first African American woman named principal dancer in the company’s 75-year history. Ms. Copeland gave her final ABT performance in October of 2025 and made a surprise appearance at the 2026 Academy Awards.
Ms. Copeland is committed to delivering her powerful message of resilience to as wide an audience as possible. She has written six books, including the New York Times bestselling memoir, “Life in Motion.” Her production company, Life in Motion Productions, is dedicated to telling the stories of unknown artists. The Misty Copeland Foundation began its work in 2021. Its signature program, BEBOLD, successfully teaches leadership, curiosity, kindness and persistence to children ages 5 to 12 in Harlem and the Bronx. In 2015, Ms. Copeland was included among Glamour’s Women of the Year and Time’s 100 Most Influential People. She has also received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP.
For breaking new ground and glass ceilings and inspiring others to do the same; for mentoring children who might not otherwise be exposed to the arts; and for reminding us of our common humanity, Misty Danielle Copeland is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts.
Julie Ann Freischlag, M.D.
Dr. Julie Ann Freischlag is a renowned vascular surgeon and educator who changed the culture of medical education in the U.S. and guided Wake Forest’s educational health system through an era of remarkable growth and innovation. Throughout her four-decade career, she repeatedly broke new ground as the first woman appointed to key leadership positions in prestigious medical education programs. Her extraordinary legacy of transcending professional and institutional boundaries has reshaped clinical, surgical and cultural practices in health education systems across the nation, and her impact at Wake Forest has been transformative.
In December 2025, Dr. Freischlag retired as CEO and chief academic officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, chief academic officer and executive vice president of Advocate Health, and executive vice president of health affairs at Wake Forest University. She served as the immediate past dean of the Wake Forest School of Medicine and previously as vice chancellor and dean at the UC Davis School of Medicine. In 2003, she became the first woman in the nation to serve as chair of surgery when she was appointed chief of surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and surgeon-in- chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is the only woman ever appointed president of the Society for Vascular Surgeons, and she served as president of the prestigious American Society of Surgeons.
Dr. Freischlag received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Vascular Surgeons and the Trailblazer Award from the Society of University Surgeons. She has mentored hundreds of students, trainees and young faculty, encouraging women in medicine to effect change through leadership. Her legacy of compassionate care endures with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s new critical care tower. The Julie Ann Freischlag Tower and its potential for healing are a testament to Dr. Freischlag’s incredible impact on Wake Forest’s health education system and the community it serves.
For paving the way for generations of female physicians, for achieving extraordinary success as a surgeon, clinician, researcher and educator while modeling collegial respect and work-life balance, and for positioning Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist to serve the future health needs of a growing community, Dr. Julie Ann Freischlag is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Science.
Marybeth Torbet Hays
Marybeth Torbet Hays is an inspiring business leader recognized for her ability to navigate complex financial challenges and her passion for developing the next generation of corporate leaders. In 25 years as a top executive, Ms. Hays has shaped strategy at Walmart, Hanesbrands and other major corporations – while equipped with two Wake Forest degrees and the heart of a servant leader.
At Walmart, Ms. Hays earned positions of increasing stature across the world’s largest retailer. A globally recognized expert in products and consumers, she oversaw more than a dozen product categories and subcategories – from ladieswear to pharmacy.
In 2015, she was named the expatriate chief merchandising, marketing and supply- chain officer of Walmart China. During her tenure, Walmart opened more than 100 locations in the country, continuing a highly successful growth strategy.
Ms. Hays returned stateside as Walmart’s executive vice president leading two divisions – consumables and health & wellness – with 65,000 employees and $85 billion in revenue.
In 2019, she entered the next phase of her career. Today, as she advises corporations and individuals on business strategy, she often says, “Never get bored with the basics.”
For Ms. Hays, the basics developed at Wake Forest. As an undergraduate, she majored in sociology, minored in women’s studies and embraced leadership roles with the Volunteer Service Corps and many other groups. In 1990, she was inducted into the prestigious Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society.
Ms. Hays is one of the first 50 women to receive both a bachelor’s and an MBA degree from Wake Forest, and she earned academic honors with each. For years, she dreamed of giving back as others had done for her. When she created a scholarship fund in 2019, she made another commitment: She would mentor any recipient who sought her help.
Ms. Hays serves as principal of her own firm, Hays Advising, and on the boards of several companies and organizations, including Wake Forest University. While on the Board of Trustees and the Board of Visitors for the School of Business, she has advocated for creating a new minor in business available to students in the College of Arts and Sciences. That program will debut later this year.
For serving as a role model for all students, especially women, for her belief that leadership can be a lifetime exercise and for using Pro Humanitate ideals to create life- changing impact, Marybeth Torbet Hays is recommended for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration.