Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private , coeducational university in Winston - Salem , North Carolina , founded in 1834 . The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest , north of Raleigh , North Carolina , the state capital . The Reynolda Campus , the university ' s main campus , is located north of downtown Winston - Salem , after the university moved there in 1956 . The Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center campus is located nearby . The University also occupies lab space at the Bowman Gray Technical Center , at the downtown Piedmont Research Park , and at the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials . The University ' s Babcock Graduate School of Management maintains a presence on the main campus in Winston - Salem and in Charlotte , North Carolina . In the 2013 U . S . News America ' s Best Colleges report , Wake Forest ranked 13th for " Best Undergraduate Teaching " and 27th overall among national universities . In the 2009 BusinessWeek Undergraduate Business Schools Rankings , the Calloway School of Business and Accountancy was ranked 14th overall , and # 1 in terms of Academic Quality . History . Wake Forest University was founded after the North Carolina Baptist State Convention purchased a plantation from Dr . Calvin Jones in an area north of Raleigh ( Wake County ) called the " Forest of Wake . " The new school , designed to teach both Baptist ministers and laymen , opened on February 3 , 1834 , as the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute , named because students and staff were required to spend half of each day doing manual labor on the plantation . Dr . Samuel Wait , a Baptist minister , was selected as the " principal , " later president , of the institute . In 1838 , it was renamed Wake Forest College , and the manual labor system was abandoned . The town that grew up around the college came to be called the town of Wake Forest . In 1862 , during the American Civil War , the school closed due to the loss of most students and some faculty to service in the Confederate States Army . The College re - opened in 1866 and prospered over the next four decades under the leadership of presidents Washington Manley Wingate , Thomas H . Pritchard , and Charles Taylor . In 1894 , the School of Law was established , followed by the School of Medicine in 1902 . The university held its first summer session in 1921 . The leading college figure in the early 20th century was Dr . William L . Poteat , a gifted biologist and the first layman to be elected president in the college ’ s history . “ Dr . Billy ” continued to promote growth , hired many outstanding professors , and expanded the science curriculum . He also stirred upheaval among North Carolina Baptists with his strong support of teaching the theory of evolution but eventually won formal support from the Baptist State Convention for academic freedom at the College . The School of Medicine moved to Winston - Salem ( then North Carolina ' s second - largest city ) in 1941 under the supervision of Dean Coy Cornelius Carpenter , who guided the school through the transition from a two - year to a four - year program . The school then became the Bowman Gray School of Medicine . The following year , 1942 , Wake Forest admitted its first female undergraduate students , after World War II dramatically depleted the pool of male students . In 1946 , as a result of large gifts from the Z . Smith Reynolds Foundation , the entire college agreed to move to Winston - Salem , a move that was completed for the beginning of the fall 1956 term , under the leadership of Dr . Harold W . Tribble . Charles and Mary Babcock ( daughter of R . J . Reynolds ) donated to the college about of fields and woods at " Reynolda , " their estate . From 1952 to 1956 , fourteen new buildings were constructed on the new campus . These buildings were constructed in Georgian style . The old campus in Wake Forest was sold to the Baptist State Convention to establish the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary . A graduate studies program was inaugurated in 1961 , and in 1967 the school became the fully accredited Wake Forest University . The Babcock Graduate School of Management was established in 1969 . The James R . Scales Fine Arts Center opened in 1979 . In 1986 , Wake Forest gained autonomy from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and established a fraternal relationship with it . The thirteenth president of Wake Forest is Nathan O . Hatch , former provost at the University of Notre Dame . Hatch was officially installed as president on October 20 , 2005 . He assumed office on July 1 , 2005 , succeeding Thomas K . Hearn , Jr . , who had retired after 22 years in office . Political , social . On March 17 , 1978 , President Jimmy Carter made a major National Security address in Wait Chapel . Twice the school has hosted presidential debates . The first , between then - Vice President George H . W . Bush and Governor Michael Dukakis on September 25 , 1988 . The second matched then - Governor George W . Bush against Vice President Al Gore on October 11 , 2000 . Both debates were hosted in Wait Chapel . In the predawn hours of April 18 , 1978 , students affixed a large Mickey Mouse to the clock face of Wait Chapel facing the Quad . On September 13 , 2007 Wait Chapel was the venue for a broadcast of National Public Radio ( NPR ) show , Wait , Wait , Don ' t Tell Me . The show aired on September 15 . Academics . Since 1986 , the university has produced 12 Rhodes Scholar s and numerous Marshall and Fulbright recipients . Undergraduate . Wake Forest ' s undergraduate component consists of Wake Forest College ( School of Arts and Science ) and the Wayne Calloway School of Business and Accountancy . The university offers 34 majors and many interdisciplinary minors across various fields of study . In order to attend the Wayne Calloway School , students must make a special application to its program . The Calloway School offers a five - year accountancy program whereby a student earns a BS and an MS in Accountancy and qualifies to sit for the CPA exam after 5 years of combined undergraduate and graduate study . In order to graduate , a Wake Forest student must finish a basic set of classes and a set of divisional classes . The basic set of classes includes a first - year seminar , a writing seminar , health and PE classes , and foreign language literature . The latter usually requires students to take additional languages classes first . Languages available include Spanish , French , German , Latin , Greek , Japanese , Chinese , Arabic , and others . About 89 % of Wake Forest professors hold the terminal degree in their field . Wake Forest professors are expected to excel in both teaching and scholarship . Wake Forest offers a number of study abroad programs for its undergraduates and , in the summers , for its law school students . About half of Wake Forest undergraduates spend at least one semester abroad . The Wake Forest Department of Theatre and Dance has sixteen full - time faculty and provides academic instruction in acting , directing , dance , and related subjects , and runs the university theatre . Graduate . Wake Forest Graduate School of Arts and Sciences . The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers 25 programs of graduate - level study and includes 13 areas of Ph . D . study as well as five joint degree programs . Professional schools . In addition to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences , Wake Forest University has four professional schools . Wake Forest School of Law . The Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association ( ABA ) accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools ( AALS ) . The school was established in 1894 . U . S . News and World Report consistently ranks the school among the Top Tier Law Schools in the nation . The current dean is Blake Morant . Wake Forest University School of Law has a faculty of 52 Resident Faculty Members and 40 Extended Faculty Members . Wake Forest School of Medicine . The Wake Forest School of Medicine is the medical school of Wake Forest University . It is affiliated with North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Physicians , forming part of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center system . Wake Forest School of Divinity . The Wake Forest University School of Divinity offers a Master of Divinity degree as well two dual - degree programs in cooperation with other graduate programs at the university : a four - year Master of Divinity / Master of Arts in Counseling program and a five - year Master of Divinity and Juris Doctor . The school currently lists 12 faculty , 15 adjunct faculty , and 15 associated faculty from other university departments . While the idea had been around for many years , long - range planning for the university ' s divinity school began in April 1989 . In May 1996 , Bill J . Leonard was appointed the school ' s first dean . Leonard soon began describing the school as students , faculty , and staff continue to describe it today , " Christian by tradition , ecumenical in outlook , and Baptist in heritage . " In March 1998 , the school announced selections for its 14 member board of visitors . The first faculty members were named in April 1998 , and additional faculty were hired that October . In August 1999 , 19 women and five men became the first 24 students to enroll in the program . The university ' s first 20 Master of Divinity degrees were conferred May 20 , 2002 . Rankings . In the 2013 " U . S . News " America ' s Best Colleges report , Wake Forest ranked 13th in terms of " Best Undergraduate Teaching " and 27th overall among national universities . In the 2009 " BusinessWeek " Undergraduate Business Schools Rankings , the Calloway School of Business and Accountancy was ranked 14th overall , and tied for # 1 in terms of Academic Quality . According to the Institute of International Education 2008 Report on International Educational Exchange , Wake Forest was ranked second in undergraduate participation in study - abroad programs among doctoral / research universities . The 2013 " US News " Graduate School Rankings ranked Wake Forest ' s Law school 44th in the country , its Medical school 19th in Primary Care and 42nd in Research , and the Babcock School of Management 44th . Wake Forest University Press . Wake Forest is the home of Wake Forest University Press . Established in 1976 by Irish scholar Dillon Johnston , with the support of Provost Edwin Wilson and President James Ralph Scales , the press is the premier publisher of Irish poetry in North America . Among the poets published are Ciaran Carson , Thomas Kinsella , Michael Longley , Medbh McGuckian , John Montague , Eilean Ni Chuilleanain and Irish language poet Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill . Student Life . Fraternities and Sororities . Wake Forest ' s Greek life is unusual in that the Greeks do not have houses concentrated in a " Greek Row . " Instead Greeks occupy lounges adjoining halls of a greater building . These areas are spread out evenly across campus , with the exception of Delta Kappa Epsilon , which has its residence off campus . Approximately 50 % of the undergraduate student body is Greek . " Fraternities on campus " : Alpha Kappa Psi , Alpha Sigma Phi , Alpha Phi Omega , Chi Psi , Delta Kappa Epsilon , Kappa Alpha Order , Kappa Alpha Psi , Kappa Kappa Psi , Kappa Sigma , Lambda Chi Alpha , Phi Beta Sigma , Pi Kappa Alpha , Sigma Alpha Epsilon , Sigma Chi , Sigma Nu , Sigma Pi , Sigma Phi Epsilon , and Theta Chi . " Sororities on campus " : Alpha Delta Pi , Alpha Kappa Alpha , Chi Omega , Delta Delta Delta , Delta Sigma Theta , Delta Zeta , Kappa Delta , Kappa Beta Gamma , Kappa Kappa Gamma , and Phi Mu . Wake Forest is also home to the Sigma Delta chapter of Order of Omega , an honor society for members of Greek organizations . Members are selected from the top 3 % of Greeks on campus based high standards in the areas of scholarship , leadership , and involvement within their respective organization and within the Greek , campus and local communities . Physical Activity Options . Wake Forest offers a vast array of possibilities for physical activity , be it for recreation or health . The university offers classes in Yoga , Dance , Boot Camp , etc . In addition , some classes are offered for credit on sports theory and practice , as well as several dance courses . Intramural Sports are also extremely popular and take place for a variety of sports , depending on the season . The university recreation center , Reynolds Gym , is the oldest gym in the ACC . The university is in the planning process for a new recreation center to replace the aging Reynolds Gym and the Miller Fitness Center . Dining Facilities . Every Wake Forest undergraduate student who lives on campus is required to sign up for some form of a meal plan in coordination with Aramark . The meals can be consumed in the main dining facility known as " The Pit " or the Magnolia Room , both of which are located at Reynolda Hall , in the center of the campus . At the neighboring Benson Center , students can buy food and snacks independent of their meal plan from Aramark or from Chick - fil - A . A Subway is also located on campus , off Hearn Plaza . In the fall of 2005 , Aramark , through its Fresh Foods Company , renovated " The Pit " in an attempt to improve the quality of the dining experience . The newly renovated area contains a variety a food stations with a " cooked upon order " service . As of October 6 , 2008 , there has been a full - service Starbucks in the library . Undergraduate Student Housing . Wake Forest undergraduate students are guaranteed on - campus housing for four years . As of 2010 , For their first three years as a full - time enrolled student , students are required to live on campus . Residence Life is divided into thirteen communities which are staffed by a graduate hall director and a staff of RAs ( resident advisers ) who facilitate community building and assume administrative responsibilities . All student housing has air - conditioning , closets , wired / wireless internet access , cable television connections , and free unlimited washer / dryer usage . Every residence hall is equipped with at least one communal lounge area ( with a big - screen television , sometimes a ping - pong table , pianos , etc . ) and kitchen area . Student housing in Polo offers two - bedroom apartment - style living and four bedroom , two bathroom townhouse - style living , complete with furnished bedrooms , living room , and dining room furniture . The thirteen community areas for the 2011 – 12 academic year are : Bostwick Hall , Johnson Hall , Babcock Hall , Luter Hall , Collins Hall , South Hall , Palmer / Piccolo Halls , Kitchin Hall , Davis Hall , Poteat / Huffman Halls , Taylor / Efird Halls , Polo / Martin / Roadhouses Area , and the Apartments Area . Freshman housing is located in Collins , South , Babcock , Luter , Bostwick , and Johnson halls . The office of Residence Life & Housing boasts 105 undergraduate RAs , and 13 graduate hall directors . Along with student staff , the RL & H office supports two major residential student organizations : the Resident Student Association , and the National Residence Hall Honorary . Student Union . The event - planning arm of Wake Forest is undergraduate student led and run organization known as Student Union . Student union projects include such events as Homecoming , Family Weekend , Special Lectures , Concert Events , and the Coffeehouse music series . Their most celebrated and well - attended event is the annual " Shag on the Mag " that occurs on the Manchester Quad ( formerly the Magnolia Quad ) each spring and was begun in 2005 by then Springfest Chairman Joseph Bumgarner . A big tent covering the entire quad is laid out and students shag dance together to a live band . Student Government . Wake Forest Student Government ( known as SG ) works under a semi - Presidential system . The core component is the General Assembly , which acts as a student legislature . The General Assembly is made up of legislators , represented and voted by each residence hall . The legislators are assigned within one of six committees to specialize in a particular area of student needs . Athletics . Originally , Wake Forest ' s athletic teams were known as the Fighting Baptists , due to its association with the Baptist Convention ( from which it later separated itself ) . However , in 1923 , after a particularly impressive win against the Duke Blue Devils , a newspaper reporter wrote that the Deacons " fought like Demons " , giving rise to the current team name , the " Demon Deacon s . " Wake Forest has won a total of eight national championships in four different sports ; four of these championships have come in the past six years . Wake Forest is sometimes referred to as being a part of " Tobacco Road " or " The Big Four , " terms that refer to the four North Carolina schools that compete heatedly against each other within the ACC ; these include Duke , North Carolina , and North Carolina State , as well as Wake Forest . The Demon Deacons participate in the NCAA ' s Division I ( in the Bowl Subdivision for football ) and in the Atlantic Coast Conference . The Athletics Director is Ron Wellman . Football . 2006 Season . Wake Forest ' s football team was ranked in the Top 25 in the nation by the AP Poll during most of the 2006 season . They won the 2006 ACC Atlantic Division Title and went on to defeat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 9 - 6 on December 2 in the ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville , FL . The win sent Wake Forest to the Orange Bowl to play the Big East champion Louisville Cardinals , where they lost 24 – 13 . However , this made Wake Forest the smallest school to ever compete in the Bowl Championship Series . Of all schools that play Division I FBS football , only Rice and Tulsa have smaller undergraduate enrollments , and Wake has the smallest undergraduate enrollment of any school in the BCS conference s . For his part in the record - setting season , coach Jim Grobe was unanimously selected ACC Coach of the Year , and handily won the AP Coach of the Year award several weeks later . Coach Grobe signed a ten - year contract in 2003 . The 2006 team and its emotional leader Jon Abbate would become the subjects of the 2011 feature film " The 5th Quarter " . 2007 Season . Wake Forest followed its success in 2006 with another excellent year and finished the regular season with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses . During the season , the Demon Deacons were briefly ranked in the Top 25 . Their success throughout the year earned Wake Forest an invitation to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte , North Carolina . Played on December 29 in the Bank of America stadium ( home of the Carolina Panthers ) the Demon Deacons defeated the Connecticut Huskies 24 - 10 . Wake Forest ' s head coach , Jim Grobe , continues to garner national attention as an outstanding college football coach . Though he was offered coaching positions at other schools , Grobe chose to remain with the Deacons , citing a desire to remain at an institution that successfully balances high - level academics with a major athletic program . Wake Forest plays its home football games at BB & T Field ( formerly Groves Stadium ) . Men ' s Basketball . Wake Forest is generally regarded as a competitive program in men ' s basketball , frequently qualifying for the NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Championship ( 22 times in the school ' s history ) . They reached the Final Four once , in 1962 . The school ' s famous basketball alumni include Billy Packer , a guard on the 1962 Final Four team who became far more famous as a basketball broadcaster ; Tyrone Curtis " Muggsy " Bogues , the shortest player ever to play in the NBA ; Randolph Childress , for his MVP performance in the 1995 ACC Tournament ; Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Josh Howard ; Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and the 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year Award ; and two - time league MVP and three - time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan . Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum is the home venue for the Demon Deacons basketball team . Skip Prosser , Wake Forest University ' s men ' s basketball coach since 2001 , died in Winston - Salem on July 26 , 2007 . One of Prosser ' s assistant coaches , Dino Gaudio , was named to replace him . On April 13 , 2010 , Jeff Bzdelik was hired , taking the place of the recently fired Gaudio . Women ' s Basketball . In 2012 , Jen Hoover took over as coach from Mike Petersen , the program ' s all - time winningest coach . Hoover ( then Jenny Mitchell ) is the program ' s all - time leading scorer and rebounder , was a three - time All - ACC selection and was a member of the ACC ' s 50th Anniversary Team in 2002 . Hoover was part of the program ' s only NCAA Tournament appearance in 1988 , when Wake Forest beat Villanova and lost to Tennessee . Wake Forest has appeared in the Women ' s NIT four times , all under Petersen . The Demon Deacons play their home games at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum . Women ' s Field Hockey . Recent athletic honors include three consecutive NCAA Field Hockey national championships in 2002 , 2003 , and 2004 under Head Coach Jennifer Averill . In 2005 , the Deacs were defeated in the semifinal round by Duke University , and in the 2006 championship game by the University of Maryland . Golf . Wake Forest has had several successful golf teams , winning national championships in 1974 , 1975 , and 1986 . Several well - known players include Arnold Palmer , Lanny Wadkins , Darren Clarke , Jay Haas , Curtis Strange , Billy Andrade , Gary Halberg , Robert Wrenn , Scott Hoch , Webb Simpson , and Bill Haas . Soccer . Wake Forest is a consistent national title contender in men ' s soccer . In recent years several players from the program have played professionally in Major League Soccer , including Brian Carroll , Will Hesmer , Justin Moose , Michael Parkhurst , Pat Phelan , James Riley , Scott Sealy , Matt Taylor , and Wells Thompson . In 2006 the team advanced to the final four of the NCAA tournament where they were defeated in a penalty kick shootout by UC Santa Barbara . They captured the 2007 NCAA Men ' s Soccer Championship defeating Ohio State 2 - 1 , with the winning goal scored by Zack Schilawski . The Demon Deacons returned to the final four of the 2009 Division I Men ' s College Cup , losing to Virginia 2 - 1 in overtime in the semifinals . Baseball . Wake Forest won the 1955 College World Series in baseball . In 2009 , the team began playing on Ernie Shore Field , in Winston - Salem , NC , moving to this field from their former home at Gene Hooks Stadium on campus . Screamin ' Demons . Student attendance of Wake Forest Football and Basketball games is high , in part due to the program known as " Screamin ' Demons . " At the beginning of each respective athletic season students on the Reynolda Campus can sign up for the program whereby they pay $ 40 for each year ; in addition to the best seats at the games , this gets students a football shirt in the fall and a tie - dye t - shirt in the spring along with a card that serves as an automatic pass to the sporting events . They lose this privilege if they miss two of the games . Through the planning of Sports Marketing and the Screamin ' Demons program , basketball game seats in the students section are difficult to attain without participating in the Screamin ' Demons program . The arena can seat only 2 , 250 of the 4 , 500 undergraduate students at Wake Forest . At least 150 seats are always set aside for non - Screamin Demons , who sit behind the 2 , 100 member group . Student Organizations . There are over 160 chartered student organizations of all sorts . Student sports organizations are highly visible on campus . Special interest organizations range from the academic , such the Model United Nations team , to the artistic , such as the handbell choir . In spring of 2006 , the Mock Trial team was notable in qualifying for the national tournament while only in its 2nd year in operation . Religious organizations are also numerous . Both the College Republicans and College Democrats have active chapters at the University . Historic student organizations such as the Philomathesians , an artistic literary magazine , are also present . Students are entertained by numerous performing groups , including The Lilting Banshee Comedy Troupe , The Living Parables Christian Drama Troupe , and The Anthony Aston Players . The Office of Student Development , led by Michael Gerald Ford , son of Gerald R . Ford , oversees all student organizations . Student Development also organizes leadership oriented student activities such as LEAD , a semester long course in campus leadership . Volunteer Service Corps . The Volunteer Service Corps ( VSC ) is one of the most popular student organizations . It coordinates volunteering in both the local and international / national setting via service projects and trips . The organization has annual service trips to Russia , Vietnam , and Latin America . In light of the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina , VSC sent 30 Wake Students on a Wake Alternative Spring Break in the Spring of 2006 . A Cappella Groups . Wake Forest has a number of vibrant a cappella groups that produce annual records and have popular performances on and off campus . They include : Army ROTC . Wake Forest University offers only Army ROTC . In 2006 the Army ROTC program was awarded the MacArthur Award by the United States Army for having the best medium sized ROTC battalion in the nation . There are about sixty cadets in the program , and about half of each military science class finishes Leadership Development Advanced Camp ( LDAC ) as a " Distinguished Military Graduate , " the top 20 % of ROTC graduates . The minimum service commitment of a contracted cadet who graduates from ROTC is four years active duty and four years of inactive reserve duty after that . Alternatively , a cadet can choose to forgo active duty service and serve eight straight years in the active Reserve or National Guard . Other alternative service plans are available for those who intend to be an Army doctor , lawyer , or chaplain with source of commissioning via ROTC . At Wake Forest contracted ROTC cadets are given full scholarship , a monthly stipend , and book money by the US Army . The university extends the scholarship with free room and board . The program also serves students from Winston - Salem State University and Salem College . Technology . Wake Forest has received praise for its efforts in the field of technology . In 2003 , The Princeton Review listed it as the number two " Most Connected Campus " in the United States . The University ' s Information Systems ( IS ) department has a program that issues new Lenovo ThinkPad laptop computers to all undergraduate and graduate students and faculty . High speed wireless and wired Internet access is now provided across campus . Information Systems , in cooperation with high technology firms like IBM , AT & T , and HP , also actively engage in technology testing with members of the student body . These selected students participate through either co - payment or leasing plans in experimental uses of technology in education and college life through IS Research and Development . A recent program of this type was called MobileU and provided students involved in the program with PDA / phone combos and software to support educational and personal activities . The University is a founding member of WinstonNet , a non - profit organization of educational and municipal institutions in Winston - Salem , NC that among other things provides a gigabit ethernet based regional point of presence ( or , rPOP ) for the North Carolina Research and Education Network . Wake Forest University provides faculty with access to high performance computing efforts locally with the WFU DEAC cluster and statewide with its participation in the NC Grid Computing Initiative . The statewide efforts are coordinated through the non - profit organization . University Campuses . Reynolda Campus . The Reynolda Campus is the main campus for Wake Forest University , housing the undergraduate colleges , three of the four graduate schools , and half the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences . The core of Reynolda campus is the two interlinked quads , separated by the main administrative building / main dining facility , Reynolda Hall , into North and South Campus . North Campus consists of the T . K . Hearn Plaza , better known as " the quad , " which holds the six upperclassmen residential buildings , the US Post Office , Subway restaurant , book / office supply store , clothing / athletic store , and Wait Chapel . Wait Chapel serves multiple functions . Its auditorium serves as an area for prayer , ceremonies , concerts , and certain guest speakers . The classrooms at Wait Chapel house the offices and classrooms for the Divinity School and the Religion Department . South Campus is the home of Manchester Quad ( formerly known as the Magnolia Quad or Mag quad ) . It holds freshman housing , most of the classroom buildings , the Benson Center , and the Z . Smith Reynolds Library . Bowman Gray Campus . The home of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Wake Forest School of Medicine , this campus is located away from the Reynolda Campus in the Ardmore neighborhood near downtown Winston - Salem . The Medical Center , with nearly 13 , 000 employees , is easily the largest employer in Forsyth County . The Medical Center includes the 885 - bed teaching hospital that is the region ' s principal tertiary referral center ; Brenner Children ' s Hospital , the 160 - bed " hospital - within - a - hospital " that is the leading children ' s hospital in the region ; and the School of Medicine , which was formerly known as Bowman Gray School of Medicine . The School of Medicine is one of the top - ranked schools in the country , according to " U . S . News & World Report " . The school directs the education of about 1 , 800 students and fellows including physicians , basic scientists and allied clinical professionals . Charlotte campus . Wake Forest University operates a satellite campus in Uptown Charlotte , North Carolina and began operations in the Queen City in 1995 . Since opening , the program has expanded to offer two MBA programs , continuing legal education courses , continuing professonal education courses , executive education and enriching Lunch & Learns and speaker events . Wake Forest also hosts corporate retreats in our award winning facility . ( In 2012 , WFU Charlotte Center received national awards for its state of the art technology and our green architectural design ) . Our certificate programs include business management for not - for - profits and sustainability . Annually over 100 individuals , representing almost 90 not for profits in the region attend our certificate program in not for profit management . Our certificate in sustainability is uniquely positioned as it focuses on how to integrate sustainability principles and practices into your core business and addresses change management . Both WFU and the faculty instructor have received recognition for their leadership in sustainability . The campus is home to the # 1 MBA program for working professionals in North Carolina and we have gradaute business programs that begin in the spring and fall semesters . Overseas . The University owns a number of properties in Europe where each fall and spring semester , a group of Wake Forest students and a resident professor live and study together Casa Artom in Venice . In 1974 , the building that formerly housed the American Consulate in Venice was purchased by Wake Forest and named Casa Artom in honor of Dr . Camillo Artom , a professor at the Baptist Medical Center until 1969 . Flow House in Vienna . In 1998 , Wake Forest purchased a three - story villa in Vienna . The acquisition was made possible through the donation of Vic and Roddy Flow of Winston - Salem , and the house was named in their honor . Built in 1898 , the house was formerly the office of the U . S . Consulate . Worrell House in London . In 1977 , Wake Forest acquired a large , brick home in Hampstead for its London program . The house , a gift from Eugene and Ann Worrell , was named in their honor . Formerly known as Morven House , the building served as the home and studio of landscape painter Charles Edward Johnson . Piedmont Triad Research Park . The Center for Structural Biology is an interdisciplinary organization that combines research and educational resources from WFU Health Sciences and Wake Forest School of Medicine , the WFU Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Undergraduate School of Arts & Sciences . It is based at Wake Forest Biotech Place in Piedmont Triad Research Park in downtown Winston - Salem .