Statement from Wake Forest University Leadership
5/24/2024 12:10:00 PM | Baseball, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Women's Track and Field
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Statements from Wake Forest University leadership following the Atlantic Coast Conference Board of Directors vote in favor of joint settlement of the three antitrust cases (House/Hubbard/Carter) in which the NCAA and Autonomy Five Conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) are defendants.
Wake Forest encourages all to read the joint statement from the Autonomy Five conferences and NCAA.
Statements from Wake Forest University Leadership:
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President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D.
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"The Atlantic Coast Conference Board of Directors meeting in Charlotte this week included a vote by members in favor of a settlement for three antitrust cases (House/Hubbard/Carter) in which the NCAA (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 conferences) are defendants.We have followed these matters closely and sought guidance from our Board of Trustees to support our decision-making. With that support, I voted with my ACC Board colleagues in favor of the settlement. The primary benefit of the settlement is that it reduces the significant financial liability the NCAA, the ACC and other conferences face with these antitrust lawsuits. However, there are significant issues that the settlement does not solve, including financial pressures, gender equity issues, and governance challenges going forward. We will continue to work closely with our ACC colleagues and others nationally to address these issues. With the support of our Board of Trustees and our broader community, we will focus on determining our approach to this new framework and our long-standing commitment to competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics. There are currently many unknowns that remain to be resolved in the coming months about how this settlement will impact different programs across the country. At Wake Forest, we will continue to strive to provide a world class experience for the students on our campus."
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Director of Athletics John Currie
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"I am grateful for President Susan R. Wente's ongoing engaged leadership for Wake Forest University and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Thanks to the commitment of the Wake Forest Board of Trustees and University leadership and the support of 2.7 million Demon Deacon fans nationwide, we enter this new era of intercollegiate athletics stronger and with more momentum than ever before. The settlement provides some answers but also creates many more questions which will require focused attention and collaboration with our 13 elite head coaches, athletics staff, university colleagues and supporters. While there are new permissive opportunities to further enhance our World Class Student-Athlete Experience, our commitment to fiscal responsibility means that we will have to carefully consider our allocation of existing resources as we continue to provide broad-based championship opportunities for young women and men at Wake Forest. In recent years, we've won our 10th NCAA national championship, 57th ACC team crown and 200th ACC individual title, competed in seven straight football bowl games, while setting attendance and fundraising records and, most importantly, continuing our heritage of elite graduation rates and classroom success including men's basketball's recent seven honorees on the Academic All-ACC team. Together with all of Deacon Nation we are committed to success at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics."
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About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a combination of world-class academics, unrivaled campus experience, intimate learning environment and intercollegiate athletics in a top-growing metro market. A Charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have won 57 conference titles and are one of only seven ACC schools to win 10 or more national championships, along with Notre Dame, North Carolina, Virginia, Duke, Syracuse and Florida State. Additionally, Wake Forest anchors the Winston-Salem and Triad DMA which includes 1.3 million residents and is ESPN's seventh-best national viewership market.
Wake Forest has been the fastest growing and hottest brand since Aug, 1, 2019, with a 115 percent growth in our fanbase during this span. There are 2.7 million people identifying as Wake Forest fans, which ranks ninth in the league and ahead of Virginia Tech and just trailing NC State.
Founded in 1834, Wake Forest University is a highly ranked academic institution that offers 50-plus majors, 60-plus minors, and an 11-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. Wake Forest's comprehensive excellence includes its highly regarded and competitive schools of medicine, business, divinity and law. Additionally, Wake Forest maintains campuses across Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Washington, DC with students from around the world enrolled in our academic offerings across the southeast.
Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu and at GoDeacs.com.
