Wake Forest University named Peter Rodriguez, president-designate of the university’s next leadership team, after it announced he will become its 15th president effective July 1. Rodriguez will succeed Susan Wente, who led the university since 2021. Rodriguez comes from Rice University, where he spent nearly a decade rebuilding the Jones Graduate School of Business and expanded enrollment, faculty, and program reach. Wake Forest’s announcement positions the selection as part of a broader trustee push for leaders with experience running complex institutions under financial pressure. The appointment also stands out for what it signals about pipeline leadership within higher ed: a business school dean moving directly into a university presidency—an increasingly common pattern as boards seek fundraising and institution-wide operational capability.