These are strange days for Nathan O. Hatch, the soon-to-be-former president of Wake Forest University.
His Reynolda Hall office has been boxed up. A couple of months ago, he and Julie, his wife, moved out of the presidentâs house where they lived for the past 16 years. A day after commencement, his last as a full-time academic, Hatch turned 75.
For a few more days, Hatch will conduct presidential business from his study in his new home that backs up to Graylyn, the former estate of Bowman Gray that Wake Forest now operates a hotel and conference center.
That ends Wednesday, when Hatch will retire after a remarkable run of 16 years at Wake Forest and 30 more before that at the University of Notre Dame. Susan Wente, now the provost of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, becomes Wake Forestâs 14th president Thursday.