IN THE NEWS: Thomas Hearn officially stepped down as president of Wake Forest University (N.C.) in June. Hearn, who had led the private university for 22 years, is credited with raising the school’s status from respected regional university, to a national institution with a “Southern accent,” according to Murray Greason, chair of the board of trustees.

Hearn told the press that his early years were the hardest. During that time, he changed the relationship between Wake Forest and North Carolina’s Baptist Convention. Until Hearn came along, the convention appointed the university’s trustees. Hearn, a one-time seminarian, broke the strong ties between the university and the church, moving Wake Forest toward self-governance. He paid a price in those early years, as he cast about for other financial supporters. Today, Wake Forest has an $800 million endowment, up from $125 million since the mid-1980s. In 2003, Hearn suffered a brain tumor and took time off. He came back to run Wake Forest last year, but immediately announced his plans to retire…

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