I$ it really nece$$ary to a$k thi$ que$tion?
On a serious note, there's no doubt Wake's academic reputation has gotten stronger in the last thirty years or so. I think Hearn gets a lot of credit for that, but Hatch gets some too. For that all of us alums should be grateful.
As an semi-old, I have some of the same gripes the rest of you do. I worry about whether growing the student body is really the right move. I also don't think Wake has done much if anything to show leadership on the problem of the cost of higher ed. There's way too much administrative bloat. Of course Wake is in good company with nearly every other private school out there in dealing with these challenges.