Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20069min
          Frank Hauser, head football coach, has been preparing Wesleyan Cardinals for competition Sept. 23. Hauser, who graduated from Wesleyan in 1979, has been coaching at Wesleyan 20 years. Posted 09/15/06 Q: Frank, the football season kicks off Sept. 23. Is it difficult to prepare the team for competition in such a short period?A: Practice began August 30 which gives us over three weeks to prepare for the opener against Middlebury College That is plenty of time.Q: The Cardinals had seven consecutive non-losing seasons from 1997 to 2003. What are your goals this year to get…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 200610min
Ron Jenkins, professor of theater, reads a Sanskrit prayer during a Sept. 11 Memorial Service in the Memorial Chapel while Jason Harris '09, left, listens. Posted 09/15/06 On Sept. 11, 2001, Marc Arena ’07 was in class when his high school principal announced over the P.A. that the World Trade Center towers were struck by two planes. He and his classmates at Pelham Memorial High School in Pelham, N.Y. gathered around a radio, listening in awe. With an ear on the broadcast, and a pencil at hand, Arena wrote a poem. “Bodies leaping from 61 floors. Like roaches in the…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20062min
Posted 09/15/06 Wesleyan celebrated the 10th anniversary of Constitution Day. According to Federal law, Wesleyan and other federally-funded institutions are required to offer programs commemorating the Constitution. “We want to take something that is required by law, and turn it into something meaningful for the Wesleyan community,” says the Caleb T. Winchester University Librarian Barbara Jones. Jones, whose primary professional interests include intellectual freedom, presented a talk titled “Libraries and the Constitution After 9/11” in recognition of Constitution Day 2006 Sept. 19 in the Smith Reading Room in Olin Library. R Jones has served one term as chair of the…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Cameron Shelton, assistant professor of economics, is an expert on public economics, political economy and macroeconomics. His office is based in the Public Affairs Center.   Posted 09/15/06 Cameron Shelton has joined the Economics Department as an assistant professor. Shelton’s research is based on the political economy of fiscal policy. “By using panel datasets that cover multiple years and countries, I investigate how a country’s political institutions, economic institutions, and demographic factors combine to affect patterns of public expenditure and, ultimately, macroeconomic performance,” Shelton explains. Shelton has written three papers based on tests of theories, which are under review for…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Pat Melley, director of Employee Benefits, is preparing for Open Enrollment for 2007 in November. She hopes to meet several Wesleyan employees during this time.   Posted 09/15/06 Being Wesleyan’s director of Employee Benefits is a huge benefit on its own.   Pat Melley, who was hired into this role in August, says she enjoys this opportunity to problem solve, mentor and collaborate.   “I think of Wesleyan employees as my customers, and I strive to serve them the best that I can,” Melley says from the Office of Human Resources. “I love the challenge of answering questions from faculty…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 200613min
Harriett Epstein, desktop support specialist, troubleshoots problems Wesleyan employees may encounter with their computers.   Posted 09/15/06 Q: When did you come to Wesleyan and for what department?A: I came to Wesleyan in July 1998 as a desktop configuration specialist for the PeopleSoft Team in Information Technology Services. Q: Explain what a desktop support specialist does. A: It is the responsibility of a desktop support specialist to perform trouble-shooting and remediation of software and hardware problems on computers and peripherals and install and configure new desktop computers and peripherals. We also provide support/coordination for special projects requiring technical expertise within…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20062min
Posted 09/15/06 David Titus, Professor Emeritus of Government, died on June 13, 2006. Professor Titus taught at Wesleyan from 1966 until his retirement in 2004, serving as chair of the Government Department, the College of Social Studies and the East Asian Studies Program. He played a crucial role in establishing East Asian Studies at Wesleyan; he served as Resident Director of the Kyoto Program three times, and was a member and frequent chair of its Executive Board. His masterwork was his Palace and Politics in Prewar Japan, which established his reputation as a leading scholar of Japanese politics; it was…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Drew Black, wrestling coach and strength and conditioning coach, explains how to use a medicine ball for strength training via video on a new Strength and Conditioning Web Site. Posted 09/15/06 With moves like the spider lunge, chest fly, sumo squat, wood chop, push jerk and the inch worm, strength and conditioning lessons have never been so easy – and entertaining.   Through a series of online videos and written training plans, Drew Black, Wesleyan wrestling coach and strength and conditioning coach, shows how to properly execute 241 movements in the weight room. Some can be applied in the workplace…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20064min
Posted 09/15/06 On May 4, 2006, Doug Bennet '59, P'87, P'94, Wesleyan's 15th president, announced his decision that the 2006-07 academic year will be the 12th and final year of his presidency. The Wesleyan Board of Trustees is in the process of convening an 18-person search committee composed of alumni, trustees, faculty, staff and students to undertake a comprehensive search to identify and successfully recruit Bennet's successor. The alumni and trustee members of the search committee are Kofi Appenteng '81 and chair, Stephen Daniel '82, Jim Dresser '63, Joe Fins '82, Ellen Jewett '81, Michael McPherson P'98, Megan Norris '83,…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Science teachers in Connecticut teachers take classes at Wesleyan through the Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science Program (PIMMS). PIMMS is teaming up with the Connecticut Science Center to provide science and math education techniques to K-12 teachers. Posted 09/15/06 A new partnership between Wesleyan University and The Connecticut Science Center in Hartford will be designed to engage more students across the state to the sciences than ever before. Specifically, The Connecticut Science Center will be partnering with Wesleyan's Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Sciences (PIMMS). Together they will train Connecticut middle school science teachers how…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Posted 09/15/06 Each year, the Office of University Communications collects objective and comparative measures of Wesleyan's strengths from data compiled by outside sources. Following is a brief list of recent findings:No. 1 in National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding among Liberal Arts Peers This is an objective ranking based on available NSF funding data. Between 2001 and 2003 Wesleyan received $14.49 million in NSF funding (this reflects the most recent data available – Wesleyan was also No. 1 in the previous survey that ran up to 2001). Next closest was Mt. Holyoke at $5.31 million. Carleton was 3rd, Barnard 4th and…