Olivia DrakeMay 28, 20072min
ADVERTISING ALUMNUS: Darren Kapelus, Class of '87, and Senior Partner and Executive Group Director of the advertising agency, Ogilvy and Mather, Worldwide, addressed the issue "Is Advertising Dead?" April 25 on campus. Carol Crosby, associate director of the Career Resouce Center, speaks with Kapelus, whose world renowned agency has addressed issues of self esteem and beauty stereotypes with the Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty." Kapelus discussed how the advertising industry is shifting from talking at to listening to consumers. "Is Advertising Dead?" was ideal for students interested in careers in marketing, branding and advertising, as well as students who have…

Olivia DrakeMay 27, 20074min
Posted 05/27/.07 (Click picture to open high-resolution picture. Large images are 300 DPI.)   Chair of the Board of Trustees Jim Dresser '63 and Wesleyan President Douglas Bennet. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient and speaker Jim Lehrer P'85. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Nobutaka Machimura. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Alan Dachs '70, P'98 speaking in front of the Douglas Cannon. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Rosa DeLauro. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Jewell Cobb P'79. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Thomas Malone. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Doug…

Olivia DrakeMay 27, 20079min
Posted 05/27/.07 The following remarks were made by by Wesleyan University President Douglas J. Bennet during the 175th commencement ceremony May 27, 2007. Welcome to the 731 members of the Class of 2007. Slava! Slava! Slava! And if you don’t know what that mean’s you’ll have to ask one of the students. They obviously knew of my love of Russian history. Welcome parents, family members, friends, and well-wishers. Welcome to our distinguished honorees. Welcome Wesleyan trustees, faculty and staff. Welcome alumni and your families, including Welcome to Wesleyan’s 175th Commencement. This is the last time as president I will have…

Olivia DrakeMay 27, 200721min
Jim Lehrer P'85, anchor of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, delivered the commencement address during ceremonies on May 27, 2007. His speech is below: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am honored to be so honored, in such great company, by this great university. It means so much to me personally because I am the devoted father of a Wesleyan graduate, Lucy Lehrer, class of 1985. And she's sitting right over there. My first encounter with Wesleyan was because of Lucy and it was a most memorable one. My wife Kate and I had come here to take Lucy…

Olivia DrakeMay 27, 200712min
Posted 05/27/07 Wesleyan's 75th Commencement Ceremonies were held on Sunday, May 27. Wesleyan conferred: 731 bachelor degrees, 25 master of arts degrees, 58 master of arts in liberal studies degrees and 14 Ph.D. degrees. During that ceremony, the following people received honorary degrees: Jewel Plummer Cobb is renowned as a teacher, a research biologist, and an advocate for the participation of women and members of minority groups in the sciences. A graduate of Talladega College, she earned her Ph.D. in cell physiology at New York University. Her scientific research has centered on factors influencing the growth, morphology, and genetic expression…

Olivia DrakeMay 16, 20077min
Eiko Otake teaches dance at Wesleyan and performs as Eiko & Koma through the Center for the Arts. She encourages her students to show their emotions with or without words.   Posted 05/16/07 In Eiko Otake’s workshop, students only need to bring their body, and a willingness to move it. Otake, a visiting instructor for the Department of Dance, teaches a “Delicious Movement” course, designed for students who love to move with “delicious feelings.” Dance experience is not a requirement. “You don’t have to be a dancer to enjoy movement,” Otake says. “We move and dance to actively forget the…

Olivia DrakeMay 16, 20074min
Midge Bennet and President Doug Bennet hosted a farewell reception for Maria Cruz-Saco, dean of the college, who is leaving in June.   Posted 05/16/07 Maria Cruz-Saco, dean of the college, will leave Wesleyan at the end of her contract in June 2007. At the invitation of a United Nations office and Universidad del Pacifico, Lima, Peru, Cruz-Saco will lead a study on aging, equity and income security in Peru. While leading this study in 2007-08, she will be a Fulbright Scholar at Universidad del Pacifico's Research Center. In 2008-09, Cruz-Saco will resume teaching as professor of economics at Connecticut…

Olivia DrakeMay 16, 20074min
Posted 05/16/07 Wesleyan is donating more than $135,000 to the Middlesex United Way Campaign this year. Middlesex United Way supports critical human care services and county-wide projects that improve community conditions. Funds were raised through the annual Wesleyan Employee Campaign. This year, 45 percent of all employees made a donation, with the average gift of $252. Wesleyan has 43 staff and faculty members in the Leadership Circle. This year, these leaders gave $65,476 or 48.5 percent of the total. A number of departments had 100 percent participation including the Center for the Arts, Classical Studies Department, Office of International Studies,…

Olivia DrakeMay 16, 20074min
Posted 05/16/07 Applauded by friends, family, faculty members and administrators, Wesleyan’s graduating Mellon Mays Fellows were honored at a banquet held on May 12 in the Russell House. As participants in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, these students have been identified as students of great promise. Wesleyan and the Fellowship are helping them become scholars of the highest distinction as they pursue Ph.Ds in core fields in the arts and sciences. The senior Fellows are Gustavo Furtado, Meenasarani (Linde) Murugan, Acacia Stevens and Roberto (Tito) Soto-Carrión. In attendance were three of the junior fellows—Michael Bolds, Mark Leonida, and R.J.…

Olivia DrakeMay 16, 20073min
Posted 05/16/07 Beth Ogata '09 has the power – pedal power that is – to raise awareness for American housing needs. She will be one of 90 college students riding coast-to-coast this summer to support the non-profit organization, Habitat for Humanity. This is her third year making the cross-country trek. She will accompanied by Jessalee Landfried '07, Liana Woskie '10. The 13th annual Habitat Bicycle Challenge (HBC) will generate approximately $430,000 in proceeds, enough to underwrite the construction of eight Habitat homes. HBC riders will also raise awareness of Habitat's work throughout the country as they pedal to end poverty…

Olivia DrakeMay 16, 200711min
Camille Dolansky, associate director of Parent Programs and Development, makes daily contact with parents of graduating students.   Posted 05/16/07 Q: Camille, when did you come to Wesleyan and what were you hired in as?A: I came to Wesleyan in April of 2000, as the assistant to the director of Parent Programs.Q: What is the mission of the Office of Parent Programs and Development?A: Our mission is to facilitate communication between parents and the University, as well as within the parent constituency, and to promote the inclusion of parents in the greater Wesleyan community. My job is to support that…

Olivia DrakeMay 16, 20072min
More than 280 students received awards during the 2007 Academic Scholarships, Fellowships and Prizes awards ceremony May 8. Posted 05/16/07 During the 2007 Academic Scholarships, Fellowships and Prizes awards ceremony May 8 in Russell House, Maggie Filler ’07 received the Camp Prize for excellence in English literature; Jeremy Marks ’07 was honored with a Leavell Memorial Prize for film studies; and Per Stinchcombe ’08 received the Rae Shortt Prize for excellence in mathematics. Kristen Haller ’08 received the Thorndike Prize for excellence in psychology and John Burruss ’07 was honored for his thesis on an American studies topic. At the…