Olivia DrakeMatthew Kurtz, associate professor of psychology, associate professor of neuroscience and behavior, presented the “Senior Voices” baccalaureate address on May 26. I want to start by thanking the class of 2012 for inviting me to speak at this baccalaureate celebration and permitting me to be part of these festivities. I am so happy for all of you! It’s been an honor for me to see you all mature over the past 4 years, see you become more confident in your ideas and thinking, more poised and subtle in the expression of your ideas, and more skilled in interacting with those…
Ali Chaudhry '12 presented a "Senior Voices" speech in Memorial Chapel on May 26. When I came to Wesleyan from Pakistan, I came with my fair share of prejudices about the United States and Americans. Don’t hate me for that. It was natural. I hadn’t interacted with Americans before, so my understanding of the U.S. and Americans was limited to the media, hear-say and the odd American I came across. As my economist friends would say, my sample size was really small, which wasn’t good. Some people told me that Americans are very self-interested and will actively work to take…
Ben Shiling '12 delivered a "Senior Voices" Address May 26. Hi, my name is Ben and I am an English major. To many, my parents included, this was a deliberate choice to either a) bank on grad school for a “good job,” or b) become an English teacher. Period. English major did not say to them “this is a man with a diversified future.” I was asked recently “what were you planning on doing with that” at a job interview. Ah! The life of a liberal arts graduate! We are a disreputable bunch, misfits, iconoclasts, destined, as Whitman proudly boasts,…
Max Bevilacqua '12 presented a "Senior Voices" speech in Memorial Chapel on May 26. There aren’t many places that I have felt comfortable wearing a dress in public. If you had told me, before I transferred from Georgetown, that in a few short months I would be sporting a cute little pink number with a deep v-neck in Beckham Hall, my Jesuit professors would have cried, and I would have laughed in disbelief. And if you had told me, that in a few short months at Wesleyan, I would be welcomed so warmly, challenged so fiercely, or inspired so deeply…I’m…
Q: Professor Pringle, you joined Wesleyan's Chemistry Department as an assistant professor in 1968. How have times changed? A: I started here before there were female students. Wesleyan had NO COMPUTER at all, and Ph.D. programs were just starting. At the time, we had 11 faculty in the department: Al Fry, Gill Burford, John Sease, Jose Gomez-Ibanez, Peter Leermakers, Julia Tan, Don Sebera and Larry Faller were here, and two faculty came here when I did--Paul Haake from UCLA and Peter Wharton from Wisconsin. Of this group, Al Fry is the only one still working in the department. The department…
Members of the Donor Associates, trustees, and emeriti trustees and friends celebrated the Bennet family legacy during a dedication of Bennet Hall on May 25. Bennet Hall is named in honor of Wesleyan President Emeritus Douglas Bennet ’59, P’87, P’94, Midge Bowen Bennet, and the Bennet family. The hall is located inside the Fauver Residence complex. (more…)
The Office of Parent Programs and the proud parents of the Class of 2012 hosted a gathering on May 26 for graduating seniors and their grandparents. Photos of the event are below: (more…)
Wesleyan alumni, friends and family participated in a lively festival of entertainment and games during the All-College Picnic and Festival on Foss Hill, May 26. The event was part of Reunion & Commencement Weekend. Photos of the event are below: (Photos by Bill Tyner '13)
Lauren RubensteinMembers of the Class of 1962 and guests celebrated their 50th Reunion during Reunion & Commencement Weekend May 24-27. During the reunion, Hank Sprouse '62 presented a cardinal carving to Wesleyan on behalf of his class. The carving will be permanently displayed in Daniel Family Commons. Sprouse and Bruce Corwin '62 also led a discussion on “Reinventing Ourselves As We Move Along” followed by a class discussion. In addition, the Class of 1962 dedicated the Highwaymen Common Room, located in the Romance Languages and Literatures Department. Photos of the 50th Class Reunion are below: (more…)
Alumni band Kinky Spigot and the Welders performed classic soul and covers during the All-Campus Party May 26 on Andrus Field. The event was held in conjunction with Reunion & Commencement Weekend. Band members include Lillian Ruiz ’08, Nicole Tirado Strayer ’07, Amanda Facelle '09, Marlon Bishop ’07, Vlad Gutkovich ’07, Yoni Rabino ’07, Jon Hutchinson ’07, and Tess Amodeo-Vickery '07. Photos of the event are below: (more…)
Wesleyan's annual West African Drumming and Dance concert, which took place on the Center for the Arts Green, was recently featured by the Middletown Patch. The article, published on May 15, notes: "The exhilarating performance featured the work of Ghanian choreographer Iddi Saaka, Wesleyan world dance artist-in-residence; and master drummer Abraham Adzenyah, whose energetic and spirited students gave a sampling of what they've learned in West African dance courses this semester, accompanied by guest artists and drummers. " Read the article and see the video of the performance here.
Assistant Professor Courtney Weiss Smith is finishing up her first year in the English Department, where she shares with students her enthusiasm for 18th century English poetry, literature and culture. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Smith earned a B.A. from the University of Dayton and received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. She originally intended to study the 19th Century novel in graduate school, but became increasingly drawn to earlier literature of the 17th and 18th Centuries. “I was curious where these 19th Century novels came from,” Smith remarks. “I became fascinated by the novelistic…