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Olivia DrakeNovember 18, 20141min
The Liberty Bank Foundation awarded the Green Street Arts Center with a $5,000 grant to support the center's Discovery AfterSchool Program. The funds help provide scholarships for students who need financial assistance to attend the program. The Discovery AfterSchool Program offers a range of classes in the arts, math, and sciences for children in Grades 1-8. The program brings those things together in a safe space for children to build self-esteem and problem-solving skills. The AfterSchool team is made up of core education staff, professional instructors and Wesleyan students who serve as teaching assistants and homework tutors.

Lauren RubensteinMay 13, 20131min
The Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded a grant of $30,000 over three years to support the Kindergarten Kickstart program, a summer pre-K program that is a collaborative partnership between Assistant Professor of Psychology Anna Shusterman's lab, MacDonough Elementary School, North End Action Team (NEAT), and the Connecticut State Department of Education's Family Resource Center. The program was piloted for the first time last summer at MacDonough. The grant will provide about 50 percent of the program's operating cost for each of the next three years, and allow the program to expand to two locations. Each site will be staffed by three…

Olivia DrakeJanuary 25, 20131min
Wesleyan's Program for Student College Success received a $5,000 grant from the Liberty Bank Foundation on Dec. 19. The award will support the program through Nov. 1, 2013. Wesleyan’s Program for College Success is a comprehensive program that supports first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students as they move through high school and into college. The program serves 100 high school students (25 in each class), helping them to make a successful transition to college. Led by a director and operated by college students and recent graduates, the program consists of a four-week summer session and 40 weeks of programming throughout the…

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Olivia DrakeSeptember 23, 20192min
Wesleyan's fundraising arm, the Office of University Relations, now has a new name—and a new home. Effective Aug. 1, University Relations was renamed the Office of Advancement, which reflects the evolution of the team’s work as they refine their focus and prepare for the next campaign, and aligns with industry standards. "Of course, the staff’s commitment to the Wesleyan community and to engaging alumni, parents, and students in the life of the University remains unchanged," said Frantz Williams ’99, vice president for advancement. "We’re all excited for this new chapter!" During the summer the advancement staff relocated to 291 Main…

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Olivia DrakeAugust 13, 20193min
(Story by Kerisha Harris) For the sixth year in a row, the weeklong Wesleyan Girls in Science Summer Camp welcomed dozens of middle school-aged girls for a week of learning, exploration, and STEM-centered fun. From Aug. 5-9 inside Exley Science Center, the 32 campers in grades 4-6 spent the week learning about everything from how to extract DNA from a strawberry, to the parts of the brain, and even how to make (but don’t touch) an ice-cold comet. By Friday, the young scientists were excited to share all they had learned with their friends and families, and did so through a poster presentation and…

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Bill HolderOctober 16, 20172min
A new $1.3 million grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education over five years to Wesleyan’s Upward Bound Math-Science program has brought federal funding for an important collaborative initiative in Middletown that will help provide low-income, historically underrepresented high school students with pathways to success in science and math. The grant is the latest in a growing list of initiatives that are bringing Middletown and Wesleyan together in projects large and small. “We don’t often pause to appreciate the full scope of collaborations between Wesleyan and Middletown,” said Wesleyan President Michael Roth, “but when we do, the many ways…

Olivia DrakeNovember 12, 20092min
Willard M. McRae, co-founder of Wesleyan's Upward Bound Program, recently received Liberty Bank’s ninth annual Community Diversity Award. The Community Diversity Award was introduced in 2001 to recognize people who build bridges between those of different races, economic backgrounds, faiths, cultures and capabilities, according to the bank. McRae was awarded at a reception among area dignitaries at St. Clements Castle in Portland, Conn., in late October for his lifelong dedication to creating opportunities for children and adults in the areas of education, mental health and human services. In presenting the award, Liberty Bank President and CEO Chandler Howard called attention to…

Olivia DrakeNovember 5, 20072min
For 40 years, Wesleyan's Upward Bound Program has prepared hundreds of underrepresented local youth for college by providing rigorous academic summer experiences, motivational "boot camps," college visits, and assistance with the challenging college application and financial application processes. On Nov. 10, Upward Bound will celebrate its 40th anniversary inside Wesleyan's newly renovated Fayerweather Building in the Edgar F. Beckham Hall. Beckham was one of the Upward Bound founders, and along with Willard McRae and others, they had a vision that local, low-income students should have the opportunity to consider the college dream. "Upward Bound has been empowering eligible youth to…