Lauren RubensteinNovember 8, 20131min
Peter Rutland, Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor in Global Issues and Democratic Thought, recently presented a paper at the 13th annual Aleksanteri Conference, held in Helsinki, Finland, Oct. 23-25. The theme of the conference was "Russia and the World." Rutland's paper, titled, "Power or Profit? Explaining Russia's Foreign Trade," was co-authored by Ivan Stoitzev '13, and based on Stoitzev's senior thesis. At the conference, Rutland also chaired a panel on "Russia and Great Power Politics in Asia-Pacific" and, together with Stoitzev, participated in a panel on "Economic Issues in Russian Foreign Policy." Rutland is also professor of government, professor of…

Lauren RubensteinOctober 23, 20133min
This January, Winter at Wesleyan will offer students an opportunity to get a jump-start on the new year by taking a short, intensive course for credit or participating in programs at the Career Center. The Winter Session courses may be of particular interest to students seeking a lighter course load in a future term, or those working to graduate in three years. The faculty has approved four immersion-style courses, to begin Jan. 8: "Introduction to Computer Programming" (taught by Associate Professor of Computer Science James Lipton); "Sex, Drugs and Shopping: Decadence and Desire in Post-War American Fiction" (by Associate Professor…

Lauren RubensteinOctober 23, 20132min
For first-year students, leaving home and starting a new life at Wesleyan can be exhilarating—but it’s also a major adjustment. Students who find themselves in need of a little extra support now have the option to be matched with faculty or staff mentors to help ease the transition, thanks to a new program from the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Institutional Partnerships. The Connections Mentoring Program, which started as a small pilot in the 2011-12 school year, recently was expanded to any first-year student who wants mentoring. There are currently 49 mentors and 70 mentees,…

Lauren RubensteinOctober 23, 20134min
Professor of Economics Richard Grossman recently had three op-eds published in major newspapers. All related in different ways to the U.S. Congress' negotiations over the budget and debt ceiling, and the resulting shut down. Grossman is the author of a new book, Wrong: Nine Economic Policy Disasters and What We Can Learn from Them, published this month by Oxford University Press. Read more about it in this Wesleyan Connection story. The Hartford Courant on Oct. 4 published an op-ed by Grossman arguing that the Republicans were on an "ideological crusade" in their refusal to pass a continuing budget resolution unless substantial changes were made to the…