Posted 05/16/07 When she first came to Wesleyan, Holly Wood ’08 never considered going to graduate school. But after a few Wesleyan professors offered encouragement and guidance, Wood has changed her plans and is looking into doctorate programs. “I've been very fortunate to have access to a couple of extremely affable professors who were dedicated to helping me achieve my goals,” Wood says. As a newly-named Beinecke Scholar, Wood will receive more than $30,000 towards her graduate education. Eventually, she hopes to become a professor of sociology. Wood, who is majoring in sociology and government, is among 20 students across…

Picnics, entertainment, dances and get-togethers are all part of Reunion and Commencement Weekend, which kicks off May 24. Posted 05/16/07 Picnics, seminars, a parade of classes, alumni luncheons, campus walking tours, rock concerts, academic department open houses, and graduation ceremonies are all part of the 2007 Reunion and Commencement Weekend May 24-27. All Wesleyan alumni, students, staff, faculty and friends are invited to the three-day event, which will conclude Wesleyan’s yearlong celebration of its 175th anniversary. “Reunion and Commencement weekends are partly about Wesleyan's past and present,” says President Doug Bennet. “We come together from across the Wesleyan map to…

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…

Krishna Winston, the Marcus L. Taft Professor of German Language and Literature, has been appointed the next dean of the Arts and Humanities. Posted 05/15/07 Krishna Winston, the Marcus L. Taft Professor of German Language and Literature, has been appointed the next dean of the Arts and Humanities. Winston will begin her four-year term in July. “In her 37-year career at Wesleyan, Winston has proven to be a tireless university citizen,” says Joe Bruno, vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. Winston has served on many committees and is currently the chair of the Educational Policy Committee. She coordinates the…

Wesleyan President-Elect Michael Roth '78 speaks to the Wesleyan community during his introduction April 27 in Memorial Chapel. Reposted 05.02.07 Though it was gray and soggy outside, the inside of Memorial Chapel glowed with laughter and applause as the campus community was formally introduced to Wesleyan’s 16th president, Michael S. Roth ‘78. Roth, who will come to Wesleyan from the presidency of California College of the Arts, spoke to a capacity audience of students, faculty, staff and Middletown residents. The event was webcast and is archived at (Quicktime needed): http://condor.wesleyan.edu/openmedia/webcast/archive/roth.mov As Roth entered the chapel, he was met with an…

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal speaks with Joe Bruno, vice president for Academic Affairs and provost; Barry Chernoff, director of the Environmental Studies Certificate Program; and Midge Bennet prior to his talk on global warming April 18. Posted 05/02/07 “Connecticut’s Role in the Fight Against Global Warming” was the topic of Wesleyan’s Earth Day celebration April 18. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal delivered the keynote address to a Memorial Chapel-full of students, faculty, staff and members of the local community. Blumenthal, the 23rd elected AG of the state, had worked as a federal prosecutor for several cases against environmental polluters.…

Assistant Professor of Art Leslie Snipes is one of 10 faculty participating in The Faculty Show in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery through May 27. Posted 05/02/07 Through a three-dimensional art piece made of carpet spools and mobile platforms, Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art, explores movement and stability, and the desire to exert control and temptation to escape.Schiff and nine of his colleagues are showing their work at The Faculty Show, an exhibition that showcases the work of studio art faculty in Wesleyan’s Art and Art History Department. The first of its kind in more than a decade, the…

Psychology major Nikko Marko Lencek-Inagaki '07 will study in France this summer as one of 57 Humanity in Action Fellows. Posted 05/02/07 Nikko Marko Lencek-Inagaki '07 is a first-generation American: his father is Japanese and his mother is Italian-Slovene. With his mother he celebrates the arrival of St. Nick; his father made obento for lunch in high school. He also is "quite gay," he says. A psychology major facing "politics of difference", Lencek-Inagaki always asks "Why? Why do people do what they do, think what they think?". "Because I am sensitive to and critical of how differences are construed," he…

More than 40 students, staff, faculty and alumni participated in a recent squash tournament at the Rosenbaum Squash Center. Posted 05/02/07 All but one player got ‘squashed’ for the grand prize during the WesFest Squash Tournament April 21 in the Rosenbaum Squash Center. The community-inspired tournament was open to all faculty, staff, students, family, alumni and friends of the university. This year, a crowd of 45 players spanning all levels of skills and age ranges, took part in the event. “It was great to see such a cross section of squash playing community present at the same time,” says co-coordinator…

Posted 05/02/07 Two distinguished faculty members will be appointed leadership roles in university centers for the next three years, with terms beginning on July 1, 2007.Suzanne O'Connell, left, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, has agreed to assume the directorship of the Service-Learning Center for a three-year term. O’Connell will be replacing Rob Rosenthal, professor of sociology. O'Connell studies climate change, coastal processes, and diversity in the geosciences. She is the author of more than 50 refereed publications and the recipient of more than $1 million in National Science Foundation grants. Most recently she was the Principle Investigator on…

Posted 05/02/07 A scholar in philosophy and a scholar in literary studies can pick up the same book, read the same words, and come away with completely different perceptions about the contents and messages of the text. It is this phenomenon that is the focus of a conference being held at Wesleyan from May 9-10, titled, “Philosophy and Literature: Reading Across the Disciplines.” The idea behind the conference is to gather scholars from both academic areas and compare how each interpret the same text. This is the first year of our conference and the positive response has far exceeded our…