Award-winning, best-selling author Anna Quindlen P’07, pioneering entrepreneur and philanthropist Azim Premji P’99, and two dedicated members of the Middletown community, Mark Masselli and Jennifer Alexander ’88, will be the honorary degree recipients at the 177th Wesleyan Commencement on May 24, 2009. Quindlen will also give this year’s Commencement Address.
Alumni
Alumni news.
Karsh ’87, Sciola on the Post-Graduation Job Search
by David Pesci •
Brad Karsh ’87 and Michael Sciola, director of Wesleyan’s Career Resource Center, are both quoted in a piece in The Wall Street Journal titled “Graduating with a Major in Go-Getting.” The article discusses a variety of strategies up-coming graduates may want to consider for their first post-commencement job search.
Alumni Win Grammy for ‘In the Heights’
by David Pesci •
Lin Manuel Miranda ’02 and Bill Sherman ’02 can add a Grammy to the awards and accolades they’ve received in the last 12 months for the Broadway musical ‘In the Heights.’ Miranda and Sherman were among a team of producers and performers on the production who were awarded a Grammy on Sunday, February 8, for “Best Musical Show Album.” The play was first performed as a student play at Wesleyan when Miranda was a student.
Roth on Dutton’s ‘The Art Instinct’
by David Pesci •
President Michael S. Roth reviews Denis Dutton’s new book The Art Instinct,examining the author’s proposition that art arises out of humanity’s biology as much as our intellect.
Shapiro ’74 , Silverberg ’76 Give $3.5M to Writing
by David Pesci •
John M. Shapiro `74 and Shonni J. Silverberg, M.D. `76 of New York City have made a gift of $3.5 million to transform Wesleyan’s creative writing programs and endow the Writing Center. The gift includes an endowed faculty position that will begin later this year. It also will establish a Writing Center in Davenport Hall, which also will be the home to the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life. The full details on the gift announcement can be seen here.
Dana Delany ’78, Janet Grillo ’80 at Film Series 2-7
by David Pesci •
Actress Dana Delany ’78 (“Desperate Housewives,” “Kidnapped,” “China Beach”) and producer Janet Grillo ’80 (“Spanking the Monkey,” “Searching for Paradise”), will discuss their paths from Wesleyan to Hollywood and show and discuss their new short film “Flying Lessons” on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. at the Center for Film Studies Goldsmith Family Cinema. The event is open to the public and admission is free.
Roth on Buck-Morss’ ‘Hegel and Haiti’
by David Pesci •
President Michael S. Roth reviews a new book by Susan Buck-Morss called Hegel, Haiti and Universal History that theorizes the German philosopher Georg Hegel was “inspired by the Haitian revolution of the 1790s when developing his fundamental concept known as the master-slave dialectic.” Roth explores this bold claim and the evidence and logic used to support it.
Roth ’78 on Obama’s Call for ‘Our Better History’
by David Pesci •
In his most recent essay for The Huffington Post, Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth ’78 reflects on President Obama’s ‘brilliant, deeply felt Inaugural Address’ and echos on President Obama’s call to “choose our better history.” Roth discusses this and how we need to we actively start “rejecting the policies of recent years that undermined our constitution and our community.”
Scheibe: Inauguration Crowd ‘Transformative’
by David Pesci •
Karl Scheibe, professor of psychology, emeritus, is quoted in The Hartford Courant on both the “unconscious behavior” of crowds in general and the “sense of enrichment” that attending an event like the inauguration of President Obama can provide for an individual.
Roth in Huffington Post on Service and Education
by David Pesci •
On the eve of President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth has written a new blog entry on the Huffington Post that addresses the call to service Mr. Obama championed while on campus in May, during the latter parts of his campaign, and more recently as he worked through his transition from candidate to president. President Roth echoes these thoughts in his latest posting to his own blog as well.
Mangini ’94 Named Head Coach of Cleveland Browns
by David Pesci •
Eric Mangini ’94 was introduced as the new head coach of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Mangini, who had finished the season as coach of the New York Jets was scooped up by the Browns just nine days after he left the Jets. Michael Arce of the Columbus Dispatch lauds Mangini’s roots here at Wesleyan and in Connecticut. More coverage, including clips from Mangini’s press conference and Mangini talking about his start in professional football can be found here.
Bennet ’87 Nominated For U.S. Senate
by David Pesci •
Michael Bennet ’87 has been nominated by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to replace Ken Salazar in The United States Senate. Currently the Public School Superintendent in Denver, Bennet has also served as deputy U.S. Attorney General under former President Bill Clinton. Salazar has been nominated by President-elect Obama to be Secretary of the Interior and Bennet would become Colorado’s junior senator once Salazar’s nomination is confirmed. More about Michael Bennett can be found in his official biography. Additional news coverage on Bennet’s nomination includes The Washington Post and The New York Times, among others.
