Kate CarlisleWesleyan President Michael Roth joined leaders from 100 universities and colleges and 40 nonprofit groups at the White House on Jan. 16, to discuss how to promote greater access to higher education. The event is part of an Obama administration initiative to help more students afford and graduate from college. The institutions represented at the event have all made commitments to programs that would increase access to students from historically underserved communities. "At the summit, I learned that ninety percent of low-income people who get their BA will move out of poverty," Roth said. "Access to education truly has an…
Olivia DrakeWhich professor has made the biggest impact on your Wesleyan education? If you're a junior, senior, graduate student or Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD), then you're eligible to nominate your favorite faculty member for the prestigious Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching honor. The Binswanger Prize was inaugurated in 1993 as an institutional recognition of outstanding faculty members. These prizes, made possible by gifts from the family of the late Frank G. Binswanger Sr., HON ’85, underscore Wesleyan’s commitment to its scholar-teachers, who are responsible for the university’s distinctive approach to liberal arts education. Prize winners are announced at…
For 75 years, 88.1 FM WESU has provided a platform for the enjoyment of underground music and under-represented genres generally absent from commercial airwaves. The year 2014 will mark WESU’s 75th Anniversary, and "we’ve got a metric boatload of events and special programming to celebrate," said DJ "Cheshire Cat" Bryan Skowera '99. "Rather than air just our selections, we want our listeners and friends to contribute to our playlist by helping us pick the songs." This month, WESU is broadcasting “75 Years of Socially Conscious Music," a program that features listener and staff suggestions that reflect both socially conscious music and WESU’s…
Seven films, all with English subtitles, will be screened during the annual Israeli Film Festival this spring. The festival aims to educate and explore the richness, diversity and creativity of Israeli culture as witnessed through the flourishing of contemporary Israeli cinema. Each film screening is followed by a guest speaker or Wesleyan faculty who comments on the film from a particular perspective. FIlms this year include Fill the Void, Wherever You Go, Welcome and our Condolences, Zaytoun, By Summer’s End, Six Million and One, Back by Popular Demand: Eyes Wide Open. Films run every Thursday at 8 p.m. from Jan. 30 to March 6 in the Goldsmith…
"Audience(s)" is the theme of the Center for the Humanities' Spring 2014 lecture series. “Audience(s)” asks us to explore the phenomena of the audience from multiple perspectives. How does audience shape the form and function of our work? Is the desire to reach a wider audience consistent with our academic or artistic goals? How should we reflect on the relation of intellectuals to their audience or audiences in general? What can the audience tell us about past or present works of scholarship, theater, music, politics or art? Speakers also will explore the ways in which audience behavior is changing in…
During the 13th annual Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns, Wesleyan faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends have the opportunity to explore issues of global concern in a small seminar environment. This year's topic is "The Novel." The Shasha Seminar will take place April 5-6 on Wesleyan's campus. Fourteen speakers, including several award-winning novelists and authors, will offer readings from their own work and lead forums on "My First Novel," "Beyond Genre," "The Small Press," "Crime Novels," "The State of Publishing," "Great New Writers" and more. View the full program online here. "This conference on 'The Novel' — in all of…
Anti-racist activist Tim Wise will deliver the keynote address at Wesleyan's Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 31. His talk begins at 3:15 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. A reception and book signing will follow in the Zelnick Pavilion. Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States. Named one of “25 Visionaries Who are Changing Your World,” by Utne Reader, Wise has spoken in all 50 states, on over 800 college and high school campuses, and to community groups across the nation. Wise is the author of seven books,…
Wesleyan President Michael Roth joined leaders from 100 universities and colleges and 40 nonprofit groups at the White House on Jan. 16, to discuss how to promote greater access to higher education. This story has moved here.
Amber Smith '14 understands the importance of having connections with others who understand the hardships faced as an amputee. Smith, an African American studies major, was born with an upper extremity amputation of her left forearm. On Nov. 6, Smith received a 2013 Ella T. Grasso Leadership in Action Grant from the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame. The award will serve as seed money for starting up her social enterprise, "I AMputee," an online community designed for amputees and their families to connect with those of similar circumstances in an effort to create positive, reciprocal relationships grounded in common experience. I AMputee's…
Phi Beta Kappa, Wesleyan's honor society, welcomed 12 new members during an initiation ceremony Dec. 4 in the Office of Admission. These students have been elected to early decision PBK membership, and hold a GPA of 94.89 and above. "These new members’ accomplishments during their years at Wesleyan should be a source of pride to themselves and to their families," said Anna Shusterman, vice president of the Connecticut Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and assistant professor of psychology. To be elected, a student must first have been nominated by the department of his or her major. He or she…
Brian KattenThe Cardinals put away a successful fall season, with 18 athletes earning all-NESCAC honors, 58 qualifying as NESCAC scholar athletes and (in case you haven’t heard) the football team winning the Little Three Title for the first time in 43 years. Leading the way with 12 all-NESCAC picks were the 7-1 footballers, whose season record was the best finish for the team since 1993. Named to the NESCAC first team were NESCAC leading rusher LaDarius Drew ’15, defensive backs Jake Bussani ’14 and Donnie Cimino ’15, defensive end Nik Powers ’15, center Jake Sheffer ’14 and wide receiver Kevin Hughes…
Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts is the recipient of a $400,000 grant recognizing the CFA as an innovator and leader among arts organizations. The unsolicited gift from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is one of five – totaling $3.5 million - given to arts centers around the country. It recognizes these centers for their “adaptability” to changing conditions in the arts sector and is intended to support the groups’ ongoing capacity to respond to these changes, according to the foundation. “We understand that most organizations do not have enough, if any, “change capital’ – funds they can devote to maximizing…