Page 18

Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts (CFA) started the celebration of its 50th birthday with a joyous party featuring a dozen activities spread out across six of the complex’s buildings on campus. “In a very Wesleyan fashion, we're not doing an anniversary,” said Director Joshua Lubin-Levy ’06. “We're doing a birthday party for buildings, and for the people that fill them and the art that has filled them over fifty years,” Lubin-Levy said. Roger Mathew Grant, Dean of the Arts and Humanities and Professor of Music, said the CFA has never been just about its structures - it has a…

Margot Weiss, associate professor of anthropology and American studies, affiliated faculty in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and coordinator of queer studies, saw a gap in the world of queer anthropology—there was no central text compiling the leading theories and ideas of the field. So, she made one—well, two. Weiss recently published Queer Then and Now, a collection of lectures given by the winners of the CLAGS: Center for LGBTQ Studies' annual David R. Kessler Award. CLAGS, which is housed at the City University of New York, gives the Kessler Award for lifetime achievement in queer and trans studies. The…

Each year A. George Bajalia, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, presents a multidisciplinary arts festival in Tangier, Morocco that is more than just a performance—it’s a gathering place for artistic exploration. Bajalia, along with cultural programmer Zakaria Alilech and theatre producer Tom Casserly, founded the Youmein Festival in 2015. Several years before, the trio had worked on a Moroccan Arabic take on West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, and the story of Tislit and Isli. Around the same time an old factory space in Tangier became available. Bajalia knew the local artistic scene was multidisciplinary it its approach and he began…

Robyn Autry, Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life; Hari Krishnan, Professor of Dance; and Francis Starr, Foss Professor of Physics, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Professor of Integrative Sciences, have received the 2023 award for excellence in research. The awards—going to those who demonstrate excellence in their research, scholarship, and contributions to their field—were announced at the first faculty meeting of the year, held in early September. Autry, recipient of the faculty research prize in the social sciences, is a strong voice in the study of racial identity,…

As Wesleyan University comes up on the final moments of its most recent round of campus improvements, eyes are already turning towards the future. Staff and faculty members are working alongside members of the Board of Trustees to chart the future course of the University’s infrastructure. “Every other month we are meeting to talk about the progress of our campus planning … we are in the very early stages of this work,” said Alan Rubacha, Assistant Vice President, Construction and Infrastructure. Rubacha said the committee is working in three different areas—energy and infrastructure, academic and administrative facility needs, and residential…

Showing camaraderie and spirit, the first students participating in the African Scholars Program are growing acclimated to the unique experience offered at Wesleyan. The exceptional group of 13 students from across Africa assembled at a welcome dinner on Thursday, Sept. 7 in the Daniel Family Commons. The scholars and their mentors shared a meal, remarks, poetry, songs, and a shared sense of purpose. Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez ‘96, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid, encouraged the students to see their time at Wesleyan as an opportunity to empower and uplift themselves. While he asked that they give of…

Everyone gets their start somewhere—an entry point into their eventual career path. For M.J. Renee Sher, assistant professor of physics, it was at her all-girls middle school growing up in Taiwan. For Victoria Manfredi, assistant professor of computer science, it was her father’s suggestion she take computer science classes in high school and college. “College was the first time I had any women computer science professors, and they were just amazing people,” said Manfredi, who did not seriously consider the career until college. “Because I was at a women’s college, my computer science classes were also all women. That really…

There are 600 million people globally and 80 million people in the United States living along coastal waters, and these people are endangered by sea level rise, resulting from climate change, according to Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science, Emeritus, Johan Varekamp. Global sea level is expected to rise between 10 to 12 inches by 2050, potentially as much as three to seven feet by 2100 if future carbon emissions into the atmosphere are not reduced, according to a National Ocean Service study published in 2022. Coastal flooding will become more common and more severe, and storm surge heights…

Wesleyan University will be participating in a research project to explore the potential—and pitfalls--of generative artificial intelligence as a teaching and research tool. Wesleyan joins 19 other universities, including Carnegie Mellon University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of Connecticut, Stony Brook University, Temple University, Bryant University, Duke University, Concordia University, and Yale University on the two-year research project led by Ithaka S+R, a not-for-profit organization that helps the academic community evaluate and use digital technologies. “Together the partners in the Making AI Generative for Higher Education will assess the immediate and emerging AI applications most likely to impact teaching,…

There are not many places a student could go to find out about the birding scene on campus, hear about where to go to learn improv comedy, find their fellow student investors, or work to expand reproductive rights. The Student Involvement Fair on Sept. 8 on Huss Lawn was just the place to seek out each of these interests and their accompanying communities, or just try your hand at a game of chess with the chess club. To accompany the many academic events available each semester, Wesleyan is home to over 300 student-run groups, clubs, organizations, and activities. Students have…

Two Wesleyan alumni were hired in key roles at the White House by the Biden-Harris Administration in September. Ed Siskel ’94 started his new role as White House Counsel and Rob Wilcox ’01 joined the administration as a Deputy Director of the new Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Siskel, the nation’s top attorney, was called a seasoned lawyer who could “hit the ground running as a key leader on my team,” by President Joseph R. Biden in a statement, according to The New York Times. Siskel will be tasked with guiding Biden through an impeachment inquiry spearheaded by Speaker of the…

President Michael S. Roth ’78 and Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicole Stanton recently announced the faculty members who, in recognition of their career accomplishments, have been appointed to endowed professorships, effective July 1, 2023: Merve Gul Emre, former distinguished writer-in-residence, received the Shapiro-Silverberg University Professorship of Creative Writing and Criticism, established in 2008. James W. McGuire, professor of government, received a John E. Andrus Professorship of Government, established in 1981. Brian Hale Northrop, professor of chemistry, received the E. B. Nye Professorship of Chemistry, established in 1908. Dana Royer, professor of Earth and environmental sciences, received the…

Center for the Arts Celebrates 50th Birthday

Weiss Publishes First of Two Queer Studies Anthologies

Professor Creates Arts Festival in Tangier

Three Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Research

Campus Construction Updates: Fall 2023

Wesleyan Welcomes Inaugural Class of 13 African Scholars

Girls in Science Camp

Varekamp Gives Lecture on His Studies of Sea Level Rise

Wesleyan to Participate in Generative AI Research Project

Wesleyan Students Flock to Fall Involvement Fair

Wesleyan in the News: September 2023

University Announces Endowed Professorships, New Faculty Leadership