Lauren RubensteinInspired by her students' passion for education reform, Assistant Professor of Psychology Anna Shusterman and several of her students launched an innovative five-week pilot program this summer to prepare children entering kindergarten at Macdonough School in Middletown. Fifteen children participated in this research-based program, with a curriculum designed by Shusterman, her students and a Macdonough teacher. According to Shusterman, children in low-income neighborhoods start kindergarten with academic skills up to two years behind their peers. Research shows that quality early childhood education makes a huge difference in helping to shrink this achievement gap. In fact, economists estimate a $7 return…
Bill HolderWesleyan University will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, 2012, by a team representing the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education is one of seven accrediting commissions in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as a whole. The Commission, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, accredits approximately 240 institutions in the six-state New England region. Wesleyan has been accredited by the Commission since 1929…
For the past two years, Ao Wang has shared with his students at Wesleyan a passion for Chinese poetry and intellectual debate over East Asian cultural issues. Wang came to Wesleyan in fall 2010 as a visiting professor. He was hired in the 2011-12 academic year as an assistant professor of Asian languages and literatures and East Asian studies. Originally from Qingdao, China, Wang was drawn to the United States because of his love of American culture, particularly music and poetry. Though he didn’t have a specific career goal at that time, he eventually decided to become a translator of…
Olivia DrakeQ: Kathleen, in July, you joined the Residential Life staff as the residential operations coordinator. Briefly describe your new role. A: I oversee all key and access operations.I provide technical support to students. I work with students to help them understand our policies and why they are important. Otherwise I just help where I can in the Residential Life department. Q: Prior to Res Life, you were working as the administrative assistant for the Center for the Humanities. How long were you there? A: I was at the Center for a bit longer than two years. The Center is such an…
Q&As with outstanding students is an occasional feature of The Wesleyan Connection. This issue we speak with Andrew Ribner from the Class of 2014. Q: Andrew, you're a rising junior, working toward a university major in educational psychology and learning theory and biology. Please explain what a university major is and why you chose this degree path. A: A university major is essentially an interdisciplinary create-your-own major. It's an option that isn't very highly publicized, and is completely unique to each student who does it. It's an intense application process that involves writing a formal proposal and four-year class schedule,…
Benjiman Jackson, personal computer specialist in Information Technology Services, received a Cardinal Achievement Award in June. Jackson was honored for demonstrating extraordinary initiative or providing outstanding service with regard to specific tasks in his department. This special honor comes with a $150 award and reflects the university’s gratitude for those extra efforts. The award recipients are nominated by department chairs and supervisors. Nominations can be made anytime throughout the year. For more information or to nominate a staff member for the award, visit the Human Resources web site and scroll down to Cardinal Achievement Award under “Forms.” Recipients will continue to be…
Krishna Winston, the Marcus L. Taft Professor of German Language and Literature, began serving as Wesleyan's Service-Learning Center Director on July 1. Suzanne O’Connell, who adeptly led the Center for the past five years, returned to her role as an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, associate professor of environmental studies. Winston has long been known for her deep commitment to service, on campus and in the greater Middletown community, explains Rob Rosenthal, provost, vice president for Academic Affairs, and the John E. Andrus Professor of Sociology. Many years ago, Winston was part of the group of faculty and…
Wesleyan welcomes 11 new employees to Wesleyan: Heather Brooke joined the President's Office on May 1. Leith Johnson joined the staff at Olin Library's Special Collections and Archives on May 14. Linnea Benton joined the staff at Olin Library on May 21. Katharine Henderson joined the Department of Biology on May 29. Morain Miller joined the staff at Olin Library on June 11. Mark Hellerman joined the staff in the Department of Biology on June 25. Alexis Sturdy joined the staff in Community Partnerships on July 2. Jennifer Kleindienst joined the Office of Finance and Administration on July 2. Nicola…
Wesleyan's Psychology Department hosted the second annual Cognitive Development Undergraduate Research Conference on July 18. Faculty, research assistants and undergraduates from Wesleyan, Smith College, Wellesley College and Barnard College attended the conference to discuss their research. Seven labs from the four schools presented their work at the event. "This conference is a great opportunity for faculty and students to discuss research, for the faculty to catch up on new work, and for students in this field to connect with each other," says Shusterman, who organized the conference. Photos of the event are below: (more…)
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