Wesleyan in the News

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni.

Recent Wesleyan News

1. The New York Times Magazine: “Letter of Recommendation: Phyllis Rose’s ‘Parallel Lives'”

Professor of English, Emerita Phyllis Rose’s 1983 book Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages, is featured in the New York Times Magazine. The book, which the reviewer notes she has re-read every few months recently, is a “group biography of several notable Victorians and their marriages,” through which the reader can gain deeper insight into intimate relationships and societal change.

1. Middletown Press: “Middletown Musician Noah Baerman Wins Guilford Performing Arts Fest Artists’ Award”

Noah Baerman, director of the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, received the inaugural Guilford Foundation/Guilford Performing Arts Festival Artists’ Award at a ceremony on Sept. 29. The award was created this year to encourage the development of new work by professional Connecticut artists and to provide a vehicle for the debut of original material at the festival.

2. Commentary: “Among the Disbelievers”

Associate Professor of History Victoria Smolkin’s new book, A Sacred Space Is Never Empty: A History of Soviet Atheism, is reviewed. Another review appeared in The Telegraph. Smolkin is also associate professor, Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies, and a tutor in the College of Social Studies.

3. Bloomberg Quint: “Corporate America Is Obsessed with Debate on Elite Campuses”

In this article about campus politics, writer Ethan Bronner ’76, P’10 writes about President Michael Roth’s efforts to increase viewpoint diversity on Wesleyan’s campus, while also making the case that campuses and classrooms must be safe and welcoming for all students.

4. Colossal: “Miniature Installations Built Inside Suitcases Detail the Homes that Refugees Leave Behind”

The art exhibit, “UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage,” featured in this article includes dioramas created by artist and architect Mohamed Hafez accompanied by audio recordings produced by Ahmed Badr ’20 of refugees from around the world telling their stories. Badr is a refugee from Iraq himself and a current Wesleyan student. He created Narratio, a website that publishes written work by young people, and he also leads workshops to empower youth to tell their stories.

5. CT Post: “Wesleyan’s ‘The Way of Tea’ Exhibit Includes Talks, Activities”

The exhibit at Wesleyan’s College of East Asian Studies opened Sept. 12 and will feature a number of talks and events through Oct. and Nov., including a tea ceremony and sung poetry and tea.

Recent Alumni News

1. Colorado Springs Business Journal: “Will Hick [John Hickenlooper ’74 MA ’80, Hon. ’10] Ascend to Highest Office in the Land?” By John Hazlehurst ’62

“It now seems all but certain (to use a favorite cliché of political journalists) that two-term Colorado governor John Hickenlooper will run for president,” writes Hazlehurst and assesses Hickenlooper’s chances. He offers a brief recap of Hickenlooper’s career and recounts an incident in which the “savvy, prescient” entrepreneur proved helpful to real estate broker/investor Hazlehurst in his efforts to save a historic building in 1990.

2. ESPN: “Inside the Risky Play that Wrecked College Center Bill Belichick’s [’75, Hon. ’05, P’07] Leg”

An excerpt from Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time by ESPN.com senior writer Ian O’Connor, begins, “Bill Belichick planted his hands around the football, lowered his head below his knees and peered through his helmet and the gap between his arched legs. He was a college sophomore at Wesleyan, in Middletown, Connecticut, and he was about to snap the ball on a practice play that would extinguish his love affair with the game.”

3. CT NOW: “Hartford Stage Casts ‘Henry V’”

Nafeesa Monroe ’99 will appear as King of France, Monsieur le Fer, and Bates in this play that includes more than 40 characters. Henry V will run from Oct. 11 through Nov. 11.

4. The Atlantic: “How the West Was Lost,” by John F. Ross ’81, P’12

The historian and author of The Promise of the Grand Canyon: John Wesley Powell’s Perilous Journey and His Vision for the American West offers this piece on “America’s first climate war.”

5. CNBC: “FDA Chief Scott Gottlieb [’94] Blames Vaping Giant Juul for ‘Epidemic’ of Teens Using E-Cigarettes”

“In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Gottlieb said much of the teenage use of vapes or e-cigs is being driven by Juul. “I think we need to acknowledge that,’ he said.

“In response, a Juul spokeswoman said the products are intended for adult smokers only and ‘no minor or non-nicotine user should ever try JUUL.’”