Wesleyan in the News: July 2024

Tony Award-winning playwright and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02, Hon. ’15 collaborated with playwright and actress Eisa Davis to release a concept album inspired by the cult-hero movie “The Warriors,” according to the Los Angeles Times. The 26-song album, executive produced by the rapper Nas, will be released on Oct. 18 by Atlantic Records.

“We’ve spent the past three years musicalizing the Warriors’ journey home, from the South Bronx to Coney Island,” Miranda and Davis said in a joint statement, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Along the way we’ve gotten to work with a lot of our favorite artists, and we’ll be announcing their roles on the album in the weeks ahead.”

President Michael S. Roth ’78 appeared on WAMC’s “The Roundtable” on July 26 to discuss, among other things, his recent book “The Student: A Short History” and presidential polling data following Vice President Kamala Harris’ addition to the race. Roth highlighted recent work by the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life to get newly eligible voters to register to vote. “Politics isn’t a spectator sport and the most important thing is not these snapshots, but to try to organize people so they go out and vote,” Roth said.

Khalilah Brown-Dean, Rob Rosenthal Professor of Civic Engagement and the Executive Director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, wrote a piece for MSNBC on the role that the Alpha Kappa Alpha — the oldest Black sorority — could play in the upcoming election. Vice President Harris joined the sorority while at Howard University. Alpha Kappa Alpha and the eight other fraternities and sororities comprising the National Pan-Hellenic Council recently said they intend to undertake a large-scale voter registration, education, and mobilization campaign to “ensure strong voter turnout in the communities we serve.”

Bloomberg Law cited research published by the Wesleyan Media Project data television ad spending in the presidential election. The Wesleyan Media Project tracks political advertising, including campaign spending on political advertising, and frequently publishes data ahead of elections.

The Colorado Attorney General’s office approved the Global Privacy Control, developed in part at Wesleyan, as the first approved mechanism in its opt-out program aimed at giving consumers more control over their privacy rights, according to Colorado Public Radio. The Global Privacy, developed by Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sebastian Zimmeck and collaborators, is a browser extension that allows users to control whether websites collect and sell their data.

The New York Review of Books and LitHub released the full lineup of “The Critic and Her Publics,” a podcast hosted by Merve Emre, director of the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism. Some of the sharpest critics working today joined Emre for talks throughout the 2023-24 academic year, which were then recorded as episodes for the masses to consume.

Elizabeth “Beezer” Clarkson ’94 and Ellen Remmer ’75, P12 were listed on Forbes’ 50 over 50 list. Clarkson, a partner at Sapphire Partners, recently led an investing initiative to focus on early-stage companies with high growth potential. Remmer, driven by the belief that women shouldn’t have to choose between philanthropy and investing, helped launch Invest for Better in 2021, according to Forbes.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey nominated Judge Matthew Nestor ’87, P. ’20 and four other judges to the Massachusetts Superior Court on July 17. The nominees will be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation. Nestor has served as an associate justice on the District Court for nearly 20 years.

The Dramatists Guild Foundation awarded Morgan Webber-Ottey ’16 the Hansberry-Lilly Fellowship, according to Playbill. The fellowship was created in honor of playwright Lorraine Hansberry, with the goal of ensuring the next generation of women and non-binary playwrights of color are given the ability to create new work and continue to develop their writing.

Associate Professor of Government Alyx Mark spoke to CT Insider about President Joe Biden’s proposed reforms to the Supreme Court. Biden proposed term limits and a binding code of conduct for justices, among other policies. Mark said the reforms could “go a long way to repairing the Court’s image” but implementing them would be difficult.

Suzanne Appel ’02 was named the Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory‘s new managing director, which is in its 60th season. Appel will oversee business operations, including fundraising, marketing, and community relations.

Peter Rutland, Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor in Global Issues and Democratic Thought, wrote about nationalism during the UEFA European Championship, an international soccer competition that occurs every four years, for The Conversation. In a typical competition cycle, nationalism swells, but this year it has been more tepid despite rising extremism on the continent more broadly, Rutland wrote. He was also quoted in a Newsweek piece on recent developments in the war in Ukraine.