Cynthia RockwellOver a lunch of pizza in Beckham Hall on Dec. 5, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, a serial entrepreneur and author of Without Their Permission, addressed a crowded hall of nearly 200 students. He spoke on the importance of the internet, which allows us to access “an incredible amount of information,” and our ability to make use of it to develop new ideas, through maintaining an entrepreneurial mindset. Asking for a showing of hands of those involved in their own creative endeavors, he invited students to seize all opportunities to tell people about their idea—and to view all failures as the…
Dr. Henri Lamothe ’80, MD, CMSL, received the Dr. Gary Ogden Rural Health Practitioner of the Year from the New York State Association for Rural Health. As the medical director of 22 emergency medical service (EMS) agencies in Allegany and Cattaraugus counties, Dr. Lamothe ensures that the EMS providers he represents have the skills and training they need to provide emergency medical care. Paramedic Todd Reisner, general manager of Trans Am Ambulance Service in Olean, N.Y., said of Lamothe, “He’s a very active medical director. He makes himself available to the EMS providers and his vision of a solid EMS…
Anna Moench ’06 and Arturo Vidich ’03 were 2013 recipients of New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fellowships—an honor that only 3 percent of the applicants are awarded. Anna Moench was named in playwriting/screenwriting discipline and Arturo Vidich was named in choreography, selected by state-wide peer panels. First launched in 1985, NYFA’s Artist Fellowship Program has provided over $27 million in unrestricted cash grants to artists in 15 disciplines at critical stages in their careers. Awards are made in five disciplines a year on a triennial basis. Past recipients include the winners of five Academy Awards, five Tony Awards,…
Meiyi Cheng ’13 was selected as one of 32 fellows, from a pool of 700 applicants, to participate in Challenge Detroit, an urban revitalization program focused on attracting and retaining talent in Detroit in an effort to spur revitalization. Challenge Detroit, a one-year program, provides the opportunity for fellows to work at top regional companies while spending one day a week collaborating with area non-profits to address regional challenges and opportunities, including multi-modal transportation, homelessness, and community development. During her year with Challenge Detroit, Cheng will be working with partnering host company, Mango Languages. Challenge Detroit’s executive director, Deirdre Greene…
Molly Barton ’00, global digital director of Penguin Random House, was on campus in November to participate in the Narrative in the Age of Distraction, a conference held on campus to examine the role and importance of long-form storytelling in the age of increasing technological and attentional distractions. Sponsored by The Connection Institute for Innovative Practice, Wesleyan Writing Programs, the College of Letters (COL), the Science in Society Program (SISP), Lisa Weinert Consulting, and Narrative.ly, the conference sponsored two “tracks”—one devoted to “Healing Letters,” which discussed the physical and psychological benefits for patients and clients to share life narratives with…
Casey Blake ’78 is senior historian for "The Armory Show at 100: Modern Art and Revolution," an exhibition now at the New York Historical Society (NYHS) through Feb. 24, 2014. In highlighting the importance of the original exhibition—and the reason behind mounting a centennial—NYHS notes: “The 1913 Armory Show… in just less than a month … changed the way Americans thought about modern art. It has been called the most important exhibition every held in the United States.” Blake, himself, calls his work on the centennial show, “the opportunity to tell a story about New York during a period of…
Rayman Solomon ’68, dean of the Rutgers School of Law-Camden, was named to the newly created role of provost for the Rutgers-Camden campus. As chief academic officer, Solomon will work the Rutgers-Camden’s academic departments on achieving rigorous standards for curriculum and faculty development. Solomon will begin his new responsibilities as provost on Jan. 1, 2014, and will continue to serve as dean of the Rutgers-Camden law school, a position he accepted in 1998, until July 1, 2014. Under Solomon’s leadership as dean, the school opened a new, state-of-the-art $37 million classroom building in 2008. He also oversaw the school greatly…
Moira McNamara James '78 P’10, P’16, was named chair of the board for Landmark School, an independent, coeducational boarding and day school serving students in grades 2–12 who have language-based learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. The mission of the school also includes an extensive educational outreach program to parents and professionals, as well as a research collaboration with the Harvard Graduate School of Education. “I am honored to serve in this role,” said James in a press release. “Landmark’s Trustees are an impressive group of individuals. We all passionately believe in the remarkable and life changing work that the school…
Matt Lichtash ’13 was co-author of an op-ed published in U.S. News and World Report titled “Five Steps America Must Take Now to Combat Climate Change.” Lichtash is working with Evan Weber ’13 and Michael Dorsey, who served as visiting scholar for Wesleyan’s College of the Environment for the 2012–13 academic year. The three, concerned that the United States adopt an effective national energy strategy, have developed “The Plan,” which they propose can “set our nation on a promising path towards ensuring a safer, more prosperous, and more just future for ourselves and our posterity.” The Plan is available for download…
Josh Goldin ’00, co-founder of Alliance Consumer Growth, a New York-based private equity fund, was chosen by Forbes as one of the 25 “CircleUp Kingmakers” for his work as an investor in emerging consumer and retail companies. Forbes contributor Ryan Caldbeck described the 25 Kingmakers as “men and women whose names repeatedly arise in conversations with industry experts and consumer companies large and small… connectors, brilliant thinkers, visionaries and retailers and investors-extraordinaire.” Others on the list include Mickey Drexler, CEO of J. Crew; John Foraker, CEO of Annie’s Natural Foods; and Betsy Foster, Global VP of Whole Foods. In describing Goldin, Caldbeck…
Katherine Bergeron ’80, currently dean of the college at Brown University, was elected to be the 11th president of Connecticut College, to take office on Jan. 1, 2014. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wesleyan, Bergeron majored in music and earned both master’s and doctoral degrees in musicology at Cornell. At Brown since 2004, when she joined the faculty as professor of music, she served since 2006 as the university’s chief academic office for undergraduate education. In that capacity, she was noted for strengthening academic and career advising, as well as implementing programs in community service, science education and internationalization. She…
New York based sculptor Meredith Gang Bergmann ’76, creator of the lifesized statues of historical Bostonians, will attend the 10th anniversary celebration of the unveiling of her “largest sculpture project to date,” the Boston Women’s Memorial. The celebration will be held on Oct. 27 on Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston. The subjects were chosen for their progressive ideas, commitment to social change, and writings that had significant historic impact. Bergmann’s statues, also, break with convention: Instead of standing above the street on a pedestal, Bergmann places Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley level with pedestrians, using their pedestal as…