Editorial Staff

By: Phuc Ngo ’27 I Updated on Nov. 20, 2024 President Michael S. Roth ’78 spoke with the New York Times for a piece on potential consequences for higher education under Donald Trump’s leadership. “President-elect Trump has threatened the largest deportation in American history, and we have students and faculty and staff who will be threatened by that,” Roth said in an interview. “I want them to know that the university will do what it can to support them.” The.Ink conducted an interview with Roth on the same subject. Roth spoke on practical idealism, the university’s response to the protests against…

The long-standing Science in Society Program (SiSP) has a brand-new name: the College of Science and Technology Studies (STS). After existing as a program since 1980 with jointly appointed faculty, the newly renamed college appoints its own faculty and draws affiliated faculty from across the humanities and social sciences. The College of STS is comprised of transdisciplinary faculty with scholarly expertise in historical, philosophical, and social scientific approaches that contextualize the many forms, practices, and institutions that constitute science and technology today. While still beloved by its over 500 alumni, the program’s unique name for its major “Science in Society”…

Six members of the Wesleyan community have accepted grants through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, a prestigious international academic exchange program that offers graduates, graduate students, and young professionals opportunities to study, research, or teach English abroad in over 140 countries. During the 2024-25 academic year, this year’s cohort — which includes Melanie Cham ’24, Eliot Kimball ’24, Sophie Mann-Shafir ’22, Daisy Montoya ’24, Simon Worth ’24, and Joanna Paul ’18 — brings their skills, interests, and curiosity to a far-flung geography spanning Argentina to India to Madagascar. The prestige of Fulbright experiences helps open doors to exploration and opportunities…

During Robin Wall Kimmerer’s first days as a university student, a professor asked why she wanted to study botany. She replied that she wanted to understand why goldenrod and asters — flowering plants cultivated by Native Americans — looked so beautiful together, a perspective influenced by her upbringing as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The professor ridiculed her, dismissing her comment as unscientific. “Your way of thinking is not welcome here,” she recalled him saying. Years later, Kimmerer’s way of thinking received a standing ovation from students during their first days at Wesleyan. In addition to being a…

By Sarah Parke The votes for the 2024 alumni-elected trustee election are in, and the University will add three new members to its Board of Trustees as three current members complete their terms. Joining Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees for a three-year term, effective July 1, are Livia Wong McCarthy ’81, Jayvan (“Jay”) Mitchell ’11, and Aaron Veerasuntharam ’14. Each year, Wesleyan alumni, including graduates from the senior class, elect three of their peers to serve on the Board. McCarthy, Mitchell, and Veerasuntharam will join a 36-member board that is responsible for ensuring the University fulfills its mission, sustains its values,…

President Michael S. Roth ’78 sent the following message to the Wesleyan campus community on June 22, 2024: I am saddened to report the death of President Emeritus Colin G. Campbell, MA ’71, Hon. ’89 on Friday at the age of 88. Colin guided Wesleyan through an exceedingly challenging time with great skill and fortitude. When he became president in 1970 at the age of 34, Wesleyan was adapting to profound social changes at the very moment when financial instability threatened to jeopardize the University’s future. He had the unenviable task of managing retrenchment in order to align Wesleyan’s high…

It is with great pleasure that the University announces the promotions of 22 faculty members, effective July 1, 2024: The following faculty were conferred tenure by the Board of Trustees: Katie Brewer Ball, Associate Professor of Theater Joan Cho, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies Anthony Ravindra Cummings, Philip ’71 and Lynn Rauch Professor of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Environmental Management Iddrisu Saaka, Associate Professor of Dance Roberto Saba, Associate Professor of American Studies Daniel Smyth, Associate Professor of Letters Tracy Heather Strain, Professor of Film Studies In addition, 15 faculty members are being promoted: Charles Barber, Professor of the Practice in…

Alumni from near and far came to Wesleyan for Reunion + Commencement Weekend 2024 to re-connect with friends and foster new relationships. All sorts of fun programming and events gave attendees ample time to rub elbows and engage with their alma maters. Here are some of the best photos from the Reunion celebration. All images by Meka Wilson:

In his Commencement Address to the Class of 2024, President Michael S. Roth ’78 spoke about the connections between higher education and civic engagement, the lasting importance of free inquiry and expression, and standing up for these foundational values on the eve of a consequential election season. "In the din of our contemporary politics, when shouting, it’s not easy to practice authentic listening; when people are shouting slogans, it’s a challenge to hear diverse points of view. But we must try," Roth said. "If we are to strengthen our democracy and the educational institutions that depend on it, we must…

Members of the Class of 2024 persevered through years of COVID-19 restrictions and global uncertainty to emerge stronger and better prepared for life after graduation. Wesleyan University celebrated their achievements during the 192nd Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 26. Beneath blue skies, students walked across the stage to receive their diplomas to the resounding cheers of friends and family. Here is a selection of photographs from the special day:

Michael Greenberg ’76, P’14, who was named an Honorary Doctor of Science at Wesleyan's 192nd Commencement ceremony, recalled how his journey toward unraveling the scientific mysteries of human memory illustrates the possibilities available to the graduating Class of 2024. "What can a Wesleyan graduate of almost 50 years ago who studies memory offer to you as you set forth in the world? There are countless paths that you might take in your lives that will offer you fulfillment," Greenberg said. "In my own life the following has proved to be important: choosing a career that was challenging intellectually, where new…

Renowned economist Raj Chetty was named an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Wesleyan’s 192nd Commencement ceremony. In his speech to the Class of 2024, he cited his research into opportunity disparity’s effect on social mobility, praising Wesleyan for being a leader in expanding access to higher education. “When a child moves to a neighborhood with better schools or gets a chance to attend a high-quality college, we see their lives transformed relative to other comparable kids who didn’t get the same chances,” Chetty said. "Opportunity matters. And education is one of the keys that opens the doors of opportunity.”…

Wesleyan in the News: November 2024

Renamed College of Science and Technology Studies Aligns with Growth in the Field

Wesleyan Fulbright Fellows Embark on Global Journeys of Curiosity

At Common Read, Author Asks Class of 2028 to Reimagine Relationships with the Earth

Alumni Elect McCarthy, Mitchell, and Veerasuntharam to Board of Trustees

Remembering Wesleyan University President Emeritus Colin G. Campbell

Faculty Tenure and Promotions Announced

Gallery: Reunion Celebration 2024

President Michael S. Roth ’78: “We Must Learn to Practice Freedom, Better”

Gallery: Wesleyan’s 192nd Commencement

Michael Greenberg ’76, P’14: There Are Countless Paths Toward Fulfillment

Raj Chetty: “Education is the Surest Pathway to a Better Life”