Editorial Staff

(Updated August 30, 2022) Peter Rutland, professor of government, spoke to Newsweek about Ukrainian efforts to retake the occupied territory of the Kherson province and about Russia’s failed efforts at air supremacy. He also spoke to the Village Voice, giving context about life in Russia currently and attention fatigue on the part of American audiences connected to the war in Ukraine. (August 30) American Artist spoke with science fiction scholar Lou Cornum, a post-doctoral fellow at Wesleyan University, about how the imagining of other worlds is so often born of dissatisfaction with present and past ones in an Art in…

Citing the urgent need for more effective and equitable health communication, researchers at Wesleyan University are collaborating with two other universities on a unique rapid response research endeavor led by Cornell communication professor Jeff Niederdeppe and funded with a newly announced $5 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). “At this moment it is crucial to understand both the nature of and the potential of messaging around policies promoting racial and health equity,” said Steven Moore, assistant professor of government and an expert on race and politics. “I’m excited to be a part of this fantastic team of…

Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. (Updated July 29, 2022) Frank G. Binswanger Jr. '50, P '76, '78, GP '13, '15, former member of Wesleyan's Board of Trustees and corporate real executive, has died. Frank and his brother John ’54, P’83, GP’ 06, ’10, ’16 established the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching in honor of their father. Each year at Commencement members of the Alumni Association Executive Committee choose three faculty as recipients of the prize. (July 28) Carolyn Renzin '95…

Herbert Francis Kenny, Jr., Adjunct Professor of Physical Education, Emeritus, and former men’s basketball coach, passed away on July 9 at the age of 89. Herb earned his BS from Saint Bonaventure University and his MS from the University of Connecticut. He arrived at Wesleyan in 1964 and spent the next 30 years here, serving 27 years as head coach of men’s basketball, 23 years as head coach of golf, and 15 years as an assistant football coach. Inducted into the Wesleyan Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame in 2017, Herb was the winningest…

By Victoria Pitts-Taylor, professor and chair of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies In May this year I attended a reproductive freedom protest organized by Wesleyan University students. We were taking part in a nationwide campus walkout after the draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked. Using the inclusive, intersectional language of reproductive justice, speakers at the rally advised the crowd how to get abortion access through medication by mail, how to help others attain abortions across state lines, and how to fight for legal protections at the state and national level if Roe was overturned. They were…

Terry Jackson, a fixture within the Wesleyan Athletics department for more than 30 years, died on June 14. Jackson spent 31 years (1968-98) as the Cardinals' men's soccer head coach while he also served as the men's lacrosse head coach for 23 seasons (1974-96). Inducted into the Wesleyan Hall of Fame in 2010, Jaackson is the winningest men's soccer coach in program history, sporting an all-time record of 210-164-36. He led Wesleyan to three ECAC New England Division III titles in 1973, 1980 and 1991. Jackson was recognized as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III Regional…

John Driscoll '62, who oversaw Wesleyan's alumni relations programs for more than three decades, died after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease on June 12. He was 82 years old. A resident of Cromwell, Conn. and a former longtime resident of Middletown, Driscoll was the older son of the late James Douglas Driscoll and Loretta (Haggerty) Driscoll. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 4, 1940, he was raised in Westchester County, though he spent many summers with his Fitzgerald cousins in Marblehead, Massachusetts. A graduate of Pleasantville High School, John earned his BA from Wesleyan as a member of…

As part of the City of Middletown’s PrideFest Celebration, Middletown Pride partnered with Wesleyan’s College of Film and the Office for Equity & Inclusion for a showing of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. On June 24, members of the Wesleyan and Middletown communities gathered on the south side of Foss Hill for the screening. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), directed by Stephan Elliott, is an Australian road comedy film that follows two drag queens, played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, and a transgender woman, played by Terence Stamp, as they journey across…

In recognition of Juneteenth, we share a message from Alison P. Williams, vice president for equity and inclusion: On Saturday, June 18, Middletown will have a Juneteenth celebration in Smith Park. Wesleyan’s Office for Equity & Inclusion is a Gold sponsor of this event. We invite everyone to come out and celebrate with us. Juneteenth is also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day. It marks the date when, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. …

Gloria Steinem, who was named an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Wesleyan’s 190th Commencement, called for the Class of 2022 to build on the steps their generation has already taken to address the ills of the world and to do so with laughter. “You are already the generation of Black Lives Matter and Bans Off Our Bodies. You know that the amount of melanin or hormones in our bodies doesn’t change the fact that each of us arrives on this Earth as a unique miracle; one who could never have happened before and could never happen again,” Steinem said.…

Kalli Jackson '22, who delivered the Senior Class Welcome, made the following remarks during Wesleyan’s 190th Commencement Ceremony on May 22: There is so much to look at at Wesleyan University. The first time I ever stepped foot on this campus, I was amazed by how much there was to see. The friends gravitating toward Foss Hill when the sun is out, the proud sidelining every sports game, the outfits roaming the halls of WestCo. The students themselves are enough to be a spectacle. Wesleyan is home to the unique. No two walls, no two classrooms, no two people…

Freeman A. Hrabowski III, the commencement speaker at Wesleyan’s 190th Commencement ceremony, chatted with a few members of the highly accomplished Class of 2022 in preparation for his remarks. By knowing your own story and telling it, by being bold and plotting your path, and most importantly, Hrabowski said, never giving up, the Class of 2022 can become leaders. Hrabowski is a writer and passionate advocate for underrepresented groups studying in STEM fields; he has served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County since 1992. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis…

Wesleyan in the News, August 2022

Rapid Response Media Messaging Research Will Promote Health and Racial Equity

Wesleyan in the News, July 2022

Wesleyan Mourns the Passing of Hall of Fame Coach Herb Kenny

Finding Hope in 30 Years of Struggle for Reproductive Justice

Wesleyan Athletics Community Mourns the Loss of Longtime Soccer, LAX Coach Terry Jackson

Driscoll ’62 Remembered for His Extraordinary Service to Wesleyan

Wesleyan Screens Adventures of Priscilla as Part of Middletown’s PrideFest Celebration

On the Importance of Juneteenth

Steinem: “Hope is a form of planning”

Jackson ’22: “The Only Person You Have to Prove Yourself to Is You”

Hrabowski: “Know Your Story and Your Family’s Story”