Olivia Drake(more…)
There was something about Kate Birney's research that smelled a little off. As far back as the 4th century B.C., Greece was a global leader in producing a plethora of posh perfumes sold in handcrafted ceramic bottles marked with three chalky-white stripes. "Much like today, some of these ceramic perfume bottles were 'branded'—made in distinctive shapes, and painted or decorated in distinctive ways—probably to tell the consumer what scent they contained, or which perfume house/region they were imported from," said Birney, associate professor of classical studies and chair of Wesleyan's Archaeology Program. So when similar bottles, or unguentaria, were excavated…
This month, four Wesleyan faculty received the honorary degree of Master of Arts ad eundem gradum. This degree has been awarded by Wesleyan since 1894 to those members of the faculty who are not graduates of Wesleyan at the bachelor’s level and who have attained the rank of full professor. The award makes each full professor an alumnus/a of the University. Recipients include Hilary Barth, professor of psychology; Robert Conn, professor of Spanish; Sanford Shieh, professor of philosophy, and Nicole Stanton, professor of dance.
On May 21, the Wesleyan University Athletic Department hosted a virtual event to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of scholar-athletes. The ceremony combined the annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet with the end-of-the-year Senior Awards presentations. It was hosted by Director of Athletics Mike Whalen '83 and featured remarks from President Michael Roth '78. Several coaches presented individual awards to the student-athletes. Hockey goalie Tim Sestak '20 and women's soccer defender Mackenzie Mitchell '20 were the recipients of the Roger Maynard Memorial Awards, which are presented annually to the Wesleyan male and female scholar-athlete who best exemplifies the spirit, accomplishments, and humility of Roger…
Eight Wesleyan faculty members are retiring at the end of the 2019–20 academic year. They include: RICHARD ADELSTEIN Woodhouse/Sysco Professor of Economics (2010–2020) Professor of Economics (1990–2020) Associate Professor of Economics (1981–1990) Assistant Professor of Economics (1976–1981) Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics (1975–1976) IRINA ALESHKOVSKY Adjunct Professor of Russian Language & Literature (2003–2020) Adjunct Associate Professor of Russian Language & Literature (1995–2003) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Russian Language & Literature (1992–1995) Adjunct Lecturer of Russian Language and Literature (1987–1992) Teaching Associate in Russian Language and Literature (1983–1987) (more…)
Wesleyan University held its 188th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 24. President Michael Roth ’78 delivered live, on-campus remarks to a large virtual audience and a small gathering of socially-distanced in-person groups of graduates and onlookers. Photos are below: (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)
On May 22, the Office of Student Affairs announced the names of students who received academic or leadership prizes, fellowships, and scholarships in 2019–20. More than 300 students and recent alumni received one of the University's 180 prizes. (View the list below or on the Student Affairs website.) Scholarships, fellowships, and leadership prizes are granted to students and student organizations based on criteria established for each prize or award. Certain University prizes are administered by the Student Affairs/Deans’ Office, while others are administered by the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD). (more…)
While the Wesleyan community can't celebrate our seniors' theses in person this year, several members of the Class of 2020 are sharing their accomplishments on Wesleyan's Instagram (wesleyan_u). Any senior who would like to see their thesis spotlighted can fill out this form. Examples of recent posts are below. Click on the image to open the original post in Instagram. (Project curated by Eitana Friedman-Nathan ’20)
Alford “Al” Young Jr. ’88 is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Sociology and professor of Afroamerican and African studies at the University of Michigan. Young’s research focuses on low-income, urban-based African Americans, African American scholars and intellectuals, and the classroom-based experiences of higher-education faculty as they pertain to diversity and multiculturalism. In this Q&A, Young addresses the severity of the COVID-19 crisis for black Americans, particularly in Michigan. Michigan is ranked fourth in the country for having the most coronavirus-related deaths (4,915+). How has COVID-19 affected your research interests? Alford "Al" Young Jr.: I have spent…
A clothing brand that promotes education and discussion of mental health and wellness is the winner of the Wesleyan COLLISION Spring 2020 pitch competition sponsored by the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Created by Blake Northrop '22, Be Better consists of the clothing brand itself—which highly values customer participation and artist collaboration—as well as an online community forum for followers and members to connect, discuss, and share their stories about mental health. On May 5, Northrop and more than dozen other aspiring student entrepreneurs pitched their social benefit business ideas. Watch a recording of the Pitch Night online here. (more…)
In preparation for National Vote By Mail Day on May 23, two Wesleyan alumni are pushing for a nonpartisan movement to make it possible for everyone in the United States to safely vote by mail in November. To date, only Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington offer vote-by-mail systems, while another 29 states and Washington, D.C., provide mail-in ballots at a voter’s request. "Americans shouldn't have to risk their health to vote," said Avi Stopper '01, founder and lead organizer of the web-based project Vote 2020 By Mail. Through Vote 2020 By Mail, Stopper is building a movement to persuade…
In late March, as New York City's coronavirus infection rate skyrocketed to five times higher than the rest of the country, members of Wesleyan's Traveler's Lab explored a movement-focused approach to the rapid spread of the disease. Rather than focusing on political borders, lab members depicted major freeways, highways, and commuter rail lines out of New York City, and examined counties within a 2.5-hour drive from the City. "While New York City may be the center, it is the travel region immediately surrounding the city that provides the true context of how COVID-19 has spread and is spreading to, and…