Olivia DrakeDuring his 82-years of life, author and historian William Manchester made himself known for his writings on Winston Churchill, President John F. Kennedy, Douglas MacArthur, among other great figures. On Feb. 5, the Friends of the Wesleyan Library will sponsor an event honoring and celebrating Manchester, a writer in residence at Wesleyan whose ties to the university date back to 1955. Manchester died at his home in Middletown, Conn. in June 2004. "There are so many people on campus who still remember Manchester," says Leith Johnson, project archivist for Wesleyan's William Manchester Papers. "Almost all of his books made it…
Angel Gil-Ordóñez, adjunct professor of music, was named "Artist of the Week" by classical music label Naxos. The former associate conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Spain, Gil-Ordóñez has conducted symphonic music, opera and ballet throughout Europe, the United States and Latin America. He conducted the music for the newly-released DVD, The City, a classic 1939 documentary film.
In her first major solo exhibition, visiting professor of art Sasha Rudensky ’01, will present two photographic series at Wesleyan University’s Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery: “Remains” (2004/08) and “Demons” (2007–08). In "Remains,” Rudensky, who was born in Moscow in 1979 and moved to the United States in 1990, explores the political and social transformation of the former Soviet Union by poignantly focusing on the intimate details of everyday life. “Demons,” a series of hybrid portraits, suggests a fantastical version of the artist’s childhood. Rudensky “Remains” in the fall of 2004 after receiving a Mortimer Hays Brandeis traveling fellowship. Her…
The Davison Art Center/Richard Alsop IV House, located at 301 High Street in Middletown, was designated a national historic landmark in January. The site was recognized for its role in U.S. history. The landmark was suggested by the National Park System's advisory board and designated by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. The historic Alsop House is a distinguished architectural monument of the pre-Civil War period. The lot was acquired in 1835 and the house was built between 1838-1840 by Richard Alsop IV, son of the poet and "Hartford wit," Richard Alsop III. Originally built for Alsop's widowed mother, Maria Pomeroy Alsop…
Between Jan. 18 and March 28, Wesleyan will once again join the more than 470 colleges and universities from across the country participating in RecycleMania, a national recycling and waste minimization competition. This is Wesleyan's fourth year participating. "Our goal is to make people aware of how much trash and recyclables they are generating, and to hopefully minimize waste and increase awareness about recycling," says Jeff Miller, associate director for facilities management and chair of the Recycling and Waste Committee, a subcommittee of Wesleyan's Sustainable Advisory Group for Environmental Stewardship. "We're interested in measuring how much waste goes out of this…
Joyce Jacobsen, the Andrews Professor of Economics, tutor in the College of Social Studies, was an invited participant on a roundtable on workplace flexibility held by the Workplace Flexibility 2010 Initiative, Georgetown Law School, Dec. 19, 2008.
Richard Grossman, was interviewed on the economic legacy of the Bush presidency on WDUN radio in Gainesville, Ga. on Jan. 9, on WSYR radio in Syracuse, N.Y. on Jan. 10, and on WHAS (part 1) (Part 2) Louisville, Ky. on Jan. 12.
Wesleyan was featured as the cover story in Doors & Hardware magazine's Jan. 2009 issue. Doors & Hardware is a publication of the Door and Hardware Institute, which aims to advance life safety and security solutions. In an article titled "Off-Campus Fire Safety: How Wesleyan University meets the Challenge of Making its Unique Student Housing Fire Safe," the magazine cites Wesleyan's Facilities for upgrading residential sprinkler systems. Joyce Topshe, associate vice president of facilities, and Barb Spalding, associate director of campus fire safety, are featured in the article. Wesleyan allocated $5M towards sprinklers for a residence hall that housed 520…
Scott Plous, professor of psychology, is featured in an Dec. 2008 article on action teaching in the APA magazine Monitor on Psychology. Plous coined the term "action teaching" in 2000 to refer to teaching that leads not only to a better understanding of psychology but to a more just, humane, and peaceful world, and he manages the web site ActionTeaching.org.
Elvin Lim, assistant professor of government, was featured in the Jan. 12 edition of The New Yorker in an article titled "Annals of the Presidency." The article discusses inaugural addresses and presidential speech styles in general and draws from Lim's book, The Anti-Intellectual Presidency in which he discusses the progressive dumbing down of presidential speeches.
Q: Scott, when did you begin your Wesleyan career in Information Technology Services? A: I arrived in mid-September 2008. Q: You're currently the academic computing manager for the Natural Sciences and Mathematics area. Do you generally support faculty? A: Supporting faculty takes up most of my time. However, because grad-students work closely with faculty, I have also been supporting grad-students in certain situations. For example, a grad student may need assistance with Wesfiles or Blackboard and I would assist him or her. Additionally, I may also conduct specific training for a class of undergrads. Q: Is supporting NSM any different…
Rico Brogna, who had a nine-year career in Major League Baseball from 1992 through 2001, will rejoin the Wesleyan University football coaching staff as an assistant during the 2009 season. Brogna was an assistant football coach at Wesleyan during the 2004 season, handling receivers. His specific assignment for 2009 has not been determined, however, he will be on the offensive side of the ball, according to 18-year Head Coach Frank Hauser. Playing with the Tigers, Mets, Phillies, Red Sox and Braves during his nine-year major league career, Brogna moved into high school football coaching for three years before joining the…