Olivia DrakePedro Alejandro, chair of the Dance Department, associate professor of dance, works with students for the production No Eggshells/ Outside, which premiers at 8 p.m. May 5 and 6 on the CFA Terrace. Alejandro is choreographing the performance. Posted 05/01/08 For two days, Pedro Alejandro will convert the Center for the Arts concrete- and limestone-walled terrace into a green, grassy soft space. Alejandro explores the theme of eco-aesthetics in an upcoming performance titled No Eggshells/ Outside. The performance begins at 8 p.m. May 5 and 6 on the Center for the Arts Terrace (Rain date May 8). All participants…
Jeffrey Butler, professor of history emeritus, died on April 22 in Middletown. He was 85 years old. Professor Butler was born and raised in Cradock, South Africa. He saw active duty in World War II and was wounded outside of Florence in 1944 resulting in the loss of his left arm. After the War, Professor Butler completed doctoral studies at Oxford University and came to the United States in the late 1950s. Professor Butler joined the Wesleyan faculty in 1965 and served with distinction until his retirement in 1991. He was twice chair of the History Department and was a…
Posted 05/01/08 Wesleyan is the recipient of a new $1.4 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The four-year grant will help Wesleyan fund and enhance its undergraduate science education. The Wesleyan Hughes Program, directed by Professor of Biology Michael Weir, will support curricular development, student and faculty research, and outreach to local middle and high schools. Support of undergraduate summer research and introductory courses in the life sciences will be major components of the program. "We wish to incorporate into our curriculum new ways of thinking from neighboring disciplines such as mathematics and computer science to add…
Nietzsch Factor co-captain Philip Benjamin 09, left, watches teammate Karl Nagy '09, right, reach for a flying disc during an Ultimate game. Wesleyan has had Ultimate teams since 1975. Posted 05/01/08 They play seven to a team, run continuously across a turf field, intercept passes and block their opponents and score in an end zone. Although their game could be considered a hybrid match of soccer, football and lacrosse, all it really takes to play is one piece of equipment a flying disc. The club sport, known as Ultimate, dates back to 1975 at Wesleyan and has grown more…
Sally Grucan, head of cataloging at Olin Library, lends her expertise to campus projects such as the Media Database, Departmental Collections Catalog and a new digital repository. Posted 05/01/08 Q: Sally, when did you start at Wesleyan?A: December 5, 1983. I have always worked for the library but my first office was a makeshift space in the Science Tower now the Exley Science Center while Olin was being renovated and expanded.Q: As the head of cataloging, what is your main objective?A: Its all about access to information. Whatever the library can do to connect students, faculty, and…
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION: Wesleyan President Michael Roth speaks to the 102 attendees of the Wesleyan Employee Service Recognition Lunch for employees that have worked at the university for 20 years or more. The event, held inside Beckham Hall in the Fayerweather building, was coordinated by the Office of Human Resources. At left, Ilana Konerding, postal clerk at Wesleyan Station, celebrated her 23rd year at Wesleyan, and Rita Corsino, custodian in Physical Plant-Facilities, celebrated her 22nd year. Celebrating their 20-years plus are, from left: Gina Driscoll, associate director of development events; Vera Schwartz, the Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, chair…
Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art, is a Guggenheim fellowship recipient. Posted 04/21/08 Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art, was awarded a 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. According to the foundation, the "fellowships are appointed for stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment." Schiffs fellowship was awarded in the "Fine Arts" category in recognition of his work in sculpture. The program provides funds to permit fellows to work with "as much creative freedom as possible." The fellowships are without conditions or stipulations, allowing recipients the liberty to spend the awarded funds in the way they…
Posted 04/21/08 Eight individuals and three teams have been selected into Wesleyans newly-established Athletics Hall of Fame. The seven prominent Wesleyan graduates, one long-time athletic coach, and a series of three football teams will be inducted during a ceremony May 23. The inaugural class of the Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame is comprised of many great athletes, coaches that have accomplished much while at Wesleyan, or in their post graduation careers and, for some, in Olympic competition, says John Biddiscombe, director of athletics. The standard that this group establishes for future hall of fame recipients insures that being inducted into…
At right, Paiki Muswazi, deputy client services librarian at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, meets with, from left, Jody Schenker, library assistant; Barbara Jones, the Caleb T. Winchester University Librarian; Graziano Kratli, international program support librarian at Yale University; Alec McLane, music librarian and director of the World Music Archives; and Diane Klare, head of reference, during his visit to Wesleyan April 14. Posted 04/21/08 A librarian has traveled from the other side of the world to experience ways librarians in the United States aid researchers. Paiki Muswazi, deputy client services librarian at the University of…
Wesleyan's Long Lane Farm originated in 2004 as a place students could learn about food security issues and grow their own produce. It recently won an award from the Department of Higher Education. Posted 04/21/08 Wesleyans student-run Long Lane Farm received a Higher Education Community Service Award from the State of Connecticut for sustaining community-supported agriculture and providing needy families access to fresh, locally-grown produce. The award was presented by Michael Meotti, commissioner of the Department of Higher Education, and State Representative William Dyson, chair of the Connecticut Commission on Community Service, during an award ceremony April 1 in Cromwell,…
In the dry, Rift Valley province of Kenya, communities are struggling with deforestation issues and infertile soils for farming. This rural area relies heavily on firewood for cooking and warmth, however locals are being forced to travel further for resources, limiting the time spent supporting their families.As Davis United World College Projects for Peace recipients, Robert McCourt 08 and Nyambura Gichohi 08 will help this community create alternative energy through biogas this summer. They will work with the Noontoto Womens Project, a group of 25 women that have come together to aspire to improve their livelihood. As one of 100…
Sporting a blue sweatshirt, Janis Astor del Valle, director of the Green Street Arts Center, gathers with others featured in the film, "Marriage Makes a Word of Difference, which promotes marriage equality in Connecticut. Astor del Valle's wife, Amy Myers, is pictured in the brown sweatshirt. The film's director Fran Rzeznik is on the far right. Posted 04/21/08 When the Hartford-based organization Love Makes a Family (LMF) was looking for interesting stories about how same-sex couples met, Green Street Arts Director Janis Astor del Valles wife Amy Joy Myers sent in the unique story of their first meeting as childhood…