Olivia DrakeDavid Wagner, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut, talks to Wesleyan faculty and Wesleyan Hughes and Mellon Fellows about the 2007 BioBlitz, to be held in Middletown June 8-9. Posted 06/04/07 BioBlitz 2007 is coming to Middletown and Wesleyan faculty and students are playing key roles. For those unaware, BioBlitz is a 24-hour environmental diversity survey that was originated in the state by the University of Connecticut and several partners. During BioBlitz, scientific specialists are partnered up with grade school students and others for field surveys and other activities. The idea is to get…
Posted 06/04/07 Edward P. Jones, pictured at left, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award, will be the keynote speaker at the 51st annual Wesleyan Writers Conference, held on campus June 17-22. The Writers Conference welcomes experienced writers, new writers and anyone interested in the writer's craft. One of the leading writers conferences in the nation, it has launched many writers publishing careers, notes Anne Greene, director. All of the programs are designed to offer you new perspectives on your work and the company of other writers who share your interests, Greene says. This summers…
Richard Slotkin, the Olin Professor of American Studies and English, was one of three faculty members to receive the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching by President Doug Bennet during Commencement Ceremonies May 27. Posted 06/04/07 Joyce Jacobsen, the Andrews Professor of Economics; Richard Slotkin, the Olin Professor of American Studies and English; and T. David Westmoreland, associate professor of chemistry were the 2007 recipients of the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching. They received the prize during the 2007 Commencement ceremony May 27. The Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching was inaugurated in 1993 as an institutional recognition of…
Elena '93 and Trustee Robert L. Allbritton '92 have donated $5M to Wesleyan, to help build the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life. Posted 06/04/07 Trustee Robert L. Allbritton '92, his wife Elena '93 and family have pledged $5 million toward the renovation of Davenport Hall to house Wesleyan's new Center for the Study of Public Life and to challenge younger alumni classes to contribute to the Wesleyan Fund. The Center will be named for the Allbritton family. "Public life is changing, in part because new media have accelerated the exchange of ideas among leaders in government, business,…
The Eclectic Society house, located at 200 High Street, is 100 years old this year. Posted 06/04/07 Our reputation was one of respect from most everyone, recalls Bill Moody 59, P 91. We did not come across as rich or preppy or jock-filled or hyper-social or racist or nerdy. We did not dominate a given group or project or sport. Moody, author of the recently-published book, A History of the Eclectic Society of Phi Nu Theta, 1837-1970, shared memories with current and past Eclectic members during the 100th anniversary celebration of the completion of the Eclectic Society House May 26.…
ADVERTISING ALUMNUS: Darren Kapelus, Class of '87, and Senior Partner and Executive Group Director of the advertising agency, Ogilvy and Mather, Worldwide, addressed the issue "Is Advertising Dead?" April 25 on campus. Carol Crosby, associate director of the Career Resouce Center, speaks with Kapelus, whose world renowned agency has addressed issues of self esteem and beauty stereotypes with the Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty." Kapelus discussed how the advertising industry is shifting from talking at to listening to consumers. "Is Advertising Dead?" was ideal for students interested in careers in marketing, branding and advertising, as well as students who have…
Posted 05/27/.07 (Click picture to open high-resolution picture. Large images are 300 DPI.) Chair of the Board of Trustees Jim Dresser '63 and Wesleyan President Douglas Bennet. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient and speaker Jim Lehrer P'85. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Nobutaka Machimura. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Alan Dachs '70, P'98 speaking in front of the Douglas Cannon. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Rosa DeLauro. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Jewell Cobb P'79. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Honorary Degree recipient Thomas Malone. Photo credit: Bill Burkhart Doug…
Posted 05/27/.07 The following remarks were made by by Wesleyan University President Douglas J. Bennet during the 175th commencement ceremony May 27, 2007. Welcome to the 731 members of the Class of 2007. Slava! Slava! Slava! And if you dont know what that means youll have to ask one of the students. They obviously knew of my love of Russian history. Welcome parents, family members, friends, and well-wishers. Welcome to our distinguished honorees. Welcome Wesleyan trustees, faculty and staff. Welcome alumni and your families, including Welcome to Wesleyans 175th Commencement. This is the last time as president I will have…
Jim Lehrer P'85, anchor of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, delivered the commencement address during ceremonies on May 27, 2007. His speech is below: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am honored to be so honored, in such great company, by this great university. It means so much to me personally because I am the devoted father of a Wesleyan graduate, Lucy Lehrer, class of 1985. And she's sitting right over there. My first encounter with Wesleyan was because of Lucy and it was a most memorable one. My wife Kate and I had come here to take Lucy…
Posted 05/27/07 Wesleyan's 75th Commencement Ceremonies were held on Sunday, May 27. Wesleyan conferred: 731 bachelor degrees, 25 master of arts degrees, 58 master of arts in liberal studies degrees and 14 Ph.D. degrees. During that ceremony, the following people received honorary degrees: Jewel Plummer Cobb is renowned as a teacher, a research biologist, and an advocate for the participation of women and members of minority groups in the sciences. A graduate of Talladega College, she earned her Ph.D. in cell physiology at New York University. Her scientific research has centered on factors influencing the growth, morphology, and genetic expression…
Eiko Otake teaches dance at Wesleyan and performs as Eiko & Koma through the Center for the Arts. She encourages her students to show their emotions with or without words. Posted 05/16/07 In Eiko Otakes workshop, students only need to bring their body, and a willingness to move it. Otake, a visiting instructor for the Department of Dance, teaches a Delicious Movement course, designed for students who love to move with delicious feelings. Dance experience is not a requirement. You dont have to be a dancer to enjoy movement, Otake says. We move and dance to actively forget the…
Midge Bennet and President Doug Bennet hosted a farewell reception for Maria Cruz-Saco, dean of the college, who is leaving in June. Posted 05/16/07 Maria Cruz-Saco, dean of the college, will leave Wesleyan at the end of her contract in June 2007. At the invitation of a United Nations office and Universidad del Pacifico, Lima, Peru, Cruz-Saco will lead a study on aging, equity and income security in Peru. While leading this study in 2007-08, she will be a Fulbright Scholar at Universidad del Pacifico's Research Center. In 2008-09, Cruz-Saco will resume teaching as professor of economics at Connecticut…