Posted 05/16/07 Wesleyan is donating more than $135,000 to the Middlesex United Way Campaign this year. Middlesex United Way supports critical human care services and county-wide projects that improve community conditions. Funds were raised through the annual Wesleyan Employee Campaign. This year, 45 percent of all employees made a donation, with the average gift of $252. Wesleyan has 43 staff and faculty members in the Leadership Circle. This year, these leaders gave $65,476 or 48.5 percent of the total. A number of departments had 100 percent participation including the Center for the Arts, Classical Studies Department, Office of International Studies,…

Posted 05/16/07 Applauded by friends, family, faculty members and administrators, Wesleyan’s graduating Mellon Mays Fellows were honored at a banquet held on May 12 in the Russell House. As participants in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, these students have been identified as students of great promise. Wesleyan and the Fellowship are helping them become scholars of the highest distinction as they pursue Ph.Ds in core fields in the arts and sciences. The senior Fellows are Gustavo Furtado, Meenasarani (Linde) Murugan, Acacia Stevens and Roberto (Tito) Soto-Carrión. In attendance were three of the junior fellows—Michael Bolds, Mark Leonida, and R.J.…

Posted 05/16/07 Beth Ogata '09 has the power – pedal power that is – to raise awareness for American housing needs. She will be one of 90 college students riding coast-to-coast this summer to support the non-profit organization, Habitat for Humanity. This is her third year making the cross-country trek. She will accompanied by Jessalee Landfried '07, Liana Woskie '10. The 13th annual Habitat Bicycle Challenge (HBC) will generate approximately $430,000 in proceeds, enough to underwrite the construction of eight Habitat homes. HBC riders will also raise awareness of Habitat's work throughout the country as they pedal to end poverty…

More than 280 students received awards during the 2007 Academic Scholarships, Fellowships and Prizes awards ceremony May 8. Posted 05/16/07 During the 2007 Academic Scholarships, Fellowships and Prizes awards ceremony May 8 in Russell House, Maggie Filler ’07 received the Camp Prize for excellence in English literature; Jeremy Marks ’07 was honored with a Leavell Memorial Prize for film studies; and Per Stinchcombe ’08 received the Rae Shortt Prize for excellence in mathematics. Kristen Haller ’08 received the Thorndike Prize for excellence in psychology and John Burruss ’07 was honored for his thesis on an American studies topic. At the…

Picnics, entertainment, dances and get-togethers are all part of Reunion and Commencement Weekend, which kicks off May 24. Posted 05/16/07 Picnics, seminars, a parade of classes, alumni luncheons, campus walking tours, rock concerts, academic department open houses, and graduation ceremonies are all part of the 2007 Reunion and Commencement Weekend May 24-27. All Wesleyan alumni, students, staff, faculty and friends are invited to the three-day event, which will conclude Wesleyan’s yearlong celebration of its 175th anniversary. “Reunion and Commencement weekends are partly about Wesleyan's past and present,” says President Doug Bennet. “We come together from across the Wesleyan map to…

Posted 05/16/07 When she first came to Wesleyan, Holly Wood ’08 never considered going to graduate school. But after a few Wesleyan professors offered encouragement and guidance, Wood has changed her plans and is looking into doctorate programs. “I've been very fortunate to have access to a couple of extremely affable professors who were dedicated to helping me achieve my goals,” Wood says. As a newly-named Beinecke Scholar, Wood will receive more than $30,000 towards her graduate education. Eventually, she hopes to become a professor of sociology. Wood, who is majoring in sociology and government, is among 20 students across…

Krishna Winston, the Marcus L. Taft Professor of German Language and Literature, has been appointed the next dean of the Arts and Humanities. Posted 05/15/07 Krishna Winston, the Marcus L. Taft Professor of German Language and Literature, has been appointed the next dean of the Arts and Humanities. Winston will begin her four-year term in July. “In her 37-year career at Wesleyan, Winston has proven to be a tireless university citizen,” says Joe Bruno, vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. Winston has served on many committees and is currently the chair of the Educational Policy Committee. She coordinates the…

Wesleyan President-Elect Michael Roth '78 speaks to the Wesleyan community during his introduction April 27 in Memorial Chapel. Reposted 05.02.07 Though it was gray and soggy outside, the inside of Memorial Chapel glowed with laughter and applause as the campus community was formally introduced to Wesleyan’s 16th president, Michael S. Roth ‘78. Roth, who will come to Wesleyan from the presidency of California College of the Arts, spoke to a capacity audience of students, faculty, staff and Middletown residents. The event was webcast and is archived at (Quicktime needed): http://condor.wesleyan.edu/openmedia/webcast/archive/roth.mov As Roth entered the chapel, he was met with an…

Posted 05/02/07 A scholar in philosophy and a scholar in literary studies can pick up the same book, read the same words, and come away with completely different perceptions about the contents and messages of the text. It is this phenomenon that is the focus of a conference being held at Wesleyan from May 9-10, titled, “Philosophy and Literature: Reading Across the Disciplines.” The idea behind the conference is to gather scholars from both academic areas and compare how each interpret the same text. This is the first year of our conference and the positive response has far exceeded our…