Olivia DrakeOctober 5, 20065min
  Elijah Huge, assistant professor of art, works from his office in the Art Studios. This fall, Elijah Huge joins the Art and Art History Department as an assistant professor of art. Huge comes to Wesleyan after four-years working for a large architectural office in New Haven, Conn. At Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Huge worked on the design team for the Minneapolis Public Library, which opened to the public in May 2006. While working there, he also pursued a series of academic and speculative projects. “As the library neared completion, it was increasingly clear to me that rather than move…

Olivia DrakeOctober 5, 20068min
Barbara Jones, the Caleb T. Winchester University Librarian, is the author of two books on intellectual freedom.   Posted 10/05/06 If a Wesleyan professor wanted to know what books students have read in the past, the staff at Olin Library would not be allowed or able to give him an answer. “By law, we cannot report to anyone what anyone else has been reading, asking or viewing on the Internet,” explains Barbara Jones, the Caleb T. Winchester University Librarian. “We have the right to provide people with information, but we do not have the right to share what information they…

Olivia DrakeOctober 5, 20063min
Neely Bruce, professor of music, plays the new, seven-foot August Foerster piano inside the Memorial Chapel Sept. 29. Posted 10/05/06 The secret is in the strings. That’s how Professor of Music Neely Bruce defends the exceptionally clear sounds of Wesleyan’s new chapel piano. “This piano is extraordinarily beautiful, and quite different from the Steinway sound you may associate with a grand piano,” Bruce explains. “It is clearer, more agile, more evenly balanced and is the perfect size for the chapel. It is the best piano of its size on campus.”The new August Foerster is a brand that’s legendary in Europe,…

Olivia DrakeOctober 5, 20064min
Posted 10/05/06 Wesleyan is pushing for its payroll to go paperless. All faculty, staff and students who receive a Wesleyan payroll check now have the option of receiving their pay stub online. This will eliminate all paper-processing. “By going all-electronic, this is going to save more than the 25 cents it costs to pay for the paper,” says John Meerts, vice president for Finance and Administration. “We’re going to save on distribution costs we well. And if you’re like me, I end up just tossing it aside, losing it or disposing of it. It will be more convenient not to…

Olivia DrakeOctober 5, 20065min
Posted 10/05/06 Wesleyan's Presidential Search Committee is fully constituted. The search committee is composed of alumni, trustees, faculty, staff and students and is undertaking a comprehensive search to identify and successfully recruit President Douglas Bennet's successor. The charge of the search committee is to review candidates and recommend a slate of finalists to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will select Wesleyan University’s 16th president. The search committee is staffed by Joan Adams, special assistant, and search firm consultants Jennifer Bol, Michele Haertel and Kristine Johnson from Spencer Stuart. The full description of the search committee can also…

Olivia DrakeOctober 5, 20067min
  Posted 10/05/06 Q: Evelyn, when did you come to Wesleyan and what were you hired in as? A: I was hired June 2003 as a payroll coordinator.Q: What is the purpose of the Payroll Office and where are you located?A: We direct the timely and accurate payment and labor distribution for faculty, staff and students. The Payroll Office is located in the Office of Human Resources on College Street. Q: Who do you work with in the Payroll Services Office?A: Katy Wichlac is the payroll manager and Gladys Fountain is the other payroll administrator. The Payroll Department is now…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20067min
Posted 09/15/06 The Center for African American Studies is hosting a fall lecture series titled "Revisiting Slavery." The schedule includes:“Slavery and the United States Constitution” 4:15 Sept. 27 in the CAAS lounge by Lawrence Goldstone. Goldstone holds a Ph.D in American constitutional studies. He is the author of Dark Bargain: Slavery, Profits, and the Struggle for the U.S. Constitution.“Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from Slavery” 4:15 p.m. Oct. 19 in the CAAS lounge by Anne Farrow, Joel Lang and Jenifer Frank. Farrow, Wesleyan alumnus Joel Lang and Frank are veteran journalists for The Hartford Courant. Farrow and…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20062min
Posted 09/15/06 David Titus, Professor Emeritus of Government, died on June 13, 2006. Professor Titus taught at Wesleyan from 1966 until his retirement in 2004, serving as chair of the Government Department, the College of Social Studies and the East Asian Studies Program. He played a crucial role in establishing East Asian Studies at Wesleyan; he served as Resident Director of the Kyoto Program three times, and was a member and frequent chair of its Executive Board. His masterwork was his Palace and Politics in Prewar Japan, which established his reputation as a leading scholar of Japanese politics; it was…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 200613min
Harriett Epstein, desktop support specialist, troubleshoots problems Wesleyan employees may encounter with their computers.   Posted 09/15/06 Q: When did you come to Wesleyan and for what department?A: I came to Wesleyan in July 1998 as a desktop configuration specialist for the PeopleSoft Team in Information Technology Services. Q: Explain what a desktop support specialist does. A: It is the responsibility of a desktop support specialist to perform trouble-shooting and remediation of software and hardware problems on computers and peripherals and install and configure new desktop computers and peripherals. We also provide support/coordination for special projects requiring technical expertise within…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Pat Melley, director of Employee Benefits, is preparing for Open Enrollment for 2007 in November. She hopes to meet several Wesleyan employees during this time.   Posted 09/15/06 Being Wesleyan’s director of Employee Benefits is a huge benefit on its own.   Pat Melley, who was hired into this role in August, says she enjoys this opportunity to problem solve, mentor and collaborate.   “I think of Wesleyan employees as my customers, and I strive to serve them the best that I can,” Melley says from the Office of Human Resources. “I love the challenge of answering questions from faculty…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Cameron Shelton, assistant professor of economics, is an expert on public economics, political economy and macroeconomics. His office is based in the Public Affairs Center.   Posted 09/15/06 Cameron Shelton has joined the Economics Department as an assistant professor. Shelton’s research is based on the political economy of fiscal policy. “By using panel datasets that cover multiple years and countries, I investigate how a country’s political institutions, economic institutions, and demographic factors combine to affect patterns of public expenditure and, ultimately, macroeconomic performance,” Shelton explains. Shelton has written three papers based on tests of theories, which are under review for…