Olivia DrakeA summary of Assistant Professor of Economics Gillian Brunet’s dissertation, “Understanding the Effects of Fiscal Policy: Measurement, Mechanisms, and Lessons from History,” was published in the June issue of the Journal of Economic History. She wrote the paper while pursuing her PhD in economics at the University of California, Berkeley. The global recession of 2008 and the resulting fiscal stimulus packages in many countries have reignited academic interest in government spending multipliers. Despite a growing theoretical and empirical literature, there is little consensus on the impact of government spending on macroeconomic aggregates. Gillian Brunet’s dissertation makes significant contributions to this…
David Kuenzel, assistant professor of economics, is the co-author of a new paper published in the July–August issue of International Journal of Forecasting titled “Forecasts in Times of Crises.” In the paper, Kuenzel and his co-authors examine the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) forecast accuracy of 29 key macroeconomic variables for countries in times of economic crises. In general, forecasts of the IMF add substantial informational value as they outperform naive forecast approaches. However, the paper also documents that there is room for improvement: Two-thirds of the examined macroeconomic variables are forecast inefficiently, and six variables (growth of nominal GDP, public…
A paper written by Kaitlyn Thomas-Franz ’20 was the recipient of the 2018–19 Lebergott-Lovell Prize for the best paper written for a course that uses empirical techniques to analyze an economic problem. Thomas-Franz wrote the paper “The 1918 Influenza Epidemic and U.S. Female Labor Force Participation" while she was taking Macroeconomic Analysis during the spring 2019 semester. The class was taught by Gillian Brunet, assistant professor of economics. Honorable mentions included Qiyuan Zheng ’20 for a paper titled “FPI in Emerging Markets: Does the Equity Home Bias Theory Extend?” and Dominic Oliver ’19 for a paper titled “The Determinants of…
The Class of 2023 gathered in Memorial Chapel on Aug. 29 for a Getting Good Advice workshop presented by Wesleyan's Academic Peer Advisors and Deans Laura Patey and Jennifer Wood. Academic Peer Advisors are juniors and seniors who work during New Student Orientation and throughout the academic year to enhance student access to academic resources and academic life. They meet one-on-one with students to provide peer advice regarding topics such as time management, organization, study strategies, and other academic skills. In addition, peer advisors lead workshops in residence halls and with student groups on topics such as metacognitive learning strategies, public…
On Aug. 28, 781 members of the Class of 2023—along with their families—flocked to campus for Arrival Day. Hauling armfuls of personal belongings and comforts from home, students settled into their new home-away-from-home amid fond (and a few teary) farewells. President Michael Roth '78 provided a personal welcome, helping carry students' belongings into residence halls and offering warm greetings to the new members of the Wesleyan family. Athletic teams also helped carry the load, hoisting plastic tubs of cold-weather clothing and draped bedding over their shoulders. Clark Hall volunteers had organized their sidewalk space, chalking it into squares labeled with…
This fall, Wesleyan welcomes 140 first-year international students to campus. They hail from 37 countries including Ghana, Austria, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Iran, Zimbabwe, China, and Senegal. This year, for the first time in Wesleyan's history, the University welcomes students from Burundi and Cambodia. (more…)
Wesleyan welcomes 162 graduate students to campus this fall, of which 60 are new. Of these: 23 new students are enrolled in the BA/MA programs in biology, chemistry, computer science, molecular biology and biochemistry, neuroscience and behavior, physics, and psychology. 13 new students are enrolled in a two-year MA program in astronomy, earth and environmental sciences, and music. (more…)
On July 1, the Wesleyan Board of Trustees awarded tenure and promotions to seven faculty members. The board conferred tenure with promotion to Ilesanmi Adeboye, associate professor of mathematics; Logan Dancey, associate professor of government; Meredith Hughes, associate professor of astronomy; and Stéphanie Ponsavady, associate professor of French. They join seven other faculty members who were awarded tenure earlier this spring. In addition, three faculty members are being promoted: Hilary Barth, professor of psychology; Robert Conn, professor of Spanish; and Sanford Shieh, professor of philosophy. They join one other faculty member who was promoted earlier this spring. Brief descriptions of…
The Summe Program for Research in the Sciences culminated with a research poster session in the lobby of Exley Science Center, with more than 100 students participating. The program, held May 29 to July 26, was open to frosh, sophomores and juniors currently enrolled at Wesleyan. Wesleyan science faculty members served as mentors for student research in their laboratories. In addition to the closing poster session, the students participated in weekly seminars and workshops, a symposium, and various social events. After the poster session, students displayed their posters in the hallways outside the introductory biology laboratories. (more…)
This summer, award-winning actor, singer, producer, and new assistant professor of theater Maria-Christina Oliveras acted in the world premiere of Kiss My Aztec, a new musical on Latino history. Written by John Leguizamo and Tony Taccone, winners of the 2018 Special Tony Award for Latin History of Morons, the musical debuted May through July at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Performances will continue at La Jolla Playhouse starting Sept. 8. Oliveras became involved in the musical's developmental process in 2014, when it started out as a play and evolved over time. "I am a new works junkie. There is nothing like 'brain-childing' a piece…
(Story by Kerisha Harris) For the sixth year in a row, the weeklong Wesleyan Girls in Science Summer Camp welcomed dozens of middle school-aged girls for a week of learning, exploration, and STEM-centered fun. From Aug. 5-9 inside Exley Science Center, the 32 campers in grades 4-6 spent the week learning about everything from how to extract DNA from a strawberry, to the parts of the brain, and even how to make (but don’t touch) an ice-cold comet. By Friday, the young scientists were excited to share all they had learned with their friends and families, and did so through a poster presentation and…
Nancy Hargrave Meislahn, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid, will retire in September following the arrival of the Class of 2023, the 20th class she admitted to Wesleyan. In this Q&A, she reflects on the main challenges, changes, and highlights of her accomplished Wesleyan career. (Read her retirement announcement in this past News @ Wesleyan article.) Q: You are the longest-serving dean of admission in Wesleyan’s history. How are you feeling ahead of your impending retirement? A: Definitely a bittersweet moment, but I’m ready. I’ve admitted 20 classes to Wesleyan and that should be enough—for me and…