Olivia DrakeOctober 18, 20058min
Nina Felshin, curator of exhibitions and adjunct lecturer in art history, is curator of The Disasters of War: From Goya to Golub, which is on view now in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery. From left to right, Melanie Baker's charcoal and pastel drawing, Writing a Memo (in Blood); Francisco de Goya's etching from The Disasters of War (Los Desastres de la Guerra) and Leon Golub's acrylic on canvas, Interrogation III, on loan from The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica.   Posted 10/18/05 War, torture and inhumane behavior in the international arena are themes of an exhibit in the Ezra…

Olivia DrakeOctober 18, 20056min
Rick Culliton, dean of Campus Programs, and the director of the University Center Director, watches the Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center's progress from his office in North College. Once the facility is complete in 2007, Culliton will move into the University Center to oversee students' co-curricular activity.   Posted 10/18/05 From the view of his North College office, Rick Culliton, Dean of Campus Programs, can watch the Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center emerge from a hole in the ground to the centerpiece of campus life. Culliton’s interest is more than just a situation of his location. He’s also the center's…

Olivia DrakeOctober 18, 200514min
Brian Katten, sports information director, is responsible for photographing Wesleyan athletic teams, maintaining the athletic Web site, preparing game programs, writing press releases and promoting student athletes.   Posted 10/18/05 Q: When were you hired at Wesleyan, and what was your job title then? A: I started as the first, and fortunately to date, only full-time sports information director at Wesleyan in July, 1982. I had been an intern in that position for the 1979-80 year. I also served as intramural sports director from 1982-2002 but turned that title over to Mark Woodworth in 2002-03.Q: When did you graduate from…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20056min
Maria Cruz-Saco, dean of the college, is impressed by Wesleyan students’ involvement outside of the classroom.   Posted 10/01/05 It didn’t take long to settle in. In just two months, Maria Cruz-Saco has begun spearheading residential life and student programming initiatives. She’s also creating a new position to oversee diversity and multicultural learning environments on campus and seeking ways to improve current student services. As the new dean of the college, Cruz-Saco oversees the Class Deans, Student Academic Resources, Student Services and Campus Programs. The latter includes Residential Life, Student Activities and Leadership Development, International Student Services, the Office of…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20059min
Persephone Hall, assistant director of Human Resources, posts job opportunities, searches through resumes and conducts interviews.   Posted 10/01/05 Q: What are some of your job duties as assistant Human Resources director?A: The thing I love most about my position is the variety. In my first six months, my primary responsibilities have revolved around working with hiring managers to recruit for and fill their job openings. I am beginning to help managers and employees with employee relations issues and in the near future, I look forward to developing training classes for managers and employees here at Wesleyan.Q: So, you’re fairly…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20056min
Fran Koerting, director of Residential Life, enjoys working with students.   Posted 10/01/05 After working in a variety of roles in higher-education, Fran Koerting has found her niche. “I love working directly with the students,” says Koerting, director of Residential Life. “I want to help make their Wesleyan experience a positive one.” Koerting spent the past eight years working as the director of Residential Life at Fairfield University. She came to Wesleyan in July. Koerting holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and biology from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University.…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 200511min
Imam Mahan Mirza, University Muslim Chaplain leads Qur’an Study Circles, and Islam Hour and sermons with Wesleyan's Muslim community.   Posted 10/01/05 Q: Mahan, when were you hired to be the new Muslim chaplain at Wesleyan?A: I was officially hired as of August 29, 2005.Q: Where did you grow up and when did you move to America?A: I grew up as the son of a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. My parents came from India into Pakistan when the country was divided in 1947. My grandparents are from various different parts of India. My first spoken language was…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20055min
At top, Mark Flory, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, lectures to a group during the Sixth Annual Biophysics Retreat for the Molecular Biophysics Program Sept. 15. At left, Maggie Chen, a Ph.D candidate in the Department of Chemistry explains her research titled “Site-Resolved Dynamics and Energetics of a Ribosomal RNA” during the Fall Retreat Poster Session, part of the biophysics program. Posted 10/01/05 The Sixth Annual Biophysics Retreat was held at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown on Sept. 15. Organized by David Beveridge, professor of chemistry, Manju Hingorami, assistant professor of molecular biology and Ishita Mikerji, associate professor…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20054min
Olin Library's new Information Commons features a library reference desk, an Information Technology Services desk and a SARN information and referral desk. Posted 10/01/05 A new information lab in Olin Memorial Library has merged three services into one. Information Commons provides library reference, information technology and access to the Student Academic Resources Network (SARN). The facility is located in the Campbell Reference Center on the first floor of the library. “Students are relying on the Internet more and more to get information, but there’s still a demand for the library’s material, reference services and workspace,” says Dale Lee, information service…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20052min
Posted 10/01/05 The September, 2005 issue of Perspectives, the monthly publication of the American Historical Association, included a study of history Ph.D.s earned between 1989 and 2002 and showed that the leader in the field was in fact Wesleyan University - even though Wesleyan doesn’t have a Ph.D. program in history. Though the results may sound incongruous at first, the data is actually quite solid. The study’s author, Robert Townsend, found that a higher percentage of Wesleyan students who earned bachelor’s degrees during the surveyed period went on to earn Ph.D.s in history than undergraduates from any other institution in…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20054min
Posted 10/01/05 First-year chemistry students will have the opportunity to spend some time with a Nobel Laureate at Wesleyan. Sir Harry Kroto, professor of chemistry at Florida State University, will lecture to chemistry classes at 9 a.m. Oct. 31 in room 84 of Hall-Atwater. Kroto shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1996 for discovering C60, a new form of carbon. In addition, Kroto will present a chemistry symposium titled “Architecture in Nanospace,” at 4 p.m. Oct. 31, also in HA 84, or Exley Science Center 150 if attendance requires it. This symposium will be open to the public. Formerly…

Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20059min
Cliff Ashton, director of Physical Plant, oversees 75 full-time employees and 50 contract employees from the department's new home on Long Lane.   Posted 10/01/05 Q: Cliff, when did you become the new director of Physical Plant and what do you think of it so far?A: I came to Wesleyan in the middle of June 2005. The people here have been so nice and helpful getting me acclimated to the place. I look forward to a long career here.Q: What are your responsibilities?A: I'm responsible for overall operations and maintenance of the "physical plant" in other words most of the…