Jerry Maguda, computer operations specialist, helps Wesleyan employees and students solve their computer problems.   Posted 04/15/05 Q: When did you come to Wesleyan, and were you always a computer operations specialist? A: I started July 7, 1977 or 7/7/77. A lucky number? I was hired as a computer operator, and in time my title changed to production manager for administrative systems. I left Wesleyan in 1982, because at that point in my career I felt I needed more exposure to ever changing technology. From 1982 to1985 I worked 2nd and 3rd shift jobs for different employers ranging from a…

Joyce O. Lowrie, professor of romance languages and literatures, is retiring this semester after 39 years.   Posted 04/15/05 It's been a "bon voyage" for Madame Joyce O. Lowrie. After a 39-year career at Wesleyan, the professor of romance languages and literatures has announced her retirement at the end of this semester. But she's not saying "au revoir" just yet. "You could say my retirement is more of an ‘a bientôt  ‘ I'll be seeing you soon,’” she says from her third floor office on High Street, a room that once housed President Doug Bennet in the converted all-male fraternity house…

  Ernesto Verdeja, assistant professor of government, started teaching at Wesleyan in August 2004.   Posted 04/15/05 Ernesto Verdeja joined the Department of Government and College of Social Studies as an assistant professor of government in August 2004. ”I was attracted to Wesleyan because of its reputation for promoting research and teaching among its faculty,” he says. "And the students are fantastic.” Verdeja earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his master’s and Ph.D in political science/political theory from the New School for Social Research in New York City. His dissertation, which Verdeja is turning into…

  Yonatan Malin, assistant professor of music, came to Wesleyan in in August 2004. He learned to play piano as an undergraduate.   Posted 03/31/05 Yonatan Malin joined the faculty in the Music Department as an assistant professor in August 2004. Malin instructs classes on music theory and analysis and the history of western music, including the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods. Prior to coming to Wesleyan, Malin taught music at the University of Colorado. He completed his undergraduate work at Harvard University and earned his Ph.D. is from the University of Chicago. His dissertation is on "Metric Dissonance and…

  Henry Goldschmidt, assistant professor of religion and society, joined the Religion Department in 2004.   Posted 03/31/05 Henry Goldschmidt joined the faculty in the Religion Department as an assistant professor of religion and society. Goldschmidt completed his undergraduate work at Wesleyan in 1991, and earned his Ph.D at the University of California Santa Cruz in 2000. His dissertation, which he is currently revising for publication, focuses on Jewish identities and Black-Jewish differences in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights, a neighborhood known for its history of conflict between Lubavitch Hasidic Jews and their predominantly Afro-Caribbean neighbors. The manuscript is titled “Race,…

  Cathy Crimmins-Lechowicz, director of Community Service and Volunteerism, stands outside a Northern Middlesex Habitat for Humanity house, where she places volunteer workers.   Posted 03/31/05 Q: The Office of Community Service and Volunteerism (OCS) fosters community building within Wesleyan and with the communities of Middletown and Middlesex County. How are some ways the department goes about this? A: We, meaning my colleagues and I here at the Center for Community Partnerships, meet with community organizations and students regularly to hear about the needs, interests and possible connections that we can facilitate. We support current programs and encourage students and community…

  Clare Rogan, curator of the Davison Art Center, looks over "Self-Portrait in Profile," sketched by German artist Kathe Kollwitz in 1927. The piece is included in "A Passion for Prints" on exhibit through May 22.   Posted 03/31/.05 Q: You started here on February 14th. What attracted you to the university? A: I was attracted to the position of curator at the Davison Art Center because it is a wonderful combination of museum curatorial work and academia. I am very much looking forward to teaching in the fall. At the same time, I get to do the curatorial work I love. It is…

  Jeff Gilarde, director of Scientific Imaging, helps students and faculty members use Wesleyan’s newest confocal microscope inside the Advanced Instrumentation Center.   Posted 03/31/05 Jeff Gilarde loves to scope out new research. But to explore his big ideas, he has to look small. As the Biology Department’s director of Scientific Imaging, Gilarde spends his days looking through the lab’s five microscopes. He also assists faculty and students with their microscopic research inside the Advanced Instrumentation Center, located under the pathway between Hall-Atwater Laboratory and Shanklin. “Look, these are liver cells,” he says, pointing out a cell’s image, glowing through…

  Rich DeCapua, assistant director of Residential Life, lounges in the newly-remodeled Clark Hall.   Posted 03/31/05 Q: Were you hired in as assistant director of Residential Life in 2002? A: I was originally an area coordinator for Clark Hall and Foss Hill, and I was then promoted to assistant director at the end of my first year. This is my third year at Wesleyan, and I’m enjoying every minute of it! Q: What attracted you to Wesleyan? A: Well, I was looking for a place where I knew I could be successful professionally, but would also be challenged. The…