All News – Page 150

Dean of the Social Sciences Marc Eisner was selected to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC), a program hosted by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. It is the oldest and most prestigious public liaison program in the Department of Defense, and has been held since the 1940s. On April 22–25, Eisner joined other college and university deans, provosts, and presidents at military installations in Virginia, where he engaged with senior military officers and U.S. service members. He participated in a variety of tactical training exercises and, through conversations and experiences, gained a better understanding of the roles and mission of the U.S. Armed…

In this Q&A, we speak to Clifton Watson, who joined Wesleyan as director of the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships (JCCP) in February. A New Haven, Conn., native, Watson holds a BA from the University of Connecticut in African American studies, an MA from North Carolina Central in history, and a doctorate from Fordham in history. His dissertation explores the northern migration of African Americans who settled in the Newhallville area of New Haven—which is where he grew up. Q: Please tell us a bit about your background . . . what drew you to Wesleyan? How did you know…

Doris Zhao, an investment associate with Wesleyan’s Investments Office, joined Chief Investment Officer Anne Martin’s team in 2013, after graduating from Yale. Since then, she has completed all three levels of the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst credential. “My role here at Wesleyan is to help manage the portfolio through monitoring our current managers and selecting new managers,” she says. When we approached her for this Q&A, we discovered that scheduling was an issue: Zhao’s position sends her on frequent travel across the country and internationally, but on a sunny December afternoon she was on campus and spoke with us about…

In this Q&A, we speak with Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies Scott Aalgaard. Originally a native of British Columbia, he joined Wesleyan after completing his doctorate at the University of Chicago. Affiliated with Wesleyan's College of East Asian Studies, his courses this year included Pop Music Revolutionaries, Japanese Women's Writing, and The Everyday in Modern Japan. Q: Tell us a bit about your background. A: I’ve been on the move for most of my life. I grew up in a small resource town on Vancouver Island, off the west coast of Canada; we had a sister city in northern Japan,…

The Office of Human Resources announces the following hires, transitions, and departures for January–April 2018. HIRES John Lundell, athletic facility maintenance, on Jan. 2 Johanna DeBari, director of survivor advocacy and community education, on Jan. 3 Lee Walsh, postdoctoral research associate in physics, on Jan. 17 Kara Murphy, development research analyst in University Relations, on Jan. 22 Clifton Watson, director of the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships, on Feb. 5 Dennis Hohne, video producer in University Communications, on Feb. 12 Nafeza Kingston, facility and events manager in Usdan Campus Center, on Feb. 12 Matthew Magenheim, senior investment associate in the…

This year Wesleyan will reward administrative offices that go green. The new Green Office Certification Program, overseen by the Sustainability Office, is designed to recognize, support, and promote offices that engage in environmentally sustainable practices. All administrative and academic offices are eligible to become certified. To get started, a department needs to elect an office coordinator who will fill out the Green Office Certification form, coordinate office participation, and review completed checklists with the Sustainability Office. The coordinator will distribute individual checklists to all employees in the office or within a defined space. If at least 75 percent of the…

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If you’ve logged into WesPortal recently you may have noticed a banner advertising “Project Refresh.” The link leads to a survey asking for feedback on programs, projects, or processes that “may no longer be necessary, or perhaps could be done more effectively” with the end goal of making working at Wesleyan “more effective, efficient, and enjoyable.” The survey is just the first phase of Project Refresh, with plans for additional rounds of idea generation and collaboration (at all levels both within and across departments) as well as possible focus groups to further refine ideas in the fall. For now, the…

Paul Turenne, systems analyst for Information Technology Services, received a Coordinator of the Year Award during the Middlesex United Way Campaign Awards Breakfast on May 8. Turenne served as Wesleyan’s 2017–18 United Way Employee Campaign campus coordinator. He helped the University post the highest numbers—both in participation and in amount pledged—since 2012. More than 400 Wesleyan employees, retired faculty, and authorized vendors (including 38 “Leadership Givers” pledging $1,000 or more) participated. Together they donated a total of $122,150 in support of United Way programs in Middlesex County and throughout the state. To date, the employee campaign has raised approximately $1.9 million…

For more information visit http://womenatwes.site.wesleyan.edu/.

Three outstanding employees were honored with Cardinal Achievement Awards during the past few months. Smith Kidkarndee, psychotherapist, Counseling and Psychological Services; Cathy-Lee Rizza, assistant director of student accounts, Student Accounts Office; and Gladys Rodriguez, administrative assistant, Registrar's Office were recognized for demonstrating extraordinary initiative in performing a specific task associated with their work at Wesleyan. This special honor comes with a $250 award and reflects the University’s gratitude for their extra efforts.

“This is the history of right here,” said Visiting Assistant Professor of African American Studies Jesse Nasta ’07, speaking of his work with Black Middletown Lives, his service-learning class. “We venture deep, but no farther than two blocks.” He and his class of 13 students are doing firsthand archival research on individual projects, documenting the lives of those African Americans who lived in the area now called “The Beman Triangle,” after the most prominent black property owner in that five-acre patch of land bordered on one side by Knowles Avenue to the corner where Neon Deli now stands at…

Eisner Participates in Prestigious Department of Defense Program

Watson Directs the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships

Investment Associate Zhao on the Art and Science of Portfolio Management

East Asian Studies’ Aalgaard Aims to Amplify Voices That Challenge, Reshape Our Own Stances upon the World

Employees on the Move

Administrative Departments Encouraged to Apply for a Green Office Certification

Bon Appétit Hosts Culinary Workshop for Children

Project Refresh Initiative Launches with Employee Survey

Turenne Honored by Middlesex United Way for Leading Successful Employee Campaign

Dynamic Women at Wesleyan Hosts Meditation, Discussion on Self-Confidence, Inner Wisdom

Employee Cardinal Achievement Awards Announced

Nasta ’07 Presents Beman Triangle Research at CAAS