All News – Page 214

Athletic contests, tailgating, WESeminars, an A Cappella concert, Assembly for Parents and Families and multiple performances by faculty, artists and students were among the highlights of the 2016 Family Weekend held Oct. 28-30 on campus. Family Weekend included a 39-10 football victory against Bowdoin! More than 1,300 families attended the three-day event. Wesleyan offered more than 15 WesSeminar presentations by scholars, pundits, and other experts on topics in the arts, current affairs, history, science, and more. Major events included the 24th Annual Dwight L. Greene Symposium: “Opportunities and Challenges in Higher Ed;” the 40th Annual Navaratri Festival celebrating traditional Indian music…

Two alumni who did not know each other as undergraduates—but were both psychology majors and students of Professor of Psychology Karl Scheibe—have collaborated on editing a book examining academic collaborations. The book, Collaboration in Psychological Science: Behind the Scenes, was published this fall by Worth Publishing, a division of MacMillan. The editors, Richie Zweigenhaft ’67, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology at Guilford College, and Eugene Borgida ’71, Professor of psychology and law at the University of Minnesota and a Morse-Alumni Distinguished Professor of Psychology, dedicate the book to Professor Karl Scheibe, their undergraduate mentor, five years apart. Separated by…

Navaratri, one of India’s major festival celebrations, is a time to see family and friends, enjoy music and dance, and seek blessings for new endeavors. Wesleyan’s 40th annual festival, held Oct. 28-Oct. 30, celebrated traditional Indian music and dance. The Navaratri Festival is presented by the Center for the Arts and the Music Department, with leadership support from the Madhu Reddy Endowed Fund for Indian Music and Dance at Wesleyan University, and additional support from the Jon B. Higgins Memorial Fund, the Raga Club of Connecticut, Haveli Indian Restaurant, and individual patrons. Pictured is the Navaratri Festival: B. Balasubrahmaniyan performance,…

On Nov. 1, Professor of Art David Schorr’s Flying Carpets—New Paintings by David Schorr opened at Wesleyan’s Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery with a standing-room-only reception and gallery talk by the artist. This solo exhibition and the site-specific installation, Flying Carpets, revisits Schorr’s childhood days spent playing on his grandmother's Persian rugs. A few days earlier, on Oct. 29, Schorr had previewed this opening in an WESeminar for Family Weekend. In his remarks, Schorr shared the artists’ process through which the series came to be. “One of the questions my students ask is, 'Where do ideas come from?'” he began.…

Jennifer Collingwood, administrative assistant for the Center for Global Studies, received a Cardinal Achievement Award for her efforts in demonstrating extraordinary initiative in performing a specific task associated with her work at Wesleyan University. This special honor comes with a $250 award and reflects the university’s gratitude for her efforts.

The Chicago Cubs—with Wesleyan’s Jed Hoyer ’96 at the helm as executive vice president/general manager—won the seventh game of the 2016 World Series on November 2 to claim the team’s first World Series title since 1908. After trailing the Cleveland Indians three games to one in the best-of-seven series, the Cubs won the seventh and final game by a score of 8-7, in 10 innings. The title puts an end to the team’s 108-year drought—the longest in baseball history. Hoyer is now a member of three World Series teams: the 2016 Cubs, 2007 Red Sox and 2004 Red Sox. In…

Sasha Rudensky ’01, assistant professor of art, assistant professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies, is a finalist for the New East Photo Prize. Her photos, Tinsel and Blue, explore the relationship between illusion and truth and the young people of the post-Soviet generation. Rudensky shot the photo series between 2009 and 2015 in Russia and Ukraine. An alumna of Wesleyan, Rudensky graduated with a degree in studio arts. Rudensky, who was born in Russia and moved to the United States when she was 10, feels this competition keeps her in touch with her heritage. “I am happy to…

The 24th Annual Dwight L. Greene Symposium, held on Oct. 29 during Family Weekend, featured a panel of alumni ranging over three decades, speaking about the opportunities and challenges in higher education. C. Andrew McGadney ’92, vice president and secretary at Colby College, moderated. Previously McGadney had served at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., where he was vice president for university advancement, He had begun his career in University Relations at Wesleyan, serving as a director of development. Antonio Farias, vice president for equity and inclusion/Title IX officer, welcomed the speakers and attendees. The panel featured Tracey Gardner ’96, deputy chief of staff…

On Oct. 31, Wesleyan’s Neighborhood Preschool participated in the annual NPS Halloween Parade. The children, accompanied by their families and care-takers, stopped at Olin Library, South College and North College to trick-or-treat, sing songs and show off their costumes. Many trick-or-treaters are the children of Wesleyan faculty and staff. Several staff from University Communications dressed up and offered candy to the parade participants. (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)

Mark Slobin, professor of music, professor of American studies, emeritus, recently donated his collection of Afghani musical instruments to The Met museum. From 1967 to 1972, Slobin traveled to Afghanistan to complete dissertation fieldwork on local folk music of the northern region. Along the way he collected, what are now, extremely rare instruments including, polished river stones, sometimes used as castanets; end-blown shepherds’ flutes; two large fretted lutes known as dutar; both Uzbek and Tajik damburas; and a plethora of other instruments. His time in Afghanistan was marked by many memorable encounters, such as the “rare, hidden tradition of pre-Islamic shamanism, in…

"The Historic Decision on Net Neutrality, and What it Means for the Future" will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 10 in the Hansel Lecture Hall (Room 001 Public Affairs Center). Panelists include Jessica Rosenworcel '93, FCC Commissioner; Brad Burnham ‘77, managing partner at Union Square Ventures; and Christiaan Hogendorn, associate professor of economics. Norm Danner, associate professor of computer science, will moderate the event.

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, “The Battle of Chosin,” a documentary produced and directed by Randall MacLowry ’86, aired nationwide as part of the PBS American Experience series. In the film, MacLowry told the story of this pivotal 1950 Korean War battle—the first major military clash of the Cold War—through the eyewitness accounts and archival footage of heroic survival despite freezing temperatures and bloody battle. A film major as an undergraduate who counts Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies Jeanine Basinger as a seminal mentor, MacLowry is an award-winning filmmaker whose work spans more than 25 years. His previous film for American Experience…

More Than 1,300 Families Attend Family Weekend Activities at Wesleyan

Zweigenhaft ’67, Borgida ’71 Co-Edit Book on Psychological Science Collaborations

Wesleyan’s Navaratri Festival Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Schorr’s Flying Carpets Exhibition Explores Childhood Memories, Creative Process

Collingwood Honored with Cardinal Achievement Award

Cubs GM Hoyer ’96 Celebrates World Series Win

Rudensky Finalist for Photography Award

Dwight L. Greene Symposium: Alumni Speak on Opportunities, Challenges in Higher Ed

Neighborhood Preschoolers Trick-or-Treat on Wesleyan’s Campus

Slobin Donates Afghani Instruments to The Met

Net Neutrality to be Discussed Nov. 10

Director MacLowry ’86 on the Making of PBS Documentary, “The Battle of Chosin”