Olivia DrakeOctober 5, 20065min
Posted 10/05/06 Wesleyan's Presidential Search Committee is fully constituted. The search committee is composed of alumni, trustees, faculty, staff and students and is undertaking a comprehensive search to identify and successfully recruit President Douglas Bennet's successor. The charge of the search committee is to review candidates and recommend a slate of finalists to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will select Wesleyan University’s 16th president. The search committee is staffed by Joan Adams, special assistant, and search firm consultants Jennifer Bol, Michele Haertel and Kristine Johnson from Spencer Stuart. The full description of the search committee can also…

Olivia DrakeOctober 5, 20067min
  Posted 10/05/06 Q: Evelyn, when did you come to Wesleyan and what were you hired in as? A: I was hired June 2003 as a payroll coordinator.Q: What is the purpose of the Payroll Office and where are you located?A: We direct the timely and accurate payment and labor distribution for faculty, staff and students. The Payroll Office is located in the Office of Human Resources on College Street. Q: Who do you work with in the Payroll Services Office?A: Katy Wichlac is the payroll manager and Gladys Fountain is the other payroll administrator. The Payroll Department is now…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20067min
Posted 09/15/06 The Center for African American Studies is hosting a fall lecture series titled "Revisiting Slavery." The schedule includes:“Slavery and the United States Constitution” 4:15 Sept. 27 in the CAAS lounge by Lawrence Goldstone. Goldstone holds a Ph.D in American constitutional studies. He is the author of Dark Bargain: Slavery, Profits, and the Struggle for the U.S. Constitution.“Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from Slavery” 4:15 p.m. Oct. 19 in the CAAS lounge by Anne Farrow, Joel Lang and Jenifer Frank. Farrow, Wesleyan alumnus Joel Lang and Frank are veteran journalists for The Hartford Courant. Farrow and…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Posted 09/15/06 Each year, the Office of University Communications collects objective and comparative measures of Wesleyan's strengths from data compiled by outside sources. Following is a brief list of recent findings:No. 1 in National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding among Liberal Arts Peers This is an objective ranking based on available NSF funding data. Between 2001 and 2003 Wesleyan received $14.49 million in NSF funding (this reflects the most recent data available – Wesleyan was also No. 1 in the previous survey that ran up to 2001). Next closest was Mt. Holyoke at $5.31 million. Carleton was 3rd, Barnard 4th and…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Science teachers in Connecticut teachers take classes at Wesleyan through the Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science Program (PIMMS). PIMMS is teaming up with the Connecticut Science Center to provide science and math education techniques to K-12 teachers. Posted 09/15/06 A new partnership between Wesleyan University and The Connecticut Science Center in Hartford will be designed to engage more students across the state to the sciences than ever before. Specifically, The Connecticut Science Center will be partnering with Wesleyan's Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Sciences (PIMMS). Together they will train Connecticut middle school science teachers how…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20064min
Posted 09/15/06 On May 4, 2006, Doug Bennet '59, P'87, P'94, Wesleyan's 15th president, announced his decision that the 2006-07 academic year will be the 12th and final year of his presidency. The Wesleyan Board of Trustees is in the process of convening an 18-person search committee composed of alumni, trustees, faculty, staff and students to undertake a comprehensive search to identify and successfully recruit Bennet's successor. The alumni and trustee members of the search committee are Kofi Appenteng '81 and chair, Stephen Daniel '82, Jim Dresser '63, Joe Fins '82, Ellen Jewett '81, Michael McPherson P'98, Megan Norris '83,…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Drew Black, wrestling coach and strength and conditioning coach, explains how to use a medicine ball for strength training via video on a new Strength and Conditioning Web Site. Posted 09/15/06 With moves like the spider lunge, chest fly, sumo squat, wood chop, push jerk and the inch worm, strength and conditioning lessons have never been so easy – and entertaining.   Through a series of online videos and written training plans, Drew Black, Wesleyan wrestling coach and strength and conditioning coach, shows how to properly execute 241 movements in the weight room. Some can be applied in the workplace…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20062min
Posted 09/15/06 David Titus, Professor Emeritus of Government, died on June 13, 2006. Professor Titus taught at Wesleyan from 1966 until his retirement in 2004, serving as chair of the Government Department, the College of Social Studies and the East Asian Studies Program. He played a crucial role in establishing East Asian Studies at Wesleyan; he served as Resident Director of the Kyoto Program three times, and was a member and frequent chair of its Executive Board. His masterwork was his Palace and Politics in Prewar Japan, which established his reputation as a leading scholar of Japanese politics; it was…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 200613min
Harriett Epstein, desktop support specialist, troubleshoots problems Wesleyan employees may encounter with their computers.   Posted 09/15/06 Q: When did you come to Wesleyan and for what department?A: I came to Wesleyan in July 1998 as a desktop configuration specialist for the PeopleSoft Team in Information Technology Services. Q: Explain what a desktop support specialist does. A: It is the responsibility of a desktop support specialist to perform trouble-shooting and remediation of software and hardware problems on computers and peripherals and install and configure new desktop computers and peripherals. We also provide support/coordination for special projects requiring technical expertise within…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Pat Melley, director of Employee Benefits, is preparing for Open Enrollment for 2007 in November. She hopes to meet several Wesleyan employees during this time.   Posted 09/15/06 Being Wesleyan’s director of Employee Benefits is a huge benefit on its own.   Pat Melley, who was hired into this role in August, says she enjoys this opportunity to problem solve, mentor and collaborate.   “I think of Wesleyan employees as my customers, and I strive to serve them the best that I can,” Melley says from the Office of Human Resources. “I love the challenge of answering questions from faculty…

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20066min
Cameron Shelton, assistant professor of economics, is an expert on public economics, political economy and macroeconomics. His office is based in the Public Affairs Center.   Posted 09/15/06 Cameron Shelton has joined the Economics Department as an assistant professor. Shelton’s research is based on the political economy of fiscal policy. “By using panel datasets that cover multiple years and countries, I investigate how a country’s political institutions, economic institutions, and demographic factors combine to affect patterns of public expenditure and, ultimately, macroeconomic performance,” Shelton explains. Shelton has written three papers based on tests of theories, which are under review for…