Olivia DrakePictured are Kay and Morton Briggs. Briggs, professor emeritus of romance languages and literatures, died Sept. 25. He worked at Wesleyan for 42 years. Posted 10/01/05 Morton W. Briggs, a Wesleyan faculty member for over 40 years, died Sept. 25 at Middlesex Health Care Center at the age of 90. Born in 1915 in Millbrook, N.Y., he was graduated from Cornell University in 1937. He studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and obtained masters (1939) and doctoral (1944) degrees from Harvard University. He joined the Wesleyan faculty in 1943 and attained the position of professor of romance languages in 1956…
Posted 10/01/05 James van Benschoten Dresser, '63, P'93, chairman of Wesleyan's Board of Trustees, will be among the kick-off speakers of a new "First Friday" series being sponsored by the Center for Community Partnerships. The event is open to the Wesleyan community and will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 at 167 High Street. The series will feature presentations on the first Friday of every month and has been created by the Center for Community Partnerships for members of the Wesleyan and Middletown communities who are interested in town-gown collaborations. Dresser's talk, titled "If These Walls…
In preparation of the new Suzanne Lemberg Usdan University Center, portions of the old Fayerweather Gymnasium are being removed. Demolition is more than 80 percent completed as of Sept. 6. Associated Building Wreckers tear the building apart, beam by beam, brick by brick. Construction crew members demolish what is left of the Fayerweather pool, built in 1913. Alan Rubacha, Construction Services consultant, is the project manager. The renovated Fayerweather Gymnasium will become Fayerweather Hall. The facility will host a ballroom, catering kitchen, theater, dance studio and storage. The new university center will be built on the right side of…
Academic Commons, a Web site developed by two Wesleyan staff members and a staff member from Alma College launched in August. Posted 09/09/05 Colleagues from liberal arts colleges interested in technology-related issues can read original articles on the topic, share their own ideas and even collaborate with their peers on a Web site launched this month called Academic Commons (http://www.academiccommons.org). The site offers a forum for investigating and defining the role that technology can play in liberal arts education. The idea for the project came out of a series of meetings that took place at the Center of Inquiry…
Posted 09/09/05 Wesleyan University will offer Connecticut residents enrolled at colleges and universities in areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina the opportunity to take fall semester classes at Wesleyan, and Wesleyan students, faculty and staff have begun to coordinate other efforts for relief opportunities. The university has reached out to students from Connecticut who attend colleges in areas affected by the storm. These students may apply for status as visiting students and enroll in classes on a space-available basis. Wesleyan will work with families to ensure that their total costs do not exceed their existing commitments to the schools in which…
Posted 09/09/05 The University Recycling Committee has implemented a new campus-wide recycling system. Mixed paper, glass, metal, plastic, corrugated cardboard, batteries, printer cartridges and even old furniture can now be collected and recycled. Recycling is required by law in Connecticut, and is the obligation of every member of the Wesleyan community, says Bill Nelligan, the Wesleyan recycling coordinator and associate director of Environmental Health and Safety. We hope that the Wesleyan community will join this effort to make Wesleyan a leader in waste reduction and environmental responsibility. Nelligan says recycling saves resources, energy, reduces pollution, cuts generation of greenhouse gases…
Makaela Kingsley '98, associate director of Alumni Relations, Ciaran Escoffery '00 and Roxanne Williams '98 share a laugh during a previous Alumni and Parent Volunteer Weekend at Wesleyan. Posted 09/09/05 When Karen and Michael Haley sent their son, John 07, to Wesleyan in 2004, they were anxious to learn more about the community in which he would be spending the next four years. That year, they attended an Alumni and Parent Volunteer Weekend. They not only became informed, they became involved. We were so impressed that weekend with how cordially we were welcomed and made to feel a part…
At top, Wes-Haul volunteers Daniel Rubin 06 and Hanako Moondance 06 carry a refrigerator into freshman Jennifer Bunins room in the Fauver Field Residence during Arrival Day Aug. 29. At right, Ian Renner 08 helps carry students belongings into Clark Hall. Posted 09/09/05 U-HAUL? Not here. Leave that up to Wes-HAUL, a team of volunteers that welcomed new students to campus. They unloaded cars, carried belongings, directed traffic and answered questions during students Arrival Day Aug. 29. Wes-HAUL started five years ago as a small University Relations initiative and has evolved into a cross-university effort. More than 35…
Kevin Butler, assistant dean of Student Services, is the contact person for students with physical differences and co-advisor of the Student Judicial Board. Posted 09/09/05 Q: When were you hired at Wesleyan?A: I was hired in fall of all 2004 and started in January 2005 as the assistant dean of Student Services.Q: What led you to working at Wesleyan?A: I have excelled in conflict resolution and judicial affairs at several institutions. I thought it would be interesting to advise a student judicial board, which is something I hadnt done before.Q: And what is your role with the Wesleyan Student…
Manny Cunard, director of Auxiliary Operations and Campus Services, works from his new office on Pine Street. Posted 09/09/05 When Manny Cunard came to Wesleyan two and a half years ago, several services were in need of structure. Others needed to be invented. I resolve problems, says Cunard, director of Auxiliary Operations and Campus Services. Thats what this job is all about. You have to be committed to problem solving to provide the best services for Wesleyans students, staff and faculty. Cunard is responsible for such operations such as the campus bookstore, dining services, the House Sale Program, laundry…
Dave Hall, grounds and special events manger, stands in front of an old elm tree planted along College Row. Wesleyan once had hundreds of elms on its property, and now only a few remain. The rest have fallen prey to old age or disease. Posted 09/09/05 When Dave Hall takes a daily stroll across Wesleyans campus, he has no destination in mind. He simply enjoys the luscious landscape. It is, after all, his masterpiece. As manager of Wesleyans grounds and events, every tree, shrub, flower garden and grassy knoll is part of his canvas. Most people walk through campus…
Abigail Hornstein, assistant professor of economics, studies corporate performance. Posted 09/09/05 Abigail Hornstein has joined the Economics Department as an assistant professor. Hornstein received her bachelors degree in Chinese language and history; her masters degree in economics and international business from New York University Stern School of Business; and her Ph.D in economics and international business from the New York University Stern School of Business. Her dissertation examined the capital budgeting decisions of multinational enterprises. She examined U.S. firms in the 1990s to determine if effective capital budgeting is associated with where a firm invests. I found that effective…