Campus News & Events

Ian Bassin ’98, Executive Director of Protect Democracy, will deliver the commencement address during Wesleyan University’s 193rd Commencement ceremony on May 25, 2025. Bassin will receive an honorary degree alongside fellow recipients Lael Brainard ’83, P’22, who served as director of the National Economic Council under President Joe Biden, and Percival Everett, celebrated author and Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. "Wesleyan’s alumni and distinguished honorees have long exemplified the University’s founding principle of contributing to the good of the individual and the good of the world," said President Michael S. Roth. "At a time when…

Alumnus, professor, and civil rights attorney Theodore M. Shaw ’76 returned to Wesleyan on Feb. 11 to deliver the 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Luncheon keynote address. During his talk, Shaw reminisced about his time at the University, shared highlights of his career, and offered his thoughts about the current political moment. Standing at the podium, Shaw paused to honor the Hall’s namesake, Edgar Beckham, who was the first African American dean at the University. He also recalled that as a student he had played pickup basketball in the same space which was once known as the small…

In early 2025, Wesleyan University’s website will unveil a reimagined presence—a result of more than a year of innovative work to redefine this front door to the University. Led by University Communications in partnership with a newly formed web governance committee and collaborators across campus, this ambitious project is set to deliver a completely overhauled "core" website, including new sections for Admission and Aid, news, and events. “As a university that prides itself on having an ‘impact disproportionate to our numbers,’ it is important that we continually look for ways to enhance our capacity to connect with current and future…

A month after one of the most momentous national elections in recent memory, the Wesleyan Media Project hosted their 2024 Post-Election Conference at the Frank Center for Public Affairs on Dec. 6. The all-day event featured four panels, moderated by Government department faculty members: Associate Professor of Government Logan Dancey, Associate Professor of Government Alyx Mark, Professor of Government Erika Franklin Fowler, and Assistant Professor of Government Justin Peck. More than a dozen scholars from institutions across the country presented their research to the audience of faculty and students. The topics of panel presentations ranged from political advertising in 2024…

By Eliana Fiore In an engaging lunchtime talk on Nov. 21, Matt Motta ’13, assistant professor of health law, policy, and management at Boston University’s School of Public Health, presented research findings indicating that one in three Americans harbor some degree of resentment towards scientists and other public health experts. Not only do anti-intellectual attitudes exist to that degree, but his research shows that Americans with these views may act on them. Motta, whose new book entitled Anti-Scientific Americans: The Prevalence, Political Origins, and Political Consequences of Anti-Intellectualism in the U.S. was published in September, defines anti-intellectualism as “the distrust and…

Legendary director Charles Burnett paved the way for generations of African American filmmakers in his work, including director Shaka King who made the recent Academy Award-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah. Burnett and King spoke and screened their work at Wesleyan during the 2024 Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns, titled “Black Voices and Visionaries in Cinema,” on Nov. 8 and 9. The two filmmakers were joined by international film producers Ama Ampadu and Tamara Dewit for presentations and a panel discussion. Endowed by James Shasha '50, P'82, the Shasha Seminar supports lifelong learning and encourages participants to expand their…

What do Christian, Jewish, and Hindu Americans have in common? They all have someone representing their faith on the national political stage in the 2024 presidential campaign. That intersection of religion and politics was the focus of a talk, “The Fluidity of American Faith: Real Talk about Religion and the 2024 Presidential Race,” by investigative journalist and author Sarah Posner ’86 on Oct. 17 at the Frank Center for Public Affairs. In introducing Posner, Department of Religion Chair Andrew Quintman said, “religion informs our understanding of so many aspects of our human life and that's especially true of our current…

Last year, 12 dynamic critics appeared at Wesleyan for a year-long speaker series through the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism. The wildly successful series will return this academic year, this time with an array of editors across the creative landscape. The critics series was meant to highlight different aspects of how literature is produced and consumed, whereas this year’s series aims to show students how the objects of this criticism are made, said Merve Emre, Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Literature and Criticism and director of the Shapiro Center. The Center’s mission is to teach students at Wesleyan how the…

The veteran community at Wesleyan now has a dedicated space to study, gather, and dine. Several community members—student-veterans, advisors, faculty, staff, and Public Safety officers, among others—did just that at the opening of the new Wesleyan Veterans Lounge in Hewitt Residence Hall on Sept. 12. “Support of veterans, or of any student for that matter, doesn’t end at admission. Retention, progression, and graduation—in short, their success—requires holistic support across campus, in academic, co-curricular, residential, and wellness spaces,” said Noble Jones, associate dean of admission and director of enrollment analytics. “We heard for several years that our student-veterans felt the need…

Despite the completion of a major project like the renovation of the Frank Center for Public Affairs, there is still work to be done on Wesleyan’s campus. Physical Plant, the team responsible for operations and maintenance of Wesleyan buildings and grounds, continues to make significant progress on many of the projects that will allow for deeper student learning and experience at Wesleyan. Alan Rubacha, associate vice president of facilities, said all projects are on schedule and on budget. Here are the latest updates on Wesleyan’s ongoing major construction projects: New Science Building The 197,000-square-foot New Science Building is set to…

The Class of 2028 gathered on Andrus Field for a joyful celebration on Aug. 30. More than 600 first-year students took part in the 17th annual “Common Moment” as part of new student orientation. The celebration also included new transfer students from both the Class of 2027 and the Class of 2026. Joshua Lubin-Levy 06, director of the Center for the Arts, said the “Common Moment” is an opportunity during orientation for new students to get out of their heads and into their bodies, feeling and sensing the world around them through dance as they reflect on the kind of…

Arrival Day is the first step in the next stage of the lives of Wesleyan’s Class of 2028. For these students, it was the first time they were able to see inside their dorms at Clark Hall, Bennet, the Butterfields, and also the first time they could put their personal stamp on the walls of their spaces away from home — with an unsettlingly green brat poster or a vinyl from an old rock band to show their new cohort of friends. For hundreds of Wesleyan’s newest first-year and transfer students, it was also the first day of the next…

193rd Commencement Honorary Degree Recipients

Theodore Shaw ’76 Gives Annual MLK Talk

Exciting Changes Coming to Wesleyan’s Website in 2025

Post-Election Conference Probed Impact of Political Ads, Messaging

Matt Motta ’13 Delivers Talk on Anti-Intellectual Beliefs and Politics

Celebrated Filmmakers, Producers Share Insight into Black Cinema at Shasha Seminar

Alumni Author Talk on Religion and the Presidential Race

Visionary Editors to Speak at Shapiro Center Series

Wesleyan Veterans Lounge Creates Space for Community

Updates on New Science Building, Integrative Arts Lab Construction

‘Common Moment’ Tradition Connects New Students Across Difference

Welcoming the Class of 2028