Campus News & Events

This fall, the African American Studies Program welcomed two new faculty members: Kali Nicole Gross, professor of African American studies, and Khalil Anthony Johnson Jr., assistant professor of African American studies. Kali Gross is the author of Colored Amazons: Crime, Violence, and Black Women in the City of Brotherly Love, 1880-1910 (2006) and the newly released, Hannah Mary Tabbs and the Disembodied Torso: A Tale of Race, Sex, and Violence in America (2016). She has been featured on NPR, C-SPAN2 and other television programs, and has consulted for the PBS show “History Detectives.” Gross's op-ed pieces have appeared in The Washington…

On Nov. 1, Wesleyan celebrated the installation of a 750 kW-AC ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system, or solar farm, located near Physical Plant, at the corner of Long Lane and Wadsworth Street. (more…)

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…

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.…

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…

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 Wesleyan women's crew team continues to excel as the Cardinals finished first out of 28 boats from Division I, II and III programs at the 52nd Annual Head of the Charles Oct. 23 in Cambridge, Mass. Wesleyan's Varsity 8 boat finished in 18:04.538, almost a full second ahead of the second-place boat and nearly four seconds ahead of the third-place boat. The crew consisted of Sarah Osborn '19, Clara Babbott-Ward '20, Emma Halter '17, Allison Quintana '19, Annalee Holmdahl '17, Rachelle Flowers '19, Amanda Molitor '18 and Ava Miller-Lewis '17 and coxswain Rachael Crunkleton '20. Ithaca College finished in…

William J. Barber, the Andrews Professor of Economics, Emeritus, died Oct. 26 at the age of 91. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Jan. 28 in Memorial Chapel with a reception to follow in Daniel Family Commons. Barber arrived at Wesleyan in 1957 after receiving his BA from Harvard University and completing a Rhodes Scholarship and earning a BA, MA and Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University. He taught at Wesleyan for 37 years before retiring in 1994. Barber was actively engaged in the leadership of the University throughout his time at Wesleyan. He was a founding member…

Wesleyan inducted its eighth class to the Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 21. The class features Bill Brooks '49, P '71, Jenna Flateman Posner '04, Alexis Keeler '02, Peter "Kosty" Kostacopoulos, Don Russell, and the 1994 Wesleyan women's soccer team. "All of this year's inductees have very impressive credentials and are well deserving of this recognition," said Director of Athletics Mike Whalen '83. "It was particularly gratifying for me to have Don Russell and Peter "Kosty" Kostacopolous inducted as both were at Wes during my time as a student-athlete. There were a large number of former student-athletes who played…

This fall, the African American Studies Program hired its first core faculty members. They include Kali Nicole Gross, professor of African American studies, and Khalil Anthony Johnson Jr., assistant professor of African American studies. Wesleyan opened the Afro American Institute in 1969 and offered minimal courses on African American history. In 1983, students could major in African American studies, but it wasn’t until 2008 that the university created the African American Studies Program. Now the program is poised to make institutional history by African American Studies gaining departmental status, which would put Wesleyan on par with other top-tier universities and colleges.…

Davenport Study Grant recipient Anna Bisikalo ’17, a Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies major, recently completed a six-week internship at Transitions Online (TOL), a nonprofit media organization based in Prague, Czech Republic. During her internship, Bisikalo published a series of articles, including her most recent article, “Art and Politics Do Mix.” Bisikalo's internship was five days a week at the TOL office. "The office was English-speaking, but I did use my Ukrainian and Russian language skills for the articles I wrote,” she explained. “I wrote daily articles about new stories from the region, often focusing on ones that are…

The rain couldn't dampen the Wesleyan spirit at Homecoming and Middletown Day 2016! On Oct. 21-22, more than 2,000 alumni, students, families and members of the Middletown community flocked to campus with umbrellas and hoodies to participate in team tailgating, campus tours, alumni meetings, family activities and five athletic contests. The highlight of Homecoming was a 20-0 football win over Little Three rival Amherst on Oct. 22.

AFAM Program Welcomes 2 New Faculty

Wesleyan Celebrates Installation of Its New Solar Photovoltaic System

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

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

Rudensky Finalist for Photography Award

Slobin Donates Afghani Instruments to The Met

Women’s Crew Claims First Place Victory at Head of the Charles Regatta

Barber Remembered as a Founding Member of the College of Social Studies

Wesleyan Inducts 8th Athletics Hall of Fame Class

AFAM Program Welcomes Its First Core Faculty

Bisikalo ’17 Completes Writing Internship in Prague at Media Organization

Football 20-0 Win Highlight of 2016 Homecoming (with Photo Gallery)