Campus News & Events

Wesleyan welcomed more than 800 new, transfer, visiting, international and exchange students to campus during Arrival Day activities Sept. 2. Several Wesleyan student-athletes, staff and faculty helped the new students and their families carry their belongings into the student residences. Allen and Zenola Harper P’19 of Westchester, N.Y. borrowed a friend’s SUV to haul their son’s belongings to campus. Salim ’19, a basketball player, brought along a rug, microwave, laundry soap, printer, athletic apparel, a box of brownies, but most importantly his shoe collection. “I can’t believe how many shoes he has,” Zenola said, looking over a heap of unpacked…

Wesleyan has hired Greenskies Renewable Energy LLC, a Middletown-based solar energy company, to construct a new ground-mounted solar array at the corner of Long Lane and Wadsworth Road. The 750 kW-AC solar PV array will produce 1.2 million kilowatt hours of clean renewable energy each year. Construction will begin in spring 2016, and the project is expected to be completed by Sept. 1, 2016. The array will be set back from the road, and screened by the arboretum along Long Lane. "We are excited to partner with Greenskies on this project, which will take us closer toward our goal of…

This fall, Wesleyan welcomes to campus 15 new tenure-track faculty and more than 40 visiting faculty with research interests ranging from ecological and evolutionary functional genomics to behavioral economics; from Chinese history to sociological and cultural studies of knowledge, medicine and health; from psychosocial determinants of healthy aging outcomes among women to political psychology. On Sept. 1, the new faculty members attended an orientation program that included discussions on classroom climate; active learning, service learning and community service; flipped classrooms; and effective lecture styles for larger classrooms, among other topics.

Since 2011, Wesleyan’s Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship (PCSE) has supported students who want to change the world by providing training, grants, advising, networking and an incubator workspace. PCSE has a funding gap for 2015-16, and is seeking to raise money through a crowdfunding campaign. The crowdfunding campaign, the first run by the Patricelli Center, launched on Aug. 17 on the website Indiegogo and closes on Sept. 26. Donors can choose from a variety of different perks, depending on their contribution level, including a ticket to Wesleyan’s Social Impact Summit (Nov. 13-14), a mentoring session with a Wesleyan alumnus/a, lunch at the…

Wesleyan's Center for the Arts 2015-16 season includes two world premieres, one United States premiere, one New England premiere, four Connecticut debuts and the following events: • Sept. 11: The Mash at Olin Library, North College, Center for the Arts and Foss Hill. • Sept. 11: "Bach to School" at the Memorial Chapel with Artist in Residence and University Organist Ronald Ebrecht • Sept. 13: Music at The Russell House: Julie Ribchinsky Bach and the Modern World • Sept. 16-Dec. 13: "R. Luke Dubois—In Real Time" exhibition in Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery • Sept. 17-Nov. 7: Eiko Otake — "A Body in Places" • Sept.…

This fall, Wesleyan welcomes 15 new faculty to the university. They are: Francesco Aresu, assistant professor of Italian; Joseph Coolon, assistant professor of biology; Daniel DiCenzo, adjunct associate professor of physical education and head coach of football; Candice Etson, assistant professor of physics; Anthony Hatch, assistant professor of Science in Society; Han Li, assistant professor of mathematics; Jeffrey Naecker, assistant professor of economics; Paula Park, assistant professor of Spanish; Michelle Personick, assistant professor of chemistry; Felipe Ramírez, assistant professor of mathematics; Ben Somera Jr., adjunct associate professor of physical education, head coach of volleyball; Ying Jia Tan, assistant professor of…

Two Wesleyan students and a former visiting professor have just wrapped up a seven-week-long research project on kangaroo behavior in Bathurst, Australia. Working with Liv Baker, an animal studies postdoctoral fellow in the College of the Environment in 2014-15, Angus McLean '16 and Mariel Becker '18 have collected "more than 600 pages of data recording kangaroo behavior in response to daily changes and threats in their environment," according to an article in Western Advocate.

Pam Tatge ’84, MALS ’10, P’16, director of Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts (CFA), was appointed to the board of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA). Noted for facilitating Liz Lerman’s "Ferocious Beauty: Genome" at the CFA, an exploration of repercussions of genetic research in 2006, Tatge received the 2010 William Dawson Award from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, given to an individual or organization in the presenting field for sustained leadership, innovation and vision in program design, audience building and community involvement efforts. Additionally, Tatge worked closely with former NEFA executive director Sam Miller ’75 to…

On July 16, Physical Plant began spearheading a College Row sidewalk replacement project. After removing the existing concrete sidewalk, that spans from Church Street to Wyllys Avenue, contractors installed a 13-foot-wide asphalt path that will accommodate large groups of people, such as campus tours. The existing path was 8-feet-wide. "This sidewalk has a large amount of foot traffic all year round," said Wesleyan grounds manager Rob Borman. "The concrete sidewalks around campus also have shown considerable decay, primarily due to salt use in winter." The wider sidewalk also will allow grounds maintenance staff to remove snow faster and easier by using a larger machine. Asphalt,…

Three key players in Wesleyan baseball’s fantastic run over the last three years have signed professional baseball contracts this summer. Gavin Pittore ’16 signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers; alumnus Nick Cooney ’15 signed a contract with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in the independent American Association; and Donnie Cimino ’15 was drafted in the 37th round by the Chicago Cubs.

Two Wesleyan faculty received NEH Public Scholarships to encourage new research and support their upcoming publications. Only 36 writers in the country received the award. The Public Scholar program, a major new initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities, is designed to promote the publication of scholarly nonfiction books for a general audience. On July 29, the NEH awarded a total of $1.7 million to 36 writers including Wesleyan’s Jennifer Tucker, associate professor of history, and Andrew Curran, the William Armstrong Professor of the Humanities and professor of French.

On July 31, nine Green Team members and a liaison from the sustainability office met outside the Allbritton Center to discuss their goals for the coming year. The Green Team focuses on finding simple measures that all Wesleyan offices can enact to conserve resources. Anita Deeg-Carlin, administrative assistant for the Physics Department, who initiated the formation of the team in 2014, led the meeting. The team’s hope this year is to focus on small, practical steps that can spark interest and change among other community members. Anika Dane, administrative assistant in molecular biology and biochemistry, suggested the team look into the…

More than 800 Students Move in on Arrival Day

New Solar Array to be Constructed on Campus

New Faculty Attend Orientation Program

Patricelli Center Launches Crowdfunding Campaign

The Mash, “Bach to School” Kick Off CFA’s New Season

Wesleyan Welcomes 15 Faculty this Fall

Students Study Kangaroo Behavior in Response to Environmental Changes

Tatge Joins Board of the New England Foundation for the Arts

College Row Receives Safer Sidewalk Replacement

3 Wesleyan Baseball Players Sign Professional Contracts

NEH Supports Research, Writing Projects by Tucker, Curran

Wesleyan Green Team Brainstorms Sustainability Measures