Campus News & Events

Wesleyan President Michael Roth made the following remarks during the 183rd Commencement Ceremony May 24: Members of the board of trustees, members of the faculty and staff, distinguished guests, new recipients of graduate degrees and the mighty class of 2015, I am honored to present some brief remarks on the occasion of this commencement. On this Memorial Day Weekend, I begin by asking us all to take a moment to remember the men and women who have died while serving in the American armed forces. In recent years, military conflicts far from our own shores have cost the lives of…

Marissa Castrigno '15 made the following remarks during the 183rd Commencement Ceremony May 24: I feel immensely lucky to be able to stand here and see so many people that I love all in one place – so many people that love each other all in one place. My favorite college memory was on this very balcony two years ago when I sat with my best friend on its wide ledge and we spoke candidly for the first time about those private things that motivate and shape each of us. In that moment, among others during my first year here,…

During the 183rd Commencement ceremony, President Michael Roth awarded the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching to three faculty, and the Raymond E. Baldwin Medal to an alumnus. Three outstanding teachers are recognized annually with the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching. This year, President Michael Roth honored Michael Calter, David Schorr and Gina Athena Ulysse for their excellence in teaching. The prizes are made possible by gifts from the family of the late Frank G. Binswanger Sr., Hon. ’85, and underscore Wesleyan’s commitment to its scholar-teachers, who are responsible for the university’s distinctive approach to liberal arts education. (more…)

Jenna Starr '15, Jasmine Masand '15, and Camille Casareno '15 delivered "Senior Voices" speeches on May 23 in Memorial Chapel. Below are the texts of their speeches. Jenna Starr I am grateful to Wesleyan. After a turbulent year at a different school, Wesleyan was the second chance I urgently needed. When I first got here (literally the first day), I was scared. I was so scared that when my dad and aunt tried to leave, I secretly jumped in their car so they would take me home. (more…)

Wesleyan University’s Board of Trustees has elected Donna Morea ’76, P’06 as Chair of the Board for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2016. The election took place at the Board’s meeting on campus May 22. Morea will succeed Joshua Boger ’73, P’06, P’09, who will step down in June 2016 after 7 years as Chair. “The Board asked Joshua to continue his leadership through the conclusion of the capital campaign and he has graciously agreed,” said Shonni Silverberg ’76, chair of the Board’s Governance Committee. “He and his fellow Board members felt it would be advantageous to elect his…

The Wesleyan community has established a tradition of celebrating Reunion and Commencement together, ensuring a large and convivial gathering of alumni, students, families, faculty, staff and friends of the university. Beginning with the arrival of alumni, family, and friends on May 21 and culminating with the 183rd Commencement ceremony at 11 a.m. May 24, Wesleyan will offer a wide array of educational and recreational programs, including many opportunities to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2015. This year’s schedule includes class reunions, WESeminars, academic department open houses, the 100th anniversary of the parade of classes, campus tours, an all-college picnic and festival,…

In this video, the Wesleyan Beekeepers discuss what they've learned about bees and the threats posed to them by tending a hive at Long Lane Farm.

#THISISWHY This semester, 18 students with an interest in communication and the history of Wesleyan University created a new website, "A Spatial History of Wesleyan University." The students, who were enrolled in the spring 2015 course, Digital History, conceived, designed, built, publicized, and launched this site. The class was taught by Amrys O. Williams, a visiting assistant professor of history, and was part of the university's Digital and Computational Knowledge Initiative. A Spatial History of Wesleyan University combines geographical and quantitative analysis with archival and oral history research to interpret the past in place. By studying the history of Wesleyan's campus…

#THISISWHY Seven stalwart baseball seniors played their final game for Wesleyan on May 15 on a grand stage, the NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament in Harwich, Mass. The Cardinals were making their second straight appearance in the NCAA playoffs after capturing their second consecutive NESCAC Tournament title. (more…)

On May 7-9, the Office of Admission held its annual conference for educators and directors of community-based organizations (CBOs), bringing together high school guidance counselors and directors from about 20 groups nationwide. The conference was founded in 2003 as a way to build closer relationships between Wesleyan and CBOs at a time when the Supreme Court was considering the landmark Grutter v. Bollinger case on the University of Michigan Law School’s affirmative action policy and many in higher education were feeling uncertain about the future of affirmative action, explained Cliff Thornton, associate dean of admission and co-organizer of the conference. (more…)

Elizabeth McAlister, professor of religion, professor of African American studies, professor of American studies, spoke at DePaul University on May 11. The topic of her talk was "American Evangelical Spiritual Warfare and Vodou in Haiti." According to the flyer for the talk, one strand of American evangelicalism practices so-called "spiritual warfare" in which Christian "prayer warriors" pray against "territorial strongholds." This group believes the world to be mapped into either Christian or demonic space, where Satanic forces operate as "strongholds" of evil. They believe that Haiti is under the influence of Satan. McAlister draws on recent ethnographic fieldwork in Haiti to…

Wesleyan faculty members played key roles in StemCONN 2015, Connecticut's stem cell and regenerative medicine conference, held April 27 in Hartford, Conn. Janice Naegele, professor of biology, professor of neuroscience and behavior, director of the Center for Faculty Career Development, served on the conference's organizing committee for the second time this year. Gloster Aaron, associate professor of biology, associate professor of neuroscience and behavior, spoke at the conference on "Investigating how transplants reduce seizures: brain slice electrophysiology and ontogenetic stimulation of transplanted cells." He discussed the collaborative work being done by his lab and those of Naegele and Laura Grabel, the Lauren B. Dachs…

President Roth Makes Remarks to the Class of 2015

Greetings for the Senior Class from Marissa Castrigno ’15

Calter, Schorr, Ulysse Honored with Binswanger Prizes; Dachs ’70 Receives Baldwin Medal

Starr, Masand, Casareno Deliver “Senior Voices” Addresses

Donna Morea is Chair-elect of the Board of Trustees

Gatherings, Celebrations During Reunion & Commencement Weekend May 21-24

Wesleyan Beekeepers Tend Hive at Long Lane Farm

Digital History Class Creates “A Spatial History of Wesleyan University”

Baseball Wraps Up Stellar Season, Graduates 7 Stalwart Seniors

Wesleyan Hosts Conference of Community-Based Organizations

McAlister Speaks on American Evangelical Spiritual Warfare

Wesleyan Faculty Organize, Speak at StemCONN 2015