Campus News & Events

Associate Professor of Dance Katja Kolcio and Wesleyan President Michael Roth ’78 recently participated in an international virtual roundtable discussion hosted by the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme. The roundtable, titled "Implementing a Somatic Methodology in the Ukrainian Rehabilitation System: Developing Stress Resistance in Ex-combatants, IDPs, and Residents of Eastern Ukraine" was held virtually on April 28. The purpose of the roundtable was to develop a resolution of joint coordination between the various ministries in Ukraine responsible for the psychological health of veterans. Kolcio and Roth spoke about the importance of the Vitality Project Donbas, a collaboration between Wesleyan…

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the Wesleyan community in a myriad of ways from student life to research to the way we teach and learn. This spring, Wesleyan's Special Collections & Archives, along with Academic Affairs, are hoping to build a historical record—and preserve for posterity—the stories, memories, messages, and creative works of the University's students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Postcards from a Pandemic Wesleyan's Special Collections & Archives has launched a "Postcards from a Pandemic" project, which aims to help future students and researchers understand what it was like to be a member of the Wesleyan community during…

Darshana Banka ’22 volunteers with the COVID-19 Action Coalition (COVAC-MA) a group of over 25 students and alumni (led by Amy Fogelman '97) who advocate alongside Massachusetts physicians for public health measures that will reduce the spread of the virus and save lives. Currently, Banka leads COVAC-MA’s Medium Research Team. Banka recently co-wrote an article about food insecurity during the pandemic as part of COVAC-MA’s outreach titled, “Hungry for Change: Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity for low-income individuals and changed eating behaviors for many Americans of different socioeconomic levels,” Banka wrote. “Because…

This month, the Center for the Arts is hosting three virtual opening receptions for 19 graduating art studio majors to showcase their work as part of the Senior Thesis Exhibition. Since Zilkha Gallery is only open to Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff during the pandemic, the virtual format allows alumni, parents, friends, and other members of the Wesleyan community to view the students' work. "We're hoping to create access—especially for those of you who are not on campus—to see these shows in person and see what [the artists'] work looks like in space and scale," said Benjamin Chaffee, associate director…

Four Wesleyan sophomores won consulting company Roland Berger’s annual Case for a Cause competition on Friday, April 9. The competition, which raises money for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, gives students a space to apply their practical skills and simulate strategy consulting work. Asa Sakornpant '23, Natchanok (Pim) Wandee '23, Sarah Rizky Ardhani '23, and Ransho Ueno '23 belong to the Consulting Pathways Club and are all pursuing the data analysis minor through Wesleyan's Quantitative Analysis Center. Sakornpant, Ardhani, and Ueno are Freeman Asian Scholars and were sponsored by the Gordon Career Center to take part in the competition. (more…)

Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. A sampling of recent media hits is below: April 7 The Boston Globe - She Loves Theater, Dessert, and New Zealand — and Can’t Wait to Get to Japan. Features HowlRound director Jamie Gahlon, who is currently completing her master's degree in performance curation at Wesleyan. US Lacrosse Magazine - Behind the Whistle: All in the Family. Features Carly Randall, assistant lacrosse coach at Wesleyan. Street Insider - Avalonbay Communities news. Mentions Richard Lieb '81,…

In the spirit of sharing ideas worth spreading, Wesleyan students hosted the third annual TEDxWesleyanU conference on April 16–17. Titled "(Un)Knowing," the event's speakers included: Alford Young Jr. '88, professor of sociology, Afroamerican and African studies, and public policy at the University of Michigan Field Yates '09, NFL Insider for ESPN and co-host of "Fantasy Football" Emily McEvoy '22, College of Social Studies major, 2021 Student Speaker Competition Winner, and Middletown Mutual Aid organizer Gato Nsengamungu '23, physics and government double major from Rwanda Doug Berman '84, two-time Peabody Award-winning producer of NPR's "Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell…

Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 will be the featured speaker during the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce's annual Business and Education Partnership and Hal Kaplan Middletown Mentor Program Recognition Luncheon. President Roth will speak from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27 via Zoom. The talk, which will focus on Wesleyan's pandemic response, is open to the public. To join the meeting, log into: https://zoom.us/j/99052690757 (Webinar ID: 990 5269 0757)

Thirteen student-led groups are the recipients of Jewett Center for Community Partnerships Student Innovation Fund awards. These awards support community engagement projects with grants up to $750 each. “The common theme is that they all want to positively impact the greater Middletown community,” said Rhea Drozdenko, JCCP community participation coordinator. “There is no one right way to do community engagement, and the Innovation Fund supports nontraditional ideas. It's important that our grantees are grounded in the ideas of mutual respect and collective responsibility as they go out into the community." All applicants are required to read the Cardinal Community Commitment —the University's…

Ilaria Carleo, a postdoc working with Associate Professor of Astronomy Seth Redfield, co-authored a paper called “Five carbon- and nitrogen-bearing species in a hot giant planet’s atmosphere,” which details the discovery of six different molecules in the atmosphere of a hot, gas giant exoplanet called HD209458b. The paper, published in Nature on April 7, discusses known information about the exoplanet, as well as the process by which these molecules were discovered using observations from the Galileo National Telescope. “Now that the analysis technique has been optimized, we are investigating the presence of these molecules in the atmosphere of other hot-Jupiters…

Next fall, Wesleyan will require all students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine prior to returning to campus. Every student (with the exception of those who have approved medical or religious exemptions) will need to verify with the University that they are fully vaccinated prior to their arrival. For students who are currently studying on campus, Wesleyan, in partnership with the Community Health Center, is offering a Pfizer vaccine clinic on April 24 and 25 (first dose), and again on May 15 or 16 (second dose). Nearly 2,000 students have already registered for an appointment. The University highly encourages faculty and staff to…

Suzanne OConnell, professor of earth and environmental sciences, and Julian Dann ’17, a graduate student at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, were both selected to be part of the American Geophysical Union’s 2021 Voices for Science Cohort. Hosted by the American Geophysical Union, Voices for Science aims to train scientists "to address the critical need for communicating the value and impact of Earth and space science to key decision makers, journalists, and public audiences," according to the union's website. Each cohort receives specialized training and mentoring throughout a 12-month period to hone their skills in communication and outreach. Throughout the…

President Roth, Kolcio Speak at International U.N. Ukraine Roundtable

Share Your Wesleyan COVID-19 Experiences, Creative Works

Banka ’22 Co-Authors Article on Pandemic Food Insecurity for COVID-19 Action Coalition

Art Studio Seniors Display Thesis Exhibitions from the Art Studio Program in the Zilkha Gallery

4 Students Win Case for a Cause Competition

Wesleyan in the News

Alumni, Experts Discuss “(Un)Knowing” at 3rd Annual TedXWesleyanU

Roth to Speak During Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

JCCP Awards 13 Student-Led Groups with Innovation Funds

Carleo Co-Authors Paper in Nature on Molecular Discovery in Space

Wesleyan to Require Students to be Vaccinated for the Fall 2021 Semester

OConnell, Dann ’17 Join 2021 Voices for Science Cohort