Olivia DrakeEighty Wesleyan University students were elected into the Gamma chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest academic honor society. They will be honored at a reception during Reunion & Commencement Weekend on May 24, 2008. Election to the society is based on the fulfillment of eligibility requirements, including a grade point average of 90 or above and the satisfactory completion of general education requirements prior to commencement. Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776, during the American Revolution. The organizations Greek initials signify the motto, "Love of learning is the guide of life." The students join the ninth oldest…
Posted 05/01/08 Richard l. Berke, assistant managing editor for news at The New York Times, will be the keynote speaker at a conference titled Make Democracy Work, on Saturday, May 3. The conference will run from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and is being presented by the Wesleyan University Chapter of the Roosevelt Institution. The conference also features panel discussions and workshops designed to highlight important components of democracy that are often overlooked or taken for granted and give them both local and national perspectives. We wanted to raise awareness about what democracy means and how it functions and fails…
Dining Services employee Vicky Ambro discovered a Wesleyan University Bulletin from 1893 at a flea market in Middletown. The issue announces the opening of the new gymnasium, later named the Fayerweather Gymnasium. Posted 05/01/08 While browsing through a flea market recently, Vicki Ambro came across a tanned paper publication with the words Wesleyan University across the top in an archaic gothic font. It turned out to be a Nov. 1893 issue of The Wesleyan University Bulletin, issue no. 13. I couldnt believe it. It was one of Wesleyans old newsletters and it was in such good condition, says Ambro, who…
Jeffrey Butler, professor of history emeritus, died on April 22 in Middletown. He was 85 years old. Professor Butler was born and raised in Cradock, South Africa. He saw active duty in World War II and was wounded outside of Florence in 1944 resulting in the loss of his left arm. After the War, Professor Butler completed doctoral studies at Oxford University and came to the United States in the late 1950s. Professor Butler joined the Wesleyan faculty in 1965 and served with distinction until his retirement in 1991. He was twice chair of the History Department and was a…
Posted 05/01/08 Wesleyan is the recipient of a new $1.4 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The four-year grant will help Wesleyan fund and enhance its undergraduate science education. The Wesleyan Hughes Program, directed by Professor of Biology Michael Weir, will support curricular development, student and faculty research, and outreach to local middle and high schools. Support of undergraduate summer research and introductory courses in the life sciences will be major components of the program. "We wish to incorporate into our curriculum new ways of thinking from neighboring disciplines such as mathematics and computer science to add…
Nietzsch Factor co-captain Philip Benjamin 09, left, watches teammate Karl Nagy '09, right, reach for a flying disc during an Ultimate game. Wesleyan has had Ultimate teams since 1975. Posted 05/01/08 They play seven to a team, run continuously across a turf field, intercept passes and block their opponents and score in an end zone. Although their game could be considered a hybrid match of soccer, football and lacrosse, all it really takes to play is one piece of equipment a flying disc. The club sport, known as Ultimate, dates back to 1975 at Wesleyan and has grown more…
At left, Deborah Sierpinski, administrative assistant in classical studies, medieval studies and archaeology, donates a quilt she made to Roslyn Carrier-Brault, co-chair of the Friends of the Davison Art Center Picnic and Auction 2008 and administrative assistant in chemistry. The quilt is one of several art and antique items up for bid at the auction-picnic, to be held May 17 at Wesleyan. Posted 05/01/08 Artist Samuel M. Greens oil painting of a breezy shore is a masterwork, and its next home could be yours. The painting by the accomplished artist and professor emeritus of art at Wesleyan is up for…
Iwan Djanali is the recipient of a Hartford Area Business Economists scholarship. Posted 05/01/08 Iwan Djanali '09 says by studying economics, he's not only gained a firm understanding of the market, but also an understanding of peoples behavior. "Some of the best conversations I have had with professors and fellow economics students and friend, revolve around the world of economics; from crime to credit crunch, from pollution to public policy, from mini markets to money markets, I am always ready to offer my opinions as an economics student just about everything in life," says Djanali, who is majoring in economics…
Molecular biology and biochemistry majors Noah Biro 09, above, and Alison Ringel 09, below will conduct independent research next year with help from a Goldwater Scholarship. Posted 04/21/08 Alison Ringel 09 and Noah Biro 09, both molecular biology and biochemistry majors, will conduct independent research as Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program fellows in 2008-09. The two students were among 321 juniors and seniors nationwide selected for highly competitive undergraduate scholarship in science, math or engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is applied to their undergraduate studies. Next year, they will receive up to $7,500 each to help defray…
Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art, is a Guggenheim fellowship recipient. Posted 04/21/08 Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art, was awarded a 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. According to the foundation, the "fellowships are appointed for stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment." Schiffs fellowship was awarded in the "Fine Arts" category in recognition of his work in sculpture. The program provides funds to permit fellows to work with "as much creative freedom as possible." The fellowships are without conditions or stipulations, allowing recipients the liberty to spend the awarded funds in the way they…
Posted 04/21/08 Eight individuals and three teams have been selected into Wesleyans newly-established Athletics Hall of Fame. The seven prominent Wesleyan graduates, one long-time athletic coach, and a series of three football teams will be inducted during a ceremony May 23. The inaugural class of the Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame is comprised of many great athletes, coaches that have accomplished much while at Wesleyan, or in their post graduation careers and, for some, in Olympic competition, says John Biddiscombe, director of athletics. The standard that this group establishes for future hall of fame recipients insures that being inducted into…
Sporting a blue sweatshirt, Janis Astor del Valle, director of the Green Street Arts Center, gathers with others featured in the film, "Marriage Makes a Word of Difference, which promotes marriage equality in Connecticut. Astor del Valle's wife, Amy Myers, is pictured in the brown sweatshirt. The film's director Fran Rzeznik is on the far right. Posted 04/21/08 When the Hartford-based organization Love Makes a Family (LMF) was looking for interesting stories about how same-sex couples met, Green Street Arts Director Janis Astor del Valles wife Amy Joy Myers sent in the unique story of their first meeting as childhood…