Posted 07/28/06 Immigration, race and the history of U.S. citizenship are just a few of the topics that will be discussed during a summer institute presented by the Center for African American Studies for secondary school teachers from Aug. 7-10. “Race and Membership: A History of United States Citizenship,” has pre-registered more than 20 social studies teachers, most hailing from Connecticut. The four-day institute is open to all secondary school educators (grades six through 12), support staff, curriculum specialists and school librarians. The institute aims to foster a sustained and in-depth discussion among the participants about how to teach United…

A new Iberian Studies major will enable students to focus primarily on Iberia, mainly Spain, but includes Portugal and former colonies. Posted 07/28/06 Iberian studies will be introduced as a new major by the Spanish section of the Romance Languages and Literatures Department this fall. The major is designed for students interested in studying the literature, history, culture and society of the Iberian peninsula. The new major will complement the current Spanish major, which provides students with a broad knowledge of the Spanish-language literatures of Spain and Latin America. "Over the years students have repeatedly expressed an interest in a…

At top, Anda Greeney ’07 and Suzanne O’Connell, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, prepare to deploy a bathyphotometer, an instrument that measures bioluminescence, into a bay in Vieques, an island off Puerto Rico.At right, Tim Ku, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, shows students how to drill a core sample in a bay they are studying. Posted 07/28/06 Ten miles off the east coast of Puerto Rico, on the island of Vieques, three mangrove-lined bays are illuminated with unicellular marine life known as dinoflagellates. One of the bays has an unusually high abundance of these microscopic creatures…

Harry Saranchak, a Wesleyan Writers Conference participant, reviews his writing outside the Davenport Campus Center June 19. The conference is one of 31 campus programs occurring this summer at Wesleyan. Posted 07/06/06 Learning never ceases at Wesleyan, even in the summer.   The Cardinal Hoop Clinic. The Russian Intensive Program. The Health Professions Partnership Initiative. These are just a few of 31 on campus programs running during the summer months.   The programs are not just for college-aged students, either. Many are specifically designed for younger children and adults.   The programs actually began this year before the class of…

President Doug Bennet congratulates five Wesleyan seniors on their new endeavor, beyondpartisan.org. The students, who graduated in May, are, from left, Adam Jack Gomolin, Bill Ferrell, David Tutor, Robert Weinstock and Nathaniel Byer. Posted 06/16/06 Last August, four Wesleyan seniors got together for a friendly chat on political issues, each disenchanted with the nature of Internet politics and the few venues available for American citizens to express their viewpoints in a neutral environment. True, there are hundreds of political-action Web sites, such as MoveOn.org and CitizenJoe.com, online periodicals, and single-view blogs, but the students felt the World Wide Web lacked…

Installation of fire protection systems in student housing and wiring are ongoing projects this summer. Posted 06/16/06 Wesleyan’s summer to-do list is 98 lines long. And each must get checked off before the students return for fall semester. Judd Hall’s fifth floor needs a renovation, student housing needs life safety improvements and the Center for the Arts needs its lighting replaced with energy-efficient bulbs. High Rise needs a security card access system installed, campus roofs need a maintenance plan and the Butterfields need two fire escape landings rebuilt.“We have close to 100 projects we plan to complete this summer. Our…

Posted 06/16/06 The Association of American Colleges and Universities invited Wesleyan President Doug Bennet to attend a forum June 22-23 in Strasbourg, France. The forum, titled "The Responsibility of Higher Education for a Democratic Culture: Citizenship, Human Rights, and Civic Responsibility," was held at the Council of Europe headquarters. The council co-sponsored the forum. Bennet was one of 300 higher education leaders, policy makers and public authorities from North America and Europe to attend. "For this select group, we chose President Bennet because we thought he would be especially effective representing United States higher education and he would likely use…

Pictured at left, Stewart Gillmor, professor of history and science and professor of science in society, performs during “The Bang on a Can Marathon” June 4 in New York City. Below, Anthony Braxton, professor of music, directs the band. Braxton wrote the band's composition. Posted 06/16/06 Strutting outside the World Financial Center in New York City, Stewart Gillmor bellowed his five valve double-belled euphonium for thousands of spectators. He was one of 75 tuba players to march in the annual “The Bang on a Can Marathon” June 4 in New York City. Gillmor, professor of history and science and professor…

Dave Pompei, Central Power Plant foreperson, checks one of three chillers the university owns. Wesleyan is being aggressive in its energy conservation efforts. Pictured at right is a view inside one of Wesleyan's three boilers. Wesleyan will be installing a new cogeneration system that will replace the use of one boiler in the summer. Posted 05/28/06 Wesleyan is pulling the plug on high energy usage. Something as simple as unplugging the office coffee machines for the weekend can save Wesleyan thousands of dollars a year, says Peter Staye, associate director of utilities management in Physical Plant. Although the burners are…

  Posted 05/28/06 It begins with an image from 1831 and ends at 2007 with a look at the future. “Wesleyan Through the Years,” an exhibit on display in Zelnick Pavilion, invites the campus community to stroll through Wesleyan’s history. The display consists of 24, 6-foot-by-4-foot transparencies that cling to the pavilion’s windows. Photographs, drawings and text depict key historical moments since Wesleyan’s inception 175 years ago. Sunlight illuminates the transparent graphics through the windows, making them glow. The timeline includes images of famous people and events at Wesleyan, highlights research, teaching and scholarship, illustrates outstanding speakers and guests, and…

Wesleyan held its 174th commencement ceremonies May 28. Posted 05/28/06 Wesleyan University commemorated its 175th anniversary of its institutional charter during the 174th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 28. Wesleyan’s charter was granted on May 26, 1831. Undergraduate degrees were conferred on 742 students. In addition, nine students received Ph.Ds, 29 students were awarded master’s degrees, and 64 Graduate of Liberate Studies degrees were conferred. Video clips of Wesleyan's 174th Commencement can be found at: http://www.wesleyan.edu/newsletter/campus/0506commencementvideo.html. In his commencement address Wesleyan President Douglas J. Bennet reflected on the long and storied history of the institution and said this class had…

Posted 05/28/06 The following iare John Hope Franklin's commencement remarks presented during Wesleyan 174th Commencement Ceremonies on May 28. Franklin is professor of history, emeritus at Duke University.A video clip of Franklin's speech can be found at: http://condor.wesleyan.edu/openmedia/ur-media/video/comm_06/FranklinSansIntro.mov. Mr. President, Members of the Board of Trustees, the administration and faculty, members of the graduating classes, parents, friends, members of the Middletown community, ladies and gentleman. Mr. President, I will be brief. This is a glorious, memorable, exciting occasion and each time that I have the opportunity to participate in this ritual, even after my 50th anniversary of receiving my own…