Olivia DrakeJuly 6, 20064min
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…

Olivia DrakeJune 16, 20067min
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…

Olivia DrakeJune 16, 20067min
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…

Olivia DrakeJune 16, 20063min
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…

Olivia DrakeJune 16, 20065min
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…

Olivia DrakeMay 28, 200615min
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…

Olivia DrakeMay 28, 20065min
Beth Redington, project coordinator, teaches Connecticut teachers how to implement Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into their classroom instruction during the Leadership Academy in Mathematics Program May 19 in Exley Science Center. Posted 05/28/06 Jennifer DaPonte, a mathematics teacher from Flood Middle School in Stratford, Conn. went back to college May 19 to learn advanced geometry and ‘story problems.’ “I’m here to learn more about specific topics that relate to my school’s curriculum,” DaPonte says. “It would be helpful to learn how to better teach geometry, statistics, data analysis and general problem solving skills.” DaPonte is one of 50 middle and high…

Olivia DrakeMay 28, 20066min
Glenn Adams ’06, at top, is Wesleyan's leading lacrosse player, scoring 90 goals and 117 assists for 207 points. Charlie Congleton ’07, at bottom, is the team’s goalie. Both were named All-Americans this year. Posted 05/28/06 A year ago, the Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team posted a 13-6 record and made its first trip to the NCAA Division III tournament, winning its first game before falling in the quarter-finals to eventual tournament runner-up Middlebury College. This year’s team went one step further, reaching the NCAA Division III semi-finals, and came within an overtime goal of a trip to the national…

Olivia DrakeMay 28, 20067min
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…

Olivia DrakeMay 28, 20064min
  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…

Olivia DrakeMay 28, 20067min
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…

Olivia DrakeMay 27, 20065min
Posted 05/27/06 The following is President Douglas J. Bennet's 174th Commencement Remarks presented during Commencement Ceremonies May 28.A video clip of President Bennet's speech can be found at: http://condor.wesleyan.edu/openmedia/ur-media/video/comm_06/PresRemarks.mov. Last weekend Midge and I attended a commencement at a different institution. The graduate in question was a niece who had chosen not to attend Wesleyan for obvious reasons. It was a glorious affair, as this commencement will be, but it reminded us of the value of brevity…so I will be brief. First, let me echo enthusiastically Jim Dresser and Pacho Carreno’s welcome to you, and thanks to your families and…