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Andrew ChatfieldSeptember 18, 20249min
Patricia Beaman didn’t always know that she could be successful as a professional dancer. But after four decades, she’s made her mark reviving a lesser-known form of art: French Baroque dance. A University Professor of Dance at Wesleyan, Beaman has made a name for herself in the Baroque dance world, specializing in French dances from that era, which spans the years 1600 to 1750. In addition to dancing professionally for 40 years, she has also been teaching dance for more than three decades. “It's nice to have that balance,” Beaman says of working in academia and on creative projects. Commuting…

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Mike MavredakisSeptember 10, 202418min
President Michael S. Roth ’78 joined WAMC’s “The Roundtable” on Sept. 13 to discuss his book “The Student: A Short History,” which maps out the way learning has changed over time. The Wesleyan Media Project (WMP) reported estimated that former President Donald Trump’s campaign has spent nearly nothing on ads that promote him in a positive light in research released on Sept. 12. New York Times Opinion contributor Kristen Soltis Anderson cited the Wesleyan Media Project’s research in a piece for The Times on Sept. 24.  The Washington Post mentioned the Wesleyan Media Project’s research into the tone of the…

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Ziba KashefSeptember 4, 20246min
On Monday, Aug. 26, we welcomed 18 new permanent faculty and 51 visiting faculty to campus for the 2024-25 academic year. The work of these distinguished academics spans a wide range of disciplines and expertise, from civic engagement and public life, design and engineering, chemistry, climate change and sustainability, psychology, molecular biology and biochemistry, theater, music, physics, history, economics, biology, Jewish studies, earth and environmental science, philosophy, among many others. Our new faculty include Khalilah Brown-Dean, who is the Rob Rosenthal Distinguished Professor of Civic Engagement and Executive Director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life. Brown-Dean,…

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Mike MavredakisAugust 7, 20245min
Free speech. Admissions. On-campus crises. All these issues and others contribute to the growing impact of legal concerns for colleges and universities. Today higher education leaders need to not only know the law, but how to prepare for legal challenges. In response to this new climate, colleges and universities have employed a rising number of legal experts. Since 1985, the membership of the National Associate of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) has doubled, from around 2,400 members to over 5,000 in 2022, according to Andrews Professor of Economics, Emerita, Joyce P. Jacobsen, who recently co-authored “All the Campus Lawyers: Litigation,…

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Mike MavredakisAugust 7, 20248min
Tony Award-winning playwright and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02, Hon. ’15 collaborated with playwright and actress Eisa Davis to release a concept album inspired by the cult-hero movie “The Warriors,” according to the Los Angeles Times. The 26-song album, executive produced by the rapper Nas, will be released on Oct. 18 by Atlantic Records. “We’ve spent the past three years musicalizing the Warriors’ journey home, from the South Bronx to Coney Island,” Miranda and Davis said in a joint statement, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Along the way we’ve gotten to work with a lot of our favorite artists, and…

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Editorial StaffJune 5, 202424min
It is with great pleasure that the University announces the promotions of 22 faculty members, effective July 1, 2024: The following faculty were conferred tenure by the Board of Trustees: Katie Brewer Ball, Associate Professor of Theater Joan Cho, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies Anthony Ravindra Cummings, Philip ’71 and Lynn Rauch Professor of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Environmental Management Iddrisu Saaka, Associate Professor of Dance Roberto Saba, Associate Professor of American Studies Daniel Smyth, Associate Professor of Letters Tracy Heather Strain, Professor of Film Studies In addition, 15 faculty members are being promoted: Charles Barber, Professor of the Practice in…

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Editorial StaffMay 26, 20241min
Members of the Class of 2024 persevered through years of COVID-19 restrictions and global uncertainty to emerge stronger and better prepared for life after graduation. Wesleyan University celebrated their achievements during the 192nd Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 26. Beneath blue skies, students walked across the stage to receive their diplomas to the resounding cheers of friends and family. Here is a selection of photographs from the special day:

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Jeff HarderMay 22, 202414min
When John Bonin first joined Wesleyan’s Department of Economics in 1970, he discovered a down-to-earth leader in President Colin Campbell, and an academic culture that was comparatively unusual. “I learned quickly that faculty at Wesleyan were encouraged to speak out and assert agency unlike what my contemporaries at other institutions were experiencing,” Bonin said. On May 26, Wesleyan’s retiring faculty members—Bonin, Chester D. Hubbard Professor of Economics and Social Science; Bernardo Antonio Gonzalez, professor of Spanish; and Jeffrey Schiff, professor of art—will receive emeritus status at the University’s 192nd Commencement Ceremony. Ahead of the occasion, Bonin, Gonzalez, and Schiff reflected…

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Mike MavredakisMay 15, 202419min
New York Times reporter Hannah Dreier ’08 was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for her work on a series of stories revealing the widespread reach of migrant child labor across the United States. Dreier also previously won a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2019 for a ProPublica series that followed Salvadoran immigrants on Long Island whose lives were affected by federal investigations in the MS-13 criminal gang.  “This reporting was possible only because of the bravery of migrant children who took huge risks to share their experiences,” Dreier said after receiving the prize on May 6. “There are hundreds of…

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Sarah ParkeMay 8, 20247min
Each year at Commencement, Wesleyan University recognizes three outstanding faculty members with the awarding of the Binswanger Prizes for Excellence in Teaching. The University is delighted to announce that this year’s recipients are Abigail S. Hornstein, Woodhouse/Sysco Professor of Economics; Michelle Aaron Murolo, professor of the practice in molecular biology and biochemistry; and Rashida Z. Shaw McMahon, associate professor of English. Underscoring Wesleyan’s commitment to its scholar-teachers, these annual prizes are made possible by gifts from the family of the late Frank G. Binswanger Sr., Hon ’85. Recipients are chosen each spring by a committee composed of faculty and members…

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Editorial StaffMay 2, 202417min
By Rose Chen ’26 Fellowships, Research, and Grants Jennifer Tucker, professor of technology, law, and visual culture and founding director of the Center for the Study of Guns and Society, and Stephen Hargarten, professor of Emergency Medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin, received a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for their research into the ways manufacturers have improved firearm and ammunition safety since the 1750s. Tucker published “Gundamentalism” in Modern American History in May of 2023, an essay on the role of guns in American society through history. She also published “Home on the (Firing) Range:…

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Mike MavredakisApril 17, 20247min
A Wesleyan University faculty member and alumnus were two of 188 newly announced Guggenheim Fellows, according to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation on April 11. Hari Krishnan, professor of Dance, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Global South Asian studies, received a fellowship for his work in choreography. Tavia Nyong’o ’95, William Lampson Professor of Theater and Performance Studies, American Studies, and African American Studies at Yale University, received one for Theatre Arts & Performance Studies. “It means everything to me. It’s a recognition of the work I do, the breadth of my eclectic choreography for over 30 years,” Krishnan said. “This recognition from Guggenheim is also a recognition…