David PesciPamela Tatge, director for the Center for the Arts (CFA) was a guest on the Faith Middleton Show, which is broadcast locally on National Public Radio affiliates. Tatge discussed the global arts events at Wesleyan.
Elizabeth McAlister in UK a reprint of the piece placed in South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Jonathan Cutler, associate professor of sociology spoke about the negotiations between the Teamsters and Sikorsky Aircraft that are heading toward a midnight deadline.
Elizabeth McAlister, associate professor of religion and expert on the religion of Vodou, was cited in the South Florida Sun Sentinel on the recent gravitation toward Vodou by many young Haitian immigrants. The popularity of the religion, which blends ancient African religious traditions with the worship of Catholic saints, is said to be increasing because many first and second generation Haitians are looking to reconnect spiritually with their ancestral homeland.
An article in The Christian Science Monitor features the community outreach being done by 8 student mentors with Middletown youth at WESU. The program, created by Mu Abeledo '09 and Jessica Jones '08, involves mentors teaching the participants how to operate equipment, refine their on-air abilities and broadcast their own shows live on WESU.
The New Yorker recently noted the "Ives Vocal Marathon" that will be held on campus and feature Neely Bruce, professor of music. The event will run from Jan. 29 - Feb. 1 and feature the performance of all of the songs of Charles Ives, with Bruce and others accompanying on piano.
Giulio Gallarotti, associate professor of government, was asked recently by Smart Money magazine to comment on creating a 'doomsday portfolio' that would brace investors for Great Depression-like conditions. Gallarotti, however, said that while the economy is in recession, it is nowhere near as bad interms of GDP as it was at any point during the Depression.
Richard Slotkin, Olin Professor of English, Emeritus, was featured in an Associated Press story about the inauguration of President Obama titled A moment in history: The American Story Renewed.
The book, The Anti-Intellectual Presidency by Elvin Lim, assistant professor of government, is cited extensively in the January 12, 2009 issue of The New Yorker. The article, which discusses President-elect Obama's upcoming inaugural speech and the overall dilution of presidential speech-writing, cites Lim's work extensively, and includes these passages: "Lim dates the institutionalization of the anti-intellectual Presidency to 1969, when Nixon established the Writing and Research Department, the first White House speechwriting office. There had been speechwriters before, but they were usually also policy advisers. With Nixon’s Administration was born a class of professionals whose sole job was to write…
Eric Mangini '94 was introduced as the new head coach of the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Mangini, who had finished the season as coach of the New York Jets was scooped up by the Browns just nine days after he left the Jets. Michael Arce of the Columbus Dispatch lauds Mangini's roots here at Wesleyan and in Connecticut. More coverage, including clips from Mangini's press conference and Mangini talking about his start in professional football can be found here.
In dramatic fashion, the Wesleyan Men's Basketball Team gave NESCAC rival and nationally-ranked #5 Amherst its first loss of the season with a buzzer-beating, last-second shot from 30 feet away by Jeremy Kaminer '10. Channel 30 reported the news and offers a video highlight provided by Wesleyan's Athletic Department. The January 6th win was the Men's first against Amherst's basketball team since 2001.
Michael Bennet '87 has been nominated by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to replace Ken Salazar in The United States Senate. Currently the Public School Superintendent in Denver, Bennet has also served as deputy U.S. Attorney General under former President Bill Clinton. Salazar has been nominated by President-elect Obama to be Secretary of the Interior and Bennet would become Colorado's junior senator once Salazar's nomination is confirmed. More about Michael Bennett can be found in his official biography. Additional news coverage on Bennet's nomination includes The Washington Post and The New York Times, among others.