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Alison Williams ’81 has been hired as Wesleyan’s new vice president for equity and inclusion/Title IX Officer, President Michael Roth announced in a campus email on March 26. Williams, who earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Wes and later served as an alumni-elected trustee in the 1990s, will begin on July 22. She is currently the associate provost for diversity and intercultural education at Denison University. There, she is responsible for directing and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives across all sectors of the University, with a focus on faculty recruitment and retention and inclusive pedagogies. She also supports…

The following employees received Cardinal Achievement Awards in September 2018 through February 2019. These employees demonstrate extraordinary initiative in performing a specific task associated with their work at Wesleyan University. This special honor comes with a $250 award and reflects the university’s gratitude for their extra efforts. The recipients are: Hrissi Haldezos, associate director of student accounts, Student Accounts Office Gina Driscoll, associate director of alumni and parent relations, University Relations Noreen Angeletti, associate director, Student Accounts Office Robert Mirabal, director of student accounts, Student Accounts Office Penney Jade Beaubrun, assistant director for alumni and parent relations, University Relations Mary Kelly,…

At the University’s 187th Commencement on May 26, Wesleyan will present the Baldwin Medal, the highest award of the Alumni Association, to Barbara-Jan Wilson. For over 36 years, Wilson has been a stalwart in the Wesleyan administration and a driving force behind the University’s fundraising efforts. Beginning at Wesleyan in 1982 as the director of Career Planning, she moved on to serve as dean of Admission and Financial Aid in 1990, and then as vice president of University Relations from 1999 to 2018. Throughout that time, Wilson has been one of the University’s biggest champions and cheerleaders, boldly and convincingly…

"Consider an icosahedron with every edge labeled from 1 to 30. Color these edges red, white, or blue, such that no face has all three edges the same color or all three faces the same color. How many ways are there to do this?" If you can solve this problem, you might have what it takes to participate in the annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, a preeminent mathematics competition for undergraduate college students. "The problems themselves are very difficult, often asking us to demonstrate that a general statement is true rather than to solve a specific problem, or if…

South Dakota State University (SDSU) recently named a studio in honor of Jeanine Basinger, the Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies and special advisor to the president. Basinger has a bachelor's and a master's degree from SDSU and is a former resident of Brookings, S.D. The South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) Jeanine Basinger Studio, located on SDSU's Brookings campus, enables professional, high-quality sound for guests and interviews. The Basinger Studio was funded by Brookings residents Barb and Van Fishback. “We are pleased to recognize SDSU Distinguished Alumna and world-renowned film educator and author Jeanine Basinger with the new SDPB Basinger Studio," said Barb and…

The Wesleyan University winter athletic teams put a total of 73 student-athletes on the 2019 NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team, while eight Cardinals earned All-Sportsmanship honors as announced by the conference. In order to earn a spot on the All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a minimum GPA of 3.50 or equivalent on a 4.0 scale. Transfer students are eligible as long as they have completed at least one year of coursework at the institution. (more…)

Pritzker Prize–winning architect Kevin Roche, who designed Wesleyan's Center for the Arts, died on March 1 at the age of 96 at his home in Guilford, Conn. In January, the Connecticut Architecture Foundation presented the Connecticut premiere of the feature documentary film “Kevin Roche: The Quiet Architect” (2017) at Wesleyan. The film considers many of the key architectural questions through his 70-year career, including the relationship between architects and the public they serve. His architectural philosophy was that "the responsibility of the modern architect is to create a community for a modern society," and he emphasized the importance of bringing…

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News The GlobePost: "Trump's Foreign Trade Policy and the Art of the Deal" In this op-ed, Giulio Gallarotti, professor of government, co-chair of the College of Social Studies, argues that Donald Trump's approach to U.S. trade policy is shaped by his career as a real estate mogul and businessman. 2. The Hartford Courant: "Don't Let the 'Green New Deal' Hijack the Climate's Future" This op-ed coauthored by Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies Gary Yohe expresses concern…

This year at the 24th annual Audie Awards, held on Feb. 4, Edoardo Ballerini ’92 was named Best Male Narrator for his work on Watchers by Dean Koontz. The awards are sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association. In this winning entry, Ballerini was cited for “do[ing] a top-notch job of narrating this story. Listeners join Travis Cornell, who is hiking while trying to make sense of his life. When he chances upon an apparently stray golden retriever, things will never be the same. Ballerini creates a balance of warmth and suspense that reflects the heartwarming, yet at times frightening, aspects of the plot.…

For her efforts creating and fostering STEM initiatives that support women in science, Laura Grabel, the retired Lauren B. Dachs Professor of Science and Society, was selected as a Women of Innovation finalist by the Connecticut Technology Council in March. She is one of 50 finalists in the state. Grabel, who also is a retired professor of biology, is an accomplished scientist engaged in understanding how the fertilized egg can become a complex organism. This spring, she is teaching Reproduction in the 21st Century. In addition to publishing dozens of academic articles and a book on ethical stem cell research, Grabel fosters…

Suzanne O'Connell, professor of earth and environmental sciences, is the author of a cover article titled "Holes in the Bottom of the Sea: History, Revolutions, and Future Opportunities," published by the Geological Society of America (GSA) Today in January 2019. Scientific ocean drilling (SOD) contributions include geophysical surveys, core samples, borehole well logs, and sub-seafloor observatories. After more than half a century, involving thousands of scientists from around the world, SOD has been instrumental in developing three geoscience revolutions: (1) plate tectonics, (2) paleoceanography, and (3) the deep marine biosphere. In this paper, O'Connell explains that without SOD, it is unlikely…

At its meeting on March 1, the Board of Trustees voted to increase tuition and residential comprehensive fees by 4.4 percent for the 2019–20 academic year. Tuition and fees for the 2019–20 year will be $56,704. The residential comprehensive fee for first-year and sophomore students will be $15,724, and for juniors and seniors will be $17,874. The percentage increase in student charges aligns with the University’s projected increase in total expenses. Wesleyan meets the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students and devotes millions of its operating budget to support of scholarships. In 2018–19, 42 percent of students are…

Williams ’81 Named Vice President for Equity & Inclusion

Faculty, Staff Earn Cardinal Achievement Awards

Wilson to Receive Prestigious Baldwin Medal

Wesleyan Team Places in Top 5 Percent of Putnam Math Competition

Public Broadcasting Studio in South Dakota Named in Honor of Jeanine Basinger

73 Student-Athletes Receive NESCAC All-Academic Honors

Roche Remembered for Designing the Center for the Arts Complex

Wesleyan in the News

Audio Book Narrator Ballerini ’92 Wins Audie Award—Again

Grabel Named a Connecticut Women of Innovation Finalist

O’Connell’s Article Published by the Geological Society of America

Tuition, Residential Comprehensive Fees Increase by 4.4 Percent