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On June 23, President Michael Roth '78 will participate in a debate titled, "Trigger Warning: Safe Spaces Are Dangerous," presented by Intelligence Squared U.S. in partnership with the John Templeton Foundation. The debate will take place before a live audience in Banff in Alberta, Canada, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. (9:30–11:00 p.m. EST). It will be livestreamed here, and will air soon after as part of the syndicated public radio show and podcast "Intelligence Squared U.S." According to the Intelligence Squared website: "Universities and students have come under attack in recent years for promoting the concept of 'safe spaces.' Proponents of the…

The Wesleyan University spring athletic teams put a total of 125 student-athletes on the 2018 NESCAC Spring All-Academic Team on May 18, while 11 Cardinals earned All-Sportsmanship Team honors as announced by the conference office May 17. To be named to the All-Academic Team a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.40. Transfer students are eligible as long as they have completed at least one year of coursework at the institution. Tufts ranked first in the conference with 157 athletes on the All-Academic list, while Middlebury checked in…

Two Wesleyan faculty were honored for their artistic excellence by the 2018 Artist Fellowship Program. Nicole Stanton, associate professor of dance, African American studies, and environmental studies, and Noah Baerman, director of the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, each received a $3,000 grant in the program's Performing Arts category. The Artist Fellowship Program recognizes individual Connecticut artists in a variety of disciplines and allows these artists the opportunity to pursue new works of art and to achieve specific creative and career goals. The program is highly competitive: for the 2018 round, more than 235 applications were received and reviewed by 48 professional panelists…

Lutz Hüwel, professor of physics, is the author of the book Of Clocks and Time, published by Morgan & Claypool Publishers in April 2018. According to Hüwel, Of Clocks and Time takes readers on a five-stop journey through the physics and technology—and occasional bits of applications and history—of timekeeping. He offers conceptual vistas and qualitative images, along with equations, quantitative relations, and rigorous definitions. The book includes discussion of the rhythms produced by the motion of sun, moon, planets, and stars, a summary of historical theoretical insights that are still influential today, examination of the tools that allow us to measure time, as…

"16 Shades of Red," a full-length choreography created by Hari Krishnan, associate professor of dance, premiered at the Mondavi Center at the University of California, Davis, on May 12 and 13. Krishnan is a member of inDANCE, one of Canada's most progressive dance companies. "16 Shades of Red," presented in two chapters, integrates original courtesan dance from South India, complex choreography, and live music. Watch a video of his performance below: [youtube width="700" height="450"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajR3keGPns8[/youtube] At Wesleyan, Krishnan teaches Bharata Natyam, or South Indian classical dance. "BN1 and BN3 students had performed material this semester at Wesleyan so incredibly well, and it was…

This spring, Sonia Sultan, professor of biology, professor of environmental studies, has delivered several notable invited talks in different parts of the world. In February, she presented the annual Darwin Day talk at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Sultan was the first woman scientist to present this prestigious lecture, in which a prominent evolutionary biologist shares their research and its broader implications. Sultan spoke on “Eco-Devo Insights to Evolutionary Questions,” using results from her Wesleyan lab’s plant research to address basic questions about individual development, inheritance, and adaptation. She was also interviewed about her contributions to current evolutionary biology for…

On May 26, 78 members of the Class of 2018 were inducted into Wesleyan’s Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest national scholastic honor society. The Wesleyan Gamma Chapter was organized in 1845 and is the ninth-oldest chapter in the country. To be elected, a student must first have been nominated by the department of his or her major. He or she also must have demonstrated curricular breadth by having met the General Education Expectations, and must have achieved a GPA of 93 and above. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest surviving Greek letter society in America, founded in…

Graduation came early this year for men’s lacrosse players for the best possible reason. With the team competing in the NCAA championship game on Commencement Sunday for the first time in the program’s history, graduating students missed the regular ceremony. The graduating seniors, and one student receiving an MA in graduate liberal studies, received their degrees at a special ceremony in the Admission building, attended by President Roth and Provost Joyce Jacobsen, on Wednesday, May 23. Also present were the families of the graduates, as well as Director of Athletics Mike Whalen and Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Whaley.…

Anita Hill, University Professor of Social Policy, Law, and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University and a faculty member of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis, delivered the 2018 Commencement address on May 27. In 1991, Hill's name became indelibly stamped on the national consciousness when she accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment while he was her supervisor. Her courage in speaking out and her dignity in the face of vituperative attacks remain inspirational, and over the years she has provided frequent commentary in the national media on gender and race issues.…

Graduates, their families, and other members of the Wesleyan community gathered on Andrus Field for the 186th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 27. Wesleyan conferred 745 bachelor of arts degrees; 41 master of arts degrees; 21 master of arts in liberal studies degrees; and 20 doctor of philosophy degrees. Anita Hill, University Professor of Social Policy, Law, and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University—and a frequent commentator on gender and race issues—delivered the Commencement address and received an honorary degree. She recently was selected to head the Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace, intended…

Alumni—especially those whose class years ended in 3 or 8—joined the families of graduating seniors of Wesleyan's Class of 2018 for a campus-wide series of celebrations, WESeminars, thesis exhibitions, and festivities. Wesleyan's Class of 1968, celebrating their 50th Reunion, began with a dinner on Thursday to gather the group and kick off the weekend. Other highlights included academic open houses, the annual parade of classes, the All-Campus Party featuring DJs Ben Resnick ’13 and Clément Guerner ’13, and Commencement speaker Anita Hill. To see the Reunion photo gallery, click here. To see the Commencement gallery, click here. (more…)

Joshua Boger '73, P'06, '09, founder and former chief executive officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and former chair of the Wesleyan Board of Trustees, received an honorary doctorate during Wesleyan’s 2018 commencement ceremony on May 27. As the founder and former chief executive officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Boger led the discovery and development of new pharmaceuticals for treating some of medicine’s most daunting challenges, including HIV, hepatitis C infection, and cystic fibrosis. Currently, he is chair of the campaign for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Setti Warren, vice chair of Boston’s Museum of Science, chair of the board of the Celebrity Series (Boston’s premier…

President Roth to Debate Safe Spaces, Free Speech on June 23

125 Student-Athletes Make NESCAC All-Academic Team

Baerman, Stanton Receive Artist Fellowship Awards

Hüwel’s Book Examines the Physics, Technology of Timekeeping

Krishnan Debuts Choreography at UC Davis, Jacob’s Pillow

Sultan Delivers Lectures around the World

Students Elected to Phi Beta Kappa

Senior Lacrosse Players Graduate Early Before Winning National Championship

Anita Hill Delivers 2018 Commencement Address

Wesleyan Awards 745 BA Degrees at 186th Commencement

Alumni Celebrate a Festive Reunion, Commencement 2018

Boger ’73, P’06, ’09 Makes Remarks at 2018 Commencement