Olivia DrakeThirteen seniors, majoring in the College of the Environment, presented posters during a COE Colloquium on May 2. (Photos by Tom Dzimian) (more…)
On May 1, Wesleyan launched a new massive open online course (MOOC) on Coursera titled "Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact." Free to Wesleyan alumni, the course aims to help learners understand their motivations, strengths, and goals, and appreciate how personal identity affects career decision making. A second version of the class for current Wesleyan students will go live in July, and entering students will be encouraged to complete it before they arrive on campus in the fall. The course is taught by Gordon Career Center Director Sharon Belden Castonguay, who also recently gave a talk at TEDxWesleyanU titled, “The…
In this issue, we speak to Noah Baerman, director of the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble. Baerman is a teacher, jazz pianist, composer, and author. He is also founder and artistic director of the nonprofit Resonant Motion, Inc. (RMI). Q: You've directed the Jazz Ensemble at Wesleyan for 11 years. Was there an ensemble before you? A: Wesleyan’s history of jazz is intense, and perhaps its most significant architect was the great Bill Barron, which I’ve always found kind of cosmic given that his “little” brother Kenny (now 74 and an NEA Jazz Master) was my own mentor. The group I direct runs parallel…
Lauren RubensteinDean of the Social Sciences Marc Eisner was selected to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC), a program hosted by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. It is the oldest and most prestigious public liaison program in the Department of Defense, and has been held since the 1940s. On April 22–25, Eisner joined other college and university deans, provosts, and presidents at military installations in Virginia, where he engaged with senior military officers and U.S. service members. He participated in a variety of tactical training exercises and, through conversations and experiences, gained a better understanding of the roles and mission of the U.S. Armed…
Cynthia RockwellIn this Q&A, we speak to Clifton Watson, who joined Wesleyan as director of the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships (JCCP) in February. A New Haven, Conn., native, Watson holds a BA from the University of Connecticut in African American studies, an MA from North Carolina Central in history, and a doctorate from Fordham in history. His dissertation explores the northern migration of African Americans who settled in the Newhallville area of New Haven—which is where he grew up. Q: Please tell us a bit about your background . . . what drew you to Wesleyan? How did you know…
Doris Zhao, an investment associate with Wesleyan’s Investments Office, joined Chief Investment Officer Anne Martin’s team in 2013, after graduating from Yale. Since then, she has completed all three levels of the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst credential. “My role here at Wesleyan is to help manage the portfolio through monitoring our current managers and selecting new managers,” she says. When we approached her for this Q&A, we discovered that scheduling was an issue: Zhao’s position sends her on frequent travel across the country and internationally, but on a sunny December afternoon she was on campus and spoke with us about…
In this Q&A, we speak with Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies Scott Aalgaard. Originally a native of British Columbia, he joined Wesleyan after completing his doctorate at the University of Chicago. Affiliated with Wesleyan's College of East Asian Studies, his courses this year included Pop Music Revolutionaries, Japanese Women's Writing, and The Everyday in Modern Japan. Q: Tell us a bit about your background. A: I’ve been on the move for most of my life. I grew up in a small resource town on Vancouver Island, off the west coast of Canada; we had a sister city in northern Japan,…
Himeka CurielThe Office of Human Resources announces the following hires, transitions, and departures for January–April 2018. HIRES John Lundell, athletic facility maintenance, on Jan. 2 Johanna DeBari, director of survivor advocacy and community education, on Jan. 3 Lee Walsh, postdoctoral research associate in physics, on Jan. 17 Kara Murphy, development research analyst in University Relations, on Jan. 22 Clifton Watson, director of the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships, on Feb. 5 Dennis Hohne, video producer in University Communications, on Feb. 12 Nafeza Kingston, facility and events manager in Usdan Campus Center, on Feb. 12 Matthew Magenheim, senior investment associate in the…
This year Wesleyan will reward administrative offices that go green. The new Green Office Certification Program, overseen by the Sustainability Office, is designed to recognize, support, and promote offices that engage in environmentally sustainable practices. All administrative and academic offices are eligible to become certified. To get started, a department needs to elect an office coordinator who will fill out the Green Office Certification form, coordinate office participation, and review completed checklists with the Sustainability Office. The coordinator will distribute individual checklists to all employees in the office or within a defined space. If at least 75 percent of the…
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If you’ve logged into WesPortal recently you may have noticed a banner advertising “Project Refresh.” The link leads to a survey asking for feedback on programs, projects, or processes that “may no longer be necessary, or perhaps could be done more effectively” with the end goal of making working at Wesleyan “more effective, efficient, and enjoyable.” The survey is just the first phase of Project Refresh, with plans for additional rounds of idea generation and collaboration (at all levels both within and across departments) as well as possible focus groups to further refine ideas in the fall. For now, the…
Paul Turenne, systems analyst for Information Technology Services, received a Coordinator of the Year Award during the Middlesex United Way Campaign Awards Breakfast on May 8. Turenne served as Wesleyan’s 2017–18 United Way Employee Campaign campus coordinator. He helped the University post the highest numbers—both in participation and in amount pledged—since 2012. More than 400 Wesleyan employees, retired faculty, and authorized vendors (including 38 “Leadership Givers” pledging $1,000 or more) participated. Together they donated a total of $122,150 in support of United Way programs in Middlesex County and throughout the state. To date, the employee campaign has raised approximately $1.9 million…