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Olivia DrakeMarch 7, 202219min
(Maia Dawson '24 contributed to this article.) “For me there are no more days of the week," said Ukraine native Julia Kulchytska ‘24. "There is the first day of the war, there is the second. Today is day nine." Kulchytska spoke to a crowd that had gathered outside Usdan on March 4 for a rally in support of Ukraine. Among the students, one with tear-streaked cheeks behind a pair of cat-eye sunglasses were a group of faculty, staff, and residents of Middletown, and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal. “Russian troops are coming expecting that Ukrainian people will greet them with flowers,…

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Olivia DrakeMarch 7, 202212min
Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. In The Washington Post, Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 reviews Colette Brooks' new book Trapped in the Present Tense: Meditations on American Memory. "Brooks is drawn to what she has called 'American darkness' and the seemingly bottomless capacity of our country to forget its horrific relationship with violence," he writes. (March 4) Peter Rutland, professor of government and the Colin and Nancy Campbell Chair for Global Issues and Democratic Thought, shares an op-ed titled "Putin's…

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Olivia DrakeFebruary 28, 202216min
Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. Due to the recent Russia-Ukraine crisis, this media roundup will mention related content first: In Meduza, Victoria Smolkin, associate professor of history, discusses the historical claims Putin made in his speech before invading Ukraine. "Fantasy is not history, and it’s not politics. One can lament—as Putin does—that Soviet politics was not 'cleansed' of the 'odious' and 'utopian' fancies 'inspired by the revolution,' which, in part, made possible the existence of contemporary Ukraine." (Feb. 24) And…

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Lauren RubensteinOctober 24, 20193min
In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Wesleyan in the News 1. CT Post: "Former Wesleyan Provost is First Woman President at Hobart and William Smith Colleges" Joyce Jacobsen, formerly Wesleyan's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs and the Andrews Professor of Economics, was inaugurated Oct. 18 as the first woman president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. At the ceremony, the chairman of the HWS Board of Trustees said: “Dr. Jacobsen enters the presidency of Hobart and William Smith at a time of…

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Olivia DrakeOctober 14, 20192min
Russia has returned to the world stage in dramatic fashion in recent years with military interventions and interference in elections. What is driving this aggressive behavior? Will the current political system survive the scheduled departure of its architect, Vladimir Putin, in 2024? How should the United States deal with Russia? On Oct. 11–12, Wesleyan alumni and faculty panelists tackled these questions and more during the 2019 Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns. This year's theme was "Understanding Russia: A Dramatic Return to the World Stage," with Peter Rutland, the Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor in Global Issues and Democratic Thought, serving…

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Cynthia RockwellAugust 13, 20192min
In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Wesleyan in the News 1. Inside Higher Ed: 'Safe Enough Spaces' President Michael Roth is interviewed about defending free speech, inclusion on campus, and affirmative action, among other topics, in connection with the forthcoming publication of his new book, Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist's Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness on College Campuses, due out Aug. 20 from Yale University Press. 2. The New York Times: "The World's Smartest Chimp Has Died" William Griffin Professor of Philosophy Lori Gruen writes in…

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Lauren RubensteinOctober 29, 20181min
In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News Inside Higher Ed: "Career Path Intervention--Via a MOOC" An open online course by Gordon Career Center Director Sharon Belden Castonguay, which helps young people explore their interests and career options, is featured. 2. NPR: "Midterm Election Could Reshape Health Policy" (more…)

Cynthia RockwellOctober 12, 20188min
In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News Inside Higher Ed: “Career Path Intervention–Via a MOOC” An open online course by Gordon Career Center Director Sharon Belden Castonguay, which helps young people explore their interests and career options, is featured. 2. NPR: “Midterm Election Could Reshape Health Policy” Associate Professor of Government Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, explains why Democrats are “laser-focused on health care” this election season. Fowler also recently was quoted on advertising in the midterm elections in The Washington Post and USA Today, and interviewed…

Lauren RubensteinOctober 1, 20182min
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 New York Times Magazine: "Letter of Recommendation: Phyllis Rose's 'Parallel Lives'" Professor of English, Emerita Phyllis Rose's 1983 book Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages, is featured in the New York Times Magazine. The book, which the reviewer notes she has re-read every few months recently, is a "group biography of several notable Victorians and their marriages," through which the reader can gain deeper insight into intimate relationships and societal change. Middletown Press: "Middletown Musician Noah Baerman Wins Guilford Performing Arts Fest…

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Lauren RubensteinAugust 20, 20182min
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 New York Times: Defending Conservatism, and Seeking Converts President Michael Roth '78 reviews Roger Scruton's new book on Conservatism, which he writes provides an "enlightening" background on a variety of important conservative thinkers, but stoops to scapegoating Muslims to "rally the troops." 2. Hartford Courant: First Group of Students Graduates from Wesleyan's Prison Education Program The first-ever Wesleyan Center for Prison Education Program graduation ceremonies, held in partnership with Middlesex Community College at York and Cheshire correctional institutions on…

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Lauren RubensteinJuly 9, 20182min
In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News NBC's American Ninja Warrior: Youngest Woman to Hit Buzzer: Casey Rothschild Rothschild '20 competed in the NBC television show's Philadelphia qualifiers, becoming the youngest woman to ever finish a course when she hit the buzzer at 4:57. Rothschild has been training for years and uses the moniker Circus Ninja because of her background in circus arts. Read Rothschild's interview with The Hartford Courant. 2. The Washington Post: This Is What It Feels Like to Be Separated at the Border Victoria Smolkin,…

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Olivia DrakeMarch 6, 20182min
In its most recent meeting, the Board of Trustees promoted eight faculty. Their promotions will be effective July 1, 2018. The Board conferred tenure to Kathleen Birney, associate professor of classical studies; Greg Goldberg, associate professor of sociology; Ruth Johnson, associate professor of biology; Melanie Khamis, associate professor of economics; Marguerite Nguyen, associate professor of English; Sasha Rudensky, associate professor of art; Victoria Smolkin, associate professor of history; and Ao Wang, associate professor of East Asian studies. Brief descriptions of their areas of research and teaching appear below: Kathleen Birney Professor Birney is a Mediterranean archaeologist whose research focuses on understanding interactions…