Wesinthenews.jpg
Olivia DrakeFebruary 23, 20216min
Several Wesleyan faculty and alumni have been featured in national media outlets recently. They include: The Conversation — “Trump’s acquittal is a sign of ‘constitutional rot’: partisanship overriding principles” by Professor Emeritus John Finn. Democratic Underground — "I've Studied Terrorism for Over 40 Years. Let's Talk About What Comes Next” by Professor Emerita Martha Crenshaw. Thrive Global — "Being kind to yourself is one of the most important qualities you can develop for success." Mentions Happier Inc. founder Nataly Kogan ’98. All About Jazz — Guillermo E. Brown: Freedom Of Music, mentions Wesleyan University and Guillermo Brown ’98. News 8…

alumni-volunteers2-760x347.jpg
Olivia DrakeOctober 19, 20205min
Wesleyan parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and students gathered together virtually Oct. 16–17 to celebrate Wesleyan's 2020 Homecoming and Family Weekend. Participants were treated to popular WESeminars, live campus tours, a Parents' Assembly, two symposiums, and more, all from the comfort of their own homes. (Videos of the events are online from Friday and Saturday.) Screenshots of the various events are below. (more…)

400_WU_Identity_monogram_hex_red-copy-1.png
Olivia DrakeMarch 12, 20202min
Seven faculty were conferred tenure by the Board of Trustees at its most recent meeting. Their appointments will be effective on July 1. They are: Ren Ellis Neyra, associate professor of English James Greenwood, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences Cameron Donnay Hill, associate professor of mathematics Daniel Licata, associate professor of computer science Rashida Shaw McMahon, associate professor of English Laura Ann Twagira, associate professor of history In addition, one faculty member was promoted: Naho Maruta, associate professor of the practice in East Asian studies Brief descriptions of their areas of research and teaching appear below. Ren Ellis…

2019faculty-760x182.jpg
Olivia DrakeSeptember 10, 20192min
This fall, Wesleyan welcomes 48 new faculty to campus. Of those, there are 16 tenure-track, 10 professors of the practice, one artist-in-residence, one adjunct, and 20 new visiting faculty members. The new faculty bring a diverse skill set to campus. Among them are experts in international political economy; Indian cinema and film; environmental archaeology and ancient DNA; German poetry and aesthetic theory of the 18th century; music and expressive culture in Kazakhstan; politics in the African diaspora; Russian and Anglo-American literature; physiological and psychological effects of alcohol; and digital video production. In addition, three are Wesleyan alumni. Bios of the…

stu_awards_05082019241-copy-760x522.jpg
Olivia DrakeMay 13, 20192min
On May 8, the Office of Student Affairs hosted a reception honoring students who received academic or leadership prizes, fellowships, and scholarships in 2018–19. More than 315 students and recent alumni received one of the University's 180 prizes. (View the list below or on the Student Affairs website.) Scholarships, fellowships, and leadership prizes are granted to students and student organizations based on criteria established for each prize or award. Certain University prizes are administered by the Student Affairs/Deans’ Office, while others are administered by the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD). (more…)

researchprize-760x464.png
Olivia DrakeApril 29, 20193min
Two Wesleyan students are the recipients of the Friends of the Wesleyan Library's third annual Undergraduate Research Prize. Emma Leuchten '19, an anthropology and religion double major, received the first place prize for her senior essay, "Anthropology Beyond Belief: Navigating Dreams and Reality in the Burmese Weikza Tradition." Leuchten based the paper on fieldwork she conducted in Myanmar during a semester abroad. Her advisor was Elizabeth Traube, professor of anthropology. The essay explores quests for power and knowledge in a contemporary Burmese wizardry tradition. Drawing from personal interviews with weikza (wizard-saints), devotees, and skeptics, Leuchten examines the tensions that have arisen between this…

Wesinthenews-1.jpg
Lauren RubensteinApril 15, 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. The Middletown Press: "Wesleyan Students Helping Former Prisoners to Gain Job Skills" Wesleyan Students for Ending Mass Incarceration (SEMI) is a group of students working to help formerly incarcerated individuals acclimate back into society by providing them with job skills. The goal, according to member Asiyah Herrero '22, is “making re-entry into the workforce a little bit easier. There are usually a lack of resources when people get out of prison, and starting to look for work,…

stu_GIS_11142018012-copy-760x548.jpg
Olivia DrakeNovember 19, 20182min
On Nov. 14, Wesleyan celebrated geography, mapping, and spatial data analysis at the annual GIS Day. GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society. The first formal GIS Day took place in 1999. During GIS Day, the Wesleyan community was invited to participate in multiple activities, including a hands-on humanitarian map-a-thon, a seminar on digital storytelling with maps led by Sam Raby '17, and games involving "Fun with GIS." The events were led by students taking the E&ES 281: GIS Service Learning course…

Best-photo-of-People-copy-760x507.jpg
Olivia DrakeNovember 6, 20185min
This year, students shared global stories about humanity in 51 cities across 24 countries through the third annual Wes in the World photo contest. Sponsored by the Fries Center for Global Studies, the contest is open to Wesleyan students who have had any global experience over the previous summer and/or previous semester. This includes study abroad returnees, international students, exchange students, fellowship recipients, and foreign language teaching assistants. More than 200 students, staff, faculty, and alumni voted on the submissions within five categories: Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, Landscape, People, and Sport and Play. "Our hope with these categories is to allow students to…

eve_familyweekend_09282018038-copy-760x507.jpg
Olivia DrakeOctober 1, 20185min
More than 2,000 parents, family members, friends, and alumni attended Family Weekend 2018 Sept. 28–30 on campus. Activities included campus tours, WESeminar lectures, panel discussions, performances, a Wesleyan Summer Grants showcase, an Alumni and Student of Color Celebration, the 8th Annual Stone A Cappella Concert, the 26th Annual Dwight L. Greene Symposium presenting "Black Phoenix Rising," and much more. In Family Weekend athletic news, all four home contests (football, field hockey, and men’s and women’s soccer) saw hard-fought battles against Hamilton. Hamilton blocked a Wesleyan punt and recovered it in the end zone with just 1:34 to play in regulation as the Continentals…

fac_cassidy_2017-1107101809-760x448.jpg
Lauren RubensteinMay 11, 20183min
Wesleyan faculty frequently publish articles based on their scholarship in The Conversation US, a nonprofit news organization with the tagline, “Academic rigor, journalistic flair.”  In a new article, Col. Robert Cassidy, Retired Officer Teaching Fellow at Wesleyan, writes about both the apparent stalemate in the war in Afghanistan, as well as why he harbors hope of an eventual resolution. Cassidy is a scholar of Afghanistan and strategy, as well as a soldier who served four tours in the country. No, the war in Afghanistan isn't a hopeless stalemate The war in Afghanistan has become so protracted that it warrants the epithet the…