Kate CarlisleWesleyan’s Microgrid Project – which would allow the university to keep the lights on even during a massive power outage – was one step closer to reality last week with the award of a state grant for work on a specialized engine. The grant, for $694,000, will pay to connect Wesleyan’s natural gas Combined Heat and Power (CHP) reciprocating engines to the campus electrical grid. “The new microgrid will supply power to the campus 24-7,” said Joyce Topshe, associate vice president for facilities. “In the event of a power outage, the microgrid will power the campus in 'island mode,' enhancing…
Natalie Robichaud ’14In January 2014, the Dance Department will move from its space in the Center for the Arts to a new studio and office space on Cross Street. This will allow Dance Department faculty and students to be closer to the Bessie Schönberg dance studio on Pine Street. Construction at 160 Cross Street commenced July 9 with asbestos abatement and demolition of the interior finishes and walls. Interior framing begins Aug. 5. According to Alan Rubacha, director of Physical Plant, construction will be completed this fall. Dance Department faculty and students are currently using two studios and other shared spaces. Some dance faculty are…
Olivia DrakeWesleyan's 2013 Summer Session offered students a unique opportunity to complete semester-long courses in only five weeks. Courses spanned the curriculum, including gateway courses and special two-course Thematic Institutes, which are only available during the summer. All courses followed the Wesleyan tradition of small classes, which allow for closer relationships with faculty and fellow students as well as immersive study and a concentrated focus. This summer, one session ran from May 29 – June 27 and the other from July 1 – July 30. The first session included 12 courses while the second session included eight courses, two of which…
If anyone can appreciate humankind’s connection to the Earth, it’s a farmer. Essel Bailey ’66 grew up on farms in the South and Michigan, his early years shaped by the rhythms of planting and harvesting and his father’s careful stewardship of the land. The lessons of his farming boyhood stay with Bailey, a lawyer and executive in Ann Arbor, Mich., in his work with the Nature Conservancy and other groups, and informed, in part, his gift to Wesleyan’s College of the Environment. The nearly $3 million commitment from Bailey and his wife, Menakka, will endow a visiting professorship and bring…
John Frank ’78, P '12 believes in the power of a well-written sentence. So much so, he will tell you, that knowing how to write can make the difference between success and failure in life. He will also tell you that he learned to write, and write well, at Wesleyan. To Frank, a lawyer and investor in California, and his wife Diann Kim P’12, it was critical to ensure continued success for Wesleyan’s writing instruction, especially the Writing Certificate launched and overseen by his sister, Anne Greene. Their gift of more than $2 million will fund Writing at Wesleyan's Writing…
The Wesleyan Institute for Lifelong Learning (WILL) is offering eight short courses and one, all-day program during the Fall 2013 semester. Enrollment will be open in early August. WILL uses the talents of current and retired faculty members, and local guest lecturers, to present a set of short, intellectually stimulating and lively courses to area residents. These courses are offered at minimal cost, are not part of a degree-granting program, and are designed to present topics of particular interest to members of the Wesleyan and local communities. Special one-day courses on particular topics will be offered once each semester. The…
Q: Coady, what are you majoring in and why did you choose Wesleyan? A: I'm double majoring in astronomy and physics. I had actually never been to Wesleyan before applying, but I had heard very good things from friends, and its reputation for being unconventional was very appealing to me. The clincher though was the very generous financial aid that the university offered me, without which I definitely would not be here. Q: Tell us about your efforts with the Long Lane Organic Farm. Why did you decide to become a student-farmer? A: After coming to Wesleyan, I fell in with…
Gail Winter, assistant director of the International Studies Office, received a Cardinal Achievement Award in July for “going above and beyond the call of duty” by proctoring an exam in the middle of the night. The exam was being given in Madrid, Spain at 9 a.m., and the course's professor required that a student at Wesleyan, who needed to take the text, be given the exam at the same time – 3 a.m., due to the time difference. This special honor comes with a $150 award and reflects the university’s gratitude for those extra efforts. Award recipients are nominated by…
Vera Schwarcz, the Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, professor of history, is the author of Ancestral Intelligence, published by Antrim House Books in 2013. She signed copies of her book and read selected poems at Broad Street Books on July 22. Photos of her book signing are below: (Photos by Eki Ramadhan '16) (more…)
To view up-and-coming CFA events visit this link. (Photos by Eki Ramadhan '16)
On July 29, a series of cotton-ball clouds hovered above Wesleyan's campus. (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)