Olivia DrakeCliff Ashton, director of Physical Plant, oversees 75 full-time employees and 50 contract employees from the department's new home on Long Lane. Posted 10/01/05 Q: Cliff, when did you become the new director of Physical Plant and what do you think of it so far?A: I came to Wesleyan in the middle of June 2005. The people here have been so nice and helpful getting me acclimated to the place. I look forward to a long career here.Q: What are your responsibilities?A: I'm responsible for overall operations and maintenance of the "physical plant" in other words most of the…
Posted 10/01/05 First-year chemistry students will have the opportunity to spend some time with a Nobel Laureate at Wesleyan. Sir Harry Kroto, professor of chemistry at Florida State University, will lecture to chemistry classes at 9 a.m. Oct. 31 in room 84 of Hall-Atwater. Kroto shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1996 for discovering C60, a new form of carbon. In addition, Kroto will present a chemistry symposium titled Architecture in Nanospace, at 4 p.m. Oct. 31, also in HA 84, or Exley Science Center 150 if attendance requires it. This symposium will be open to the public. Formerly…
Posted 10/01/05 The September, 2005 issue of Perspectives, the monthly publication of the American Historical Association, included a study of history Ph.D.s earned between 1989 and 2002 and showed that the leader in the field was in fact Wesleyan University - even though Wesleyan doesnt have a Ph.D. program in history. Though the results may sound incongruous at first, the data is actually quite solid. The studys author, Robert Townsend, found that a higher percentage of Wesleyan students who earned bachelors degrees during the surveyed period went on to earn Ph.D.s in history than undergraduates from any other institution in…
Olin Library's new Information Commons features a library reference desk, an Information Technology Services desk and a SARN information and referral desk. Posted 10/01/05 A new information lab in Olin Memorial Library has merged three services into one. Information Commons provides library reference, information technology and access to the Student Academic Resources Network (SARN). The facility is located in the Campbell Reference Center on the first floor of the library. Students are relying on the Internet more and more to get information, but theres still a demand for the librarys material, reference services and workspace, says Dale Lee, information service…
At top, Mark Flory, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, lectures to a group during the Sixth Annual Biophysics Retreat for the Molecular Biophysics Program Sept. 15. At left, Maggie Chen, a Ph.D candidate in the Department of Chemistry explains her research titled Site-Resolved Dynamics and Energetics of a Ribosomal RNA during the Fall Retreat Poster Session, part of the biophysics program. Posted 10/01/05 The Sixth Annual Biophysics Retreat was held at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown on Sept. 15. Organized by David Beveridge, professor of chemistry, Manju Hingorami, assistant professor of molecular biology and Ishita Mikerji, associate professor…
Imam Mahan Mirza, University Muslim Chaplain leads Quran Study Circles, and Islam Hour and sermons with Wesleyan's Muslim community. Posted 10/01/05 Q: Mahan, when were you hired to be the new Muslim chaplain at Wesleyan?A: I was officially hired as of August 29, 2005.Q: Where did you grow up and when did you move to America?A: I grew up as the son of a fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. My parents came from India into Pakistan when the country was divided in 1947. My grandparents are from various different parts of India. My first spoken language was…
Fran Koerting, director of Residential Life, enjoys working with students. Posted 10/01/05 After working in a variety of roles in higher-education, Fran Koerting has found her niche. I love working directly with the students, says Koerting, director of Residential Life. I want to help make their Wesleyan experience a positive one. Koerting spent the past eight years working as the director of Residential Life at Fairfield University. She came to Wesleyan in July. Koerting holds bachelors degrees in psychology and biology from the University of Rhode Island and a masters in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University.…
Persephone Hall, assistant director of Human Resources, posts job opportunities, searches through resumes and conducts interviews. Posted 10/01/05 Q: What are some of your job duties as assistant Human Resources director?A: The thing I love most about my position is the variety. In my first six months, my primary responsibilities have revolved around working with hiring managers to recruit for and fill their job openings. I am beginning to help managers and employees with employee relations issues and in the near future, I look forward to developing training classes for managers and employees here at Wesleyan.Q: So, youre fairly…
Maria Cruz-Saco, dean of the college, is impressed by Wesleyan students involvement outside of the classroom. Posted 10/01/05 It didnt take long to settle in. In just two months, Maria Cruz-Saco has begun spearheading residential life and student programming initiatives. Shes also creating a new position to oversee diversity and multicultural learning environments on campus and seeking ways to improve current student services. As the new dean of the college, Cruz-Saco oversees the Class Deans, Student Academic Resources, Student Services and Campus Programs. The latter includes Residential Life, Student Activities and Leadership Development, International Student Services, the Office of…
The staff at Wesleyan University Press will hold an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 11 at its new location, 215 Long Lane, across from the new Physical Plant. Pictured in back, left to right are Eric Levy 97, acquisitions editor; Stephanie Elliott, publicity associate; and Leslie Starr, marketing manager. Pictured in front is Suzanna Tamminen 90, MALS 04, director and editor-in-chief. Posted 10/01/05 It's one of only 110 academic publishers in the nation, and has produced more than 1,000 books by authors around the world. But the Wesleyan University Press staff believes their publishing house remains…
Posted 10/01/05 Wesleyan will again help build a stronger, healthier Middlesex County during the Middlesex United Ways annual Community Campaign. The campaign kicked off Oct. 6 at the Presidents House. This years goal is $140,000, which is $5,000 more than last years goal. For more than 60 years, the Wesleyan community has supported the local United Way. Its Core Services provides funding to 32 local programs and services offered by its 23 partner agencies. These include the American Red Cross, 2-1-1 Infoline; Middlesex Hospital Family, Advocacy Program; Middlesex Hospital Homecare; Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters; Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater; Salvation…
Liz Lerman of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, discusses "The Making of Ferocious Beauty: Genome, the first in a series of lectures addressing the implications of genetic research. (Photo by Lex Leifheit) Posted 10/01/05 The year 2003 marked a major milestone in human genomics: the completion of the sequencing of the human genome. With that milestone came a seemingly endless number of possibilities, and the challenge of understanding their consequences. Where do we as individuals and where do we as a society draw the line, and who should do the line drawing? asked Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and…