Page 84

Three Wesleyan alumnae are the producers of podcasts that recently received 2020 Webby Award honors. The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Julie Magruder '17 was one of the co-producers and David Shadrack Smith '92 is the executive producer of Daily Breath with Deepak Chopra, which won a Webby Award in the Health and Wellness category. In Daily Breath, listeners expand their minds by exploring impactful ideas and themes. According to the show's description, "Together we will delve into topics such as happiness, gratitude, love, sex, the true self, physical well-being, death and more.…

Wesleyan in the News 1. The Chronicle of Higher Education: "Beware the Doyens of Disruption" In this op-ed, President Michael Roth '78 responds to predictions that COVID-19 is going to "change everything" in higher education with a reminder that "the desire of bright young people from all over the world for an on-campus education remains strong." He writes, "It’s because the connectivity among people and practices that takes place in person intensifies the learning experience." 2. HxA Podcast: "Michael Roth, Safe Enough Spaces" President Michael Roth '78 is interviewed on the Heterodox Academy's podcast about his book, Safe Enough Spaces:…

Six recent Wesleyan alumni are the recipients of 2020–21 Fulbright Awards. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 2,000 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide. The recipients include: Inayah Bashir ’20, who majored in the College of Social Studies, won a Fulbright grant to teach English in Kenya. Bashir will work with Kenyan students to place their identity and…

Wesleyan's Board of Trustees recently announced the promotions of nine faculty members, effective July 1, 2020. Five faculty were conferred tenure with promotion. They join six other faculty members who were awarded tenure earlier this spring. Joslyn Barnhart Trager, associate professor of government Anthony Keats, associate professor of economics Andrew Quintman, associate professor of religion Michael Slowik '03, associate professor of film studies Takeshi Watanabe, associate professor of East Asian studies In addition, four faculty members are being promoted. They join one other faculty member who was promoted earlier this spring. Erika Franklin Fowler, professor of government Barbara Juhasz, professor…

(more…)

There was something about Kate Birney's research that smelled a little off. As far back as the 4th century B.C., Greece was a global leader in producing a plethora of posh perfumes sold in handcrafted ceramic bottles marked with three chalky-white stripes. "Much like today, some of these ceramic perfume bottles were 'branded'—made in distinctive shapes, and painted or decorated in distinctive ways—probably to tell the consumer what scent they contained, or which perfume house/region they were imported from," said Birney, associate professor of classical studies and chair of Wesleyan's Archaeology Program. So when similar bottles, or unguentaria, were excavated…

This month, four Wesleyan faculty received the honorary degree of Master of Arts ad eundem gradum. This degree has been awarded by Wesleyan since 1894 to those members of the faculty who are not graduates of Wesleyan at the bachelor’s level and who have attained the rank of full professor. The award makes each full professor an alumnus/a of the University. Recipients include Hilary Barth, professor of psychology; Robert Conn, professor of Spanish; Sanford Shieh, professor of philosophy, and Nicole Stanton, professor of dance.

On May 21, the Wesleyan University Athletic Department hosted a virtual event to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of scholar-athletes. The ceremony combined the annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet with the end-of-the-year Senior Awards presentations. It was hosted by Director of Athletics Mike Whalen '83 and featured remarks from President Michael Roth '78. Several coaches presented individual awards to the student-athletes. Hockey goalie Tim Sestak '20 and women's soccer defender Mackenzie Mitchell '20 were the recipients of the Roger Maynard Memorial Awards, which are presented annually to the Wesleyan male and female scholar-athlete who best exemplifies the spirit, accomplishments, and humility of Roger…

Eight Wesleyan faculty members are retiring at the end of the 2019–20 academic year. They include: RICHARD ADELSTEIN Woodhouse/Sysco Professor of Economics (2010–2020) Professor of Economics (1990–2020) Associate Professor of Economics (1981–1990) Assistant Professor of Economics (1976–1981) Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics (1975–1976) IRINA ALESHKOVSKY Adjunct Professor of Russian Language & Literature (2003–2020) Adjunct Associate Professor of Russian Language & Literature (1995–2003) Adjunct Assistant Professor of Russian Language & Literature (1992–1995) Adjunct Lecturer of Russian Language and Literature (1987–1992) Teaching Associate in Russian Language and Literature (1983–1987) (more…)

On Sunday, May 24, for the first time in its history, Wesleyan University held its Commencement virtually, awarding 771 Bachelor of Arts, 3 Bachelor of Liberal Studies, 4 Bachelor of Arts on completion, 36 Master of Arts, 19 Master of Liberal Studies, 1 Master of Philosophy, and 10 Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Streamed on both the Wesleyan website (on the Commencement 2020 page) and on the Wesleyan University Facebook page, the ceremony—the University's 188th—saw more than 3,000 family, friends, faculty, staff, and alumni gather together online for a common moment in celebration of the members of the Class of 2020.…

Wesleyan President Michael Roth ’78 made the following remarks (as prepared) during the 188th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 24. President Roth's remarks were delivered live on campus to a virtual audience: Members of the Board of Trustees, members of the faculty and staff, distinguished guests, new recipients of graduate degrees, and the mighty Class of 2020—I welcome you to the 188th annual Commencement of Wesleyan University! I am honored to present some remarks on this joyous occasion. First, let us pause to recollect those members of our community who have passed away over the last year. We hold them…

Caroline Bhupathi '20 is a graduating senior from Dallas, Texas, majoring in computer science and minoring in data analysis. While at Wesleyan, she often served as a course assistant for various economics, computer science, and data analysis courses and tutored and managed the Scientific Computing and Informatics Center (SCIC). She was also the recipient of the Plukas Teaching Apprentice Award in Economics and the Mike Rice Prize in Computer Science. In addition to her academic commitments, Caroline was a member of Wesleyan's only sorority, Rho Epsilon Pi; co-captain of the Wesleyan Club Tennis Team; and a participant in numerous first-year…

Podcasts by Magruder ’17, Smith ’92, Trufelman ’13 Receive Webby Honors

Wesleyan in the News

6 Alumni Receive Fulbright Awards

5 Faculty Conferred Tenure, 4 Promoted

Physical Plant-Facilities Begins Crucial Summer Projects

Birney Studies Ancient Perfume “Knock-Offs” in Athens as New Directions Fellow

4 Faculty Receive Honorary MA ad Eundem Gradum Degrees

Scholar-Athletes, Seniors Honored for 2019–20 Accomplishments

Wesleyan Honors 8 Retiring Faculty

Wesleyan Hosts 188th (and First Virtual) Commencement

President Roth Delivers Welcome Address at 2020 Commencement

Bhupathi ’20 Delivers Senior Class Address at 2020 Commencement