reunion and commencement

All Wesleyan alumni, students, parents, faculty, families and friends of the university are welcome to attend Reunion & Commencement Weekend May 22-25 on campus. The weekend is chocked-full of events including class reunions, WESeminars, academic department open houses, campus tours, an all-college picnic and festival, an All-Campus Party featuring mamarazzi and Illegalize, and the 182nd Commencement Ceremony led by commencement speaker Theodore Shaw '76. The full schedule is online here.

Embrace the contradictions and tensions within yourself and between yourself and others, and accept that they will never go away. This was the advice Joss Whedon ’87 shared with the Class of 2013 at the 181st Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 26. “The best thing is not just the idea of honest debate, the best thing is losing the debate, because it means that you learn something and you changed your position. The only way really to understand your position and its worth is to understand the opposite. That doesn’t mean the crazy guy on the radio who is spewing…

During Wesleyan's Commencement Ceremony on May 26, Wesleyan President Michael Roth awarded Joss Whedon ’87, Majora Carter ’88 and Jim Dresser ’63 with honorary degrees. Joss Whedon ’87 Joss Whedon is an award-winning writer, director and producer and delivered the commencement address on May 26. He is the force behind such popular television shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and the 2012 superhero blockbuster film, The Avengers. The son and grandson of successful television writers, Whedon was raised in New York and studied film at Wesleyan. After graduating, he landed his first TV writing job on the show Roseanne. He developed a script for the 1992…

Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 made the following remarks during the Wesleyan Commencement Ceremony: "Members of the board of trustees, members of the faculty and staff, distinguished guests, new recipients of graduate degrees and the mighty class of 2013, I am honored to present some brief remarks on the occasion of this commencement. During your four years here, Wesleyan has been largely isolated from many of the troubles of this world. While you have been students, the United States has been engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and on this Memorial Day Weekend, I begin by asking us all…

Anna Swartz '13 delivered the following remarks during the Senior Class Welcome on May 26: Right before I left for Wesleyan for the first time, Ruth, my ninety-year-old neighbor warned me “Make the most of it, college is the best time of your life.” I took her advice to heart, it seemed smart to trust a woman who had done so much living, and I arrived at Wesleyan filled with the loftiest dreams, the highest expectations, ready for my life to be changed. What I didn’t realize at the time is that college isn’t just about what Wesleyan could give…

Wesleyan alumni reunited with classmates, attended WESeminars, toured campus, visited with former professors, and congratulated the Class of 2013 during Reunion & Commencement Weekend May 23-26. On May 26,Wesleyan awarded 785 bachelor degrees; 30 master of arts degrees; 30 master of arts in liberal studies degrees; and 21 doctor of philosophy degrees: [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://youtu.be/cMrnr00WF5c[/youtube] Award-winning writer, director, and producer Joss Whedon '87 delivered the Commencement Address during the 181st Commencement Ceremony: [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://youtu.be/Wn866ryQ5RY[/youtube]

Students, faculty, alumni, families and campus guests gathered for the traditional All-College Sing in Memorial Chapel on May 25. (Photos by Hannah Norman '16):

Reunite with classmates, attend WESeminars, tour campus, visit with former professors, and congratulate the Class of 2013 during Reunion & Commencement Weekend May 23-26. "Reunion & Commencement is such a fun and celebratory time for the entire Wesleyan community," said Deana Hutson, director of events for University Relations. "There really is something for everyone. We have more than 150 events planned over the course of three days." In addition to another incredible array of WESeminars, Hutson recommends attending the traditional Friday and Saturday night parties, reunion class gatherings, academic department open houses and the Festival on Foss Hill. On Friday…

The world is changing at a dizzying pace and uncertainty is rising, but luckily, “Wesleyan has prepared you to live and thrive in this unpredictable world,” U.S. Senator Michael Bennet ’87 told the Class of 2012 in his Commencement Address. “This is a school that rewards curiosity. It challenges you to test [your] assumptions. It encourages flexibility—of mind, of approach, even of body, if you took that class in acrobatic yoga. Wesleyan has taught you that having a plan counts for less—a lot less—than having your bearings when that plan falls apart.” An honorary doctor of laws was conferred upon…

Kennedy Odede '12 delivered the Senior Class Welcome during the 180th Commencement Ceremony May 27: Today, I stand before you as the first person from Africa’s largest slum to graduate from an American university. For most of my life, I never imagined that one day I would be standing here. For me, Wesleyan is HOPE. You, the class of 2012, and my time at Wesleyan have changed me forever. I grew up in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, where more than a million people live in an area the size of Central Park—without sewage systems, roads, running water, or…

Three Wesleyan faculty received The Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching during the 2012 Commencement on May 27. The Binswanger Prize was inaugurated in 1993 as an institutional recognition of outstanding faculty members. The award is made possible by gifts from the family of the late Frank G. Binswanger Sr., HON '85 The standards and criteria for the annual prizes shall be excellence in teaching, as exemplified by commitment to the classroom and student accomplishment, intellectual demands placed on students, lucidity, and passion. Recommendations may be based on any of the types of teaching that are done at the university…

Senator Michael F. Bennet '87 presented the Commencement Address on May 27: Thank you, Board of Trustees… President Roth… proud parents and families…the entire Wesleyan community, and of course, once again, the brilliant graduates of 2012. Brilliant, yes—but, as Kennedy said, no matter how brilliant, not one of you got here by yourself. So, in the most important moment of this day, let’s hear you say thank you. A round of applause for everybody who got you here. A quarter of a century ago (and by the way, it was about 20 degrees hotter), I looked up at this podium…

Class Reunions, WESeminars, Commencement at R&C Weekend May 22-25

785 Undergraduates Receive Degrees at Wesleyan’s 181st Commencement

Whedon ’87, Carter ’88, Dresser ’63 Receive Honorary Degrees

President Roth Makes Remarks at Commencement Ceremony

Swartz ’13 Delivers Senior Class Welcome

Video Highlights of Whedon’s Address, Reunion, Commencement

Campus Participates in All-College Sing

WESeminars, Campus Parties, Reunions, Graduates at R&C Weekend

713 Undergraduates Receive Wesleyan Degrees at Commencement (with photos, videos)

Odede ’12: From an African Slum to a Wesleyan Graduate

Adelstein, Greene, Telfair Honored with Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching

Senator Bennet Delivers 2012 Commencement Address