Bill FisherBack on campus for Reunion & Commencement weekend in May, in this video, alumni of class years from 1953 to 2008 share stories of how Wesleyan shaped their lives. [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://youtu.be/E18u2RBSKEc[/youtube]
Kate CarlisleIf 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…
Olivia DrakeQ: 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…
Benjamin TraversIn this video, experience Wesleyan from day to starlight in this time-lapse video, captured over the course of six months on rooftops and in iconic locations across campus. [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://youtu.be/SFISRDj5BNk[/youtube]
Gifts big and little – and each of them important – poured in during the last week of June, building on the momentum of the public launch of Wesleyan’s THIS IS WHY campaign to bring the grand total raised to somewhere north of $304 million. The campaign – which will devote the great majority of funds raised to financial aid at Wesleyan – wrapped up fiscal 2013 with cash and pledges from nearly 14,000 alumni, parents and friends. “I’m more than thrilled,” said Vice President for University Relations Barbara-Jan Wilson. “This is the best fundraising year we’ve ever had. I think…
Echoes of the fight song were still bouncing off Foss Hill after Commencement when word got around about a big offseason win for Wesleyan athletics: a generous commitment by Frank Sica ’73 to endow the position of athletic director. Sica is a former trustee who wrestled and played football at Wesleyan. The gift to fund the post currently held by Michael Whalen ’83 firmly establishes the importance of athletics in co-curricular learning at Wesleyan, according to Dennis Robinson ’79, P ’13, immediate past chairman of the Athletics Advisory Council. “Nearly 25 percent of the entire student body plays a varsity…
With the U.S. Capitol glowing to the east, the White House 10 blocks west and Pennsylvania Avenue buzzing eight stories below, a crowd of more than 160 Wesleyan alumni, parents and friends gathered June 19 to “Talk Politics” with three high-profile Wes alums. The event, a fundraiser for financial aid and the annual Brown Lecture, featured a lively discussion among Colo. Gov. John Hickenlooper ’74, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin ’79 and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet ’87, who all credited Wesleyan’s interdisciplinary programs and spirit of inquiry for their political success. “If you were to ask any of the people I…
Nandita Vijayaraghavan '13 is a government and East Asian studies major with a love of music. In this video, Vijayaraghavan describes why she chose to come to Wesleyan from her hometown of Chennai, India. She applauds Wesleyan's open curriculum. [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11ZlDPfvodA[/youtube]
At a special Reunion & Commencement appearance with all ticket sales going to financial aid, Amanda Palmer '98 played the piano and the ukulele and joyfully performed a set of her inimitable songs on the stage in Crowell Concert Hall on May 24. Her husband, Neil Gaiman, winner of writing honors from the Newbery Medal to the Hugo Award to the Will Eisner Comic Award, read from his work and joined Palmer in fielding questions from a rapt audience of alumni, parents and students. [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://youtu.be/v8GwhGkZauI[/youtube] More information about Wesleyan's THIS IS WHY campaign and upcoming events can be…
More than 100 Wesleyan alumni and guests in the Los Angeles, Calif. area attended "A Conversation in Hollywood" with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper ’74 and Emmy-award winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus P’14. The fundraising event took place at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood on May 1. View photos of the event online in this Wesleyan Flickr gallery. The fundraiser for financial aid was moderated by President Michael Roth, who prompted his guests with thought-provoking questions about their views on politics, the importance of humor, and the influence of Wesleyan in their lives. Hickenlooper described the winding career path that took him from…
Lauren RubensteinTwo Wesleyan students have been awarded grants through the Davis Projects for Peace Program to bring their grassroots project proposals to fruition. Class of 2014's Mfundi Makama’s $10,000 grant will support The Buddies Program, which he recently created as a way to empower young women in Swaziland through educational achievement. Greg Shaheen ’13 will use the funds to establish a community-based eco-center focused on environmental education and action for teenagers in Lebanon. The projects will take place this summer. Student applicants at more than 90 Davis United World College Scholar Program partner schools—including Wesleyan—design grassroots projects that promote peace, build…