Wesleyan University: Encyclopedia - Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University founded in 1831, is a private, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded by Methodist leaders and residents of Middletown, the now-secular university was the first college or university to be named after John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and it shares a common Methodist heritage with about twenty other U.S. colleges and universities also named after Wesley.

With a class size of slightly over 700, Wesleyan accepts just 28% (class of 2008) of those who apply, making it one of the most selective colleges in the US (giving it a Princeton Review Admissions Selectivity Rating of 97 on a scale from 60 to 99). In 2006, it was ranked 12th among the top Liberal Arts Colleges in the country by US News. Wesleyan is well known for the diversity of its student population with students from 49 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and 45 foreign countries. 22% of the class of 2004 identified themselves as students of color.

Wesleyan is famous for its activism, especially for its minority, feminist and gay-rights organizations, and as such it was the main inspiration for the 1994 movie PCU, which satirized an exaggeratedly "Politically Correct University."

The university's rigorous and renowned College of Social Studies, popularly known as the College of Suicidal Sophomores, was inspired by the educational philosophy of Albert North Whitehead, in particular the belief that the various social studies can best be pursued together, rather than in isolation. Students are challenged to wrestle with foundational texts of economics, history, government and philosophy in small tutorial classes. This unique inter-disciplinary curriculum builds a strong community among members of the college, which advocates say gives graduates an intellectual advantage.

Wesleyan's program in World Music is a pioneering effort, the first to employ on a long term basis, in addition to academic Ethnomusicologists, virtuoso teaching musicians representing a diversity of musical traditions. Javanese Gamelan, South Indian Classical Music, West African Music, African-American Music and Experimental Music have been permanent components of the Music Department alongside Western Classical Music since the 1960's. A Masters degree in World Music as well as a PhD in Ethnomusicology are offered.

The university is also known for its robust film studies department. Wesleyan University's Cinema Archives, which is run by renowned film historian Jeanine Basinger, has achieved stature and acclaim for its important and growing collection documenting the film industry in the 20th Century. These archives hold the personal papers of such prominent Hollywood figures as Elia Kazan, Frank Capra, Ingrid Bergman, Clint Eastwood, Jeanne Crain and others.

Wesleyan University - History

Wesleyan was founded as an all-male Methodist college in 1831. In 1872 it became one of the first universities to attempt a coeducational environment, allowing a small number of female students to attend the university, a venture known as the "Wesleyan Experiment". Many of Wesleyan's male alumni believed that coeducation lowered Wesleyan's standings compared to its academic peers, so from 1912 to 1970, Wesleyan returned to being an all-male university. By the time the university began reintegrating women in 1970, many female scholars had already found their place at the all-female Connecticut College in nearby New London, founded by Wesleyan alumni in 1911.

Wesleyan became fully independent of the Methodist Church in 1937, after ties to the church waned throughout the early 20th century.

Wesleyan University - Academics

Wesleyan offers Bachelor of Arts, the Master of Arts and the Ph.D. Wesleyan offers over 900 courses in 39 departments and 44 major fields of study. No minor specialisms are offered. The university is also highly supportive of interdisciplinary programs. There is also the option of custom-made majors, known as University Majors. Almost all classes at Wesleyan are small, with the most frequent class size being between 11 and 19 students. Many students also pursue double majors.

Wesleyan's graduate programs are mostly limited to the sciences and mathematics, although they also offer graduate programs in Music and Ethnomusicology and in Psychology. Additionally, the Graduate Liberal Studies Program, originally started as a summer graduate program for educators, now operates year round and offers several areas of concentration. The "GLSP" leads to the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS).

Wesleyan University - Departments and majors

The following is a list of departments as of 2004. Except as noted, each department also has a single corresponding major (although the official names of majors do not include the word "program" found in some department names).

• African American Studies
• American Studies Program
• Anthropology
• Archaeology Program
• Art and Art History
  • Art History
  • Art Studio
• Asian Languages and Literatures
  • (No separate major, see East Asian Studies)
• Astronomy
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Center for the Humanities
  • (No corresponding major)
• Classical Studies
  • Classics
  • Classical Civilization
• College of Letters
• College of Social Studies
• Dance
• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• East Asian Studies Program
• Economics
  • Economics
  • Mathematics-Economics
• English
• Film Studies
• German Studies
• Government
• History
• Latin American Studies Program
• Less Commonly Taught Languages
  • (No corresponding major)
• Mathematics
  • Mathematics
  • Computer Science
  • Mathematics-Economics
• Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
• Medieval Studies Program
• Music
• Neuroscience and Behavior
• Philosophy
• Physical Education
  • (No corresponding major)
• Physics
• Psychology
• Religion
• Romance Languages and Literatures
  • French Studies
  • Italian Studies
  • Romance Studies
  • Spanish Literature
• Russian and East European Studies Program
• Russian Languages and Literatures
  • Russian
• Science in Society Program
• Sociology
• Theater
• Women's Studies Program

Wesleyan University - Certificate programs

Wesleyan's certificate programs are "designed to bring coherence to programs of study that include courses from many departments and programs." They are:

• Certificate in Environmental Studies
• Certificate in Informatics and Modeling
• Certificate in International Relations
• Certificate in Jewish and Israel Studies

Wesleyan University - Recent Activism

2004 has seen a resurgence in activism at Wesleyan, after several years of decline. In December, over 250 students took over South College, the building housing President Douglas Bennett's office, to protest the lack of student voices in administrative decision making. The building occupation was followed by a forum the next day, in which President Bennett promised to respond to student demands in January 2005. ^[1]

Another recent controversy as of December 2004 is the status of the campus radio station, WESU, founded in 1939 as the second college radio station in the United States (KUOA at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas was the first, in 1936). ^[2][3] Since 1988, WESU's format has been entirely free-form, with DJs having complete freedom to program what they will. The university is now considering some sort of affiliation with National Public Radio, which would require a drastic change in format. ^[4][5] As of October 2005, it appears that some sort of consensus has been reached on at least some aspects of this, with the appointment of Ben Michael as the station's general manager. Michael has volunteered at the station since 1998, and was widely perceived as the students' and station staff's "candidate" for the position.

Issues relating to sex, sexuality, and gender are very prominent on campus. A student organization on sexuality defines alternative sexuality very broadly: "Why do we now use LGBTTQQFAGIPBDSM... to describe our communities? LGBTTQQFAGIPBDSM is an acronym that many people use to be inclusive of sexually dissonant identities. It includes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Questioning, Flexual^[6], Asexual, Genderqueer, Intersex, Polyamourous, BDSM (bondage/ disciple, dominance/ submission, sadism/ masochism)...", with the ellipses indicating an indefinite continuation, and that the list is not comprehensive. ^[7]

Wesleyan University - Notable Alumni

Notable alumni of Wesleyan University include:

Wesleyan University - Academia

• Linda Brinen 1988 - Scientific and technical programs manager, Joint Center for Structural Genomics, Stanford University
• Gerald Holton 1941 - Professor emeritus, Harvard University, world's leading authority on life of Albert Einstein
• Shelly Kagan, Clark Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and the former Henry R. Luce Professor of Social Thought and Ethics.
• Juliet Schor, professor of sociology at Boston College. Works include The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure.
• Beverly Daniel Tatum 1975 - President, Spelman College; author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
• Robert Weisbuch 1968 - 11th President of Drew University; former President of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation

Wesleyan University - Art

• Meredith Bergmann 1976 - Sculptor of Women's Memorial (Boston).
• Lyle Ashton Harris 1988 - Photographer, exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art
• Alan Shestack 1960 - Chief curator, National Gallery of Art
• Mark Steinmetz 1982 - Photographer, recipient of Guggenheim Fellowship
• Philip Trager 1956 - Photographer whose books include Villas of Palladio, Dancers, Persephone, and Changing Paris: A Tour Along the Seine
• Sam Bunker Allison - Renowned photographer and inheritor of the ancient Chinese lineage of the Shaolin Temple

Wesleyan University - Business

• Joshua Boger 1973 - President and CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
• Majora Carter 1988 - Founder and executive director, Sustainable South Bronx
• Richard Cavanagh 1968 - President and CEO, The Conference Board of New York
• Alan Dachs 1970 - President, The Fremont Group (investment arm of Bechtel Corporation); chairman of Wesleyan's board of trustees
• Ronald Daniel 1952 - Former Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company.
• Charles Exley, Jr. 1951 - Former chairman and CEO, NCR Corporation
• Houghton Freeman 1943 - Former Vice Chairman, AIG; Founder of AIU.
• Charles James 1976 - Vice president and general counsel, ChevronTexaco Corp.
• Herb Kelleher 1953 - Founder, chairman, and former president and CEO, Southwest Airlines
• Matt Kelley 2001 - Founder, president and CEO, The Mavin Foundation
• Daphne Kwok 1984 - Executive director of the Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies
• Eliza Leighton 1995 - Cofounder, Stand for Children
• John Lipsky 1968 - Chief economist and managing director, JP Morgan Chase
• Robert Patricelli 1961 - President and CEO, Women's Health, USA
• Anthony Richter 1984 - director of Central Asia and Middle East Initiatives of the Open Society Institute
• Tom Rogers 1976 - Chairman and CEO, Primedia
• Jonathan I. Schwartz 1987 - President and COO, Sun Microsystems
• David Skaggs 1964 - Executive director, Aspen Institute and former member of Congress from Colorado
• Laura Walker 1979 - President and CEO, WNYC
• Jeff Weitzen 1978 - Former president and CEO, Gateway 2000
• John Woodhouse 1953 - Senior chairman, Sysco Corp.
• Walter Wriston 1941 - Retired chairman, Citicorp
• Strauss Zelnick 1979 - Founder and president, ZelnickMedia
• Ezra Zilkha 1947 - President, Zilkha and Sons
• Harold Bordwin 1982 - President, Keen Consultants LLC

Wesleyan University - Entertainment

• Miguel Arteta 1989 - Film director (Star Maps, Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl)
• John Perry Barlow 1969 - Lyricist for Grateful Dead, cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Michael Bay 1986 - Film director (The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor)
• William Christopher 1954 - Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy on M*A*S*H (TV series)
• Jennifer Crittenden 1992 - Writer and/or producer for Seinfeld, The Drew Carey Show, and Everybody Loves Raymond
• Ed Decter 1979 - Screenwriter: There's Something About Mary
• Dana Delany 1978 - Emmy Award-winning actress whose credits include the television shows China Beach and Presidio Med and the films Tombstone and Fly Away Home
• Akiva Goldsman 1983 - Screenwriter for The Client, A Time to Kill, and A Beautiful Mind (Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar)
• The Highwaymen (David Fisher 1962, Steve Trott '62, Chan Daniels '62 [dec.], Steve Butts '62, and Bob Burnett '62) -- folk group with #1 single ("Michael" 1961).
• Jay Hoggard 1976 - Renowned jazz musician, vibraphonist
• Dan Kapelovitz - Writer, director, producer, The Three Geniuses.
• Michael E. Knight 1980 - Actor, best known for his role as Tad Martin on All My Children
• David Kohan 1986 - Cocreator and executive producer of Will & Grace and Good Morning, Miami
• Laurence Mark 1971 - Producer of the films Jerry McGuire, As Good as It Gets, Finding Forrester
• Daisy von Scherler Mayer 1988 - Film director (Party Girl, Madeline, The Guru)
• Alix Olson 1997 - Performance artist and award-winning slam poet
• Paul Schiff 1981 - Producer of the films My Cousin Vinny and Rushmore
• Stephen Schiff 1972 - Screenwriter for Lolita, True Crime, and Unfaithful
• Stephen Trask 1989 - Composer and lyricist for the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• Jon Turteltaub 1985 - Film director (Cool Runnings, Phenomenon, While You Were Sleeping, National Treasure)
• Paul Weitz 1988 - Director (with brother Chris Weitz, American Pie, About a Boy)
• Joss Whedon 1987 - Creator, producer, director, and writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Serenity; screenwriter for Speed and Toy Story
• Bradley Whitford 1981 - Emmy-winning actor in television drama The West Wing
• David White 1970 - Executive director, producer, and founder of the Dance Theater Workshop
• Mike White 1992 - Screenwriter for Chuck and Buck, Orange County, and The Good Girl
• Dar Williams 1989 - Folksinger
• Christopher Wink 1983 - Founder of the Blue Man Group
• Frank Wood 1984 - Tony Award-winning actor (Side Man)

Wesleyan University - Law

• Russell Hardin 1964 - Attorney, Hardin, Beers, Hagstette & Davidson, and lead Houston attorney for Arthur Andersen's defense against lawsuits brought by Enron shareholders
• Hon. Terry Hatter 1954 - Federal judge, Los Angeles
• Hon. Anthony Scirica 1962 - Circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals, Third District (Philadelphia)
• Theodore Shaw 1976 - Associate director-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
• Hon. Stephen Trott 1962 - Federal Appellate Court judge, 9th Circuit
• Daniel H. Pollitt, Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina School of Law

Wesleyan University - Literature

• Amy Bloom 1975 - Author of Come to Me, Love Invents Us, and A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You
• Jennifer Finney Boylan 1980 - Author of The Planets, The Constellations, and the memoir She's Not There
• Robin Cook 1962 - Medical mystery writer whose books include Abduction, Chromosome 6, Coma, Shock, and many other bestsellers
• Ted Fiske 1959 - Educational writer, creator of The Fiske Guide to Colleges
• William H. Gass
• Daniel Handler 1992 - Author (under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket) of A Series of Unfortunate Events children's book series
• Sebastian Junger 1984 - Author of The Perfect Storm and Fire
• Robert Ludlum 1951 - The late writer whose books include The Bourne Identity, The Matarese Circle, and many others
• C. Richard (Rick) Nicita 1967 - Cochairman, Creative Artists Agency
• Charles Olson 1932 - modernist poet
• Dr. Michael Palmer 1964 - Medical mystery writer whose books include Side Effects, Flashback, Extreme Measures, and Natural Causes
• Mary Roach - author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
• Sara Shandler 2002 - Author of Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls Write About Their Search for Self

Wesleyan University - Medicine

• Dr. Herbert Benson 1957 - Founding president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute; author of The Relaxation Response
• Dr. Laman Gray, Jr. 1963 - Artificial heart surgeon
• Dr. Jay Levy 1960 - AIDS researcher and educator; professor, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
• Emelie Marcus 1982 - Editor of the scientific journal Cell.

Wesleyan University - News

• Eric Asimov 1979 - Restaurant columnist and editor, The New York Times; nephew of Isaac Asimov
• William Blakemore 1965 - Correspondent, ABC News
• Ethan Bronner 1976 - Assistant editorial page editor, The New York Times
• Dominique Browning 1977 - Editor-in-chief, House & Garden Magazine
• Jane Eisner 1977 - Columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Alberto Ibargüen 1966 - Publisher, The Miami Herald, Chair of PBS Board of Directors
• Brooks Kraft 1987 - Nationally recognized photojournalist whose pictures of the White House and President Bush have appeared in Time Magazine.
• Alex Kotlowitz 1977 - Journalist, activist, author of There Are No Children Here
• Caroline Little 1981 - COO of Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive
• Randall Pinkston 1972 - Emmy Award-winning television journalist
• C. Sumner (Chuck) Stone 1948 - Professor of journalism at University of North Carolina; former editor, Philadelphia Daily News
• Michael Yamashita 1971 - Photographer, National Geographic
• John Yang 1980 - Correspondent, ABC News

Wesleyan University - Politics

• Gerald Baliles 1963 - Former governor of Virginia
• John Hickenlooper 1974 - Mayor of Denver, Colorado.
• Robert E. Hunter 1962 - Former United States ambassador to NATO, now president of the Atlantic Treaty Organization

Wesleyan University - Science

• Kenneth G. Carpenter 1976, MA 1977, Project Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope Operations ^[8]

Wesleyan University - Sports

• Bill Belichick 1975 - Head coach, New England Patriots, winner of 2002, 2004, and 2005 Super Bowls
• Ambrose Burfoot 1968 - First collegian to win the Boston Marathon; executive editor, Runner's World Magazine
• Jeff Galloway 1967 - Celebrated runner and author of Galloway's Book on Running
• Eric Mangini 1994 - Defensive Coordinator, New England Patriots
• Bill Rodgers 1970 - Renowned runner, winner of four New York and four Boston marathons
• Jed Hoyer 1996 - Co-General Manager of the Boston Red Sox

Wesleyan University - Theater

Wesleyan is home to the first, and one of the most active, student-run college theater companies in the country. This company, Second Stage, produces at least one show almost every weekend during the school year, either in the fully-equipped Patricelli '92 Theater, alternate spaces around campus, such as dorm lounges and fraternities, or both. The '92 Theater became available for student run productions when the Center for the Arts opened in 1974, providing the Theater Department with what was then a state-of-the-art facility. Second Stage provides students with invaluable experience in running their own small theater company.

Wesleyan University - Astronomy

The Van Vleck Observatory, built in 1914, sits atop Foss Hill near the center of the Wesleyan campus. According to the department's web site, "The telescopes are used for research-based observing programs and sky watching events open to Wesleyan students and the general public." ^[9]

The university owns three telescopes. A 16-inch, and a 20-inch are both used for weekly public observing nights, open to the Wesleyan community and the general public. The third telescope, the 24-inch Perkins telescope, is used primarily for research, including for senior and graduate student thesis projects, as well as for departmental research programs. The Perkins scope is one of the largest telescopes in New England. Wesleyan also has a partnership with the WIYN .9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Students and faculty have the opportunity to spend time in Arizona doing research with the telescope.

Wesleyan University - Notes

1. ^  Students for Democratic Action On the December resistance, opinion piece in Wesleyan Argus. No date, apparently December 2004. Retrieved 26 Nov 2005.
2. ^  Fragments//WESU History on website of WESU-FM. Retrieved 26 Nov 2005.
3. ^  Adrian Peterson, Discovered At Last - The Oldest Radio Station In The World, originally aired over Adventist World Radio's "Wavescan" program. Retrieved 26 Nov 2005.
4. ^ November 23, 2004 WESU press release. Retrieved 26 Nov 2005.
5. ^  Students for Democratic Action, op. cit.
6. ^  http://bartik.brynmawr.edu/students/lfriedma/queer/definitions.html#flexual, accessed 1 Nov 2005
7. ^  http://www.wesleyan.edu/queer, accessed 31 Oct 2005.
8. ^  “Kenneth G. Carpenter.” NASA bio. Archived on Sep 30, 2004.
9. ^  Wesleyan University Astronomy Department, accessed 31 Oct 2005.

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