Weseminar: Natural History Collections in the Liberal Arts Education 9/29

Weseminar: Natural History Collections in the Liberal Arts Education
Saturday, September 29th | ESC058

In the Methodist tradition, Wesleyan sought to put natural sciences on an equal footing to the classics in its early days. In 1871, the Wesleyan Museum opened in Judd Hall, with large and varied collections organized as the curiosity cabinets typical of the times. With the rising importance of laboratory sciences, interest in the museum declined and it was closed in 1957. Specimens were donated, loaned, or stored in tunnels under Foss Hill. By the 1970s, during evaluation for a move to Exley, collections were found to be severely vandalized. Numerous remaining specimens were secured but not curated, and largely forgotten. In 2017, we started to bring specimens out of storage to curate for exhibition and use in object-based learning. Our first efforts placed a life-sized model of Glyptodon (giant extinct armadillo) in the lobby of Exley. We aim to make these historical collections a focus of integrated student investigation, combining biology, paleontology, history of science, archaeology and the arts in campus wide exhibits.

Presenters:
Ellen Thomas is the Smith Curator of Paleontology of the Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History, the Harold T Stearns Professor of Integrated Sciences, and Research Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Her research interests are focused on reconstructions of past oceanic environments and ecosystems.

Ann C. Burke is Professor and Chair of the Biology Department. Her research interests are in the development and evolution of vertebrates, and the developmental sources of morphological variation.

Apply to be an Admissions Tour Guide

Last year, the Office of Admission welcomed over 13,000 visitors to campus! Tour guides are often the first, and sometimes the only, interaction a family will have with a Wesleyan representative while here. Are you up for the challenge.

The Tour Guide position is an opportunity for students of all majors to support the recruitment efforts of the Office of Admission. We seek 15-20 new guides who are mature, dependable, energetic, articulate, positive, outgoing and eager to share their Wesleyan experience.

  • In addition to giving informed tours of Wesleyan University each week, you will be expected to:
  • Attend all 3 days of new Tour Guide training (Jan 21-23)
  • Act in a professional and respectful manner while in the office and on tour
  • Dress appropriately while on tour
  • Attend tour guide staff meetings once per month
  • Participate in Admission office events (Open House, WesFest etc…)

The position is open to students in the class of 2020, 2021 and 2022 who are in good academic standing. Compensation will be based on campus work study pay rates, although you do not need to be eligible for work study to apply.

IMPORTANT DATES:

  • Applications are due on Sunday, October 14 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
  • Anyone offered an interview will be contacted by October 30.
  • Interviews will be conducted the last two weeks of October and the first week of November.
  • Those offered a position will be contacted before the Thanksgiving break.
  • New guides will be required to return from winter break early for paid training (Jan. 21-23).

To apply, go to https://goo.gl/forms/EeEset9XXUMszG1B2.  The deadline is Sunday, October 14 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Careers for the Common Good: A Panel Discussion about Meaningful Work after Wesleyan

Careers for the Common Good: a panel discussion about meaningful work after Wesleyan
Monday, October 1
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Gordon Career Center

Panelists:

Ila Shah ’00, Managing Director at College of Social Innovation. She has worked in talent acquisition for non-profit organizations across the U.S. in areas such as education, healthcare, and philanthropy.

Wesleyan Major: Government

Kalia Lydgate ’07, National Coordinator at Dream Corps, a non-profit founded by Van Jones that is committed to social justice causes.
Wesleyan Major: University Major/Social Ecology

Leslie Gabel-Brett ’76, Consultant at Gabel-Brett Consulting, which offers strategy, planning and communications for the public and nonprofit sectors. She is also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life at Wesleyan.
Wesleyan Major: Psychology

Ron Brone, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of Residential Care at the Albert J. Solnit Center, Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility for adolescent girls. He also serves as adjunct faculty at Fairfield University and Middlesex Community College.

Moderator:

Anthony Price ’20, Founder, Be The Change Venture

Sponsored by the Gordon Career Center and the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship

Registration on Handshake is encouraged: https://wesleyan.joinhandshake.com/events/211718/share_preview

Change of Grading Mode Deadline Friday 9/28

For courses with a “Student Option” grading mode, the deadline to change the grading mode is Friday, 9/28 at 5:00p.m.

To review the grading modes for the courses in your schedule, login to WesPortal and click on “Class Schedule.”  The “Grade” column will indicate the current grading mode for the course.  For courses that are “Student Option,” a drop down menu is available through which the grading mode can be changed.

A paper form is no longer required to change grading mode.

Photos from Sweden and Denmark

Melisa Olgun, who is studying abroad in Denmark this semester, shares these photos from Scandanavia.

Taken at ARoS Museum in Aarhus, Denmark. Entitled “Your rainbow panorama,” the work is a permanent installment at the art museum.

Taken in Malmö, Sweden, with her host sister, Amalie.

Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark a famous harbor and tourist spot.

Student Input Needed for External Review of ITS

ITS is undergoing an external review.  We have hired an outside firm that specializes in working with higher ed institutions to help us:

  • Gain a fresh perspective on our use and management of technology
  • Identify opportunities to design future ITS services
  • Assess ITS service delivery mechanisms, practices, and development
  • Make best use of our ITS resources

Student input is important to this process and the consultants have setup two open forums for students:

Monday, Sep 17, 12:10-1:20 South College B2/B3  Pizza will be served
Tuesday, Sep 18, 3:00-3:45 South College B2/B3  Cookies will be served

Drop by either one to share your thoughts.  The consultants will be asking questions to get your feedback.

Accelerate: Prepare for Fall Recruiting

Accelerate: Prepare for Fall Recruiting
Friday, September 14th • 10am – 1pm
Lunch Provided

Accelerate is a job search boot camp for seniors and juniors planning on applying for positions via the Gordon Career Center’s Fall On-Campus Recruiting program. It is intended to provide you will real time guidance in order to prepare for interviews and evaluate offers of employment. Lunch will be served and will include Q&A with GCC staff. The workshop will be led by the Director of the Gordon Career Center, Sharon Belden Castonguay.

Register on Handshake: https://wesleyan.joinhandshake.com/events/186290/share_preview

For more information, please contact

Rachel M. Munafo
Associate Director of PR & Communications
Gordon Career Center • Wesleyan University
860.685.2180 • rmunafo@wesleyan.edu

New DANC Courses with Space Available

New Section of Introduction to Dance, DANC 111.03

Monday/Wednesday 2:50-4:20PM in Schonberg Dance Studio on Pine Street.
Taught by Professor Pedro Alejandro, palejandro@wesleyan.edu

If you are interested, contact Professor Alejandro and please attend on Wednesday at 2:50.

Jazz Technique, DANC 213

Tuesday/Thursday 6:40-8:10PM
Taught by Joya Powell jpowell01@wesleyan.edu

If you are interested, contact Professor Powell and please attend tomorrow – Tuesday at 6:40!

Seats Available in “Allegory and Devotion in Medieval and Renaissance Music”

MUSC 241
Professor Jane Alden
Music Studios 210
MW 2:50-4:10

Employing approaches as diverse as the music it celebrates, MUSC 241 investigates the theories and sounds of medieval and Renaissance musicians. It addresses a broad spectrum of issues, such as the status of musicians, the politics of religion, experimentation, and the construction of alternative identities. It balances overarching narratives with extensive profiles on some of history’s most creative musicians and their lasting influence.

It’s not too late to join! MUSC 241 usually fulfills a Hist/Culture requirement for the Music major, but I can adjust the assignments if you would rather it fulfill a Theory or even a MUSC 300 seminar requirement for the major. MUSC 241 can also accommodate students in other majors, looking for another Arts and Humanities credit at the 200 level.