Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded by Methodist leaders and residents of Middletown, the now secular university was the first institution to be named after John Wesley, the Protestant theologian who was the founder of Methodism. There are about twenty other unrelated colleges and universities subsequently named after Wesley. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The date of establishment or date of founding of an institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... For the film of this title, see Private School (film). ... Coeducation is the integrated education of men and women. ... Liberal arts colleges in the United States are institutions of higher education in the United States which are primarily liberal arts colleges. ... A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution, with the stipulation that it be invested, and the principal remain intact. ... University President is the title of the highest ranking officer within a university, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as Chancellor or rector. ... Michael Roth is an American academic and university administrator. ... A faculty is a division within a university. ... In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelors degree. ... Degree ceremony at Cambridge. ... Nickname: Forest City Coordinates: NECTA Hartford Region Midstate Region Incorporated (town) 1651 Incorporated (city) 1784 Consolidated 1923 Government type Mayor-council Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano Area    - City 42. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[3] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[2] Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... The athletic nickname, or equivalently athletic moniker, of a university or college within the United States of America is the name officially adopted by that institution for at least the members of its athletic teams. ... Genera Periporphyrus Saltator Caryothraustes Parkerthraustes Rhodothraupis Cardinalis Pheucticus Cyanocompsa Guiraca Passerina Spiza The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... A private university is a university that is run without the control of any government entity. ... Liberal arts colleges in the United States are institutions of higher education in the United States which are primarily liberal arts colleges. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: Forest City Coordinates: NECTA Hartford Region Midstate Region Incorporated (town) 1651 Incorporated (city) 1784 Consolidated 1923 Government type Mayor-council Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano Area    - City 42. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[3] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[2] Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... For other persons named John Wesley, see John Wesley (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Methodism (disambiguation). ...

Today, Wesleyan is one of the nation's most esteemed colleges and occupies a position in American higher education between the large research universities and the smaller liberal arts institutions. The University emphasizes instruction, but also supports and funds research in many academic disciplines. Wesleyan is one of the three small, academically elite New England liberal arts colleges that constitute the historic "Little Three" (the others are Amherst and Williams Colleges). This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... The Little Three is an unofficial athletic conference of three liberal arts colleges in New England. ... Amherst College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. It is the third oldest college in Massachusetts. ... Williams College is a private, liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. ...

History

Wesleyan was founded as an all-male Methodist college in 1831. Although sponsored by the Methodist conference, under the leadership of the first President Wilbur Fisk the college did not have a denominational requirement for admission and in addition to seminarian studies it had an innovative curriculum including electives and modern languages. Fisk also travelled to Europe during his presidency to purchase books and scientific equipment, including one of the first telescopes at a college or university. Wesleyan remained a leader in educational progress throughout its history, and erected the first building dedicated to the sciences on any American college campus, Judd Hall. It also has always maintained a much larger library collection than a comparable institution its size. A men’s college is a college or university whose students are exclusively men. ... College (Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an educational institution. ... Wilbur Fisk (1792-1839) was an American Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition. ...

The campus predates the college. Several prominent citizens of Middletown sought to have a college on High Street, and by subscription raised the funds to build two buildings, today's South College, and the original North College, a Nassau Hall-type building. The first occupant of the buildings was Captain Alden Partridge's American Literary, Scientific, & Military Academy in 1825. That institution had a checkered career and became a center of controversy. In 1829, the military academy moved to Norwich, Vermont when the Connecticut legislature declined to charter it to grant college degrees, and it later became Norwich University. Afterward, the Methodist Church agreed to buy the vacant campus, then consisting of five buildings, North College, South College, a dormitory that extended across the current campus to High Street, Webb Hall and President's House, (now the Latin American Studies Center). Capt. ... Norwich University (NU) is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont. ... Norwich, Vermont Norwich is located in the state of Vermont, United States of America, along the Connecticut River opposite Hanover, New Hampshire. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Norwich University (NU) is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont. ...

In the 1840s, Wesleyan was already beginning to make a reputation for itself both for the abolitionist sentiments of its students, and with their ongoing association with the Transcendentalist movement. Both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Orestes Brownson were brought to the campus by the student literary societies, especially the Mystical 7. As national affairs moved closer to war, Wesleyan was put in a more awkward position than many other New England colleges; the Methodist Church was very strong in the South, and a significant number of students were from Southern states. These links were severed after 1861. Not every alumnus who served in the Civil War fought for the Union. This article is about the abolition of slavery. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early nineteenth century. ... Orestes Augustus Brownson (1803-1876) was a New England intellectual and activist, preacher and labor organizer. ...

In 1872, the University became one of the first U.S. colleges to experiment with coeducation by allowing a small number of female students to attend, a venture then known as the "Wesleyan Experiment". Because of the preponderance of female students preparing for college in that period, some of Wesleyan's alumni believed that opening the door to coeducation would eventually result in the student body becoming entirely female. Given that concern, Wesleyan ceased to admit women, and from 1912 to 1970 Wesleyan operated again as an all-male college. Wesleyan's decision to stop admitting women subsequently helped lead to the establishment of all-female Connecticut College in nearby New London, founded by Wesleyan alumnae in 1911. Coeducation is the integrated education of males and females at the same school facilities. ... In higher education, particularly in the United States, a womens college is a college (that is, a primarily undergraduate, bachelors degree-granting institution) whose students are exclusively women. ... Connecticut College is a coeducational, highly selective private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut. ... Nickname: Motto: MARE LIBERUM Coordinates: , NECTA Norwich-New London Region Southeastern Connecticut Settled 1646 (Pequot Plantation) Named 1658 (New London) Incorporated (city) 1784 Government  - Type Council-manager  - City council Margaret Mary Curtin, Mayor Kevin J. Cavanagh, Dep. ...

In the days before the invention of the forward pass, Wesleyan was a leader in the development of football as a college sport. For a little more than a decade, Wesleyan fielded teams that played against Yale, Michigan and Harvard. However these much larger schools eventually were able to far outstrip Wesleyan, and one game, where Wesleyan lost 133 to 0 to Yale, (still a record loss in the Northeast), proved that Wesleyan could no longer compete at that level. United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... YALE (Yet Another Learning Environment) is an environment for machine learning experiments and data mining. ... The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U of M, UM or simply Michigan) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Michigan. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ...

As detailed by David Potts in his history of Wesleyan, the last decades of the nineteenth century were crucial for Wesleyan. Wesleyan developed the patronage of several prominent families in New York City, (Harriman, Andrus, and to a lesser extent, Vanderbilt), and the institutional ties to those groups markedly increased, while that of the Methodist Church decreased. At the same time, Wesleyan went from being a colorful but minor sectarian educational center to being a well-connected New England college.

Two of the leading faculty members of the period were William North Rice and Caleb T. Winchester. Rice was hired after his graduation in 1865 as the university librarian, and later became a Professor of Mathematics and Geology. In his 51 years on the faculty, he also taught every other subject as needed on an interim basis. His greatest professional success was in his contributions toward completing the first geological survey of Connecticut. He was also named an acting President of the university between two administrations. Some of his carefully hand-written library cards were still in use in the library card catalog until it was retired in the 1990s. Caleb T. Winchester was a Professor of English Literature who began his 50 year career at Wesleyan a year after Rice's. His senior year seminar on 'The English Essayists' won him national attention, and Sir Walter A. Raleigh remarked after his tour of America that Winchester was the only educated American he had met. Caleb Thomas Winchester Caleb Thomas Winchester (1847-1920) was an American English scholar, born at Montville, Conn. ... Caleb Thomas Winchester Caleb Thomas Winchester (1847-1920) was an American English scholar, born at Montville, Conn. ...

Wilbur Olin Atwater, a professor of Chemistry and director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, conducted pioneering tests in human metabolism in the new campus laboratory, the John Bell Scott Memorial, and his work shows the heightened presence of the sciences at Wesleyan in this period compared to some of its peer institutions. Wilbur O. Atwater Wilbur Olin Atwater (May 3, 1844, Johnsburg, New York — September 22, 1907, Middletown, Connecticut) was an American chemist known for his studies of human nutrition and metabolism. ...

There was a minor building boom on campus in the years just after the turn of the century, which included Fayerweather Gymnasium, (1898), Fisk Hall, (1903), the John Bell Scott Memorial, (1906?), Eclectic, (1907), Alpha Delta Phi, (1912?)and Clark Hall (1916). Later, starting in the mid 1920s, the Johnstone Quadrangle was created, including Clark, Olin Memorial Library, Harriman Hall, Shanklin Hall, and the Hall Laboratories. The completion of these two episodes of building finished the core of the campus and gave Wesleyan the basic layout of the campus through to today.

From the 1890s until WWII, Wesleyan men were probably most famous for their singing. There were many singing groups and a full men's chorus. There were various tours of singing groups through the early days of radio and especially in the 1920s. At that time, Wesleyan was best known as "The Singing University." Perhaps a culmination of this was a live radio performance at the White House in Washington, D.C.

Wesleyan severed its final ties with the Methodist Church in 1937, a final formal recognition of many decades of practice. The administration ceased to define the curriculum as Christian in the 1960s, and also eliminated compulsory chapel at the same time. Today, many regard Wesleyan as a haven for counter-culture intellectuals, social progressives, and political activists.

During WWII, the Wesleyan student body dropped so much in number that the school was in danger of having to close. The school was made a Navy V-12 officer training location, which allowed the campus to remain open. The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943 and June 30, 1946, over 125,000 men were enrolled in the V-12 program in 131 colleges and universities in...

In the mid 1950s, Wesleyan, under the presidency of Victor Lloyd Butterfield, began an ambitious program to reorganize itself into several residential colleges. Three buildings were built as one complex west of the campus, and three more as a complex to the south of the campus. The programs were never fully developed, but the buildings of the residential colleges still serve as the Foss Hill and Butterfield dormitories. Two colleges still remain as academic programs: the College of Letters (COL) and the College of Social Studies(CSS); however they are not colleges and do not have residential facilities or resident scholars. Nevertheless, both are considered exceptionally intensive study programs and are considered excellent preparation for later graduate work.

The student body became prominent in the political and counter-culture movement of the 60s and 70s. In the tumultuous spring of 1970, which saw the Bobby Seale murder case in nearby New Haven, Connecticut and the killings at Kent State, Wesleyan undergraduates played a central role in organizing a nationwide boycott of classes. The college was closed down early for the summer as many students canvassed the community to protest racism and the Vietnam War, but not before the Grateful Dead played a free open-air concert in the middle of Andrus Field (on May 3, 1970.) By 1972, Timothy Leary was quoted as saying about Wesleyan that "the best acid in the world comes from there".^{[citation needed]} Bobby Seale Bobby Seale (born October 22, 1936) is an American civil rights activist, who along with Dr. Huey P. Newton co-founded the Black Panther Party For Self Defense in 1966. ... New Haven redirects here. ... John Filos iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of Mary Ann Vecchio, a fourteen-year-old runaway, kneeling over the dead body of Jeffrey Miller after he was shot by the National Guard. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... This article is about the band. ... For the American baseball player, see Tim Leary (baseball player). ...

Wesleyan was one of the first , if not the first, highly selective school to recruit actively black students, and in the class entering in 1965 had a large percentage of black students. In ensuing years, much press attention was directed to race relations at Wesleyan, leading to a much publicized 1968 article in the New York Times Magazine entitled "Two Nations at Wesleyan" which used a photo of a round table at which 8 black students were seated to argue that blacks and whites did not eat together or interact otherwise. Students responded that the article ignored the photo of an adjacent table at which four black and four white students were seated. The school's leadership in minority recruiting has often been noticed.

Wesleyan's University Press was an important asset to the school, and for several decades the Press' subsidiary, American Educational Publications, produced a series called My Weekly Reader which was a subscription service to elementary schools used across the country. It was sold in 1965 to Xerox for 400,000 shares of Xerox stock worth $56 million. This marked Wesleyan's entry into the stock market, and in 1966, Edwin Deacon Etherington, former president of the American Stock Exchange, was named president of the college. Wesleyan since that time has been investing its endowment, with various degrees of success. Although Wesleyan's endowment more than doubled from 1995 to 2005, as of third quarter 2007 it stands at approximately $725,000,000, which is still well below that of its historically closest peer institutions, Williams and Amherst. The University continues to maintain the name Wesleyan University Press, which issues occasional monographs and a range of poetry. Weekly Reader is a weekly educational classroom magazine designed for children in grades Pre-K-12. ... Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) (name pronounced ) is a global document management company, which manufactures and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies. ... The American Stock Exchange (AMEX) is an American stock exchange situated in New York. ... Williams can refer to: Williams College, a liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts Williams (surname), a surname Welsh in origin, 3rd most common in the United Kingdom WilliamsF1, a Formula One racing team The Williams Companies, an oil and gas pipeline company Williams International, a manufacturer of jet turbines Williams... Amherst is the name of several places, named for Jeffrey Amherst: Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador Middle Amherst Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador Upper Amherst Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador Amherst, New Hampshire Amherst, New York Amherst, Nova Scotia Amherst Head, Nova Scotia Amherst Point, Nova Scotia Amherst Shore, Nova...

Wesleyan's ten year plan, which started in 2000, included the expansion of undergraduate housing, the renovation of old classrooms and buildings, and a large commitment in investment in technology used for research and teaching. The Wesleyan Board of Trustees has also approved a $160 million project to build a new science building to replace Hall-Atwater Laboratory.

The University and some of its admissions deans were featured in Jacques Steinberg's 2002 book The Gatekeepers. The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College is a 2002 nonfiction book written by education reporter Jacques Steinberg that examines the inner workings of admissions committees at prestigious colleges and universities in the United States and addresses the changing face of American higher level education in the...

In late April of the 2007 spring semester, Michael Roth, former president of the California College of the Arts and a 1978 graduate of Wesleyan, was introduced as the University's 16th president. Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (formerly California College of Arts and Crafts) is a regionally accredited, independent school of art and design in Oakland and San Francisco, California, USA. It is one of the premier fine arts and design institutions in the United States. ...

Campus

The view from Foss Hill. From left to right: Judd Hall, Harriman Hall (often referred to as the Public Affairs Center), and Olin Memorial Library.

Clark Hall, a freshman dormitory built in 1916 and recently renovated, houses 128 first-year students and is conveniently situated next to the main library and near the center of campus.

Wesleyan occupies a 360-acre campus, with over 340 buildings including: the five building College Row; the Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, a National Historic Landmark; Alsop House; Olin Memorial Library; Harriman Hall (which houses the John E. Andrus Public Affairs center and the College of Social Studies); the Exley Science Center; Shanklin and Hall-Atwater Laboratories; the Van Vleck Observatory; the Foss Hill dormitories; the Butterfield dormitories; the Fauver Field dormitories; the Center for Film Studies; the Freeman Athletic Center, (which includes a 50-meter swimming pool, the Spurrier-Snyder Rink for skating, the 1,200-seat Silloway Gymnasium, the 7,500-square-foot Andersen Fitness Center, and the Rosenbaum Squash Center with eight courts); and 11-building Center for the Arts complex. The campus also has the William Street apartments, which never proved to be the asset to the community it was hoped. High Street, which is the old center of campus, was once described by Charles Dickens as "the handsomest street in America,"^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... // Address: 350 High Street, Middletown, Connecticut Style: Greek Revival Date of Construction: 1828 Materials: Stuccoed Brick walls and Brownstone Foundation Structural System: Load Bearing Masonry Walls with gable roof Architect: Ithiel Town Builder: Curtis & Hoadley (New Haven) Historic Use: Residence Current Use: Wesleyan University Facility This Greek Revival mansion faces... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Dickens redirects here. ...

The new Usdan University Center, opened in September 2007, has consolidated dining facilities for students and houses seminar meeting spaces, the Wesleyan Student Association, the post office, and retail space.

Further detail about Wesleyan's campus can be found at the interactive Virtual Wesleyan website.

Undergraduate programs

Wesleyan's 39 academic departments offer over 900 courses each semester. Undergraduates receive the Bachelor of Arts in one (or more) of 46 major concentrations. No minors are offered. Wesleyan is highly supportive of interdisciplinary programs; for example, one can pursue a custom-designed major, known as a University Major. Double majors are also popular. Most classes at Wesleyan are small; the average class size for both graduates and undergraduates is approximately 19 students. A B.A. issued from the University of Tennessee. ...

Several of Wesleyan's undergraduate programs are particularly well-known. For example, Wesleyan's program in World Music employs leading teaching musicians and ethnomusicologists, representing a variety of musical traditions. Javanese Gamelan, South Indian Classical, West African, African-American, and Experimental musics have been permanent components of the Music Department since the 1960s. A Masters degree in World Music and a PhD in ethnomusicology are offered. World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ... Gamelan - Indonesian Embassy in Canberra A gamelan is a kind of musical ensemble of Indonesia typically featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums, and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings, and vocalists may also be included. ... Ethnomusicology, formerly comparative musicology, is cultural musicology or the study of music in its cultural context. ...

Wesleyan is well regarded for its film studies department. The Cinema Archives, run by renowned film historian Jeanine Basinger, documents the film industry during the 20th Century. The archives contain the personal papers of Elia Kazan, Frank Capra, Ingrid Bergman, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, John Waters, Roberto Rossellini, Gene Tierney, Raoul Walsh, and others. Jeanine Basinger (born 1936) is Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies and Founder and Curator of the Cinema Archives at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut. ... Elia Kazan, (Greek: Ηλίας Καζάν, IPA: ), (September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was a Greek-American film and theatre director, film and theatrical producer, screenwriter, novelist and cofounder of the influential Actors Studio in New York in 1947. ... This article is about the film director. ...   (pronounced in Swedish, but usually in English, IPA notation) (August 29, 1915 – August 29, 1982) was a three-time Academy Award-winning and two-time Emmy Award-winning Swedish actress. ... This article is about the actor/producer/director. ... Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (IPA: AmE: ; Ita: []) (b. ... John Waters (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, personality, visual artist and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films. ... Roberto Rossellini (May 8, 1906 - June 3, 1977), was an Italian film director. ... Gene Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. ... Raoul Walsh as John Wilkes Booth in Birth of a Nation Raoul Walsh (March 11, 1887 – December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh. ...

The Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, home to the Philosophy department. The building was designated a national Historic Landmark in 2001 and is considered one of the finest examples of domestic Greek Revival architecture.

Wesleyan also has strong theatre programs. Wesleyan is home to Second Stage, the first student-run college theater company in the country. Second Stage produces at least one show per weekend during the school year, either in the fully equipped black-box Patricelli '92 Theater or alternate spaces around campus. The Patricelli '92 Theater became available for student run productions when the Center for the Arts opened in 1974, providing the Theater Department with a state-of-the-art facility. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Wesleyan is exceptionally strong in the sciences, and ranks first nationally among liberal arts colleges in National Science Foundation (NSF) funding. The University is also the number one ranked liberal arts institution in the total number of scientific publications produced by faculty members. Additionally, Wesleyan is the only liberal arts college in the country to receive research funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH). It was one of the first colleges to establish a separate Molecular Biology & Biochemistry department, and has extensive laboratory facilities. It is reputed to have the most square footage of lab space per student of any college in the country. The departments also support original post-graduate research programs. An additional lab building is also in the planning stages. The logo of the National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. ... The National Institutes of Health is an institution of the United States government which focuses on medical research. ...

Wesleyan offers an astronomy program comparable to those at much larger universities. 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."^[1] 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. Van Vleck Observatory (VVO, IAU code 298) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Wesleyan University. ... The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomical observatory located on a 2,096 m (6,880 ft) peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oodham Nation, 88 kilometres (55 miles) southwest of Tucson. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ...

Departments and majors

The following is a list of undergraduate departments and programs. Each department offers one or more major programs of study, except as noted:

John Bell Scott Memorial and old Eclectic Hall (1909 postcard)

• 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
• Classical Studies
  • Classics
  • Classical Civilization
• College of Letters
• College of Social Studies (see below) - (online site)
• Dance
• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• East Asian Studies Program
• Economics
  • Economics
  • Mathematics-Economics
• English
• Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Film Studies
• German Studies - (online site)
• Government
• History
• Latin American Studies Program
• Mathematics
  • Mathematics
  • Computer Science
• Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
• Medieval Studies Program
• Music
• Neuroscience and Behavior Program
• Philosophy
• Physical Education
  • (No corresponding major)
• Physics
• Psychology
• Religion
• Romance Languages and Literatures
  • French Studies
  • Italian Studies
  • Romance Studies
  • Spanish Literature
  • Iberian Studies (2006-2007 addition)
• Russian and East European Studies Program
• Russian Languages and Literatures
• Science in Society Program
• Sociology
• Theater

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Selected Interdisciplinary Programs

College of Social Studies: The College of Social Studies (CSS) was founded in 1959, combining the fields of history, economics, government, and philosophy. It emphasizes intellectual independence and collaborative and social ties between faculty and students. Students take 7 of the program's 12 (thesis-writing students take 13) required credits during their sophomore year. Sophomore year focuses on the development of modern Western society from historical, economic, social and political perspectives, and culminates with comprehensive final exams. Junior and Senior years have a more global focus.

College of Letters: The College of Letters (COL) combines the study of history, literature, philosophy, and a foreign language of the student's choice. The program has a primary focus on the Western canon. Undertaking a chronological study that progresses from antiquities to modernity, COL students take one colloquium together each semester and study abroad for the second semester of their sophomore year; they are expected to be at an intermediate level of study in their language of choice at the time they enter the program as sophomores. During their junior year students prepare for intensive comprehensive examinations on the three colloquia taken up to this point. During their senior year students must write a thesis (full year paper) or an essay (half year paper).

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
• Certificate in Molecular Biophysics

Athletics

Wesleyan is a member of the Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference(NESCAC), fields intercollegiate varsity teams in 17 sports, and competes against traditional Little Three rivals Amherst and Williams. Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. ... The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is an athletic conference consisting of highly selective liberal arts colleges located in New England and New York. ...

The football team takes on the Trinity College Bantams at Andrus Field in the final game of its 2006 season. Construction on the new Usdan University Center can be seen in the background.

The University's Freeman Athletic Center features the 60,000 sq. foot Bacon Fieldhouse, Spurrier-Snyder Rink, Rosenbaum Squash Center, a 1,200 seat gymnasium, a 7,500 sq. foot fitness center, and a beautiful pool. Football and baseball games are played on Andrus Field in the middle of campus, while tennis matches are held at the John Woods Memorial Courts.Wesleyan also recently dedicated Jackson Field, the site of soccer contests, and Smith Field, a newly constructed synthetic turf field and the site of lacrosse and field hockey games. The Wesleyan Crew team rows out of Macomber Boathouse on the nearby Connecticut River. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 276 pixel Image in higher resolution (1656 × 572 pixel, file size: 629 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) wes vs. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 276 pixel Image in higher resolution (1656 × 572 pixel, file size: 629 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) wes vs. ... Trinity College is a private liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. ...

Andrus Field is the oldest continuously used football field in the United States.^[2] Wesleyan recently celebrated the 125th anniversary of its first football game which was played against the Amherst Aggies (now Umass Aggies) on October 31, 1881. The center of the UMass Amherst campus. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

During the brief period when Woodrow Wilson was a Professor of Political Economy at Wesleyan, he was an ardent fan of the football team, and was an unofficial assistant coach. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856–February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ...

The University also has intramural leagues in a wide range of sports, and sponsors the annual Wesleyan Dorm Cup between the various dormitories and fraternities on campus.

Graduate programs

Wesleyan features 11 graduate departments. Graduates receive the Master of Arts, Master of Science, and/or Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Generally, Wesleyan's graduate programs retain a small college atmosphere similar to the undergraduate program. For example, departments feature small administrative staffs, close student-faculty interaction, and open laboratory facilities. Administrators limit graduate course enrollment to 18 students or less. A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic masters degree awarded by universities in North America and the United Kingdom (excluding the ancient universities of Scotland and Oxbridge. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ...

In 1953, Wesleyan pioneered the study of liberal arts at the graduate level, with the Graduate Liberal Studies Program.^[3] To date, hundreds of educational institutions have followed suit with similar programs, including many of the world's leading research universities. Wesleyan's Graduate Liberal Studies Program offers both the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (M.A.) and the Certificate of Advanced Studies (C.A.S.). The former requires 36 credit hours of study and culminates in capstone project or thesis. The latter requires 30 credit hours of additional study and a thesis. The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (sometimes MALS) Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) and Master of Liberal Studies (MLS) are postgraduate degrees. ...

The following is a list of graduate departments and programs. Some departments offer more than one program, as noted:

• Anthropology (5 year BA/MA program)
• Astronomy
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Earth Science
  • Environmental Science
• Liberal Studies Program
  • Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
  • Certificate of Advanced Studies
• Mathematics
• Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
• Music
  • Ethnomusicology
  • Composition
• Physics
• Psychology

Secret Societies and Fraternities

Secret societies on campus include two Mystical Sevens, Skull and Serpent and Theta Nu Epsilon. The Mystical Seven senior society building, a two story seven-sided structure, burned in 1997 when candles were left accidentally lit overnight in the building. The building was mysteriously razed in the Summer of 2007. The Skull and Serpent building, "The Tomb," is close to the Mystical Seven building on Wyllys Avenue and is still used for regular meetings. Founded at Wesleyan University as a chapter of Skull and Bones. ...

Wesleyan is home to several fraternities, including Psi Upsilon (1843), Alpha Delta Phi (1852), Delta Kappa Epsilon (1868), Beta Theta Pi (1890), and one former fraternity, Eclectic, (1970). Some of the older fraternities possess fine, very large houses adjacent to the campus while some of the newer ones do not own buildings. In the first half of the 20th century, when Wesleyan was a much smaller all-male college, up to 80% of the student body belonged to fraternities, and there were three times as many established fraternity chapters. Now the membership is about 12% of the student body. Psi Upsilon (ΨΥ, Psi U) is the fifth oldest college fraternity, founded at Union College in 1833. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Delta Kappa Epsilon (ΔΚΕ; also pronounced D-K-E or Deke) is the oldest secret college mens fraternity of New England origin. ... Beta Theta Pi (ΒΘΠ) is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. ... Eclectic Society is a coed college fraternity at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. ...

Black Greek life is prominent on the campus as six members of the Divine 9 reside on the campus. Wesleyan is included in the Nu Psi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi and the home for chapters of Phi Beta Sigma, and Alpha Phi Alpha, all of which are fraternities. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta sororities make up the female Greek presence of the National Pan-Hellenic Council on Wesleyan's campus. Kappa Alpha Psi (KAΨ) is the second-oldest collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership and the first black intercollegiate fraternity incorporated as a national body. ... Phi Beta Sigma (ΦΒΣ) Fraternity was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. ... Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. ... Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΆΚΆ) is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African-American college women. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Zeta Phi Beta (ΖΦΒ) Sorority, Inc. ...

Latino Greek life is also prominent, as the Sigma Chapter of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Frat., Inc., resides at Wesleyan. La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Incorporated was established on February 19, 1982 in order to address the shortcomings of academic institutions in meeting and addressing the needs of Latino students in higher education. ...

Student activism

Regarding need-blind admissions

Wesleyan employs a need-blind admission policy. Financial circumstances are not considered when deciding whether to admit, wait list, or turn down an applicant. In 1982, trustees announced that, following federal cuts to student aid, Wesleyan would begin to consider financial circumstances when admitting wait-listed students. Students protested the decision,^[4] and though trustees did not back down from their recommendations, Wesleyan raised enough money for financial aid to avoid putting the new policy into effect.^[5] In 1992, the administration again considered a moratorium on need-blind admissions. A student group, Students for Financially Accessible Education (SFAE), organized a series of actions, including rallies, a silent vigil encircling a trustee meeting, a sit-in in an administration building, and a camp-out on its lawn. Wesleyan's need-blind admissions policy was preserved and remains today. For several years, SFAE continued to raise awareness about financial accessibility, offering interest-free loans to students with financial emergencies, and raising money for financial aid through energy conservation campaigns. The group appears to be dormant at this time.^[6] Need-blind admission is a U.S. term denoting a college admission policy in which the admitting institution claims not to consider an applicants financial situation when deciding admission. ...

On November 1st, on the eve of his inauguration as Wesleyan's 16th president, Michael S. Roth announced that beginning with the class of 2012, all financial aid applicants whose family incomes was $40,000 or less would not have to take out loans. They would be given grants. For all other financial aid recipients, there would be a general reduction in loans by about 35 percent.

Recent activism

In 2001 students of the United Student Labor Action Coalition occupied the admissions building during the month of April to protest the University's use of sub-contracted janitors who were not being paid a living wage. As part of the nationwide Justice for Janitors campaign, USLAC demanded that the University amend its contract with the service contractor to provide for a living wage and to let the janitors form a union if so desired. As April is the peak of college admissions season for prospective students, USLAC had a considerable amount of leverage as the University found itself with a severe public relations problem. After about two days the University conceded to the student demands. Living wage refers to the minimum hourly wage necessary for a person to achieve a basic standard of living. ... Justice for Janitors is a movement of janitors uniting for the best working conditions. ...

Recent years have seen a resurgence in activism at Wesleyan. In December 2004, over 250 students occupied South College and trapped President Bennet in his office for several hours 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 Bennet promised to respond to student demands in January 2005.^[7] The motivations behind the occupation, in addition to its efficacy in transforming administrative policy, remain hotly contested among students today.

Another controversy in the same period was 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).^[8][9] Since 1988 , WESU's format had been entirely free-form, with DJs having complete freedom to program what they will. The university had, at that time, announced its intent to seek an affiliation with National Public Radio, and to drastically change the station's format.^[10][11] WESU is the second oldest college radio station in the United States. ... KUOA (1290 AM) is a radio station. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Siloam Springs is a city located in Benton County, Arkansas. ... Year 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... NPR redirects here. ...

A constant undercurrent of activism bubbles up from time to time in response to the Chalking Moratorium issued by President Bennet in 2003. Although this temporary moratorium was eventually replaced by a formal ending to all chalking on Wesleyan property, students have consistently chalked as a way of expressing dissent, of raising awareness on topics of sexuality, race, class, and gender, of bringing humor and fun into people's daily life, and of inviting students to parties and club events.

Notable alumni

• Notable Wesleyan University Alumni

This is a list of notable people affiliated with Wesleyan University. ...

Notes

1. ^ Wesleyan University Astronomy Department, accessed 31 October 2005.
2. ^ http://d3football.com/notables/2006/11/01
3. ^ Wesleyan University Graduate Liberal Studies Program
4. ^ New York Times, "Protest over Aid Ends at Wesleyan," 19 May 1982, B5.
5. ^ New York Times, "Ability to Pay Becomes Factor in Admissions," 6 May 1990, 51. [Note that the article cites Wesleyan as a school where need-blind admissions remained.]
6. ^ Peter Isbister, Need Blind in Need and Justin Tamplin, Recycling and Beyond. Both from Hermes, Sep. 1996, on university website. Retrieved 5 February 2006.
7. ^ Students for Democratic Action On the December resistance, opinion piece in Wesleyan Argus. No date, apparently December 2004. Retrieved 26 November 2005.
8. ^ Fragments//WESU History on website of WESU-FM. Retrieved 26 November 2005.
9. ^ Adrian Peterson, Discovered At Last — The Oldest Radio Station In The World, originally aired over Adventist World Radio's "Wavescan" program. Retrieved 26 November 2005.
10. ^ November 23, 2004 WESU press release. Retrieved 26 November 2005.
11. ^ Students for Democratic Action, op. cit.

External links

• Wesleyan University
• Virtual Wesleyan - An award-winning, interactive guide to Wesleyan University
• The Wesleyan Connection - Official newsletter of the University administration
• Wesleyan Student Assembly
• The Wesleyan Argus - Primary student newspaper
• Wesleyan's University Profile
• Wesleyan's History
• Articles on Wesleyan History by Students
• Wesleyan University Second Stage
• Wesleyan Cinema Archives Website
• WESU Middletown Radio Station
• WESU Magazine
• Wesleyan University Athletics
• Wesleyan University Press
• Google Earth Campus Map
• Wesleying - Student-run collaborative blog about undergraduate life at Wesleyan
• Mind Matters - Mind Matters - the student-run journal of psychology

• Wesleyan University is at coordinates 41°33′20″N 72°39′21″W / 41.555620, -72.655844Coordinates: 41°33′20″N 72°39′21″W / 41.555620, -72.655844