Wes in the News » David Pesci

Perkins ‘09 Awarded 2010 Rhodes Scholarship

David Pesci — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:41:12 +0000

Russell Perkins ‘09 was awarded a 2010 Rhodes Scholarship. Perkins, from Evanston, Ill., graduated with high honors from Wesleyan University in May. He majored in the College of Letters (COL) with a senior thesis titled “Violence in Adornian Aesthetics and the Art of Anselm Kiefer;” his advisor was Khachig Tololyan, professor of English, professor of letters. Perkins co-founded Wesleyan’s Center for Prison Education which offers Wesleyan courses at Connecticut’s Cheshire Correctional Institution. In addition to offering education for selected inmates, the program provides research and volunteer opportunities for Wesleyan students and faculty. A classical pianist and avid cyclist, he taught a small discussion workshop in philosophy at the Cheshire prison as an undergraduate. Russell plans to do the B.Phil. in philosophy at Oxford University.

Roth on Breger’s ‘A Dream of Undying Fame’

David Pesci — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:13:31 +0000

Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth reviewed the new book by Louis Breger A Dream of Undying Fame: How Freud Betrayed His Mentor and Invented Psychoanalysis for The Los Angeles Times.

Sciola on Alumni Turning to Colleges for Networking

David Pesci — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:48:38 +0000

In The Hartford Courant, Michael Sciola, director of Wesleyan’s Career Resources Center, discussed the recent phenomenon of alumni reaching out to their alma mater for help in networking for job searches

Student-Created Prison Education Program Featured

David Pesci — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:46:58 +0000

A grant-funded prison education program created by two Wesleyan graduate students, Molly Birnbaum ‘09 and Russell Perkins ‘09, while they were undergraduates, was profiled in The New York Times. Administered in Connecticut’s Cheshire Correctional Facility, the program provides Wesleyan-level courses for selected members of the prison’s population. The inmate-participants must meet rigorous entrance requirements.

H1N1 Flu Update: 11-19

David Pesci — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:44:42 +0000

Wesleyan has been actively involved in monitoring all information and protocols provided by The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and State of Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), and the City of Middletown, and we have been implementing the prescribed measures aimed at precaution and treatment with regards to the Wesleyan Community. The latest information from Wesleyan’s Health Services Department is available here.

Updates and new announcements will be linked in this space as they become available.

Swinehart on Friend’s “Cheerful Money”

David Pesci — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:44:34 +0000

Kirk Swinehart, assistant professor of history, reviews the new book by New Yorker staff writer Tad Friend titled, Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor. Writing for The Chicago Tribune, Swinehart says Friend” has written the memoir of the season–and one for all time. ‘Cheerful Money’ doubles as a bittersweet family portrait and deceptively subtle ethnography.”

Yohe: Indicators Worsening for Warming

David Pesci — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:34:06 +0000

In an article in Science, Gary Yohe, the Sysco/Woodhouse Professor of Economics, discusses how the risk factors for global warming and adverse climate change have increased significantly in recent years. The story cites a recent paper for The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) which Yohe co-authored.

Benjamin ’93 on Searching for “Whitopia”

David Pesci — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:41:04 +0000

Rich Benjamin ’93 talks about his new book, Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America, in Time. Benjamin discusses how “Whitopias” in America threaten to create a form of racial Balkanization within the country.

Roth: “Remember the Maine Elections”

David Pesci — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:36:11 +0000

In a recent piece for The Huffington Post, Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth shares a heartfelt story about the vote on Maine’s gay marriage initiative.

Yohe: Costs of Climate Change Efforts

David Pesci — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:16:17 +0000

Gary Yohe, Woodhouse/Sysco Professor of Economics, is quoted in a New York Times piece on Obama Administration’s assessment of costs versus benefits of climate change action – or inaction. Yohe is also quoted in a USA Today story saying that most economists recognize that humans are to blame for global warming and that inherent risks increase if it is not addressed.