Comments on: Arrival Day

By: Ben Austin

Ben Austin — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:18:20 +0000

I agree with John Frisbie, With Michael Roth I feel that Wesleyan will be a better place for all.

By: John Maeda

John Maeda — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 03:30:05 +0000

I’ve been a supporter of Wesleyan in a variety of ways, and now with Michael Roth there I am an even more ecstatic supporter.

By: John Frisbie

John Frisbie — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 19:27:38 +0000

William Holder in the alumni relations office suggested I write you on this blog. When I returned to campus for reuinion 5 years ago, I was disappointed and disturbed to see that the Wesleyan book store had been moved off campus. Not only is it off campus but students have to walk through a very unsavory part of town to get there. If I were a parent trying to decide which university I should send my tuition checks to, believe me this book store thing would be a big turn-off. An institution of Wesleyan’s stature should have its book store on campus. Not only is it less than safe for students to walk there . . . it sends a terrible symbolic message. Books are the life blood of a university. To have the book store off campus makes it seem as though books are a parenthetical after-thought at Wesleyan. It is my hope, President Roth, that you work to find some way to bring the book store back on campus where it belongs.

John Frisbie ‘67

By: Mr. Stuart ( REX) Rosenstein

Mr. Stuart ( REX) Rosenstein — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:09:04 +0000

Over the coming months and years the students and faculty of this esteemed learning institution will come to realize what a truly exceptional choice was made in hiring Mr. Roth. I say this not out of envy but from personal experience. Assuming a little luck had played a small roll alongside all the hard work put in by the selection committee, the university should consider itself the luckiest organization in the free world. Congratulations Wesleyan!!!!!

By: Joseph Gindi '03

Joseph Gindi '03 — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:56:08 +0000

After the reign of Dougie B, where we could even understand the president when he was talking to us, I look forward to the clarity of the new regime. Thanks for blogging. I hope that this kind of communication continues.

By: Melissa Slattery

Melissa Slattery — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:01:06 +0000

I have read with surprise and interest about the arrival of Wesleyan’s new President, shortly after reading with sadness about my undergraduate school, California College of Art, losing it’s President. Michael Roth is the person I was reading about in both instances.
I am looking forward to attending the 100th anniversary of CCA in Oakland this October, and am delighted that President Roth’s vision and energy will continue to be part of my academic experience!
Best wishes for a long tenure as President of Wesleyan University!
Melissa Slattery, GLSP, ‘09, BFA, CCA(C), 81

By: Shirley Lawrence

Shirley Lawrence — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:11:12 +0000

Dear President Roth:

I was delighted to receive the Wesleyan Magazine “special issue” introducing you and your family. Yet, we have already met!

Indeed, I have been at Wesleyan University since 1975–I have known you as a student. And, I am thrilled to still be at Wesleyan University when you return as our 16th president!

I was the Administrative Assistant at the Center for the Humanities at the time you were a CFH Student Fellow. In that position I worked with CFH Directors: Richard Stamelman, Louis Mink, Khachig Tololyan (English Department), and Richard Vann (College of Letters). Hayden White was in residence as the Kenan Professor; Andy Szegedy-Maszak (Classics) as a Faculty Fellow.

In 1987–Twenty years ago–I transferred to the newly opened Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. The FEAS Center was initially modeled after the Center for the Humanities. However, given the focus of the FEAS Center, we shifted from Wesleyan faculty fellows in residence to hosting foreign scholars from China (Zhang Jie), Tibet (Tonga) and others who have inspired our FEAS Student Fellows.

Professor Vera Schwarcz is the “Founding Director” of the Center for East Asian Studies and she has returned this year–our 20th–as Director of the FEAS Center and Chair, East Asian Studies.

I look forward to saying hello to you next Tuesday morning when you come to the Center for a visit with Vera.

Again, welcome home. Shirley Lawrence

By: Phil Calhoun'62

Phil Calhoun'62 — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 20:24:36 +0000

I have just spent about an hour relishing each entry on Pesident Roth’s blog and in that short time memories of 14 years of study work and play at Wesleyan came roaring back. This is Wesleyan to me and we are all so luky to be or to have been a part of it.

The tradition continues. Long live the “Wesleyan Community”

By: Julie Kristian ’03

Julie Kristian ’03 — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 19:51:05 +0000

I’m a recent grad. It’s always grounding to hear the goals of liberal arts ed articulated well. I like the way your words cut to the chase, and your enthusiasm. Best wishes.

By: David M. Wu '91

David M. Wu '91 — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:14:32 +0000

This response is to Marty, the parent who posted above. I was rejected by housing options and special majors as an undergrad (a couple of decades ago). At the time, I felt that I wanted to be attending a school at which, after having been accepted, I could get what I wanted on demand, but in retrospect, I don’t think I was mis-served by being constantly assessed and judged. This same testing applied not just to housing options and class assignments, but also to my ideas and arguments. By being constantly challenged to defend my beliefs and ideas, my own understanding of my beliefs grew stronger, as did my ability to argue for and defend them. I don’t think these characteristics are separate from your criticisms. Wesleyan is not a place that coddles its students. As such, it’s not easy to float along happily there. But having been buffetted by a few harsh winds and plenty of criticism from both fellow students and professors’ assessments of work, students tend to graduate as stronger, more capable people. That said, I hope that your child is able to look back having both enjoyed her time at Wes as well as feeling that it made her better able to positively affect the world.