Amid the hubbub of returning alumni and parents over the weekend, a quieter but more important symbol of inter-generational connection opened its doors. The Wasch Center for Retired Faculty marks a brand-new stop toward connecting retired Wesleyan faculty with the students and younger professors who can still benefit from their experience.
Unlike offering housing to retired professors in the center of campus, which would inevitably create tensions between student woodframe residents and the professors, the offices in the Wasch Center bring the professors closer for one reason—academic study. As the professors continue their work in their fields without the pressure of teaching classes, they can also act as resources for faculty with less experience or students seeking thesis advisors or further advice in their departments. This is particularly important for departments overburdened with more majors than the faculty can accommodate.
The money to create the center came from an alumnus who has been involved with the University, along with his wife, for over 50 years. Amid the giant balloons and expensive dinners and excess of Homecoming weekend, the Wasch Center is an important reminder of what strong ties with alumni can yield.
Buildings like the Wasch Center are rare for university’s of Wesleyan’s size, so it is difficult to tell what this could bring the future. Bringing together faculty from different departments within the center could encourage more inter-departmental cooperation, for example. Or the fact that retired faculty choose to work in such close proximity to campus may encourage other faculty to continue their work with Wesleyan following retirement.
Now that the noise of construction is over it is time for us all to see what the potential of the Wasch Center truly is. Its very existence, however, is a testament to the power of cooperation between the Administration, faculty and alumni, and how that cooperation can turn what is simply a good idea into a real structure on Lawn Avenue.
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