On May 26, Commencement for the Class of 2006 fell on the exact day of Wesleyan’s 175th anniversary. With Commencement, the University began the celebration of its terquasquicentennial, a yearlong highlight of Wesleyan’s history and major achievements.
“Our initial goals were not to celebrate the 175th for the sake of celebration, but to use the anniversary to look back on Wesleyan’s accomplishments and also to look forward,” said Assistant Vice President for Alumni and Parent Relations Gemma Ebstein.
Ebstein, who has worked in University Relations for the past 15 years, was appointed chair of the 175th Anniversary Committee by President Douglas Bennet. The committee is comprised of 36 members, including university faculty, alumni, parents, and current students.
“We wanted to have a full representation of the Wesleyan community in the committee,” Ebstein said.
Members include Director of Kidcity Children’s Museum Jennifer Alexander ’88, Director of Development Communications Mark Bailey, Consultant to Board of Trustees Midge Bennet, University Archivist and Head of Special Collections Suzy Taraba ’77, and Honorary Chair Mrs. Victor (Kay) Butterfield.
“People are very engaged in coming up with ideas on how we can celebrate and showcase Wesleyan this year,” Ebstein said.
The celebration is rooted in an initiative called Voices of Liberal Learning, an umbrella program aimed to unify the various events within the anniversary celebration. It will consist of a yearlong series of educational programs in the arts and sciences, many of which were scheduled independently of the Anniversary Committee and are sponsored by other academic departments and programs. Plans include lectures, WESeminars, panel discussions, and debates both on and off campus.
“We’re raising the bar,” Epstein said, referring to the committee’s efforts to bring high-profile educators and leaders to Voices of Liberal Learning.
The series was launched on Wednesday, Sept. 5 with Manning Marble, professor of History and Political Science at Columbia University, whose lecture was entitled, “Diversity and Democracy in American Education: Making Multiculturalism Work.”
Upcoming programs include traditional Korean music and storytelling, a three-day discussion with the Bill T. Jones dance company, and the Molecular Biophysics and Biological Chemistry Program Retreat.
The Anniversary Committee has also launched a website that showcases the history of the University and its present accomplishments, allows students and alumni to post their memories of Wesleyan, and gives visitors the chance to name a sandwich at the Neon Deli.
The website also features journal entries from John Driscoll, class of ’62 and Alumni Director for the past 25 years.
“I’m juxtaposing the time I remember I was here and today,” Driscoll said. “If students get a chance to look at the history of the university from now and then, they’re interested.”
Driscoll acts as a liaison between the Anniversary Committee and Wesleyan alumni, whom he regards as an essential component of the anniversary celebration.
“Alumni are a natural audience and participants in the celebration of an anniversary like this,” Driscoll said. “They’re part of the living memory of the place and, with the [financial aid] they give year after year, part of its support as well.”
The Anniversary Committee also hopes to tie fundraising into the year’s events. In January, Wesleyan is hosting a stand-up comedy show in New York City featuring Bill Cosby, father of Erica Cosby ’87. All proceeds from the show will go toward scholarships and financial aid for Wesleyan students.
“She’s a total supporter of financial aid and need-blind admission,” Ebstein said of Cosby.
The Alumni Committee is currently working on programs for the spring, including a Sports Hall of Fame, alumni receptions throughout the country that will feature the Wesleyan Timeline now on display in the Zelnick Pavilion, and events in the greater Middletown area.
“We’re looking to visually and programmatically involve Middletown,” Ebstein said.
The culmination of the anniversary will take place during Commencement in May 2007, which will mark another milestone for the University.
“This is the intersection of our history and of Doug and Midge Bennet’s leaving,” Driscoll said.
University faculty, students, and alumni anticipate a memorable commemoration of the institution’s legacy.
“Not every university survives as Wesleyan has,” Ebstein said. “Not every university thrives as Wesleyan has.”
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