March 2013
Julie Norem: The Power of Negative Thinking
Is this glass as half-full or half-empty? If you want better outcomes, maybe you should consider it half empty. Julie K. Norem, Margaret Hamm Professor of Psychology, recently spoke with the Boston Globe and Canada's Globe and Mail about the power of negative thinking.
Andrew Shennan: Can MOOCs Work with Liberal Arts?
Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, are a hot topic in higher education today. In a piece for the New England Journal of Higher Education, Provost and Dean of Wellesley College Andrew Shennan looks at how MOOCs can work with a liberal arts curriculum.
Wellesley College Reports Most Selective Admission Rate in More Than 30 Years
Wellesley College received a record number of applications for the Class of 2017. The College received 4,794 applications and admitted just 28 percent, an impressive group of women from 46 states and 40 nations.
Hayley Goydan ’14 Caps Wellesley Diving Season with Strong NCAA Performance
The junior's All-America honors round out a fantastic season for Wellesley Swimming & Diving, and is accompanied by solid performance in all the Blue varsity winter sports.
Whitin Observatory to Host Public Event on Friday
The Whitin Observatory at Wellesley College opens its doors to the public, inviting stargazers to hear student presentations, tour the historic building, and observe the skies with its 6-inch and 12-inch telescopes, weather permitting.
Walter Mosley and China Miéville Speak at Wellesley March 26
The Distinguished Writers Series at the Susan and Donald Newhouse Center for the Humanities presents authors in dialogue with the audience. Mosley and Miéville both work in a multitude of genres.
Wellesley Wednesday: Climbing Poetree
Spoken word and multimedia duo Climbing Poetree visits Wellesley for a performance and workshop addressing "Art as Activism" on Wednesday, March 27.
Wellesley Senior Presents at Middle Eastern Studies Conference in Qatar
Mary Kenefake ’13 is in Doha this week, presenting her paper, “The Socioeconomic Transformation of Iran: Reform and Revolution 1973–1985.”
Wellesley Researchers Investigate eBook Use
Drawing from a survey conducted at Wellesley in 2012 and past use data, a new whitepaper by Wellesley College researchers investigates what drives the use and acceptance of ebooks, and factors behind the rate of adoption of ebooks at undergraduate institutions.
Wellesley Women Help Further Goals of WPSP
The Women in Public Service Project brings Wellesley students and alums together with global women leaders. Shradha Basnyat ’13 (center) spoke on a panel with Director of WPSP Rangita de Silva de Alwis and Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara D. Sonenshine.
Wellesley Professor of Religion Sharon Elkins on Pope Francis
Last week, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was chosen as the new leader of the Catholic Church, becoming Pope Francis. Wellesley's Sharon Elkins reflects on issues he might address as pope.
Wellesley Student Wins Prestigious MIT Music Award
Audrey Wozniak ’14 has won the MIT Concerto Competition as a solo violinist. She will perform Mozart's Adagio and Rondo for Violin and Orchestra, and serve as concertmaster for Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in a March 15 concert.
Author Walter Mosley at Wellesley on March 26
Best-selling authors Walter Mosley and China Miéville will read at Wellesley College on March 26 as part of the Newhouse Center's Distinguished Writers Series. Mosley, who is most widely recognized for his crime fiction, was recently interviewed for the Boston Globe Biblophiles column.
Wellesley's Jim Wice on The Boston Brakers Power Soccer Club
Jim Wice, Director of Disability Services for Wellesley College, is a member of the Boston Breakers, a recently formed power soccer club. He spoke with Boston.com about the sport and what the team needs to take the game to the next level.
Press Talks to Wellesley's Nina Tumarkin on Hugo Chavez Death
Professor of History Nina Tumarkin has lent her expertise to the analysis of Venezuela's next steps in the wake of its president's death—including what will be done with his body.
Closing of Piracy Website Increased Legal Movie Sales, Study Shows
A study coauthored by Wellesley economist Brett Danaher, is the first to examine the impact of shutting down a major piracy website. Danaher’s findings have gained international media attention, from the Wall Street Journal to El Mundo.
Ida Liu ’98 Rings Closing Bell on NYSE
Liu, a managing director at Citi Private Bank, was among top women execs from Citi who rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on March 7 to commemorate International Women’s Day.
Fulbright Scholar, Singer, Mary McPartlan Visits Wellesley College
The renowned Irish performer will present an illustrated lecture on March 11 about Ireland's influential female singers from the 1950s and beyond; McPartlan will perform selected songs.
Protesting America: New Book Explores Breakdown in US-South Korea Alliance
Protesting America: Democracy and the U.S. Korea Alliance, a new book by Professor Katharine H.S. Moon, offers insights on policy changes to improve the alliance between the United States and Korea, and a comparative analysis of U.S. relations with other host countries.
Wellesley College Hosts Global Science Fiction Conference
The Susan and Donald Newhouse Center for the Humanities at Wellesley College will host a Global Science Fiction Conference on March 8 and 9 designed to bring the community and scholars together to explore the genre of science fiction as it is presented in various national and cultural traditions.
Wellesley Alum’s Book Wins AAAS Award
The American Association for the Advancement of Science named Ocean Sunlight, by Molly Bang ’65, the Best Children’s Science Picture Book of 2012.
Science Fiction Conference Explores International Themes
Wellesley College hosts a Global Science Fiction Conference March 8-9. Friday opens with keynote speaker Andrea Hairston and musician Pan Morigan and a screening of the film Cloud Atlas. Panels on Saturday discuss the genre across various national and cultural traditions.
140 Years Ago Today: Wellesley College Takes Its Name
Dispensing with its original title of Female Seminary, in 1873 Wellesley embraced the broader pursuit of a liberal education equivalent to that available to men.
David Olsen Creates Mural in Newhouse Center
Explosions in the Sky was created over the course of two weeks in the main corridor of the Susan and Donald Newhouse Center for the Humanities, where Olsen is a Wellesley Faculty Fellow for 2012-13.
Wellesley to Offer Asian American Studies Minor
A minor in Asian American Studies will allow all Wellesley College students the opportunity to study an area of increasing international importance. Courses for credit toward the minor begin Fall 2013.
David Ferry talks to PBS on Writing Verse, Reading Poems, Winning Awards at 88
David Ferry, the Sophie Chantal Hart Professor Emeritus of English and recent recipient of the prestigious National Book Award for Poetry for his collection Bewilderment, spoke to PBS about his award, his poetry and his own "deep connections to the past."
Women's Review of Books Reaches 30th Anniversary
On the first day of Women’s History Month, we congratulate Women's Review of Books on its 30th anniversary. The Wellesley Centers for Women publication has reviewed more than 4,200 books by and about women since 1983.
24-Hour Shakespeare Returns to Wellesley
The Wellesley College Shakespeare Society, joined by the community, will read (continuously) the complete works of William Shakespeare from Friday, March 1, at noon to Saturday at noon. Come to the Shakespeare Society House (near the Davis Museum) and read an entire play or two lines of a sonnet to help out. Free and open to the public.