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Wesleyan University

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
45 Wyllys Ave
Middletown, Connecticut 06459
Phone
(860) 685-2000
Email address
admission@wesleyan.edu
School Information
"Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, is a diverse, energetic liberal arts community where critical thinking and practical idealism go hand in hand. "Our student body of approximately 3,000 undergraduate and 200 graduate students is housed on a beautiful 316-acre historic New England campus that offers the comfort of an intimate and collaborative learning environment supported by renowned faculty, cutting-edge facilities, and unique research opportunities. "With our distinctive scholar-teacher culture, creative programming, and commitment to interdisciplinary learning, Wesleyan challenges students to explore new ideas and change the world. Our graduates go on to lead and innovate in a wide variety of industries, including government, business, entertainment, and science." The school employs over 400 faculty and offers "bachelor of arts, master of arts, master of arts in liberal studies, master of arts in performance curation, master of philosophy in liberal arts, and doctoral degrees". (Source: https://www.wesleyan.edu/about/) (Source: https://www.wesleyan.edu/about/glanceatwes.html)
General Information
As part of the efforts by its Office for Equity and Inclusion, Wesleyan University has provided antiracism resources for its students. In Spring 2021, the university hosted an "Anti-Racist Reading Group" which read Allan G. Johnson's "Power, Privilege, and Difference". No mandatory Critical Race Training sessions are yet required of students. However, see developments below:

Actions Taken

Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • In response to the death of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, the Wesleyan University President shared a statement titled, “Build and Anti-Racist Community in Which Hatred and Intolerance Have No Place.” The Vice President for Equity and Inclusion released numerous readings and resources on anti-racism with a call for the campus to read together “How to Be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi and “White Fragility” by Robin Di’Angelo.
  • From January 31st through February 4th, 2022, the Office for Equity and Inclusion at Wesleyan University held the 2nd Annual Diversity Summit with the theme of Critical Race Theory: From Concept to Action featuring numerous talks and events on Critical Race Theory, Equity and Inclusion, and Inclusive Teaching Practices.
Program and Research Funding
  • As part of Wesleyan’s anti-racism efforts, the university received a $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the Embodying Anti-Racism Initiative (EAI) in the Center for the Arts.
  • Starting 2023, the school began hosting Equity and Inclusion Week.
  • It was announced in Winter 2023 that the library has “continued to support staff professional development and collaborations to bring impactful learning about DEI strategies back into the library to further enhance our initiatives, for example, through workshops, webinars, and discussion groups.”
Resources
  • In Spring 2021, the university hosted an "Anti-Racist Reading Group" which read Allan G. Johnson's "Power, Privilege, and Difference".
  • The Wesleyan Athletics Diversity , Equity, and Inclusion Committee works to “ensure that Wesleyan Athletics policies, practices, procedures, and systems at every level promote an equitable, inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment” by providing resources and discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion on a regular basis.
  • The university’s Office for Equity and Inclusion provides a numerous Anti-Racist Resources of books, podcasts, and readings from many authors including Ibram X. Kendi as well as resources for parents, educators, and white people, specifically.
  • The library committed to “interrogating, changing, and promoting our collections programming and practices to foster transparency and inclusion.”
  • As of Winter 2023, the library announced that it is “planning to incorporate equity action items directly into staff annual goals and the staff review process in the coming academic year.“
Symbolic Actions
  • Following the protests of 2020, the Wesleyan Library has formed numerous initiatives to fight systemic racism and promote social justice with changes in the library’s collections towards anti-racism works, changes to artwork on the walls of the library to highlight inclusivity, and efforts towards reducing bias in catalog records.
  • On December 13, 2023, Willette Burnham-Williams was named as the vice president of Equity and Inclusion.
Last updated July 17th, 2024
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