$$ & mentorship in the humanities + social sciences: MMUF application now open!

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Sophomores and juniors! The MMUF application is now open! Due February 4!
 

MELLON MAYS UNDERGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The MMUF is designed to increase the presence of historically underrepresented perspectives and groups in institutions of higher education. MMUF achieves this by supporting students who are working toward applying to graduate school in a range of fields in the humanities and social sciences. The program provides summer and academic year funding, mentorship, and a community of students all exploring the possibility of earning a Ph.D.

To learn more…

  • Check out the slides from our October info session (link)
  • Read more details on the MMUF national website (link)
  • Connect with MMUF Faculty Coordinator, Prof. Tushar Irani (tirani@wesleyan.edu) 
  • Connect with MMUF Administrative Coordinator, Dean April Ruiz (aruiz01@wesleyan.edu)


Applications include:

  1. An application form (link below, this is where you’ll upload the statements described in #2 and #3, and respond to item #4)
  2. Please write a statement (no more than 1000 words) describing your academic and
    research interests. In this statement, please address the following:
    How have you selected your major, and which courses or academic activities have served as a foundation for your interests?
    Which topic(s) or question(s) might you want to pursue through a research project? And what early ideas do you have about how you might develop your research plan? (You do not need to have a fully formed research proposal!)
    Please also share something about your future goals for graduate study and an academic career.
  3. A central goal of the MMUF’s mission is to uplift perspectives, voices, experiences, and histories that have been underrepresented in academia. In a statement of no more than 500 words, please describe what this goal means to you personally or as an emerging scholar.
  4. As you can see in the program expectations (see link to info session slides here), Fellows are expected to spend a significant part of each summer engaged in an activity that supports their academic growth or the progress of their project. Activities might include attending a MMUF summer institute at another university (e.g., at UCLA or UChicago), taking coursework relevant to their field of study, or pursuing independent work.
    Fellows receive $4500 to support their costs for the summer, and Fellows with project/program costs higher than this are encouraged to explore the Wesleyan Summer Grants (link, deadline for proposals typically in February).
    Applicants do not need to confirm their plans at time of application, but they will be asked to confirm their commitment to spending the summer in this way and to share their early ideas about the sort of activity they might wish to pursue.
  5. One letter of recommendation from a faculty member who can speak to your academic work and interests, and your possible pathway to graduate school. (Additional letters are not required.)
  6. An interview. (Students will be invited to interview after the application deadline.)

A note about eligibility:
The MMUF program is a national program sponsored by The Mellon Foundation, and there are eligibility considerations around citizenship. International students who are studying in the USA on a visa are not eligible.
If you have questions about whether this limitation applies to you, or if you’d like information about scholarships and opportunities without this limitation, please email Dean April Ruiz (aruiz01@wesleyan.edu).
 

APPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DUE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH

  • The student application form can be found here: link 
  • The recommender form can be found here: link

Degree Audit Tools

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Spring 2024 course registration opens on 10/31. Now is a good time to jump into your degree audit tools to ensure you are on track to complete your major and undergraduate degree.

  • Major/Minor/Certificate Certification: this form displays your progression through a declared major. Though you won’t officially certify your major until the final semester of your senior year, you should use this form as soon as you declare to ensure you are on track to complete the major. More details about this form can be found here. 
  • Credit Analysis: this report monitors your progress towards completing graduation requirements. A handy guide about how to read the Credit Analysis Report can be found here. 
  • General Education Report: this report displays the courses you’ve completed to satisfy general education expectations. General education expectations vary by academic department; you can review academic department websites to confirm if general education expectations are required as part of your major. Completion of general education expectations is a requirement for those who wish to pursue University Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, honors in general, and honors in certain departments and for those who wish to pursue more than two majors, minors and/or certificates.

You can review any of these tools on your own, with your faculty advisor, with an Academic Peer Advisor, and/or by scheduling a meeting with me.

Goldwater Scholarship Info Session 

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The Barry Goldwater Scholarship grants scholarships to undergraduates who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering (the full list of disciplines is available at the bottom of the Goldwater Scholarship’s eligibility guidelines). Both sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply, though in most cases juniors are most competitive. All applicants must be actively engaged in research in addition to their coursework to be considered for this scholarship. The Goldwater Scholarship does have a monetary component ($7500 in the senior year those those who apply as a junior or $7500 in the junior year and again in the senior year for those that receive the award as a sophomore). But even more importantly, winning the Goldwater serves as a marker of early academic promise that can help students secure future fellowships, admission to graduate school, and other important forms of recognition and access that will be an asset to building a career in research. 

The Office of Fellowships will hold an info session and Q&A about the Goldwater Scholarship on Thursday October 26 in Fisk Hall Room 201 at 4:30pm. Join us there to learn more! Freshman, sophomores, and juniors are welcome. (Come listen, even if you might apply in a future year, rather than right now!). Those interested in applying this year should complete the pre-application (available on the Goldwater Scholarship website) by November 1, 2022 (or earlier!). Reach out to fellowships@wesleyan.edu with any questions.

Fellowships & Scholarships for Careers for the Public Good

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Join the Office of Fellowships to hear about fellowship opportunities for those interested in careers centered on advancing the public good. We’ll talk about the role fellowships can play in helping you achieve your goals, the support you have access to through the Office of Fellowships and upcoming deadlines to be aware of. 

During this session, we’ll have a virtual visit from Annika Freudenberger, who is a recipient of both the Truman Scholarship and Luce Scholarship. Annika is based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she is a communications and non-profit organizational development consultant. She moved to Cambodia in 2020 with a Luce Scholarship. During her Luce year, she was based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, at the Center for Khmer Studies where she led its urban research program. Before moving to Cambodia, Annika was Ruckelshaus Fellow at Meridian Institute in Washington, D.C., where she worked with governments, foundations, the private sector, and civil society on climate, environment, and food systems challenges. Annika received her B.A. in Urban Studies from Barnard College in 2018 (which explains her nerdiness about urban design, maps, and public transit). Annika grew up in Madagascar and Burlington, Vermont; she is a 2017 Truman Scholar representing Vermont.

Lunch will be served. Register ahead to help us with the head count for ordering lunch!

Contact fellowships@wesleyan.edu with any questions.

Fellowships Webinar Reminder – Wed 8/23

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Please don’t forget to sign up and attend for the Class of 2025 Fellowships Webinar tomorrow, Wed 8/23 at 5:00 pm EDT. Information below:

Join Dr. Kowsz from the Office of Fellowships to hear about fellowship opportunities for juniors at Wesleyan. We’ll talk about the role fellowships can play in helping you achieve your goals, deadlines to be aware of during the junior year, and postgraduate opportunities you can start exploring as a junior. We will discuss opportunities open to all disciplines, but those interested in STEM, public service, environmental studies, and education are especially encouraged to attend because of the junior-year deadlines that are relevant to these fields specifically. Open to all Wesleyan students graduating with the Class of 2025.

Registration Link here.

End of Summer Considerations

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Happy August, Class of 2025 – 

I hope you have enjoyed summer so far – in only a few weeks, classes will resume, and we will be back into the swing of the academic semester.  

In preparation for the start of the academic year, I want to remind you of a few resources:

  1. Reflection. If you haven’t had a chance to review the summer reflection I sent you, please be sure to check it out. You’ll benefit from this reflection prior to the start of your next semester. 
  1. Major Certification Form (on WesPortal). This form displays your progression through a declared credential. Though you won’t officially certify your major until the final semester of your senior year, you should use this form now to make sure you are on track to complete your major(s)/minors(s)/certificate(s). More details about this form can be found on the registrar’s website. 
  1. Credit Analysis (on WesPortal): This report allows you to monitor your progress towards meeting graduation requirements. Please review this guide to learn how to read the Credit Analysis Report.
  1. General Education Report (on WesPortal): This report displays the courses you’ve completed to satisfy general education expectations. General education expectations vary by academic department; you can review academic department websites to confirm if general education expectations are required as part of your major. Completion of general education expectations is a requirement for those who wish to pursue University Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, honors in general, and honors in certain departments and for those who wish to pursue more than two majors, minors and/or certificates.
  1. Fellowships. Attend this webinar offered by Dr. Kowsz from the Office of Fellowships to hear about fellowship opportunities for juniors at Wesleyan. 

If you have questions about any of this, please talk with your faculty advisor, schedule an appointment with an Academic Peer Advisor, or reach out to me. 

I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks (if not before). Until then, take care!

Dean Dunn 

Fellowships Info Session Class of 2025

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Wednesday, August 23 at 5-6pm on Zoom (Register here to receive the Zoom link)

Join Dr. Kowsz from the Office of Fellowships to hear about fellowship opportunities for juniors at Wesleyan. We’ll talk about the role fellowships can play in helping you achieve your goals, deadlines to be aware of during the junior year, and postgraduate opportunities you can start exploring as a junior. We will discuss opportunities open to all disciplines, but those interested in STEM, public service, environmental studies, and education are especially encouraged to attend because of the junior-year deadlines that are relevant to these fields specifically. Open to all Wesleyan students graduating with the Class of 2025.

Welcome from Your Class Dean!

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Dear Incoming Transfer Students in the Class of 2025, 

On behalf of our colleagues in the Office of Academic Advancement and Student Affairs, it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to Wesleyan University. I am delighted you have decided to attend Wesleyan and I look forward to you being a part of our community. 

As you may already know, the Office of Academic Advancement is staffed by professionals whose main role is supporting students throughout their time at Wesleyan. 

Students in the Class of 2025 (juniors) will work with Dean Dunn and students in the Class of 2026 (sophomores) will work with Dean Guerrero. I recognize that your class year might change depending on credit articulation; however, please know I work closely with Dean Guerrero, so do not worry. 

I understand much of what you might experience during this process based on my history of working with transfer students – I was even a transfer student myself! You are not a first-year college student; however, you are entering your first year at Wesleyan. 

While you may not feel you need as much foundational support as new incoming students need, you should still take advantage of upcoming orientation experiences designed to help you better understand how Wesleyan operates. These experiences will also help you get to know your new peers. By participating in these orientation opportunities, you will be more prepared for your entry this fall. 

I look forward to assisting you in your transition to Wesleyan. I will write to you periodically throughout the summer to provide highlights and updates as you prepare for a smooth and successful transition. These email outreaches will include information about course registration, arrival day, credit articulation, housing, campus resources and orientation. 

Activate your Wesleyan Email and WesPortal Accounts 

By now, you should have received an email with information about your WesID, username, and information on how to activate your Wesleyan email and WesPortal accounts. WesPortal is your gateway to Wesleyan and you will use it to monitor the new student checklist, preregister for courses, review your student account balance, and manage your personal profile. 

If you have not yet activated WesPortal, please do so as soon as possible. If you did not receive an email from Information Technology Services (ITS) with your login credentials, please contact Paul Turenne at pturenne@wesleyan.edu immediately. 

Best wishes for an enjoyable summer and again, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. 

Dean Dunn

Message from Res Life re: Fall Housing

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If you are not going to be on campus this fall due to a leave of absence or withdrawal from the university and have not yet notified your class dean, it is extremely important that you do so prior to July 1, 2023.  Notifications received between July 1 and July 31 will result in a $500 charge to your student account, and those received after July 31 will result in a $1000 charge to your student account. 

Please note if you are already approved to go on Study Abroad by the Study Abroad Office, you do not need to contact your class Dean. If you have questions, please reach out to your Class Dean or Fran Koerting, Associate Dean of Students (fkoerting@wesleyan.edu).