Welcome Back, 2025

I hope you are excited to resume classes this week!

As a reminder, courses will be held virtually on Thursday 1/27 and Friday 1/28. In person classes will resume Monday 1/31.

A few items to consider as you return:

  1. Covid Protocols: Very clear covid protocols have been shared with the community through webinars and emails. If you have questions about the latest COVID protocols, including what you need to do to return to campus and what you need to do when you are back on campus, please visit the Keep Wes Safe website here.
  2. Campus Dining: Campus Dining issued a student email last week with information on dining hours from now through the spring semester. Please visit the Campus Dining website to learn more.
  3. Olin Library – the Olin Library will be closed on Friday 1/28 for maintenance. If you have physical reserves you need to access for Friday classes, be sure to visit the library before they close on Thursday, 1/27. Olin staff will assist the Wes community remotely on Friday 1/28. Visit the Olin website for contact information.
  4. College of Social Studies (CSS): CSS will hold a major info session on Tuesday 2/1 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. If you are interested in the CSS major, please be sure to attend the info session. You can find more info about this info session on my blog here.

I look forward to working with you this semester. If you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out and make an appt here: calendly.com/deankellydunn.

Finals Write-In on 12/12

This semester the Writing Workshop will host a Finals Write-In on Sunday, 12/12 from 4-9pm in Boger. We’ll have a loud working space in the Gordon Career Center and quiet working space in the COL library along with drop-in hours to meet with peer advisors, student ombudspersons, and writing tutors. For every hour spent at the write-in, students will earn a raffle ticket to win a prize! 

Green flyer with white font outlining information about Finals Write-In (information offered via text above flyer)

Summer Opportunities Panel – Wesleyan Women in Science

Join us this Friday December 3rd at 12:15pm for our Summer Opportunities Panel in the Gordon Career Center. Don’t miss out on the chance to hear your peers in STEM talk about their experiences doing a wide range of interesting things over the summer and learn how you can get involved!

Join us next Tuesday December 7th at 12pm for the next lunch in our student-faculty lunch series for a conversation with Psychology Professor Grace Sullivan

Approaching the End of Fall Semester

Hello Class of 2025 – 

If you can believe it, we are in the homestretch of the semester with only two more weeks of classes (ending 12/10) and then reading period (12/11 – 12/14) and finals (12/14 – 12/18). If you have questions about specific course finals, be sure to consult your professor and your course syllabus. The general Wesleyan academic calendar can be found here and the university final exam schedule can be found here

It is so important that you continue to work hard to push though these next few weeks. You’ve accomplished so much and you are so close to finishing this semester strong. Be sure to consider all the resources I’ve shared with you throughout the year. Those include but are not limited to:

If you are considering withdrawing from a course, please be sure to talk with your professor and your faculty advisor. As a reminder, the course withdrawal deadline is this Friday 12/3/21. The withdrawal form can be found here

Questions? Concerns? Simply want to chat? Feel free to reach out. Stop by my office hours (listed below) or schedule an individual appointment with me here.

You got this, Class of 2025; I’m rooting for you! Keep up the great work!
Dean Dunn 

Weekly Office Hours: 

Monday 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Tuesday 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 – 11:00 am
Friday 9:00 – 10:00 am

Rest and Reflect

The holiday break this week provides a great opportunity to rest, relax and reflect on all you have accomplished this semester. I hope you get the chance to reflect on what you are grateful for and take some time to focus on what you have enjoyed so far at Wes. I am grateful for the interactions I’ve had with many of you.

I want to share some approaching opportunities in case you are interested:

  • Prospective Film Major Meeting: 11/29 at 8pm in the Goldsmith Family Cinema (flyer below)
  • College of Social Studies Info Session: 12/1 at 4:30pm in Russell House (350 High Street)
  • Ride Free with WesPass: All Wesleyan students can ride for free on Middletown Area Transit (MAT) and 9-Town Transit buses by showing your Wes ID. This is a great way to grab some classmates and explore Middletown. Routes can take you to many destinations including grocery stores, shopping and medical offices.

While you take a pause from classes this holiday break, be sure to rest up for when classes resume on Monday 11/29. Following this break you will have two more weeks of classes and then head into reading period and final exams. As we get closer to the conclusion of the semester, start thinking about where you want to spend your time studying. SciLi, a popular study spot, will be open from 8am to 2am to mirror the hours offered in Olin – the Exley FishBowl will remain open 24/7.

If you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Sending my best to you and your loved ones during this holiday season. Take care,

Dean Dunn

Discover New Approaches to Learning

Struggling in Your Courses?  Discover New Approaches To Studying and Learning! Sunday November 7th at 5:00pm via zoom with Professor Cori Anderson.

Cori Anderson, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, will offer a Zoom workshop to introduce basic principles of metacognition and select metacognitive learning strategies.  This workshop will focus on empowering you to think about and be able to assess your own learning and will equip you with new learning tools to implement in your courses.

Sunday, November 7th at 5:00pm

Zoom link here

Meeting ID: 945 4874 1326

Flyer with information on zoom session focused on new approaches to studying and learning. Text on zoom session listed above flyer.