Welcome + Giving Center
Hours: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Office of Admission, Stewart M. Reid House
All weekend attendees should check in to pick up your meal tickets and packets.
Please note the schedule is subject to change, check back for the latest updates.
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Women's Ice Hockey Team Practice
8:30–9:30 a.m.
Spurrier Snyder Rink, Freeman Athletic Center -
Men's Basketball Red + Black Intrasquad Scrimmage
8:45–10:15 a.m.
Silloway Gymnasium
Tailgate on Andrus Field to follow -
50th, 25th, and 5th Milestone Reunion Mini Reunions + Planning Meetings
Classes 1974, 1999, and 2019
More on the meeting
9–11 a.m.
Rm 108, Usdan University CenterThis May, Classes of 1974, 1999, and 2019 will be celebrating their milestone reunions. Members of these classes are invited to learn more about being an ambassador for the 50th, 25th, and 5th Reunions.Pre-50th Reunion alumni—1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978—are also invited to begin planning for their milestone reunion early.
Visit your class pages for more information and contacts.
Please RSVP through the Homecoming + Family Weekend registration form.
Room 108, Usdan University Center
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Wrestling Alumni, Parents, and Friends Breakfast + Practice
9–11 a.m.
More on wrestling breakfast
Biddiscombe Wrestling Room, Freeman Athletic CenterCome enjoy a cup of coffee and continental breakfast, meet the team, and watch the team in a practice. Team introductions will take place at the end of practice before we head over to Corwin Stadium to cheer on our Cardinals v. Amherst in the football game.
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Men's Lacrosse Scrimmage
9–11 a.m.
Citrin FieldTailgate on Andrus Field to follow
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Women's Lacrosse Events
9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
More on Women's Lacrosse Events
Various locations9 a.m. Women's Lacrosse Alumnae Breakfast, location TBD
10 a.m. Women's Lacrosse Red & Black Scrimmage, Smith Field
12:30 p.m. Women's Lacrosse Family & Friends Tailgate, Andrus Field -
Baseball Intrasquad Scrimmage
9 a.m.
Location TBD -
Softball Alumnae Game
10 a.m.
Softball field -
Birds of a Feather Flock Together: Unique Collections Open House
10 a.m.–noon
More on Birds of a Feather
Olin Library, Special Collections & ArchivesWith a nod to Wesleyan's cardinal mascot, the library's unique collections will show off some rare books, archives, and ethnographic objects showcasing our fine feathered friends. We’ll have songs related to your favorite birds, cultural objects made with feathers and bird bones, Chinese textiles featuring embroidered birds, Audubon prints and artist books, and material related to your favorite university's bird among many others. Come see these cardinal collections, avian archives, and ornithological objects from the Wesleyan Archaeology & Anthropology Collections, Center for East Asian Studies Art & Archival Collections, Special Collections, University Archives, and World Music Archives.
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The 20th Annual Robert F. Schumann Where on Earth Are We Going Symposium
Knowing Their Place: Rachel Carson and the Women Who Came Before Her
9–10:30 a.m.
More on Knowing Their Place
Exley Science Center, Tishler Hall, Room 150Join Janice Nimura, Pulitzer-nominated author and Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Wesleyan’s Bailey College of the Environment, as she discusses her research on Rachel Carson and the overlooked 19th century women who preceded her as writers generating wonder about the natural world. Pushed to the margins of the scientific establishment, yet intimately familiar with the ecologies they studied, their writing helped to turn public opinion toward ideas of stewardship and connection long before the publication of Silent Spring.
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Cultivating Leadership & Social Innovation
9:30–10:30 a.m.
More on Cultivating Leadership
Allbritton 311Join us for a wide-ranging moderated conversation on how leadership and social innovation are cultivated from the grassroots to national and international scales. We will trace the lived experiences of extraordinary leaders at various points in their professional journeys and explore their strategies and approaches to meaningful impact.
Moderator:
Ahmed Badr '20, Director, Patricelli Center for Social EntrepreneurshipPresenters:
Hira Jafri '13, Director of Global Programs, Yale MacMillian Center
Stefano Castro '21, National Geographic Young Explorer & Founder, El Parque Collective
Valensia Tandeas '26, Global Champion, 2023 Oxford Map the System Competition
Ferdinand Quayson '20, Founder, Young Achievers Foundation Ghana
Yongxi Tan '22, Co-Founder, Bessie.
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Psi Upsilon Fraternity Alumni Chapter Meeting
9:30–11 a.m.
More on the Psi Upsilon meeting
Psi Upsilon, 242 High StreetPsi Upsilon members are invited for breakfast and the chapter meeting:
9:30 a.m. Coffee and breakfast
10 a.m. Chapter meeting11 a.m. Memorial Service and Celebration of Brother James Killough
All are welcome, including Psi U members, alumni, families, invitees, guests, and members of the Wesleyan Community. -
Men’s Hockey Practice
9:45 a.m.– 10:45 a.m.
Spurrier Snyder Rink, Freeman Athletic Center
Tailgate on Andrus Field to follow -
Campus Tour
10–11:30 a.m.
Office of Admission, Stewart M. Reid House
Meet in the lobby -
Tailgating + Parking on Andrus Field
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
More on tailgating
Andrus FieldAthletic teams and organizations will host tailgates on Andrus Field during the football game. Please continue to check back for details.
Open Container Policy: University policy and NESCAC regulations state that alcohol is not allowed at any sporting event with the exception of the tailgate area on Andrus Field. Open containers are not allowed near the football field.
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Class Deans and Student Academic Resources Office Hours
10 a.m.–noon
More on the office hours
North CollegeAn opportunity for parents to have brief informal one-on-one meetings with their student’s class dean and/or the dean for academic advancement and accessibility specialist.
Laura Patey, Dean for Academic Advancement, 218 North College. Dean Patey will also meet with families who have a student in the Class of 2026.
Jennifer Wood, Dean for the Class of 2027, 215 North College
Kelly Dunn, Dean for the Class of 2025, 202 North College
William M. Biesse, Dean for the Class of 2024, 203 North College
Crystal Rose Hill-Farrell, Director of Student Academic Resources, 022 North College -
Alumni Family Photo
10:15 a.m.
More on the family photo
North College stepsAlumni parents and grandparents and their current students are invited for a group photograph with President Michael S. Roth ’78. The photo will be taken at 10:30 a.m. sharp.
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Morning Story Time at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
10:30 a.m.
Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore, 413 Main Street More on story timeSettle in for a fun and interactive story time at the bookstore! Story time will include a mix of new picture books and classic tales! No registration required.
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Women's Basketball Alumnae Game + Events
10:30 a.m. Alumnae Game
Silloway GymnasiumFootball Halftime: Women's Basketball Family + Friends Tailgate
Andrus Field -
Squash Team Open House + Match
10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
More on squash team open house
Rosenbaum Squash Courts, Freeman Athletic CenterThe Wesleyan squash teams will host an open house at the squash courts along with an opportunity to play against the 2023–24 men's and women's teams. Bring your families and friends to try squash or just come and watch the action. All are welcome to play. Match play against the team members will begin at 10:30 a.m.
This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the current student-athletes, introduce friends and family to the sport of squash, and/or to reminisce about past experiences at Wesleyan. Please contact Shona Kerr if you would like to play.
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The 20th Annual Robert F. Schumann Where on Earth Are We Going Symposium
What Will the World Look Like? Reimagining the Future in the Anthropocene
Exley Science Center, Tishler Hall, Room 150
More on What Will the World Look Like?Join a lively discussion led by Bailey College of the Environment student Think Tank fellows Debbra Goh ’24 and Ella Doherty ’24. In this 90-minute session, students will discuss how their generation sees the future at a time when the possibility of environmental apocalypse looms large. How do youths manage the anxiety brought forth by the Anthropocene while still holding out hope for crafting a future wheter an enlightened understanding of intergenerational environmental justice will reign?
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Wesleyan Entrepreneurship Lunch Reception
10:45 a.m.–1 p.m.
More on the Entrepreneurship Lunch
Allbritton 103Co-Hosted by the Wesleyan Entrepreneurship Society and the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, this reception aims to bring together students, parents, and alumni interested in leadership, innovation, and social impact. Lunch will be provided.
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31st Annual Dwight L. Greene Symposium: Striving for Access and Opportunity in Education
11 a.m.–noon
More on the Symposium
Memorial Chapel and on ZoomParticipants include:
- Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez '96, Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
- Clifford Thornton, former Associate Dean of Admission, Wesleyan University
- Shereem Herndon-Brown '96, Author, The Black Family's College Guide to Admission
- Tanya Greene '91, Director U.S. Programs, Human Rights Watch
- Theodore Shaw '76, Hon.'14, Julius L. Chambers Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Civil Rights, University of North Carolina
The Supreme Court's recent decision to end affirmative action has real-world implications for Black and other under-represented students seeking to pursue their higher education goals at Wesleyan and at colleges/universities around the country. Some are projecting that the Supreme Court's decision is likely to devastate the number of Black students admitted to colleges and universities in the coming years.
In this year's Dwight L. Greene Symposium, experts in this space will not only reflect on the SCOTUS decision and impact on families but also share their views on ways that Wesleyan might work to build and also protect a more racially diverse, equitable and inclusive student body in the future.Now entering its 31st year, the Dwight L. Greene Symposium honors Dwight L. Greene '70 as a memorial and tribute to his life and work as a professor of law, mentor and friend. Each year, presenters are selected from among Wesleyan's alumni, faculty, and friends who have distinguished themselves in their professions, to share on topics of importance for Black alumni, alumni of color, and the Wesleyan community at large.
This symposium provides an opportunity to hear from a diverse set of voices while facilitating networking and reconnecting with members of the Wesleyan community. with each other and ensures that diversity remains an important part of the Wesleyan experience.
Historically sponsored by the Black Alumni Council and Alumni of Color Council, the symposium serves as a long-standing campus tradition and a time to reflect on where we were, where we are, and most importantly…where we are headed.
Overflow seating will be available in Judd Hall, room 116. The symposium can also be watched live on Zoom.
Webinar ID: 954 2042 4672
Passcode: 355379
Find your local numberWatch last year's Dwight L. Greene Symposium which took place virtually on November 15.
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Homecoming Day Lunch
11 a.m.–2 p.m.
More on Homecoming Day Lunch
Marketplace, Usdan University CenterParents, families, friends, and guests are invited to join students for lunch at Usdan University Center. Sample a variety of fresh, local, and made-to-order options from Bon Appetit, Wesleyan’s on-campus dining service. Enjoy salad bars, carving stations, hot entrees, numerous side dishes, beverages, and desserts. Vegetarian, vegan, and Kosher-style options are available and you do not need to specify your meal preference in advance.
Tickets: $20/adults. (Wesleyan students use their meal plans; no ticket purchase). Purchase tickets when you register before October 17. A limited number of meals may be available on-site at the Marketplace cashier (2nd floor).
Note: A select menu of a la carte food and beverages will also be available for purchase on-site at the Usdan Café, some athletic teams may be selling concessions on Andrus Field, or you can visit one of the many restaurants in downtown Middletown.
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Personal Reflection Space Open
11 a.m.–2 p.m.
More on Personal Reflection
Zilkha Uncommons
South Gallery, 283 Washington TerraceThe Zilkha Uncommons, located in South Gallery at 283 Washington Terrace, offers visitors to Homecoming + Family Weekend a quiet space for personal reflection. Designed and conceived by Rosemary Lennox (Exhibitions Manager), Zilkha Uncommons is a new space and initiative at the Center for the Arts that welcomes all visitors and offers them a room to read, reflect, rest, and engage in informal and collaborative learning.
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College of East Asian Studies Open House Events
11 a.m.–3 p.m.
More on East Asian Studies Open House
Mansfield Freeman Center, 343 Washington Terrace11 a.m. Taiko Drumming Performance
12:30 p.m. Gallery Talk with Sabrina TianGallery open from noon to 3 p.m.: "Understanding China in the Age of the Unequal Treaties"
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President's Reception Honoring Leadership Donors
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
More on the Leadership Donor Reception
The Forum, Public Affairs Center, by invitation onlyPlease join President Michael S. Roth '78 at a reception celebrating members of the Wesleyan Leadership Societies. Wesleyan Leadership Societies recognize the extraordinary commitment and support of Wesleyan leadership donors. By invitation only.
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Gallery Exhibit: No Title: Relays + Relations
Works by Renée Green and Sol LeWitt
More on No Title: Relays + Relations
Noon–5 p.m.
Ezra and Cecila Zilkha GalleryThis exhibition brings together artworks by Renée Green ’81 and Sol LeWitt (1928–2007). As a student at Wesleyan, Green participated in a course taught by Professor of Art History Emeritus John Paoletti that focused on LeWitt’s art collection, which resulted in the exhibition NoTitle: The Collection of Sol LeWitt in the Davison Art Center (October 21 through December 20, 1981). Describing this experience as a seminal moment in her experience as an emerging artist, Green is also interested in what similar acts of aesthetic exchange and support could be offered to younger artists today, thereby extending the transmission of conceptualism in new directions. For the exhibition, Green will place some of her recent work. The exhibition will also feature three wall drawings by LeWitt with installation by current students at Wesleyan. An array of public programs and engagement opportunities will accompany the exhibition.
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Screening and Conversation with Renée Green '81
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
More on the screening and talkA screening of "ED/HF" (2017), a 33 minute video by Renée Green '81, will be followed by a conversation between Green and Associate Director of Visual Arts Benjamin Chaffee ’00, curator of the exhibition "No Title: Relays and Relations. Works by Renée Green and Sol LeWitt. Works by Renée Green and Sol LeWitt," which brings together artworks by Green and wall drawings by Sol LeWitt (1928-2007). The talk will be followed by a light reception in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery.
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Practical Criticism
Shapiro Writing Center, Room 102
More on Practical CriticismIn the 1920s, the literary critic I.A. Richards conducted an experiment on his students at Cambridge University. Each week, Richards would give his students a handout with a poem – no title, no author, no date – and ask them to produce a commentary on it. Their commentaries formed the basis of his book, Practical Criticism, which, in turn, influences the practice that literary critics describe as “close reading” and its protocols of interpretation and evaluation. This session restages Richards’s experiment a century later, with two poems, for a different cohort of readers. It is an invitation to excavate different ideas about and approaches to how we evaluate artworks.
Presenter: Merve Emre, Shapiro-Silverberg University Professor of Creative Writing and Criticism and Director, Shapiro Writing Center
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Football vs. Amherst
1–4 p.m.
Corwin Stadium, Andrus Field
Watch the game live on NSN Sports -
Family Swim
1–5 p.m.
More on the family swim
Webster Family Natatorium, Freeman Athletic CenterBring your suit and goggles and enjoy open swim hours.
Webster Family Natatorium, Freeman Athletic Center
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Alumni Volunteer Tailgate
More on Alumni Volunteer TailgateCelebrate game day with friends and other volunteers. Alumni volunteers should be sure to stop by during the game and pick up your Wesleyan swag. Refreshments will be available.
Go Wes, beat Amherst!
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Freeman Asian Scholars Reception
2–3:30 p.m.
More on the reception
Russell House, 350 High StreetJoin Freeman Asian Scholar alumni and students along with faculty and administrators at a reception honoring the Freeman Asian Scholars Program.
Please indicate on the registration form if you plan to attend this event.
Russell House, 327 High Street
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Open House at the Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History
2–4 p.m.
More on the Joe Webb Peoples Museum
Exley Science Center, 4th floorThe Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History invites you to share our amazing collections of fossils and minerals, including many specimens from Connecticut. Our student curators have developed exhibits, restored specimens, made posters and brochures, and digitized our collections (including photography). They will inform you about our museum, its natural history collections and the work they do.
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Gamelan Workshop
World Music Hall
More on Gamelan WorkshopDominated by colorful, bronze percussion instruments, the Gamelan ensemble features gongs, bronze and wooden xylophones, two-headed drums, a female soloist and a male chorus. Some of the instruments date back to the 12th century in Java, an Indonesian island located between Sumatra and Bali. Get some real experience playing the Gamelan in this lively, hands-on workshop.
Presenters: Professor Sumarsam and his teaching assistants
Please note: Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. This session often reaches capacity.
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A Reading and Discussion with the Characters of Charles Barber’s In The Blood
Allbritton Hall, Room 311
More on In the BloodJoin Wesleyan University Writer in Residence Charles Barber to discuss his latest book, In the Blood. Charles will be joined by QuikClot pioneers, Bart Gullong and Frank Hursey.
The "high-stakes" true story of how an absent-minded inventor and a down-on-his-luck salesman joined forces to create a once-in-a-generation lifesaving product only to be fought by the Army every step of the way in the quest to get it to the battlefield. "Important, vivid, engrossing." —The New York Times; "Captivating and often cinematic." —The Wall Street Journal.
Charles Barber is a Writer in Residence at Wesleyan University, a Lecturer in Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, and the author of five books. His work has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, among dozens of publications.
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Alpha Delta Phi Reception and Dinner
5:30 p.m.
More on the reception and dinner
Alpha Delta Phi, 185 High StreetAlpha Delta Phi members and families are invited to a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner banquet.
Alpha Delta Phi, 185 High Street
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"Blair Witch Project" Wesleyan Film Series Screening
8 p.m.
Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies
Free -
Stargazing
9–11 p.m.
More on stargazing
Van Vleck ObservatoryOrganized and hosted by the Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford (ASGH), this observing session uses our refurbished 20" refracting telescope. For details, schedule, and the COVID-19 policy please visit the ASGH website.