Faculty Working Group on Ethnic Studies releases recommendations
The Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy called for the creation of a faculty working group on ethnic studies this February. The group presented their recommendations on May 1. The faculty working group recommended the creation of a Latin@ studies housed under American studies, a comparative race studies focus within American studies and a structured individual transnational ethnic studies major or minor. To achieve these goals, the working group recommended that the college hire a new tenure-track position for a professor qualified to teach Latin@ studies and recruit existing faculty members to teach Latin@ studies. Dean French ended the announcement by thanking students who helped the group develop their recommendations for Latin@ and ethnic studies.
Wellesley alumna wins most games on ‘Jeopardy!’ of any woman
Julia Collins ’05 recently won her eighth consecutive game of “Jeopardy!,” which is the longest winning streak of any woman ever on “Jeopardy!” Thus far, Collins has won a total of $170,000 on the show and will compete in more games in the future. At Wellesley, Collins double majored in art and history, then went on to receive a masters in engineering from MIT. Collins watched “Jeopardy!” as a child and completed the online qualifying test every January for five years before being selected to compete on the show. Collins credits part of her success to the culture of learning at Wellesley which she characterizes as the belief that learning takes place throughout one’s lifetime not just within four years at college. Collins has a “Jeopardy!” specific twitter account,
@jeopardyjulia, to tweet about her experiences on the show.
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court lifts restrictions on North 40
North 40 is a parcel of land located at the intersection of Route 135 and Weston Road in the Town of Wellesley. The land was donated to the College in 1873. The administration has considered using the land for the College in the past, but due to its location, it has been deemed unsuitable for any academic or athletic purposes. The deed to the land includes several restrictions that have prevented the college from using the land for any non-College purpose up until now. Recently, the College submitted a petition to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to remove the restrictions on North 40. This Monday, the college received notice from the court that its petition was successful, and the restrictions on the land were removed. The land can now be used to raise revenue for the College, such as by leasing or selling it to private companies or to the Town of Wellesley. The administration has not yet decided what it will do with North 40.
Wellesley alumna chosen to be president of Trinity College
Joanne Berger-Sweeney ’79 was recently chosen unanimously to be president by the Board of Trustees at Trinity College in Connecticut. Berger-Sweeney will begin her term at Trinity College on July 1 of this year. Berger-Sweeney has worked at Tufts since 2010 after working at Wellesley for 19 years. At Wellesley, Berger-Sweeney served as a professor and associate dean. She earned a psychobiology degree from Wellesley and went on to teach in the department of biological sciences when she returned to Wellesley as a professor. Berger-Sweeney later earned a master of public health in environmental health sciences from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Berger-Sweeney is the first African American and the first woman to be elected president of Trinity College.
