Two distinguished faculty members will be
appointed leadership roles in university centers for the next three years,
with terms beginning on July 1, 2007.
 Suzanne
O'Connell, left, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences,
has agreed to assume the directorship of the Service-Learning Center for a
three-year term. O’Connell will be replacing Rob Rosenthal, professor of
sociology.
O'Connell studies climate change, coastal processes, and diversity in the
geosciences. She is the author of more than 50 refereed publications and the
recipient of more than $1 million in National Science Foundation grants.
Most recently she was the Principle Investigator on a major award to build a
“Community of Women Geoscience Leaders." More than 12 months of her life
have been spent at sea on oceanographic research expeditions. O'Connell was
the 2000 recipient of the Association for Women Geoscientists "Outstanding
Educator Award."
The Service Learning Center was launched to integrate experiences outside the classroom with an
academic curriculum taught within the classroom. As one form of experiential
education, service learning seeks to broaden students' understanding of
course content through activities which are, at the same time, of service to
the community.
The Service Learning Center coordinates and supports faculty efforts to
develop and teach service learning courses. The Director of the Service
Learning Center aids faculty members in designing new service learning
courses, facilitates the review of proposed courses, and works closely with
faculty and community partners to coordinate the activities of the Center
and the courses it sponsors.O'Connell
says Wesleyan brought her to Middletown 18 years ago, and she soon realized
the additional benefits of being a resident of Middletown.
"Wesleyan and Middletown are two unique and rich communities," she explains.
"By accepting this position, I hope to be able to enhance the ties between
the two, and give students an opportunity to expand their education into
action while benefiting Middletown."
 Sean
McCann, left, associate professor of English, associate professor of American Studies, has agreed to assume the directorship of the
Center for Faculty Career Development for a three-year term.
He replaces Andy Szegedy-Maszak, the Jane A. Seney Professor of Greek,
professor and chair of the Classical Studies Department. Szegedy-Maszak
initiated the center.
McCann studies late-nineteenth and twentieth century American literature and
its relation to contemporaneous political developments. He is the author of
Gumshoe America: Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction and the Rise and Fall of New Deal
Liberalism, (Duke University Press, 2000), which received honorable mention
for the America Studies Association's John Hope Franklin Prize for the best
book in American Studies. He is currently working on a book titled, The
Anti-Liberal Imagination: American Literature and Presidential Government.
McCann was a recipient of the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching in
2004.
The Center for Faculty Career Development plays a central role in the
professional development of our faculty. The director is responsible for
overall management of the Center and coordination of its various activities,
which include the weekly Academic Technology Roundtable lunch discussions,
talks, seminars, workshops by visitors, programs to assist faculty in
developing their classroom skills, developing a library of resources, and
serving as a confidential source of informal advice to faculty on issues
broadly related to their professional development.
Joe Bruno, vice president for academic affairs and provost, applauds
Rosenthal and Szegedy-Maszak for their outstanding leadership exhibited in
their former roles.
“Both centers have functioned beautifully and have come to be very important
parts of the university,” Bruno says. “We are indebted to Andy and Rob for
the outstanding work they have done in establishing the centers and ensuring
their contributions to Wesleyan’s mission.”
Bruno welcomes O’Connell and McCann to their new roles.
“I am deeply grateful for their willingness to accept these important
assignments,” he says. |
