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Since its founding in 1831, Wesleyan University’s students, faculty,
administration and staff have adhered to the enduring theme set forth by the first
president of Wesleyan, Wilbur Fisk: the purpose of a liberal arts education is for
“the good of the individual educated and the good of the world.” From the 19th
century through the present, the involvement of the Wesleyan community in a
diverse range of community service activities in greater Middletown reflected this
sentiment, and such commitment will certainly serve as a legacy for future
generations.
Wesleyan’s connection with Middletown area schools has been especially
strong. The University’s students have served as teachers/tutors as early as the
1830s. This brochure highlights other examples of the collaborative efforts
between the local schools and Wesleyan University.
CAUSE
(Community and University Services for Education)
UPWARD BOUND/ConnCAP
WESLEYAN/MIDDLETOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLLABORATIVE
HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
PROJECT ASTRO
SCHOOL TOURS OF WESLEYAN
COLLABORATION AT MACDONOUGH
SCHOOL
FREEMAN ATHLETIC CENTER
CONNECTION
WESLEYAN
STUDENT' VOLUNTEERISM AT LOCAL SCHOOLS
SUPPORT FOR LOCAL TEACHERS
Established in 1967 by Mrs. Marjorie Daltry Rosenbaum, CAUSE facilitates the
implementation of cooperative programs and projects between Wesleyan
University, the Middletown community, and the public and private schools in the
Middletown area. These programs have focused on intellectual and cultural
enrichment, and thousands of students have benefited over the years.
CAUSE supports the successful High School Humanities Program. Each
year, about 100 high school students from local public (Middletown High
School, Vinal RVTS, and Haddam Killingworth High School) and parochial
schools (Mercy and Xavier) participate in lectures and discussion – led by
Wesleyan faculty – on a variety of liberal arts subjects.
CAUSE also supports The Art Show, a unique exhibition of more than 1,200
artworks of Middletown students in grades K-12 at Wesleyan’s Zilkha Gallery.
This annual event showcases the art curriculum in Middletown public schools and
attracts hundreds of students and their families to the Wesleyan campus each
spring.
For more information, please contact co-chairs,
Mr. Frank Kuan, at
860-685-2245, or Dr. John Hennelly, 860-638-1401.
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Since 1966, the Upward Bound Program at Wesleyan University has helped
numerous students to succeed in high school and attain a college education.
Working cooperatively with school officials and parents, the program staff
provides support to about 120 students, grades 9-12, in Middletown, Meriden,
and Portland, by offering classroom instruction; college, financial aid and career
counseling; tutoring; community service; and cultural activities.
Wesleyan’s Upward Bound Program is only one of more than 800 Upward
Bound programs in the country to receive federal funding. It also receives state
and local funding.
For more information, please contact program director Ms. Donna Thompson at
860-685-2970.
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Created in 2000, the Wesleyan-Middletown Public Schools Collaborative aims
to empower upper-elementary and middle school students from low-income,
first-generation-to-college backgrounds to achieve a higher education. This
initiative currently comprises five different components: Ascend, Foreign
Language Project, Kids to College, Discovery, and Prospect
Math/Science Program.
The Ascend program is geared toward enhancing academic performance and
increasing success in middle school for selected 4th and 5th grade Middletown
students. Supported through a grant from the 21st Century Community Learning
Centers, the program provides tutoring, special events, academic as well as
cultural enrichment to 45 students at Bielefield, Macdonough and Snow
elementary schools.
The Foreign Language Project, with support from Middletown Public Schools
and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, enables a selected group of
4th and 5th grade Middletown students to be introduced to a foreign language
(Spanish, French, German, or Japanese). The project includes a two-week
summer camp and weekly after-school sessions during the academic year.
The Kids to College program, staffed by Wesleyan students with support from
a teacher/coordinator, provides interested students at Keigwin Middle School
with an early look at career options. Each semester, they explore the various
dimensions of the world of work and how education is tied into these pursuits.
As part of the program, participants and their parents spend a day at Wesleyan,
touring the campus and learning about the admission and financial aid processes.
The program is made possible through a grant from Sallie Mae, Inc.
The Discovery program is designed to inculcate middle school youngsters with
the idea that college is a viable option. Through after-school academic
enrichment modules, mentoring, field excursions, and a summer curriculum that
includes math, science, language arts, technology and foreign language,
participants are equipped to succeed in middle school and prepared for the
challenges of high school. Discovery serves 75 sixth to eighth grade students at
Keigwin and Woodrow Wilson Middle Schools.
The Prospect Math/Science Program offers selected Woodrow Wilson
Middle School students the opportunity for enrichment in science, mathematics,
and language arts using instructional activities that teach higher order thinking
skills. In addition to after-school workshops during the school year, students also
participate in a summer camp at Wesleyan.
For more information, please contact program director Ms. Beverly Hunter
Daniel at 860-685-3113.
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Designed for the high achieving, academically well-prepared juniors and seniors
in local-area high schools, the High School Scholars Program enables these
students to take more advanced work than is normally available at their schools;
as such, selected students can take one course per semester at Wesleyan
tuition-free. Once selected for admission to this program, students can enroll in a
class depending on availability and instructor’s permission. Their earned letter
grade will appear on a Wesleyan transcript. Over the years, hundreds of
students have benefited.
For more information, interested students should contact their high school
guidance counselor, or call Mr. Greg Pyke, senior associate dean of admission,
at 860-685-2979.
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Sponsored by Wesleyan University’s Astronomy Department and PIMMS
(Project to Increase the Mastery of Mathematics and Science) with funding
support from National Science Foundation and NASA, Project ASTRO
matches teachers of grades 3-12 with volunteer amateur or professional
astronomers who agree to make (at least four) regular classroom visits. The
program emphasizes an activities-based, hands-on approach to excite students
about astronomy and help them learn the process of science. Snow School is
one of the most recent participants.
For more information, please contact the Astronomy Department at
860-685-2310.
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Each fall and spring, volunteers give tours of the exhibits at the Davison Arts
Center, the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, Zilkha Gallery,
and other Wesleyan arts venues to about 500 fourth and fifth grade students in
the Middletown Public Schools. Participating students also have an opportunity
to visit the World Music Hall and learn about – as well as play with – the
renowned Javanese Gamelan.
For more information on the school tours, please consult with Middletown Public
Schools at 860-638-1401.
Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies Outreach Program
The Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies has an established
outreach program geared for local area students, K-12, to introduce them to
various aspects of East Asian cultures through a range of hands-on activities on
topics including writing and language, food, martial arts, and music. Special
programs are also available for preschool groups.
For more information, please contact program coordinator Ms. Shirley
Lawrence at 860-685-2330.
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Over the years Wesleyan students and faculty have formed special collaborative
relationships with Macdonough School. The longstanding Wesleyan Tutorial,
an after-school program coordinated by students, is set up to help about 60
students a year with their homework and enrichment activities. Both the school
and the university have been supportive of this endeavor.
Beginning in 2003, a small cadre of work-study students has started at
Macdonough School to assist in the classroom and one-on-one in English and
Mathematics for the fourth and fifth graders.
To better serve Macdonough School, a new advisory committee has been
created, with representation from Wesleyan University, the Middletown schools’
Superintendent’s Office, Middletown’s Board of Education, and the
administration, faculty, and parents at Macdonough. The committee is
investigating ways to enhance the academic and artistic offerings, to foster a
stronger social climate at the school, and to strengthen community building.
For more information on this initiative, please contact program liaison, Mr. Frank
Kuan, at 860-685-2245.
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The facilities at Wesleyan’s Freeman Athletic Center are made available regularly
to local schools. Public and parochial high school track teams use the track in
Bacon Field House for practices and meets. The annual Project Graduation
for Middletown High School, Mercy/Xavier, and Coginchaug is held at the field
house. The annual Middletown-Xavier Thanksgiving Football Game brings
over 3,000 people to Andrus Field each November.
For more information on Freeman Athletic Center, please contact its main office
at 860-685-2895.
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Close to 70 percent of the Wesleyan students perform one kind of community
service or another during their four years on campus. On average, they provide
about 30,000 hours of local community service each year. Much of their
volunteer work occurs in local schools. In addition to participation in the
programs already mentioned, these students are involved in the Middletown
High School Teacher Assistance Program; A.S.K. (Action Science Kids –
science experiments for school-aged children); Kids on the Block (in
association with Oddfellows Playhouse); and the Russian Language Program
(as part of PROBE, Middletown’s elementary-level gifted and talented
program).
For more information on student volunteerism, please call the Office of
Community Service and Volunteerism at 860-685-2851.
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In addition to providing opportunities for local area students, Wesleyan also
offers support to local area teachers through innovative programs by Project to
Increase the Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS) and reduced
tuition for classes in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program.
For more information on PIMMS, please contact its office at 860-685-6454. To
find out more about GLSP, please contact its office at 860-685-2900.
Wesleyan University is committed to maintaining and strengthening ties
with the greater Middletown communities. Through collaboration,
Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff have meaningful civic engagement
opportunities that have a positive impact in Middletown and beyond.
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