Wesleyan in the News: August 2025
The Atlantic interviewed President Michael S. Roth ’78 for a story on institutional neutrality in higher education. “It’s really important for people who have the ability to speak out against this overreach by the government to do so,” Roth said.
For a CNN piece on leaders in higher education taking a stand against federal government intervention Roth said, “The fear I think many schools have is that the federal government is willing to not obey the laws as anyone has understood them before, and so the lawless federal government is very frightening.”
Roth wrote a piece in TIME on what Jewish teachings say about war and how it applies to violence in Gaza. “It's not enough that we Jews in leadership positions conscientiously read the newspapers or watch television reports and feel angst and sadness,” Roth wrote. “We must demand that our government put an end to this manufactured hunger crisis.”
Roth appeared on “Making Sense with Sam Harris” podcast to discuss the state of higher education in the United States, including how colleges should handle protest, diverse viewpoints at universities, and how the Trump administration is pushing to control institutions. “I don’t remember a time of such trepidation, or really angst about government intervention and at the same time a reluctance by students, even by faculty, and certainly by administrators to stand up for the things we’ve claimed to believe in, for the last 20 years or so,” Roth said.
Deputy Provost and Dean of the Arts and Humanities Roger Mathew Grant was interviewed for a piece in The New York Times on musical notation, exploring how tempo was indicated by composers before the invention of the metronome. “Before the metronome, composers used affect to get at tempo, not because it was precise, but because it was the best way to communicate a feeling,” Grant said.
A taping of Hamilton by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02, Hon. ’15 will be released on Sept. 5, according to Walt Disney Studios. Alongside a filmed version of the production, the film will include a new special prologue to the production with interviews with the original cast and creators reflecting on how the show has impacted their lives.
Thomas Kail ’99, P’28 will direct the revival of PROOF on Broadway, starring actors Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri, according to BroadwayWorld.com. The show is set to begin previews on March 31, 2026 at the Shubert Theatre.
For MSNBC, Associate Professor of Sociology Robyn Autry wrote about recent news that the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History removed a mention of President Donald Trump’s impeachments from one of its main exhibits. “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden,” following pressure from the administration. “Truthfully representing our national history, including the shameful parts and not just the heroic ones, is the Smithsonian’s glorious burden,” Autry wrote. “Unfortunately, with the way this latest move was executed, there’s reason to doubt it’s up for the challenge.”
Helen Poulos, distinguished associate professor of the Bailey College of the Environment and Earth and Environmental Sciences, has studied how oak forests in Arizona survive and recover from wildfires. The Arizona Republic leaned on her expertise in a story on the ecological and cultural importance of acorns from oak trees in the region at a time of drought.
Andrews Professor of Economics Richard Grossman wrote about the dangers of displacing Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, for U.S. News and World Report, following threats from Trump to do so. Firing Powell, Grossman wrote, “...would diminish the Fed’s independence, weaken its credibility and make it harder for Powell and his successors to keep inflation under control.”
Dean of the Social Sciences and Professor of Religion Mary Jane Rubenstein’s book Astrotopia was highlighted in story in MIT Technology Review that featured three books that push back on human colonization of space.
Joseph Slaughter, assistant professor of history, spoke with The 19th for a story on a wave of fringe Christian nationalism that argues for the repeal of the 19th Amendment, which established a woman’s right to vote. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appeared to offer support for this view in a post on social media. “What does it mean for somebody who’s running an organization which has had its struggles over the years integrating women and trying to understand existential questions about women’s role in combat?” Slaughter said. “Are Hegseth’s views reinforced by his religion now? Does this church reinforce his cultural chauvinism? For somebody in his position, it’s certainly fair game to ask.”
Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor in Global Issues and Democratic Thought Peter Rutland wrote two pieces in The Conversation on U.S. and Russia relations. First, he wrote about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit with Trump. Then he wrote a second piece on Trump’s follow-up meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders. “Back-to-back summits in Alaska and Washington with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, respectively, have done little to clarify how U.S. President Donald Trump intends to engineer an end to the conflict in Ukraine,” Rutland wrote.
