Wesleyan-Middletown Collaborations Expand
For nearly two centuries, Wesleyan University and Middletown have grown side by side—neighbors whose stories are deeply intertwined. Today, that relationship is stronger than ever, with the University fueling more than $495 million in economic impact for the region and creating thousands of local jobs, while also investing in partnerships that address community needs from youth development to education. Beyond numbers, Wesleyan’s commitment shows up in the people, projects, and collaborations that make Middletown a thriving place to live, work, and learn.
The University also supports the local economy by creating jobs—3,328 in the region, up from 2,748 in 2023, an increase of nearly 600. Those employment opportunities are reflected, for example, in the workers who provide labor for major construction projects on campus.
“As members of this community, we are committed to the economic growth and vitality of Middletown,” said Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth ’78. “We continue to look for new ways to support the strength of our city through robust partnerships and collaborations.”
What’s New
To further support the community, this year, the University is launching a partnership with the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, which serves 15 towns. Through this partnership, Wesleyan will establish a fund to provide grants to local nonprofits with missions aligned with the University’s goals, including education and youth development. The Foundation and a committee of Wesleyan staff will jointly review grant applications to decide how to best use the resources.
The new Wesleyan University Community Fund is a continuation of a long-term involvement with the foundation, which launched in 1997. At that time, the University provided early resources, and since then Wesleyan administrators and staff have served on the foundation’s board. The grant-making partnership builds on this legacy. “It highlights what Wesleyan does and how Wesleyan cares about the community,” said Cynthia Clegg, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County.
“We're very humbled that the partnership has continued and we're really honored that Wesleyan thought of us as a good resource for extending what you already do in the community and making more happen,” said Clegg.
Wesleyan also contributes to the community through partnerships with city institutions, including the YMCA and the Chamber of Commerce. While the Chamber is undergoing renovations, it will use swing space on High Street offered by the University at below-market rate. The Y is also undergoing renovations, and for the next three years, will use a Wesleyan-owned facility on Hamlin Street for its day care needs.
“Wesleyan is committed to being a resource and good neighbor for the community,” said Andrew Tanaka, senior vice president, chief administrative officer and treasurer. “We are pleased to offer space to our partners in Middletown to support their needs and the needs of the broader community.”
In partnership with the city, Middletown Public Schools, the Y, and Russell Library, Wesleyan has also recently secured a grant for the Middletown Community Wi-Fi Expansion Project. This initiative will provide high-speed wireless internet access to local students through the Eduroam platform. The effort will fill a gap in reliable internet access for students at home, and in classes, libraries, and community centers so they can engage in their learning in and outside of school hours.
Long-term Supports
The University’s long-term engagement with the city has often been driven by students, faculty, and staff. Long Lane Farm, founded in 2003 by students to address hunger and strengthen community ties, provides innumerable benefits to Middletown. The two-acre farm offers access to produce to local vendors and St. Vincent de Paul Middletown Soup Kitchen. It has served as a site for school field trips, offered a free community breakfast with South Side Church, and hosted Pumpkinfest. It also employs several full and part-time farmers year-round.
The University was instrumental in the founding of the Community Health Center decades ago. Since 1972, the clinic has offered free care to underserved individuals in Middletown. Mark Masselli Hon. ’09, P’15, ’16 and a group of Wesleyan students joined forces to create the clinic at the site of a storefront. As chronicled in the book Peace and Health by Professor of the Practice at The College of Letters Charles Barber, the clinic grew from an idea to a model for the nation due to the determination of Masselli and students who believed in healthcare as a right.
Wesleyan is a co-founder of PrideFEST, which has grown into the largest event of its kind in Connecticut. Each year, the University has partnered with PrideFEST organizers by participating in planning, providing a speaker, and offering information at a resource table. In a similar fashion, Wesleyan has more recently supported the Middletown Juneteenth celebrations.
Going forward, the University will direct its giving to support local nonprofits through the Community Foundation.
The Office of Equity and Inclusion oversees Wesleyan’s Upward Bound program, which has been running for nearly 60 years. It provides Middletown and Meriden youth with free college readiness support and guidance. The program has a high college acceptance rate and some graduates, including among our own Upward Bound staff, have gone on to attend Wesleyan and other higher ed institutions.
The Jewett Center for Community Partnerships, housed in the Allbritton Center, has long fostered community engagement. The Center’s Director Clifton Watson said there are 20 student-led volunteer groups that support youth in Middletown with tutoring and academic enrichment through partnerships with Middletown Public Schools and other local organizations.
“They are nearly 250 paid student interns and volunteers who go off and do that work,” he said. Watson views these partnerships as win-win opportunities. “We're encouraging students to see themselves as neighbors here in the Middletown community and to think really intentionally about how they might contribute to the community that they belong to,” he said.
“These types of opportunities really bridge the gap between the kinds of things that we learn about in the classroom and the ways in which they play themselves out and in real ways in communities.”
The University also partners with the Chamber of Commerce to host a Career Expo in the Freeman Athletic Center, said Watson. Some 1,200 high school students and 150 vendors from Middlesex County participate each year. “It provides an opportunity for high school students to learn about potential careers,” he said, with information and interaction with local companies, including mock interviews.
The Jewett Center and Wesleyan’s IT department have also been partners with STEAM Train, a local nonprofit that introduces underserved communities to career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The University has supported a Fast Track Academy workforce development program, hosted apprentices, and donated computers to advance student learning.
In addition to these formal forms of engagement, there are myriad informal ways the University encourages students, faculty, and staff to connect with the community. Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Willette Burnham-Williams says her team envisions creating further access points where Wesleyans can learn about ways to connect with Middletown and adjacent communities. “I think it's important for Wesleyan to help students find ways to connect with the community informally that aligns with what they're passionate about and helps support their interests and needs—participating in interfaith activities, cultural celebrations or finding a local beauty or barbershop,” she said.
The University also welcomes city residents to campus through offerings such as free tickets to select events at the Center for the Arts for patrons of Russell Library. Now that the Fries Arts Building on Hamlin Street is open for classes and gatherings in the fall, the new space will host events open to the public through its black box theater, inviting the wider community to experience the arts on campus.
