Wesleyan in the News: December 2025
Andrews Professor of Economics Richard Grossman wrote in The Hill about what a post-Trump presidency might entail and the importance of the next administration’s efforts to rebuild trust in the United States government. “Even if a new president were able to enact a post-Watergate-style legislative reform, returning to pre-Trump norms will be difficult,” Grossman wrote. “The Trump presidency has demonstrated that there are vast areas of executive branch activity that cannot be easily constrained by legislation.”
Tess Wheelwright, director of the Center for Prison Education, spoke to CT Mirror about how limitations in classroom space and internet access affect the center’s ability to serve its students in Cheshire and York—a challenge faced by several other higher education programs for incarcerated individuals across Connecticut. “I think the first thing we would use [increased internet access] for [are] some of these appointments with campus offices there to support student success,” Wheelwright said.
On the Grand Tamasha podcast, co-produced by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Hindustan Times, Assistant Professor of Government Kolby Hanson spoke with host Milan Vaishnav about his new book, Ordinary Rebels: Rank-and-File Militants between War and Peace, which investigates how state tolerance for armed militias transformed these groups. Their conversation also touched on recruitment, political dynamics in India’s northeast, and insights relevant to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Gary Yohe, Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environment, emeritus, appeared on Houston Public Media’s Hello Houston podcast to talk about the state of climate economics and finding climate solutions.
In a piece for The Atlantic Council, Visiting Professor of Government Rudabeh Shahid analyzed the polarized reaction to International Crimes Tribunal’s sentencing of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for her role in the government’s deadly crackdown on student-led protests in July 2024. “Hasina’s death sentence has now split Bangladeshis into two camps: those who argue this is the only path toward accountability after years of authoritarianism, and those who insist that the death penalty undermines justice and that national reconciliation is essential,” Shadid wrote. “Only time can tell which vision will define Bangladesh’s future.”
The Connecticut chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded The Pruzan Art Center an Excellence prize in the November 2025 issue of its magazine, Architype. “The new gallery functions as both a connective and protective structure, uniting people and places while safeguarding delicate artworks,” AIA Connecticut wrote. “Through the integration of architecture, art, and community, the project reinforces the role of the arts as a unifying and accessible part of campus life.”
Complex profiled Bobbito Garcia ’88 and his four-decade career in music, basketball, and sneaker culture. In the 90s, Garcia helped launch hip-hop’s golden era on college radio and published the first-ever article on sneakers as a cultural phenomenon. Having recently published his memoir Bobbito’s Book of B-Ball Bong Bong!, he looks forward to guiding a new generation of creatives. “The through line is exposing the unexposed,” Garcia said. “No matter what culture, what community, that’s what I do … I just hope that affinity comes back my way.”
As reported by The Wellesley News, Timothy Hyunsoon ’12 spoke to Wellesley’s Korean Student Association about how his background in neuroscience at Wesleyan, his Korean-American upbringing, and his queer identity inform his art. Ahead of a presentation with Boston City Hall next year, Hyunsoon is focusing on mugwort as a central image for a greater piece reflecting on immigration, othering, and belonging.
