Wesleyan in the News: June 2026
In a piece for The New York Times, columnist Ezra Klein discussed this year’s Commencement speech at Wesleyan from Senator Chris Murphy Hon.’26, which centered on the idea of efficiency. “You are about to step out into a world that prizes efficiency and the annihilation of drift and friction above all else,” said Murphy. “Our entire economy is built on rewarding companies that are efficient at making a profit, not based upon how they treat their workers, the social value of their product or the impact they have on the community.”
Professor of the Practice in Astronomy Roy Kilgard was part of a NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory research team that found a set of supernovae, or explosions of stars, behaving in unanticipated ways. Typically, the clouds of superheated gas and debris fade in brightness over time, but the Chandra team observed dramatic shifts in brightness from supernova remnants in the galaxy Messier 83 over the course of 14 years. Kilgard and co-authors were featured in coverage by Scientific American and Popular Science. “This could be an example of cosmic recycling, where debris from the explosion falls back onto the very object the supernova created,” said Kilgard in a statement to Scientific American.
For his ongoing series at The Nation, Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, assistant professor in history and the College of Social Sciences, interviewed historian Anton Jäger on his new book on hyperpolitics, which he defines as extreme politicization in society without political results.
Joan Cho, professor of East Asian Studies, spoke with Reuters for their coverage of a recent election ballot shortage in South Korea. This has sparked political protests throughout the country calling for an election do-over and led to an investigation from President Lee Jae Myung. The situation is a risk to public confidence in Lee’s administration, said Cho, “If the response is perceived as inadequate or defensive, it could become a source of criticism and weaken public confidence.”
Assistant Professor of Art and Design and Engineering Studies Yu Nong Khew’s Studio Soft Hairy was featured in a Metropolis roundup of interesting booths found at International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2026, for their booth “Tactility,” which is a lamp prototype that explores how 3D-knitted wool, translucency, and form “can reshape the atmosphere of an interior.”
Khalilah Brown-Dean, Rob Rosenthal Distinguished Professor of Civic Engagement and the executive director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, hosts WNPR’s “Disrupted,” a program dedicated to exploring the changes shaping our lives and communities. The talk show, which is also available as a podcast, was recognized as one of the top 100 African American Podcasts in the United States, ranking 31st on a list compiled by Million Podcasts. “Disrupted is rooted in the power of storytelling to bring people together through community, connection and change,” said Brown-Dean. “Every episode is an invitation for listeners to think more deeply, listen more fully and imagine new possibilities for ourselves and one another.”
Katherine Kuenzli, chair and professor of art and art history, discussed the historical intersection of art and politics with CT Mirror. “The history, if you want to link it to caricature or cartooning, is really 18th-century Italy. But the kind of political edge that it takes really happens in the 19th century in France, and that’s called the golden age of caricature,” Kuenzli said.
Peter Rutland, Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor in Global Issues and Democratic Thought, wrote about an emerging category of documentaries coming out of Russia for Transitions: films on how Russian President Vladimir Putin controlled the nation’s society. A new film, Politzek: Voices that Defy the Kremlin, is the latest in this genre, Rutland wrote. “Western viewers want to understand why and how Vladimir Putin has been able to establish such firm control over Russian society and launch a senseless war against Ukraine—despite the heroic efforts of an embattled minority of Russians who oppose the war,” he wrote.
The New York Times published a story about the life of the late John Basinger MA’79, MAT’66, who taught theater, speech, and sign language at a Connecticut community college and once memorized all 12 books of John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost.” He is survived by Jeanine Basinger, Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies, Emerita, their daughter Savannah, and a granddaughter.
Guitarist Mary Halvorson ’02 was recently profiled by Bandcamp to talk about her tour with Canis Major, a jazz quartet, and her work with the sextet Amaryllis, which has released three albums since 2022. “What’s different about [Amaryllis] than the others is that it doesn’t have set solos—people just take the space that they want,” she said. “It doesn’t say ‘we play this melody and then it’s a trombone solo.’ I was trying to allow people to pick their moments, where they felt inspired to do something. It’s partly about finding what I think is a better way to incorporate improvising in the music.”
A new one-act play from playwright Eric Conger ’68, In a Blind, will be performed at the Chain Theatre Summer One-Act Festival, according to BroadwayWorld.
