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This article concerns Wesleyan University in Middletown , Connecticut ; a number of other colleges and universities have names that include Wesleyan .
Wesleyan University founded in 1831 , is a private, Liberal Arts University in Middletown , Connecticut . Founded by Methodist leaders and residents of Middletown, the now-secular university was the first college or university to be named after John Wesley , the founder of Methodism . The school shares a common Methodist heritage with about twenty other U.S. colleges and universities also named after Wesley. With a class size of slightly over 700, Wesleyan accepts just 28 percent (class of 2009) of those who apply, making it one of the more selective colleges in the U.S. (giving it a Princeton Review Admissions Selectivity Rating of 97 on a scale from 60 to 99). In 2006, it was ranked 12th among the top liberal arts colleges in the country by '' US News ''. In the initial '' Washington Monthly '' rankings, it was rated second amongst liberal arts colleges, after Wellesley College . Wesleyan is part of the "Little Three" of Amherst , Wesleyan, and Williams . Wesleyan is well known for the diversity of its student population, with students from 49 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and 45 foreign countries. Thirty-four percent of the class of 2009 identified themselves as students of color. Wesleyan is famous for its activism, especially for its Minority , Feminist and Gay-rights organizations, and as such it was the main inspiration for the 1994 movie '' PCU '', which satirized an exaggeratedly " Politically Correct University." Wesleyan's program in World Music is a pioneering effort, the first to employ on a long-term basis, in addition to academic Ethnomusicologists, virtuoso teaching musicians representing a diversity of musical traditions. Javanese Gamelan , South Indian Classical Music, West African Music, African-American Music and Experimental Music have been permanent components of the Music Department alongside Western Classical Music since the 1960's. A Masters degree in World Music as well as a PhD in Ethnomusicology are offered. The university is also known for its film studies department. Wesleyan University's Cinema Archives, which is run by renowned film historian Jeanine Basinger , has achieved stature and acclaim for its important and growing collection documenting the film industry in the 20th Century. These archives hold the personal papers of several prominent figures in film history such as Elia Kazan , Frank Capra , Ingrid Bergman , Clint Eastwood , Martin Scorsese , John Waters , Roberto Rossellini , Gene Tierney , Raoul Walsh , and others. Another notable department is the College of Social Studies (CSS) founded in 1959 and housed in the Public Affairs Center. Combining the disciplines of History, Economics, Philosophy, and Government CSS is among Wesleyan's most prestigious programs. History Wesleyan was founded as an All-male Methodist College in 1831. In 1872 it became one of the first universities to attempt a coeducational environment, allowing a small number of female students to attend the university, a venture known as the "Wesleyan Experiment". Many of Wesleyan's male alumni believed that coeducation lowered Wesleyan's standings compared to its academic peers, so from 1912 to 1970, Wesleyan returned to being an all-male university. By the time the university began reintegrating women in 1970, many female scholars had already found their place at the All-female Connecticut College in nearby New London , founded by Wesleyan alumnae in 1911. Wesleyan became fully independent of the Methodist Church in 1937, after ties to the church waned throughout the early 20th century. Academics Wesleyan offers Bachelor Of Arts , the Master Of Arts and the Ph.D. Wesleyan offers over 900 courses in 39 departments and 44 major fields of study. No minor concentrations are offered. Wesleyan is also highly supportive of interdisciplinary programs. For example, one can pursue a custom-designed major, known as a University Major. Double majors are also a popular choice among Wesleyan Students. Almost all classes at Wesleyan are small, with the average class size, for both graduates and undergraduates, at around 19 students. Wesleyan's graduate programs are mostly limited to the sciences and mathematics, although it also offers reputable graduate programs in Liberal Sciences, Music and Ethnomusicology, Anthropology, and Psychology. In 1953, Wesleyan University pioneered the study of liberal arts at the graduate level, with the Graduate Liberal Studies Program. To date, thousands of educational institutions have followed suit with similar programs, including many of the world's leading universities, (e.g. Harvard , Oxford , and Northwestern , among others). Wesleyan's Graduate Liberal Studies Program offers both the Master of Arts in Liberal Sciences and the Certificate of Advanced Studies (C.A.S.). Departments and majors The following is a list of undergraduate departments and programs. Each department offers one or more major programs of study, except as noted.
Certificate programs Wesleyan's certificate programs are "designed to bring coherence to programs of study that include courses from many departments and programs." They are:
Need-blind admissions and financial accessibility Wesleyan University follows a Need-blind Admission policy. Financial circumstances are not considered when deciding whether to admit, wait list, or turn down applications. In 1982, the trustees announced that, following federal cuts to student aid, the university would begin considering financial circumstances when admitting students off the wait list. Students protested the decision, and while the trustees did not back down, the university was able to raise enough money for financial aid to avoid putting the new policy into effect. In 1992, the university administration again considered ending need-blind admissions for students on the wait list. A student group, Students for Financially Accessible Education (SFAE), organized a series of actions, including rallies, a silent vigil encircling a trustee meeting, and a sit-in in an administation building followed by a camp-out on its lawn. A need-blind admissions policy was preserved and has been maintained to this day. SFAE continued for several years to raise awareness about financial accessibility, offer interest-free loans to students with financial emergencies, and raise money for financial aid through energy conservation campaigns. It appears to be dormant at the present time. Recent activism 2004 saw a resurgence in activism at Wesleyan, after several years of dormancy. In December 2004, over 250 students took over South College, the building housing President Douglas Bennett's office, to protest the lack of student voices in administrative decision making. The building occupation was followed by a forum the next day, in which President Bennett promised to respond to student demands in January 2005. Another controversy in the same period was the status of the campus radio station, WESU, founded in 1939 as the second college radio station in the United States ( KUOA at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas was the first, in 1936 ). Since 1988 , WESU's format had been entirely free-form, with DJs having complete freedom to program what they will. The university had, at that time, announced its intent to seek some sort of affiliation with National Public Radio , and to drastically change the station's format. In October 2005 a consensus was reached on at least some aspects of the station's future, with the appointment of Ben Michael as the station's general manager. Michael, a volunteer at the station since 1998, was widely perceived as the students' and station staff's "candidate" for the position. Issues relating to sex, sexuality, and gender are prominent on campus. A student organization on sexuality defines alternative sexuality broadly: "Why do we now use LGBTTQQFAGIPBDSM... to describe our communities? LGBTTQQFAGIPBDSM is an acronym that many people use to be inclusive of sexually dissonant identities. It includes Lesbian , Gay , Bisexual , Transgender , Transsexual , Queer , Questioning , Flexual, Asexual , Genderqueer , Intersex , Polyamourous , BDSM (bondage/ disciple, dominance/ submission, sadism/ masochism)...", with the ellipses indicating an indefinite continuation, and that the list is not comprehensive. Para La Familia Para La Familia is a student group that was founded at Wesleyan University in the Fall of 2004. It is dedicated to create the same resources for Spanish speaking parents and students that exist for English speaking parents and students. The need for this service arises from the fact that some parents are left excluded from what the college process is. So far the group has had three events, the first being November 14th 2004, then April 16th 2005, and the most recent one on November 12th and 13th with each event gaining increasing attendance. The first event included two families, the second held seven families, and the most recent event held approximately twenty families. The main purpose of the group is to integrate Spanish speaking families into the Wesleyan community. http://www.wesleyan.edu/wsa/paralafamilia Theater Wesleyan is home to the first, and one of the most active, student-run college theater companies in the country. This company, Second Stage, produces at least one show almost every weekend during the school year, either in the fully-equipped Patricelli '92 Theater, alternate spaces around campus, such as dorm lounges and fraternities, or both. The '92 Theater became available for student run productions when the Center for the Arts opened in 1974, providing the Theater Department with what was then a state-of-the-art facility. Second Stage provides students with invaluable experience in running their own small theater company. Astronomy The Van Vleck Observatory, built in 1914, sits atop Foss Hill near the center of the Wesleyan campus. According to the department's web site, "The telescopes are used for research-based observing programs and sky watching events open to Wesleyan students and the general public." The university owns three telescopes. A 16-inch, and a 20-inch are both used for weekly public observing nights, open to the Wesleyan community and the general public. The third telescope, the 24-inch Perkins telescope, is used primarily for research, including for senior and graduate student thesis projects, as well as for departmental research programs. The Perkins scope is one of the largest telescopes in New England. Wesleyan also has a partnership with the WIYN .9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona . Students and faculty have the opportunity to spend time in Arizona doing research with the telescope. Notable alumni For a list of notable alumni of Wesleyan University see: List Of Wesleyan University People . Notes # Note|Students-of-color}} Profile of the Class of 2009 ( PDF ), Wesleyan University Office of Admission, accessed 23 Jan 2006. # Note|Aid-1982}} New York Times, "Protest over Aid Ends at Wesleyan," 19 May 1982, B5. # Note|Aid-1990}} New York Times, "Ability to Pay Becomes Factor in Admissions," 6 May 1990, 51. that the article cites Wesleyan as a school where need-blind admissions remained. # Note|SFAE}} Peter Isbister, Need Blind in Need and Justin Tamplin, Recycling and Beyond . Both from ''Hermes'', Sep. 1996, on university website. Retrieved 5 February 2006. # Note|Bennett-occupation}} Students for Democratic Action On the December resistance , opinion piece in Wesleyan ''Argus''. No date, apparently December 2004. Retrieved 26 Nov 2005. # Note|WESU-history}} Fragments//WESU History on website of WESU-FM. Retrieved 26 Nov 2005. # Note|oldest-station}} Adrian Peterson, Discovered At Last - The Oldest Radio Station In The World , originally aired over Adventist World Radio's "Wavescan" program. Retrieved 26 Nov 2005. # Note|NPR1}} November 23, 2004 WESU press release . Retrieved 26 Nov 2005. # Note|NPR2}} Students for Democratic Action, ''op. cit.'' # Note|flexual}} http://bartik.brynmawr.edu/students/lfriedma/queer/definitions.html#flexual, accessed 1 Nov 2005 # Note|queer}} http://www.wesleyan.edu/queer, accessed 31 Oct 2005. # Note|Carpenter}} # Note|astro}} Wesleyan University Astronomy Department , accessed 31 Oct 2005. # Note|Lehnin}} Johns Hopkins Medical Archives , accessed 6 Feb 2006. External links
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