Welcome back

Sep 6, 2024

To: The Wellesley College Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Welcome back
Date: September 6, 2024

Welcome back! I hope everyone is ready for the fall after a rejuvenating and enjoyable summer, and I hope that the first week of classes has gone well.

I know the summer was very busy for many in our community who were on campus. A sincere thanks to our hardworking Facilities Management and Planning team, led by Michelle Maheu, for the incredible progress on campus renewal they made over the summer. It is also always a joy to see the dedicated faculty, staff, and students in the Summer Science Research Program hard at work in the Science Complex.

This year’s convocation ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to gather together—on a beautiful day, no less—to celebrate the start of the year. It was my honor to welcome the red class of 2028 as well as new Davis Scholars and transfer students. I know they will contribute in remarkable ways to this community. And of course, I want to welcome back all our returning students as well as our new faculty, who are scholars and dedicated teachers, and the talented staff who have joined the College.

This was the first convocation for Courtney Coile in her new role as provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College. She reminded students that Wellesley’s faculty “take your academic, intellectual, and career ambitions seriously and are deeply committed to your learning. We set high standards for you because we have great respect for your abilities, and we provide the support that you need to meet those high standards.”

I want to thank our student speakers, who gave stirring and deeply thoughtful remarks. Mia Cadena ’25, College Government president, spoke of the certainties that anchor her, including her belief that Wellesley has a “culture of care.” “Wellesley students care for one another and love so deeply,” she said. “This care extends outside of our community. So much so that we are willing to tell the world what is happening, and we do this through our conversations, through our academics, and through our protests.”

Noelle Davis ’25, chief justice, called on the audience to “make this year about genuinely listening to each other, learning from one another, and fostering a community where every voice is heard and valued.” Before the ceremonial reading of the Honor Code, she asked students to “embrace these values not merely because of the Honor Code, but because it’s the right choice—and because it’s how we build an inclusive and supportive community for everyone.”

I encourage everyone to listen to their full remarks.

This fall brings a historic U.S. presidential election as well as continuing unrest and violence across the globe. We must meet the moment, guided by our academic mission. This means reflecting and learning together while at the same time deepening our commitment to civil dialogue and civic engagement.

First and foremost, for those who are U.S. citizens, we have a responsibility to strengthen our democracy, and this November that means voting. I am proud of our students who are actively working on voter registration, and I can report that Wellesley once again is taking part in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

As we continue to focus on creating a community of diverse ideas and vigorous but civil dialogue, I am grateful to our faculty for their dedicated work creating a number of learning opportunities on consequential and intriguing topics, some of which are described below.

In the lead-up to the election, I hope you will attend some of these important discussions that will help us understand what’s at stake.

  • The Knapp Social Science Center series “Identity, Power, and the Future of Democracy” will provide opportunities for our community to examine the impact of identity, intersectionality, and gender and racial attitudes on voting behavior in the 2024 election. The first event is September 30.

  • On October 28 the College and the Wellesley College Alumnae Association are hosting a virtual roundtable of alums who will discuss the issues in this election. The speakers, a truly impressive group that crosses generations, include a White House reporter for the Washington Post, a voting rights activist, and scholars of political science. Michael Jeffries, dean of academic affairs, Class of 1949 Chair in Ethics, and professor of American studies, will moderate the discussion.

Because of the ongoing violence in the Middle East, many in our community have asked for more opportunities to delve into the issues in that region.

  • On September 19, the faculty-led Pluralism Initiative will officially launch with a roundtable about Zionism with four speakers who bring Arab, Israeli, and American perspectives to the discussion. Future events will focus on topics such as the benefits of questioning one’s own certitude and the limits and conventions of scientific inquiry. The initiative will bring to campus a range of thinkers whose research challenges the orthodoxy of liberal, conservative, and centrist positions alike. Along with their lectures, the initiative will host a roundtable series featuring scholars who study a range of complex issues. I want to thank Liza Oliver, associate professor of art, for her leadership as the initiative’s inaugural director, and the members of the faculty advisory board who are collaborating with her.

  • On October 1, the President’s Office will bring to campus the co-leaders of the Middle East Dialogues Project at Dartmouth College. Tarek El-Ariss, chair of Dartmouth’s Middle Eastern studies program, and Susannah Heschel, chair of the Jewish studies program, will share their deep expertise in the history and politics of the region. They have been lauded for their work by the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe, which said they “model” how to provide “educational offerings, including hosting public talks between individuals who disagree on an issue, holding faculty lectures on contemporary issues, and funding events that promote student dialogue.”

Here are some other important educational opportunities and community celebrations I invite you to take advantage of this fall:

  • The Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities, the Frost Center for the Environment, the Knapp Social Science Center, and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies have created a community conversation series, “From Progressive to Problematic.” The first discussion, on September 19, will tackle nationalism. Learn more about the series here.

  • Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature at the Davis Museum, opens September 26. The exhibit showcases McEwen’s celebrated paintings of plant life and examines the modernist master’s unique rendering of the natural object.

  • On October 25, Wellesley will honor the three remarkable recipients of this year’s Alumnae Achievement Awards: Claire Parkinson ’70, a climate change scientist and social justice advocate; Joanne Berger-Sweeney ’79, president of Trinity College and a professor of neuroscience (who also spent nearly 20 years at Wellesley, where she served as director of the neuroscience program and as associate dean); and Amy Weaver ’89, a business leader and champion of equality.

  • The Wellesley College Theatre’s fall 2024 mainstage production, The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, opens November 15. This special production is part of a collaboration and international exchange with students from Soonchunhyang University in South Korea.

  • This year marks the 20th anniversary of the gift from Susan “Suzy” Marley Newhouse ’55 and Donald Newhouse that established the Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities. In honor of this anniversary, the Newhouse will explore the theme of “radical futures” and in particular Black, feminist worldmaking and the research, writing, and other creative work at the intersection between the humanities and STEM fields. As part of a series of events, on November 22 10-time Grammy-nominated musician, actor, and producer Janelle Monáe will visit campus to discuss her critically acclaimed science-fiction short story collection, The Memory Librarian, and its connection to the Newhouse’s anniversary theme.

  • We also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wellesley Centers for Women, which is marking this milestone with a series of important and compelling programming throughout the year, including a forum in December that will feature former directors of the centers from across the years.

We have so much to look forward to, and so much to accomplish. I hope we can begin the semester in the spirit of gratitude for being part of this community—and a commitment to the idea that College belongs to all of us. Let’s make this year one of growth, reflection, and deep engagement with each other. This will ensure we can pursue our academic mission, which has never been more important, with a shared sense of purpose.