Wesleyan University

Founded in 1831, Wesleyan University is a small private university in Middletown, Connecticut. Originally an all-male Methodist college, its first attempt at co-education lasted from 1872 to 1912; the departure of the female students led directly to the foundation of nearby Connecticut College. Women were readmitted to Wesleyan in the early 1970s, and it is now completely secular. Perhaps best known for the liberal arts, it does also offer a wide variety of sciences, which dominate the graduate programs available. It is one of the "Little Three" along with Amherst College and Williams College. Wesleyan is an elite college, being one of the handful that rejects far more applicants than apply. The college is well known for its social activism and also its high percentage of students from minority backgrounds. It was a ppioneer in world music one of the first American universities outside of Los Angeles and New York City to offer a program in Film Studies.

Famous Alumni

Famous alumni of Wesleyan University include:

Miguel Arteta (graduated 1989) - Film director (Star Maps, Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl)

Eric Asimov (graduated 1979) - Restaurant columnist and editor, The New York Times; son of Isaac Asimov
Gerald Baliles (graduated 1963) - Former governor of Virginia
John Perry Barlow (graduated 1969) - Lyricist for Grateful Dead, cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Michael Bay (graduated 1986) - Film director (The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor)
Bill Belichick (graduated 1975) - Head coach, New England Patriots, winner of 2002 Super Bowl
Dr. Herbert Benson (graduated 1957) - Founding president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute; author of The Relaxation Response
William Blakemore (graduated 1965) - Correspondent, ABC News
Amy Bloom (graduated 1975) - Author of Come to Me, Love Invents Us, and A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You
Joshua Boger (graduated 1973) - President and CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Linda Brinen (graduated 1988) - Scientific and technical programs manager, Joint Center for Structural Genomics, Stanford University
Ethan Bronner (graduated 1976) - Assistant editorial page editor, The New York Times
Dominique Browning (graduated 1977) - Editor-in-chief, House & Garden Magazine
Ambrose Burfoot (graduated 1968) - First collegian to win the Boston Marathon; executive editor, Runner's World Magazine
Majora Carter (graduated 1988) - Founder and executive director, Sustainable South Bronx
Richard Cavanagh (graduated 1968) - President and CEO, The Conference Board of New York
Jennifer Crittenden (graduated 1992) - Writer and/or producer for Seinfeld, The Drew Carey Show, and Everybody Loves Raymond
Robin Cook (graduated 1962) - Medical mystery writer whose books include Abduction, Chromosome 6, Coma, Shock, and many other bestsellers
Alan Dachs (graduated 1970) - President, The Fremont Group (investment arm of Bechtel Corp.); chairman of Wesleyan's board of trustees
Ed Decter (graduated 1979) - Screenwriter: There's Something About Mary
Dana Delany (graduated 1978) - Emmy Awasrd�winning actress whose credits include the television shows China Beach and Presidio Med and the films Tombstone and Fly Away Home
Jane Eisner (graduated 1977) - Columnist, Philadelphia Inquirer
Charles Exley, Jr. (graduated 1951) - Former chairman and CEO, NCR Corporation
Ted Fiske (graduated 1959) - Educational writer, creator of The Fiske Guide to Colleges
Jeff Galloway (graduated 1967) - Celebrated runner and author of Galloway's Book on Running
Dr. Laman Gray, Jr. (graduated 1963) - Artificial heart surgeon
Akiva Goldsman (graduated 1983) - Screenwriter for The Client, A Time to Kill, and A Beautiful Mind (Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar)
Daniel Handler (graduated 1992) - Author (under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket) of A Series of Unfortunate Events children's book series
Russell Hardin (graduated 1964) - Attorney, Hardin, Beers, Hagstette & Davidson, and lead Houston attorney for Arthur Andersen's defense against lawsuits brought by Enron shareholders
Lyle Ashton Harris (graduated 1988) - Photographer, exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Hon. Terry Hatter (graduated 1954) - Federal judge, Los Angeles
Jay Hoggard (graduated 1976) - Renowned jazz musician, vibraphonist
Gerald Holton (graduated 1941) - Professor emeritus, Harvard University, world's leading authority on life of Albert Einstein
Robert Hunter (graduated 1962) - Former United States ambassador to NATO
Alberto Ibarg¨en (graduated 1966) - Publisher, The Miami Herald
Charles James (graduated 1976) - Vice president and general counsel, ChevronTexaco Corp.
Sebastian Junger (graduated 1984) - Author of The Perfect Storm and Fire
Herb Kelleher (graduated 1953) - Founder, chairman, and former president and CEO, Southwest Airlines
Matt Kelley (graduated 1902) - Founder, president, and CEO, The Mavin Foundation
Brooks Kraft (graduated 1987) - Nationally recognized photojournalist whose pictures of the White House and President Bush have appeared in Time Magazine.
David Kohan (graduated 1986) - Cocreator and executive producer of Will and Grace and Good Morning, Miami
Alex Kotlowitz (graduated 1977) - Journalist, activist, author of There Are No Children Here
Daphne Kwok (graduated 1984) - Executive director of the Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies
Eliza Leighton (graduated 1995) - Cofounder, Stand for Children
Dr. Jay Levy (graduated 1960) - AIDS researcher and educator; professor, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
John Lipsky (graduated 1968) - Chief economist and managing director, JP Morgan Chase
Caroline Little (graduated 1981) - COO of Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive
Robert Ludlum (graduated 1951) - The late writer whose books include The Bourne Identity, The Matarese Circle, and many others
Laurence Mark (graduated 1971) - Producer of the films Jerry McGuire, As Good As It Gets, Finding Forrester
Daisy von Scherler Mayer (graduated 1988) - Film director (Party Girl, Madeline, The Guru)
Alix Olson (graduated 1997) - Performance artist and award-winning slam poet
C. Richard (Rick) Nicita (graduated 1967) - Cochairman, Creative Artists Agency
Dr. Michael Palmer (graduated 1964) - Medical mystery writer whose books include Side Effects, Flashback, Extreme Measures, and Natural Causes
Robert Patricelli (graduated 1961) - President and CEO, Women's Health, USA
Randall Pinkston (graduated 1972) - Emmy Award�winning television journalist
Bill Rodgers (graduated 1970) - Renowned runner, winner of four New York and four Boston marathons
Tom Rogers (graduated 1976) - Chairman and CEO, Primedia
Paul Schiff (graduated 1981) - Producer of the films My Cousin Vinny and Rushmore
Stephen Schiff (graduated 1972) - Screenwriter for Lolita, True Crime, and Unfaithful
Hon. Anthony Scirica (graduated 1962) - Circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals, Third District (Philadelphia)
Sara Shandler (graduated 2002) - Author of Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls Write About Their Search for Self
Theodore Shaw (graduated 1976) - Associate director-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
Alan Shestack (graduated 1960) - Chief curator, National Gallery of Art
David Skaggs (graduated 1964) - Executive director, Aspen Institute
Mark Steinmetz (graduated 1982) Photographer, recipient of Guggenheim Fellowship
C. Sumner (Chuck) Stone (graduated 1948) - Professor of journalism at University of North Carolina; former editor, Philadelphia Daily News
Beverly Daniel Tatum (graduated 1975) - President, Spelman College; author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
Philip Trager (graduated 1956) - Photographer whose books include Villas of Palladio, Dancers, Persephone, and Changing Paris: A Tour Along the Seine
Stephen Trask (graduated 1989) - Composer and lyricist for the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Hon. Stephen Trott (graduated 1962) - Federal Appellate Court judge, 9th Circuit
Jon Turteltaub (graduated 1985) - Film director (Cool Runnings, Phenomenon, While You Were Sleeping)
Laura Walker (graduated 1979) - President and CEO, WNYC
Paul Weitz (graduated 1988) - Director (with brother Chris Weitz, American Pie, About a Boy)
Jeff Weitzen (graduated 1978) - Former president and CEO, Gateway 2000
Joss Whedon (graduated 1987) - Creator, producer, director, and writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly; screenwriter for Speed and Toy Story
Bradley Whitford (graduated 1981) - Emmy-winning actor in television drama The West Wing
David White (graduated 1970) - Executive director, producer, and founder of the Dance Theater Workshop
Mike White (graduated 1992) - Screenwriter for Chuck and Buck, Orange County, and The Good Girl
Dar Williams (graduated 1989) - Folksinger
Christopher Wink (graduated 1983) - Founder of the Blue Man Group
Frank Wood (graduated 1984) - Tony Award-winning actor (Side Man)
John Woodhouse (graduated 1953) - Senior chairman, Sysco Corp.
Walter Wriston (graduated 1941) - Retired chairman, Citicorp
Michael Yamashita (graduated 1971) - Photographer, National Geographic
John Yang (graduated 1980) - Correspondent, ABC News
Strauss Zelnick (graduated 1979) - Founder and president, ZelnickMedia
Ezra Zilkha (graduated 1947) - President, Zilkha and Sons

Wesleyan University

Famous Alumni

External links