WAAVblog

A great guest blog post from Debra (Isserlis) Steppel ’89:

Even with well over 20 years as a consistent WAAV volunteer, I hadn’t been to visit campus since 1997 when I left Connecticut to move to Virginia after finishing graduate school at Yale. I think I’ve interviewed prospective students almost every year since my 1989 graduation with the exception of the 2 years when I was on pregnancy bedrest. We only had an hour to visit campus while en route between Providence, RI, and Kent, CT, but we stopped by the campus so I could show my family my old undergraduate stomping grounds. I took my husband and 2 kids (ages 8 and 6) on basically the same campus tour I used to give while I was a member of Cardinal Key. I even walked backwards for part of the tour.

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Tags: guest blog, visiting campus

As I traveled around the country this fall, one of the questions that came up most frequently, from prospective students and their families, was, “What’s Middletown like?” I know from my interactions with WAAV over the past few years that you get this question too. I also know from talking to alumni and from being on campus for the last four years that Middletown has changed drastically since many of you were students. Wesleyan’s interaction and partnership with the Middletown community has also changed.

So, if you haven’t been back, or haven’t explored Middletown when you have returned, how has it changed? We see Middletown as an important part of any Wesleyan student’s experience, inside and outside of the classroom.

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Tags: community service, Main Street, Middletown

Hello all!

I am now officially off the road and excited to get back into blogging. This past weekend, we had many alumni — and WAAV — back on campus for Homecoming/Family Weekend. The Admission Volunteer Council (AVC), a group of WAAV members who work with the Office of Admission on the WAAV program, met on Friday and are very excited about our new initiatives moving forward. Look to hear from us soon!

Check out the pictures from the weekend by clicking on our very own Dave Bartholomew ’81!.

Tags: admission volunteer council, hc/fw

Hello WAAVers!  The admission deans are currently out on the road, meeting potential members of the Class of 2016.  Right now, we have deans traveling in Massachusetts, California, New York, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, the United Kingdom, and Mexico!  It’s been great to hear about how excited students are about Wesleyan as I’ve traveled and I know that I have been encouraging these students to get to know our alumni through interviews.

I hope to start posting soon about things going on at Wes, so that you can all stay informed about what’s new on campus and with our students.   I imagine you are all busy getting requests for college fairs and interviews, and I’d like to thank you in advance for everything you do to help us recruit the very best students for each Wesleyan class.

Tags: admission on the road, updates

This great video from last Wednesday’s arrival day is definitely worth watching!

Arrival Day 2011

Tags: arrival day, new students, video

Some images from Wesleyan’s Arrival Day for new students last Wednesday, August 31.

Check out the whole set of great photos here!

Tags: arrival day, new students, photos

Yesterday was the first day of classes for members of the Classes of 2012 through 2015!  Campus looks completely different than it did just a few days ago, before the holiday weekend (as evidenced by the number of students crossing the street in front of my car this morning).  We are excited for the start of a new semester!

On campus, construction is well under way on the building formerly known as the Squash Courts (adjacent to the Usdan University Center) and it will house the Career Resource Center, the College of Letters, and the Art History department when it opens in January.  You can read more about the construction and see photos here.

Additionally, Wesleyan has welcomed a number of new programs and initiatives in the last couple of years, including the College of the Environment, new certificate programs in areas such as Civic Engagement, and a newly established Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

Please keep your eye on the blog and the Facebook page for more updates about WAAV and what’s going on at Wesleyan.

Tags: new school year, updates

On Monday, August 15, prospective students were able to begin requesting alumni interviews.  Some of you may have already heard from some of the students!

Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you as we move into the next cycle.  We will be sending out an update from the Office of Admission in early September.

Hope everyone has a great end of the summer!

Tags: interviews

I hope that everyone is having a great summer–it is rapidly drawing to a close here on campus, and we will soon be welcoming the Class of 2015!

Today, a reminder e-mail will go out about opting in to WAAV for the 2011-12 cycle.  This opt in is very simple and allows us to make sure that we know which volunteers wish to remain active.  Please make sure that you respond to this message ASAP.

I am currently working on two WAAV initiatives that I hope will move us further toward a more informed group of volunteers.  The first is developing an FAQ for WAAV.  I hope that anyone who has suggestions for what should be included on the FAQ will comment or be in touch via e-mail.

Second, I am planning several short videos about attending college fairs for alumni volunteers, and would welcome any feedback on what you think it would be important for alumni to know about college fairs before they attend.

Thanks again for your service, and I am looking forward to working with you all again this year!

Hello all!  We are busy preparing for the next admission cycle here in the office.   As we have done for the last few years, we will again be having an “opt in” update for WAAV.  This means that we ask that you affirm your interest in participating as a volunteer with the admission office for the coming year.

Please be on the lookout for this update in the next week or so.  And remember–interviews for the Class of 2016 begin on August 15.

Tags: update