Wellesley College has long been home to interdisciplinary centers, conferences, and institutes that extend learning beyond the classroom and connect students with global ideas—and bring opportunities for faculty and researchers to contribute powerfully to debate in the public square, both in the U.S. and globally.
116-128
116
The Institute for Social Progress, founded by faculty and alumnae in 1933, was held on campus for two weeks each summer for 20 years. Themes included “How Can We Make Democracy Work?” (1939) and “By Meeting Human Needs Mankind Can Build One World” (1947). (Image Courtesy of Wellesley College Archives.)
117
From 1946 to 1950, Wellesley’s Summer Institute for Foreign Students introduced postwar international students to American academic life, inspiring similar programs nationwide. In 1957, its former director, Carol Roehm, class of 1922, led a semester-long program for 10 refugees who had fled Hungary during the Communist takeover. (Image of Hungarian-born students decorating a room at Wellesley in preparation for Hungarian refugees courtesy of Wellesley College Archives.)
118
The Symposium on Africa at Wellesley in 1960 brought together political leaders, independence activists, diplomats, and scholars from African nations and emerging nations, as well as Britain, France, and the U.S. At the event, the New York Times reported, U.N. undersecretary Ralph Bunche predicted that 1960 would be “the year of Africa,” with up to eight new member states joining the U.N. (By the end of the year, 17 African states had joined.)
119
In 1976, the Center for Research on Women (today the Wellesley Centers for Women) hosted the first U.S. conference on women and development, bringing together 117 women from 32 countries. (Photo courtesy of Wellesley College Archives.)
120
Launched in 1997 with 150 student presenters, the annual Ruhlman Conference, named for Barbara P. Ruhlman ’54, celebrates the “knowledge, understanding, and joy” of serious intellectual engagement. In 2025, 335 students participated, representing nearly every academic department and program. (Photo of the 2010 Ruhlman Conference by Justin Knight.)
121
Since 2000, students at the annual Tanner Conference, named for Trustee Emerita Nicki Newman Tanner ’57, have presented work they’ve done through internships, civic engagement, study abroad, and other off-campus opportunities, representing experiences in 152 countries. (Photo of the 2008 Tanner Conference by Jeremy Baldwin.)
122
The Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities supports ambitious work in all forms of the humanities and creates programming that expands from the classroom into the community. Notable visitors over its 21-year history include Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith, Salman Rushdie, and Haruki Murakami. (Photo of Salman Rushdie speaking on campus in 2015 by Richard Howard.)
123
In January, the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs will welcome its 16th cohort of Albright Fellows, representing nine nationalities and 25 majors, for three weeks of intensive global-affairs training focused on this year’s theme, “The Future of Leadership in a Fragmented World.” (Photo of Albright at the 2011 conference by Richard Howard.)
124
In 2018, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018 and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, delivered the keynote address at the African Women’s Leadership Conference at Wellesley. (Photo of Sirleaf courtesy of Wellesley College Communications and Public Affairs.)
125
In the two years since the launch of the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center for Citizenship, Leadership, and Democracy, over 400 students have participated in the sophomore fellows program and student leadership opportunities. (Photo of students participating in a mock Senate debate at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute as part of the HRCC by Lisa Abitbol.)
126
The Camilla Chandler Frost ’47 Center for the Environment is an interdisciplinary hub for environmental engagement. It hosts “Green Gatherings” on a range of topics, from social justice to harvesting edible flowers.
127
In fall 2024, the Susan L. Wagner ’82 Centers for Wellesley in the World held a symposium showcasing the work of more than 30 faculty whose scholarship extends beyond academia. The event concluded with celebratory beverages from a pub-on-wheels. (Image Courtesy of Wellesley College Communications and Public Affairs.)
128
After launching in 2024, Wellesley’s BEAM (Business, Entrepreneurship, and Money Management) initiative, established by Trustee Emerita Lois Juliber ’71, held its first Wellesley in Business Symposium in November 2025. Jean Hynes ’91, CEO of Wellington Management and a Wellesley trustee, delivered the inaugural keynote address. (Photo of students participating in a BEAM program.)
Post a Comment
We ask that those who engage in Wellesley magazine's online community act with honesty, integrity, and respect. (Remember the honor code, alums?) We reserve the right to remove comments by impersonators or comments that are not civil and relevant to the subject at hand. By posting here, you are permitting Wellesley magazine to edit and republish your comment in all media. Please remember that all posts are public.