Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, is a small private university in Middletown, Connecticut. Originally an all-male Methodistcollege, 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. The college is well known for its social activism and also its high percentage of students from minority backgrounds. It was a pioneer in world music one of the first American universities outside of Los Angeles and New York City to offer a program in Film Studies.
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
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
Robert Hunter (graduated 1962) - Former United States ambassador to NATO, now president of the Atlantic Treaty Organization
Alberto Ibarg¨en (graduated 1966) - Publisher, The Miami Herald, Chair of PBS Board of Directors
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