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Rocky Horror was edgy in its time and brought the philosophy of Warhol and his minions to the mainstream in a winsome way.

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A totally liberal, leftwing bastion of socialistic indoctrination proudly not associated whatsoever with the ministry of John Wesley for whom its name is derived.

Wesleyan University: A Brief History

Wesleyan University was founded in 1831 by Methodist leaders and Middletown citizens. Instruction began with 48 students of varying ages, the president, three professors, and one tutor; tuition was $36 per year.

Today Wesleyan offers instruction in 40 departments and 44 major fields of study and awards the bachelor of arts and graduate degrees. The master of arts degree and the doctor of philosophy are regularly awarded in six fields of study. Students may choose from more than 900 courses each year and may be counted upon to devise, with the faculty, some 900 individual tutorials and lessons.

The student body is made up of approximately 2,900 full-time undergraduates and 200 graduate students, as well as about 200 part-time students in Graduate Liberal Studies. An ongoing faculty of more than 300 is joined each semester by a distinguished group of visiting artists and professors. But despite Wesleyan’s growth, today’s student/instructor ratio remains at 9 to 1, and about two thirds of all courses enroll fewer than 20 students.

Named for John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, Wesleyan is among the oldest of the originally Methodist institutions of higher education in the United States. The Methodist movement was particularly important for its early emphasis on social service and education, and from its inception, Wesleyan offered a liberal arts program rather than theological training. Wesleyan’s first president, Willbur Fisk, a prominent Methodist educator, set out an enduring theme at his inaugural address in September 1831. President Fisk stated that education serves two purposes: “the good of the individual educated and the good of the world.” Student and faculty involvement in a wide range of community-service activities reflected President Fisk’s goals in the 19th century and continues to do so today.

Wesleyan has been known for curricular innovations since its founding. At a time when classical studies dominated the American college curriculum, emulating the European model, President Fisk sought to put modern languages, literature, and natural sciences on an equal footing with the classics. When Judd Hall, now home to the Psychology Department, was built in 1870, it was one of the first American college buildings designed to be dedicated wholly to scientific study. Since the 1860s, Wesleyan’s faculty has focused on original research and publication in addition to teaching.

The earliest Wesleyan students were all male, primarily Methodist, and almost exclusively white. From 1872 to 1912, Wesleyan was a pioneer in the field of coeducation, admitting a limited number of women to study and earn degrees alongside the male students. Coeducation succumbed to the pressure of male alumni, some of whom believed that it diminished Wesleyan’s standing in comparison with its academic peers. In 1911, some of Wesleyan’s alumnae helped to found the Connecticut College for Women in New London to help fill the void left when Wesleyan closed its doors to women.

Ties to the Methodist church, which were particularly strong in the earliest years and from the 1870s to the 1890s, waned in the 20th century. Wesleyan became fully independent of the Methodist church in 1937.