Greetings from the Dean's Office!
We are Wilkinson hopes that our entire community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and donors is finding some time to relax and recharge this summer. Recent events have kept us busy, and we were proud to co-sponsor a quickly assembled panel of experts to discuss the implications of Roe v. Wade being overturned (see below to learn more and watch the panel). Looking ahead, we have a full slate of events in preparation for our fall Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on Ethnic Studies series, including a conversation with George Takei about his childhood experiences being incarcerated in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II.
Next month, we welcome the class of 2026!
If you would like to share a story for an upcoming newsletter,
please contact wilkinsoncollege@chapman.edu.
Pictured Above: (left) Actor and activist George Takei, a prominent voice for immigrant and LGBTQIA+ rights and author of They Called Us Enemy (right). Reserve your tickets for "An Evening with George Takei" on Wednesday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m., co-sponsored by Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and
Social Sciences and the Musco Center for the Arts, part of Wilkinson College's latest Engaging the World Series programming,
Leading the Conversation on Ethnic Studies.
(Left to right) Dr. Norma Bouchard, Executive Vice President and Provost; Dr. Lori Cox Han, Doy B. Henley Chair of American Presidential Studies; Professor Marisa Cianciarulo, Dean of the Fowler School of Law; and Dr. Charissa Threat, Associate Professor of History.
Ask the Experts: Roe v. Wade, Now What?
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark decision, Roe v. Wade, that protected a person’s right to choose to have an abortion, upheld for nearly 50 years. To explore what this decision means and where we go from here, Wilkinson College, the Office of the Provost, and the Fowler School of Law co-sponsored a campus-wide conversation with faculty experts. Visit the link to watch the discussion.
(Left to right) Dr. Nancy Rios-Contreras, Montserrat Bugueno ('22, MA International Studies),Socrates Mbamalu ('22, MA War
and Society).
Experiential Learning at the Mexico/U.S. Border
Students of the MA in International Studies (MAIS) and MA in War and Society programs had the opportunity to visit the Mexico-United States port of entry between San Ysidro and Tijuana, the “world’s busiest border crossing.” "The Mexico-United States border is a place many dream and debate about, but few actually get to visit,” said Dr. Nancy Rios-Contreras (Sociology), who organized the trip.
New Student Curated Exhibition in Beckman Hall
Throughout the spring semester, the students in Associate Professor of Art Micol Hebron's Contemporary Gallery Practices course worked together to conceptualize and select artwork for an exhibition titled Mother's Severance. The exhibition brings together artworks from the Escalette Permanent Art Collection that depict the human relationship to the natural world in this time of climate crisis and an ever-changing environment.
Italian Studies and Dodge College Collaborate in Italy
The Italian Studies program in Wilkinson College and the Film and Media Studies program in Dodge College of Film and Media Arts joined efforts to develop a unique educational experience in Bologna, Italy—a travel course that will become a staple of both programs and Chapman University in the future. The newly designed travel course created a space for students to collaborate, research, and write about Italian film.
Career Corner: A Student's Perspective on Wilkinson's Interdisciplinary Minors
Wilkinson College’s growing portfolio of Interdisciplinary Minors represent the heart and
soul of Chapman University—its liberal arts core. Consider adding
an Interdisciplinary Minor, and enhance your degree with holistic and personalized inquiry in the arts, humanities, and social sciences that might set you on a new career pathway!
Cosmic Archaeology
Associate Professor of Art Justin Walsh conducted the first archaeological study aboard a spacecraft with co-principal investigator Alice Gorman of Flinders University in Australia. “[The International Space Station] is a microsociety in a mini world,” said Walsh, who is using
archaeological analysis of extraterrestrial daily life to reveal new understanding of human activity in space.
Gift of the Month
We wish to thank Suzanne and Scot Ellingson for their continued generosity and support of the Escalette Permanent Art Collection, whose parents, Phyllis and Ross Escalette, created the collection almost twelve years ago. The Escalette Collection functions as a "museum without walls" where artwork is displayed throughout the Chapman campus in hallways, public spaces, and study areas. Come and visit the student-curated exhibits, “This Land is Your Land” in the lobby of Roosevelt Hall, and “Mother’s Severance,” on the 3rd floor of Beckman Hall.
Wilkinson Alumni News
Check out what some of our awesome alumni are doing:
Matt Cotti ('22, Political Science, Philosophy) accepted a position with the Schumann, Rosenberg, & Arevalo LLP law firm. He plans to pursue a law degree in corporate and insurance litigation.
Ally Freed ('19, Creative Writing) is a Creative Assistant for the Original Studio Film Group at Netflix.
Saarini Madhava ('20, Public Relations, Law, Justice, and Social Control) is an Account Manager Associate at Google, focusing on Large Customer Sales.
We want to know what you've been doing with your degree!
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