Home to 524 students, Wonnacott Commons is your first home base, a neighborhood within the larger "city" of Middlebury College. On the Middlebury campus, a commons is defined by the buildings in this neighborhood and, much more, by the people who inhabit them.
History of Wonnacott Commons
Dean of Students
Erica Wonnacott |
Wonnacott Commons was established in 1998. Our commons bears the name of the first person to hold the title of Dean of Students at Middlebury, Erica Wonnacott. Remembered affectionately by generations of Middlebury alumni, Wonnacott first took office during a period of campus unrest in the early 1970s, and quickly became known for her willingness to listen to students and to seek reasonable comprise when conflict appeared likely. She worked tirelessly to preserve the Middlebury traditions she cherished. She retired in 1988, and passed away in 2002.
The Wonnacott Team
Some of the first people you will meet on campus are members of the Wonnacott team, the core professionals who help put Wonnacott into motion.
Wonnacott is led by Professors.Will Nash and Deb Evans. As Commons Heads, they plan academic and social activities, host lectures and dinners, and provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff to interact with one another outside the classroom setting. They are the mentors of your hall's First Years counselors, and through them, will help you learn your way around the academic terrain that is this College. All of these activities serve their central mission of setting the intellectual tone for Wonnacott. Deb and Will balance a professional life that includes teaching, research and writing with being actively involved in the Commons.
As commons dean, Matt Longman is a dedicted student affairs professional, whose duties include personal counseling, academic counseling, and serving as a link to residential life staff. Matt, class of '89, has served Middlebury as a dean since before the inception of the commons system.
The commons team is balanced by the essential work of two other positions—the commons coordinator and the commons residential advisor (CRA). The CRA is typically a recent Middlebury graduate who devotes a year of his early professional career to administer the every day aspects of student life. This year we are pleased to have Chas Wirene, '07; he'll be living in Battell Hall with many of our incoming first year students.
Brenda Fizur, Coordinator of Wonnacott, makes the trains run on time in the Wonnacott office and is known for her kind smile, her sense of humor, and her delicious chocolate chip cookies. Brenda has worked at Middlebury for nine years and is very much looking forward to meeting the next group of students who will call Wonnacott home.
Making Wonnacott Yours
There are countless ways to be involved in commons life. From becoming an active member of the Commons Council; to helping faculty heads bring a favorite musician or author to campus; to organizing an Quidditch tournament; to planning a Katrina relief fundraiser; to organizing a concert series, hike or apple picking trip—what the Wonnacott experience can be is largely up to you.
And to the members of Wonnacott Commons, Class of 2011—
Welcome! As Head of Wonnacott Commons, I’d like to extend a very warm greeting and to welcome you to Middlebury this fall. Along with Will Nash, my husand and usually my co-head (he's on a well-deserved academic leave this year), I look forward to welcoming you to our home, located on campus, where we live with our eight-year-old daughter and our golden retriever (of interest to potential babysitters and dog lovers). In our position as Wonnacott Heads, we work to create ways of seamlessly connecting what goes on in the classroom and the rest of your life at Middlebury. That takes many shapes and forms, but in the main we try to find ways for students and faculty to connect over issues of mutual interest that may—or may not—be directly related to a specific class.
If you haven't already, you'll be receiving your First Year Seminar assignment soon. Many (but not all) of your seminars are what is known as "commons affiliated." That means that all the people in your class will also be living in Wonnacott with you. On Friday evening during orientation, I'll have the opportunity to introduce all our first year students to all the First Year Seminar instructors associated with Wonnacott this fall; this way, you'll get a sampling of the various areas of study and approaches to their fields taken by a diverse group of Middlebury professors.
I hope you’ll find this to be the first of many interesting conversations you’ll have with professors and that you’ll be glad for the opportunity to get to know many of them well over the course of your time here. I may even find you in one of my classes along the way; this this fall I'm teaching an English and American Literature survey of the 19th century. Will Nash will be spending the year working on a project on African American Literature and Chicago, so he'll be less visible than usual--but I know him and I know he'll find an opportunity to meet you along the way.
Orientation is typically a flurry of activity--fun, busy, and informative. You'll learn more about this campus than you can possibly take in. Don't worry: that's why your commons staff is here. We serve as a vital resource for you as you negotiate your first year and beyond. You'll meet all of us during orientation, and you'll get a sense of how we work as a team.
As you are getting ready to come to Middlebury, please let me know if we can answer any questions about life in Wonnacott and your first semester. Our family will be away until Aug. 25th, but Brenda is in the Wonnacott office weekdays for the rest of the month. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer—all of us at Wonnacott very much look forward to meeting you in September.
All best,
Prof. Deb Evans
Head of Wonnacott Commons