Adelstein, Richard, January 11, 2021

In this interview Richard Adelstein reflects on his scholarly journey to Wesleyan; he describes struggles through MIT and his involvement with the newly formed Upward Bound science and math program. He worked as a teacher in prisons, earned his PhD in Economics and Law from Penn, and then applied to an associate professor position in the Wesleyan Economics Department, and has also engaged in volunteer legal work as a commitment lawyer. Adelstein discusses his appreciation for Wesleyan’s friendliness to “academic outsiders;” recalls how the university’s emphasis on research/teaching has changed as a part of striking the balance between being a robust research university and a small liberal arts college. He discusses being on the hiring board for Michael Roth and reflects back on the decision knowing what he knows now. He talks about his track to tenure as a criminal law scholar in the field of Economics and the insecurity of his scholarly status among his peers at times and recalls his involvement and affinity for the College of Social Studies (CSS) at Wesleyan.