Some of the Most Popular and Most Significant Stories of the Year

Here's a short trip down memory lane to a few of the most popular and most significant stories of 2013.

The top photo here accompanied one of the stories in response to a defining moment of the year: the events in Boston surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon. Wellesley's usual happy preparations for race day and planned events for Marathon Monday 2013, like the campus concert by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, may be even more treasured in the aftermath of unexpected violence.

Wellesley, like Boston, has proved resilient.

We celebrated the newly admitted class of 2017 in March, and welcomed first years to campus in August.

In between we said farewell and good luck to the class of 2013, who are off to amazing things.

Over the summer, Wellesley was recognized by the Boston Globe for changing modern art, and we shared the incredible influence of Wellesley women on museums around the world.

The New York Times listed Wellesley as a leader among elite colleges enrolling low-income students. And in the fall, we rolled out My inTuition: Wellesley's Quick College Cost Estimator. Invented by faculty with alumnae input and staff development of the interface, the online calculator gives families a personalized snapshot of how much it would cost them to send a daughter to Wellesley, based on a few simple financial questions.

Throughout the year students garnered all kinds of recognition, including winning Fulbright Scholarships and other honors from outside organizations as well as Daniels, Schiff, and Malone awards from Wellesley. They did other cool stuff like compete on Jeopardy, swim the English Channel, perform a concert in the Philippines, and meet the King of Swaziland.

Out in the world, Wellesley thought a great deal about massive online open courses (MOOCs), with commentary in the International Herald Tribune by President Bottomly, and in the New England Journal of Higher Education by Provost Shennan. In the fall semester Wellesley offered its first MOOC.

Meanwhile, alumnae distinguished themselves as campaigners, musical scholars, cattle ranchers, and college presidents, among other things.

We're looking forward to another year of growth, discovery, and engagement at Wellesley. Stay tuned!