Farewells and New Beginnings at the Experimental Study Group
Spring semester 2026 has been a time of transition at the Experimental Study Group (ESG). Graham Ramsay, long-time Associate Director at ESG, retired in January of 2026. After 25 years at ESG and 40 years total at MIT, Graham has embarked upon new adventures abroad. We wish him happy travels and know that he will be missed by the many students, colleagues, and alumni who had the good fortune to work and study with him over his many years at MIT and ESG.
John Wildman joined ESG in February as Assistant Director and Program Administrator. Prior to joining MIT, he served in student-focused, administrative roles at both Yale and Hampshire College. His experience at Hampshire was a perfect fit for ESG. As John says, “Hampshire College is very student-centered and emphasizes student autonomy and experiential, hands-on learning. Learning how to engage and collaborate with students there has made me think a lot about facilitation and how to create spaces for connection and belonging. I hope to bring that to my work at ESG.”
After completing a Master’s degree in Intercultural Communications in Shanghai, China, higher education was a natural venue for John, who values the importance of student-oriented, mentoring roles. He notes that the undergraduate years are a time of rapid identity development. “Students don’t just benefit from learning, but from relationship and time spent in proximity with people older and wiser. This type of intergenerational learning happens over a shared meal, sharing an elevator, during an impromptu conversation, or an encouraging word at the right time. Also, students benefit from time and space to make mistakes/amends, reflect, and invest in others. I like to engineer experiences and activities outside of the classroom for this.”
John is particularly intrigued by the role of upper-level TAs and associate advisors at ESG. As he says, “Strong communities have reciprocating relationships where one generation pours into the next. I see that this is part of ESG’s DNA, so to speak, and I’m really impressed by that.”
Clearly, strong synchrony exists between John’s philosophy and ESG’s culture of experimentation, community building, and learning. A self-described “big foodie,” he immediately started to build relationships with ESG students and colleagues by cooking an ESG Friday Lunch in his first month on the job. As ESG Director Leigh Royden says, “John was ESG before he even knew of ESG.”
— Bettina McGimsey, ESG