1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Month: August 2006

National leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa moves headquarters to Transylvania University

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LEXINGTON, Ky.— The national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa has moved its headquarters to the campus of Transylvania University. Founded in 1914, the ODK society recognizes and encourages superior scholarship, leadership, and exemplary character. Chapters, known as Circles, are located on over 300 college campuses, and the national headquarters serves as a resource for information related to Circle operations, national convention, alumni, and the Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation. “We’re pleased with our move to Transylvania’s campus and we look forward to establishing a solid partnership with an institution that has cherished the values of ODK since its Circle was established in 1977,” said Steve Bisese, ODK president. Transylvania President Charles L. Shearer said, “We’re delighted to have Omicron Delta Kappa on campus. ODK is a tremendous organization and our values of scholarship, leadership and exemplary character mirror theirs.” Mike Nichols, director of communications; Marc Mathews, national treasurer; and Richard Mains, national counsel, are Transylvania graduates, as is P. Gene Vance, a recent board member and current ODK foundation trustee. William Kelly, a foundation trustee, was president of Transylvania when the university’s Lampas Circle was chartered. ODK offices are located at 421 North Broadway and are open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Arrangements can be made to visit during off-hours. For more information about ODK contact Michael R. Nichols, director of communications for Omicron Delta Kappa, at (859) 455-8870. Transylvania, founded in 1780, is the nation’s sixteenth oldest institution

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Morlan Gallery opened new exhibition year on September 11 with Murmuration of the Filth: New Work by Kurt Gohde; exhibition runs through October 11; part of Lexington Gallery Hop September 15

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Noted Lexington artist Kurt Gohde had a busy year: he witnessed a Sandhill Crane migration in Indiana, dodged 17 tornados in Wisconsin and watched a cranberry harvest in Massachusetts. He visited Alex Jordon’s House on the Rock, Terry Brown’s Mushroom House, Father Mathias Wernerus’ Holy Ghost Grotto and Loy Allen Bowlin’s Rhinestone Cowboy House. And when things started to slow down he headed out to see the world’s largest ball of paint, the world’s largest tree stump and the Circus World Museum. Gohde, an art professor at Transylvania University, is back from a year long sabbatical and will share his many experiences in Morlan Gallery’s first exhibition of the 2006-07 year. Murmuration of the Filth: New Work by Kurt Gohde opens Monday, September 11, and runs through Wednesday, October 11. Murmuration is a one-man show for Gohde who collaborates with local art stars Michael Goodlett, Vandaver, Mike Howe and Melissa McEuen. The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, also features the local premiere of a Ben Fryman video installation. The title of the exhibition Murmuration (the term for a group of starlings) of the Filth (also a starling group name) addresses Gohde’s interest in group and individual thought processes. “I am fascinated with the difference between mass mentality and maverick individualism,” Gohde said. “For example, when starlings murmur or swarm, they create aerial patterns that make them appear to share a single brain. It can be

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Transy Names Manning Head Softball Coach

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Michelle Manning, the former head coach at Albion College and Shenandoah University, has been named head softball coach at Transylvania, Pioneers’ athletics director Jack Ebel said Friday. Manning, a former all-conference player at Mount Union College, has also coached at Bethany College during her career. She took over a struggling Albion program two years ago and had an immediate impact, posting records of 18-18 and 20-20. At Shenandoah, the team posted the second most wins in school history under Manning’s leadership. “Michelle has demonstrated her ability to coach and recruit NCAA Division III athletes successfully,” said Ebel. “I think she will do a great job at Transylvania and we are delighted to have her join our staff.” Manning has also coached volleyball at the collegiate level. She replaces Kelley Anderson, who guided the Pioneers for nine years and posted a 231-92-4 record, including four Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season titles and an appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament in 2006. Three Albion players earned All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors last season and her team ranked in the top 10 academically. As a graduate assistant at Bethany, Manning was a member of the East Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2002 following a 32-10 record and an NCAA regional championship. Bethany was 31-8 in 2003. Transy was 32-12 last year, the fourth time in school history the Pioneers have won 30 games in a season.

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Transylvania alumna named director of Harvard College Women’s Center

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—After a national search, Harvard University has named Transylvania graduate Susan Marine the director of its new women’s center. She previously served as director of Harvard’s Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (OSAPR). College Dean Benedict Gross made the appointment following the strong recommendation of a 13-member search committee. “I am delighted that, after an extensive national search, the committee selected Susan as the person most qualified to take on the responsibilities of this new center,” Gross said. “This recommendation is a clear indication to me that after an exhaustive look at strong candidates from across the country, the very best person for the job is right here. I am very excited about this appointment, and look forward to working with Susan,” he added. The search committee recommended Marine based on her experience in working with students, her background on women’s issues and her work in creating OSAPR at Harvard. The women’s center will facilitate student-run programs, build relationships across campus, develop and enhance women’s leadership on campus and provide a voice for undergraduate women at the college. The center will open this September. After receiving a degree in philosophy from Transylvania in 1992, Marine completed a master’s degree in student personnel at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Prior to Harvard, Marine worked in the area of sexual assault prevention at Colorado College, Dartmouth College and the Cambridge (Mass.) Department of Health. Marine serves on Transylvania’s Alumni

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Transy Names Villarreal Head Coach

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – George Villarreal, the former head coach at Chicago and Frostburg State, has been named to lead the Transylvania swimming and diving program, Pioneers’ athletics director Jack Ebel said Monday. Villarreal replaces Ebel, who coached the Transy swimmers for 27 years before moving up to athletics director earlier this year. Vilarreal becomes just the second head coach in the history of the program. Transy’s men finished second in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference last year while the women were fourth and combined for a third place finish. The Pioneers compete as members of the NCAA’s Division III. Villarreal compiled a dual meet record of 12-9-1 at Chicago last year and over the last three seasons, he guided the Maroons to a pair of NCAA Division III top-40 finishes. Under his leadership, Chicago posted its best ever University Athletic Association finishes, getting back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in nearly two decades. “George is a proven head coach at the NCAA Division III level,” said Ebel. “He is in excellent fit for Transylvania and we look forward to having him on our coaching staff. He’s the perfect person to help us become competitive in Division III swimming and diving.” Under Villarreal’s leadership, Chicago set 28 new school records in 14 events with relay teams meeting the qualifying times for the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time. In addition to his position at Chicago, Villarreal was the head

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