1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

2008 Governor’s School for the Arts session begins Sunday, June 22

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A record number of Kentucky’s best young artists will gather on the Transylvania campus on Sunday to begin the three-week 2008 session of the Governor’s School for the Arts. The latest GSA class includes 241 rising juniors and seniors from all corners of the Commonwealth, including 15 in a new discipline called “New Media,” which will focus on more recent forms of art communication, including animation, video production, and digital imagery. The student-artists will receive intense instruction in a total of nine areas. Along with New Media, those disciplines are Architecture, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music. Educational experience is gained through a variety of daily seminars, master-classes, lectures, hands-on workshops, and field trips to regional arts attractions. More than 3,500 of the state’s most talented high school artists from 120 counties have attended the 21-year-old GSA summer program following a challenging selection process. Over 1,300 students apply for the program each year for one of the available scholarships valued at over $3,000. Currently, 18 colleges and universities, including Transylvania, offer scholarships to GSA alumni. The program will culminate on Saturday, July 12 with an all-day festival that celebrates the achievements of the young artists through performances that are open to family and the public. Corporate and government supporters of the program and the GSA Advisory Board have also been invited to attend the day-long pre-finals rehearsals on Friday, July

Transylvania’s president of 25 years, Dr. Charles L. Shearer, profiled in Lexington Herald-Leader

The Lexington Herald-Leader featured Transylvania University president Charles L. Shearer on the same day as the University’s Commencement. The article by reporter Art Jester profiled Shearer and his 25 years as president: In the nearly 25 years that Charles L. Shearer has been president of Transylvania University, the 228-year-old liberal arts college has grown stronger and better in every respect, largely due to him. “He’s a once-in-a-lifetime president,” said William T. Young Jr., chairman of Transylvania’s board of trustees. “I don’t think most people realize Transylvania has been transformed under his leadership.” By any measurement — students, faculty, alumni, scholarships, geographical diversity, facilities or fund-raising — Transylvania is far different than it was in the troubled hour when Shearer took office on July 8, 1983. Transylvania had been through three presidents in three years. Shearer immediately restored stability and confidence, as well as ambition. Continue reading the full article