1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Month: May 2011

Transylvania graduates largest class in its 231-year history

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University sent 263 graduates into the world Saturday, the most in the school’s 231-year history, during the first commencement ceremony under President R. Owen Williams, who completed his first academic year at the helm. The previous record of 260 graduates was set in 2009. President Williams presents a diploma to Holly Milburn. On the steps of historic Old Morrison, Aris Candris, president and CEO of Westinghouse Electric Company, urged graduates to work hard and take risks while making sure to find a vocation that will fulfill them and bring them happiness, drawing from his experience in nuclear power and environmental issues. “We have an energy crisis on our hands, and global warming is a very real issue,” Candris said. “And if we don’t do something about it now, we will place future generations at risk. As a society and as a planet, we must get past short-term thinking, and start long-term planning…Every day that I go to work, I sincerely believe that I’m playing a part in leaving this earth better than I found it.” Aris Candris ’73 delivers the commencement address. Candris, a 1973 graduate of Transylvania, a member of the board of trustees, and uncle of graduating senior Stamatios Kandris completed his bachelor of arts in three years with three majors—mathematics, physics and pre-engineering, and he earned an M.S. and a Ph.D., both in nuclear engineering, at Carnegie-Mellon University. His 36-year career with Westinghouse has included

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Transylvania University to graduate largest class in its 231-year history on Saturday; president and chief executive officer of Westinghouse Electric Company to give keynote address

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University will graduate the largest class in its 231-year history on Saturday, May 28, at 10 a.m. on the front lawn of historic Old Morrison. This will be the first Transylvania commencement for newly inaugurated president R. Owen Williams.   Aris Candris, president and chief executive officer of Westinghouse Electric Company, a world leader in the commercial nuclear power industry, will give the commencement address. Candris, a 1973 graduate of Transylvania and a member of the board of trustees, became the first member of his immediate family to leave his native Greece and attend college in America. His nephew, Stamatios Kandris, is a member of the class of 2011. Continuing the tradition of a graduating senior speaking at commencement on behalf of the students, Virginia Gentry Hamilton, of Bardstown, Ky., will represent the class of 2011. Candris completed his Transylvania degree in three years with three majors—mathematics, physics and pre-engineering. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in nuclear engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University. He began his 36-year career with Westinghouse as a senior engineer and has progressed through increasingly responsible positions on both the engineering and management sides of the company. He was appointed president and CEO in 2008. Today, Candris is among the world’s leading experts on energy and nuclear power. He serves on the board of directors of the World Nuclear Association and is a member of the Nuclear Energy Institute. He has been involved in

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Three Transylvania students awarded prestigious Transylvania Scholarship

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Three current Transylvania University students have been named Transylvania Scholars. This prestigious scholarship is awarded annually to rising junior and senior students who have achieved outstanding academic records and have made significant service contributions to Transylvania. This scholarship covers tuition and the general fee. The recipients are chosen by a panel of faculty members who interview each applicant. “These are students whose academic and campus community accomplishments are impeccable,” said William F. Pollard, vice president and dean of the college. “Being named a Transylvania Scholar is an extraordinary achievement given the credentials of the finalists, all of whom have outstanding records of academic success and of contributions to the life of the campus.” Rising junior Robert Clark Puckett, a political science major, is from Murray, Ky. Rising junior Sarah Elizabeth Tipton, an English major and classics minor, is from Corbin, Ky. Rising senior Thomas Philip Stephens, a history major, is from Decherd, Tenn. Transylvania, founded in 1780, is the nation’s sixteenth oldest institution of higher learning and is consistently ranked in national publications as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Transylvania University earns national ranking in “Top 100 Social Media Schools” list; scores in top 3.3 percent of over 9 million Twitter accounts

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has been named one of the “Top 100 Social Media Colleges” in the country, a list that includes more than 6,000 colleges and universities. To determine its rankings, StudentAdvisor.com looked at schools in terms of how active and effective they are at engaging their audiences on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, iTunes and other social media tools. One of the criteria the site uses in its rankings is enrollment, and it judges the effectiveness based on how many people it is reaching. Transylvania’s enrollment is 1,110, and it has over 3,600 fans on its main Facebook page and over 1,100 followers on its main Twitter account. The Office of Communications manages the main university social media accounts listed in the ranking (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube). “We are very excited to be considered among the social media elite like Harvard, Stanford, Notre Dame and Princeton,” said Sarah Emmons, associate vice president for communications and public relations. “Social media is a powerful way to connect and interact with our constituents and the outside world. Facebook and Twitter, especially, have become important communications platforms for us.” Also included in the “Top 100” ranking is an institution’s score from TwitterGrader.com, which grades the power and reach of any Twitter account based on a number of factors. Transylvania’s Twitter account scores a 96.8 on a 100-point scale and ranks in the top 3.3 percent of over nine million accounts. “Transy has tactfully mastered the art

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Transylvania University and the Carnegie Center sign partnership agreement

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O’Brien and Williams sign the agreement in the board room of Old Morrison. LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University President R. Owen Williams and President of the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning Eileen M. O’Brien signed an agreement today to explore the possibility of a significant partnership. “Our goal is for both Transylvania and the Carnegie Center to work together to better enhance our commitment to lifetime learning,” said Williams. The yearlong commitment begins July 1, 2011. During this time, the Carnegie Center and Transylvania will each share space with the other for programs, concerts, lectures, receptions and similar events, will expand or modify current programs at the Carnegie Center and will formalize and expand service learning and volunteer support. “We are excited to have this collaborative effort with Transylvania formally acknowledged,” said O’Brien. “Both organizations have demonstrated such a tremendous commitment to lifetime learning and the literary arts, which bodes well for our future.” Transylvania has a long history of its students volunteering in various capacities at the Carnegie Center. “We believe we can do more than what we’ve been doing and are excited about the possibility of making the Carnegie Center even stronger,” said Williams.  “This is a win-win agreement.”