Month: April 2013

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University philosophy professor Peter Fosl has been named the first recipient of the David Hume Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. From September 2013 until February 2014, he’ll pursue his own research at the university, present his findings, and engage with other international scholars in the university’s academic community. The fellowship was established as part of the university’s year-long celebration of the tercentenary of the birth of David Hume (April 22, 1711). Applications were accepted from Hume scholars around the world. “The appointment as David Hume Fellow with the IASH is a dream come true for me,” said Fosl.  “Students at Transylvania know that Hume is an intellectual hero of mine, and they endure sitting beneath a rather large portrait of him I’ve hung in our principal philosophy classroom—a copy of the portrait that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. It’s dizzying to think I’ll be working among some of the world’s best philosophers in the town where he lived and the university he attended.” Fosl studied at the University of Edinburgh once before, as a Fulbright student working on his dissertation in 1990-91. He received the more recent fellowship on the strength of his research titled “The Promise of Philosophy: Skepticism and Naturalism in Hume.” “It’s a perfect circle to my intellectual career,” Fosl added. “A number of Transylvania students have recently enrolled

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Actress, director and playwright Margo Buchanan has been selected to direct Transylvania University’s production of the Broadway musical “Pippin.” Sully White, Transylvania’s theater program director, will produce the show, which will be presented by the university’s theater and music programs May 16-19. “I have a deep affection for ‘Pippin,’” Buchanan said. “I had the vinyl record when I was a kid and I wore the grooves out. But, it has been an eye-opener getting to know this musical again as an adult.” Buchanan has taught professionals, college students and children in Chicago and Kentucky. In Chicago, she learned sign language, taught acting at The Center on Deafness and won grants to teach acting to deaf children in the city schools. These experiences led to her 1994 appearance in the feature film “Miracle on 34th Street,” where she interpreted for and acted with Lord Richard Attenborough. White said she was taught by Buchanan as part of the Lexington Shakespeare Institute’s summer program and knew that Buchanan would be a great fit to direct “Pippin.” “I have seen several things Margo has directed, and I trust her implicitly. She will be good with our students,” White said. Although Buchanan has directed non-traditional musicals and light operas, she says this musical is a whole new experience. “As I delve into ‘Pippin’ it seems less and less traditional,” Buchanan said. “It’s format and structure is that of a Broadway musical, but the story

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