May 2014

High school students gather at Transylvania to study Henry Clay’s legacy

Posted on May 29, 2014July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship, a partnership of Transylvania University and the University of Kentucky, is preparing to convene high school students from across the United States for its sixth Student Congress June 7–14. These leaders and policymakers of tomorrow will hear speakers and participate in debates focused on major global issues of our times, all in the context of the statesmanship that endures as the legacy of Henry Clay—senator, speaker of the house, secretary of state and three-time presidential candidate. The students will address topics currently in the news, such as the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and global water issues, specifically water shortages influencing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Other issues will be chosen by the students themselves. During their stay, they will be asked to identify the three greatest threats facing the new generation and then will debate those issues on the floor of the Old Capitol in Frankfort. Their day in Frankfort will culminate with dinner at the Governor’s Mansion. Featured speakers will include politicians such as Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jerry Abramson and former Kentucky State Treasurer Jonathon Miller, as well as esteemed educators and historians, including Kentucky State Historian James Clotter. Professors invited to speak include Michael Cairo and Kathleen Jagger from Transylvania, Karen Petrone from the University of Kentucky and Timothy Johnson from the University of Minnesota. The format of the 2014 Student Congress is a departure from five previous student

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Beshear to speak at Transylvania’s commencement

Posted on May 22, 2014July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear will speak at Transylvania University’s commencement ceremony Saturday, May 24, at 9:30 a.m. in front of historic Old Morrison. Two hundred and forty-six students will receive bachelor’s degrees before they head off to graduate and professional programs or enter the workforce with the critical thinking and creative problem solving skills that a liberal arts education provides—and the current economy demands. “Transylvania University has produced smart, well-rounded and well-equipped graduates longer than any other institution in Kentucky, and I am honored to serve as the commencement speaker,” said Gov. Beshear. “I’m looking forward to sharing a few pieces of hard-earned advice before these bright young men and women venture out into Kentucky and the rest of the world. I am confident that they’re going to make our Commonwealth very proud.” A two-term governor, Beshear has championed education initiatives that improved the state’s rankings in areas such as the number of young adults who have received a high school diploma or its equivalent and the number of high school graduates who go on to college. Transylvania senior Karl Alexander Schmitt, a biology major from Fort Mitchell, Ky., will give the student address, “What’s in a Name?” During the commencement ceremony, Transylvania will also award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to two alumni: Lula Morton Drewes, class of 1967, and Patrick H. Molloy, class of 1963. Drewes, a Lexington native and graduate of Bryan Station High School,

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3-D printers add new dimension to education at Transylvania

Posted on May 15, 2014July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—A liberal arts education is about more than sitting under a tree, pondering the meaning of life. For example, Transylvania University students explore technology’s cutting edge with 3-D printers. Computer science professor Kenny Moorman teaches a May term course that uses the school’s two MakerBot 3-D printers and a 3-D scanner to create functional and whimsical objects. Students were intrigued by the somewhat unusual class offering. “It actually filled up faster than any class I’ve ever taught,” he said. 3-D printing is a relatively new technology that allows you to produce a three-dimensional solid object from a digital model. An existing item can be scanned using a 3-D scanner, or an object can be designed from scratch using computer software. The “printing” involves fusing successive layers of material of various shapes and sizes. It can be an inexpensive and practical way for designers from a variety of industries to produce concept models or small quantities of parts. Having this technology on campus offers a somewhat rare opportunity. Moorman said that students at small liberal arts schools don’t usually get a chance to play with this kind of technology. During the class, students have printed out objects such as a fully jointed hand, which may eventually be connected to a robot, and a fully functioning crescent wrench. They printed some not-so-practical stuff, too—check out the video. As is typical in a liberal arts program, class discussion ranged across several disciplines.

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Transylvania recognizes civil rights attorney who helped integrate the university

Posted on May 10, 2014April 11, 2025 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Patrick Molloy, Transylvania University class of 1963, has followed an instinct for justice his entire life. The Lexington-born attorney served most of his career as a federal prosecutor who championed civil rights. On May 24, Molloy will return to his alma mater to receive an honorary doctorate during Transylvania’s commencement ceremony on the lawn in front of Old Morrison. The award recognizes his efforts to integrate the campus of the historic liberal arts institution. His sense of civil justice—instilled by his parents—motivated Molloy to take an action in the racially-charged early sixties that would bring profound change to Transylvania University and to the lives of many, including fellow honorary doctorate recipient, Dr. Lula Morton Drewes. “As a student I looked around and saw no African Americans,” Molloy recalls of the Transylvania campus of his junior and senior years. “Myself and one or two others including [President’s Award honoree] Mike Mitchell decided to go see Dr. Irvin Lunger, the university president to say ‘Mr. President, we’re concerned that in this day and age there ought to be representation of minorities in the student body.’” Lunger agreed, instructing Molloy and Mitchell to find an individual with the courage and determination to become the first African American to pursue a degree at Transylvania. “We got some references and one of them was [Bryan Station High School student] Lula Morton. We went to her house and sat down with her and her family.

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Transylvania’s Morlan Gallery recognizes student artists

Posted on May 9, 2014July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

Kara Sparks, “Tayler,” oil on canvas LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s Morlan Gallery wrapped up the academic year by awarding 14 prizes to deserving students who submitted artwork for the annual Juried Student Art Exhibition. The university’s Fine Arts program and the dean of the college announced the awards May 2 at the opening reception. The exhibition remains open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays through May 16. Four students were recognized with $50 Honorable Mentions: senior Jennifer Smith (Fort Mitchell, Ky.) and sophomores Elizabeth Garduno (Fairmount City, Pa.), Trent Redmon (Burlington, Ky.) and Kristen Frost (Sextons Creek, Ky.). Five Excellence in Media prizes, worth $100 each, were awarded to students who produced exceptionally strong work in various media: junior Savanna Barnett (Harrodsburg, Ky.) for digital media; junior Luke Gnadinger (Fisherville, Ky.) for ceramics; junior Chelsea Pharris (Leitchfield, Ky.) for drawing; sophomore Kara Sparks (Pataskala, Ohio) for painting; and junior Stacey Venneman (Southgate, Ky.) for sculpture. The Fine Arts program selected two pieces, Sparks’ painting “Tayler” and Pharris’ drawing “Wii Controller,” to become part of the permanent collection displayed in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. Stacey Venneman, Self-portrait, ceramic Dean Michael Bell personally selected two pieces, which will be added to the university’s permanent collection, for the prestigious Dean’s Purchase Award: Smith’s “Oreo” and Venneman’s “Trophies of Mediocrity.” Senior Amanda Stoddard (Crittenden, Ky.) received the prestigious Nana Lampton Prize. Named in honor of the Louisville artist and

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