March 2016

Transylvania tops in Alpha Lambda Delta graduate fellowships

Posted on March 29, 2016July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON Ky.—Transylvania University students, who lead the nation in the number of Alpha Lambda Delta graduate fellowships, received three more this month. With 280 chapters nationwide, the honor society awards 24 of the competitive fellowships each year for students to pursue postgraduate studies. The most recent Transylvania recipients are seniors: Malory Thelen of Edgewood, Ky., who was awarded the $5,000 Dorothy Anderson Graduate Fellowship; Anna Balassa of Louisville, Ky., who won the $3,000 Adele Hagner Stamp Graduate Fellowship; and Kaitlin Haggard of Florence, Ky., who received the $3,000 Christine Conaway Graduate Fellowship. This is the third consecutive year Transylvania students have been awarded three ALD fellowships, bringing the total to 17. ALD Executive Director Eileen Merberg congratulated the three seniors. “Applicants were strong in both the number of honors received and participation in quality activities, so this is a true testament to the excellence of the Transy recipients.” Transylvania professor Mike Nichols, who is the chapter adviser, also praised their achievements. “This is an incredibly competitive program,” he said. “This is testimony not only about the quality of our students but also to the thoughtful letters of recommendation our faculty write.” These fellowships will help the students achieve their career goals. Thelen plans to pursue an advanced law degree; Balassa will work toward an occupational therapy degree; and Haggard will continue to study clinical psychology. In addition to these fellowships, Transylvania sophomore Megan Wasson of Winchester, Ky., received an ALD James Stemler

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Article features 100 Doors to Success program

Posted on March 29, 2016May 7, 2024 by Office of Marketing and Communications

KyForward featured our popular mentoring initiative in an article titled “100 Doors to Success: Transylvania University mentoring program fuels students’ career aspirations.” The university’s program pairs students with alumni who share their career and life experiences. Transylvania launched the program in 2014 with a goal of enlisting 100 mentors, but it has grown to include more than 200 volunteers.

Greene novel selected for Young literary award

Posted on March 8, 2016July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—A breathtaking tale of a young girl gone missing in Depression-era Tennessee has won the second annual Judy Gaines Young Book Award, presented by Transylvania University. “Long Man,” by Tennessee author Amy Greene, has been praised by national reviewers such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Minneapolis Star Tribune. Set just before the real-life damming of Long Man River, the novel tells the story of a tiny Appalachian town doomed to flooding so that the surrounding area could prosper economically. “In this moving story, traditional ways of being in the world and being bound to a particular place are usurped by the interests of a more modern rendition of economy,” Transylvania writer in residence Maurice Manning said. “The tale of human displacement and wandering around a sense of home, of one kind or another, is fundamental to the very idea of Appalachian literature.” Crystal Wilkinson, a Kentucky writer and founding member of the Affrilacian Poets collective, selected the book for the award. Greene will receive the award at Transylvania on April 5 at 5 p.m. in Cowgill 102, where she will give a free public reading. The award also comes with a $2,500 cash prize, and a signed copy of the novel will be preserved in the Transylvania Special Collections. Greene is from Morristown, Tenn., and was named Tennessee Writer of the Year by the Tennessee Writers Alliance in 2010. Her articles and op-eds have appeared in the

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Season of Choice

Posted on March 7, 2016July 14, 2020 by President Seamus Carey

The following originally appeared in The Huffington Post. Each year at this time, high school seniors and their families wait for acceptance letters from colleges and then agonize over the choice of where to go. This decision-making process has become a time of deep anxiety for many families. In some circles, this anxiety is generated by the emphasis that has been put on the prestige of the school one attends. In other circles, families fret over the cost of higher education and fear that their child will be overwhelmed by loans. For still other families, there is the fear that their child will struggle to find rewarding work at a reasonable wage. This year, the decision-making season is amplified by two presidential primaries. These political races indicate a widespread sense of alienation among the electorate. Non-traditional candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump could not be further apart on many issues, yet their success in attracting voters thus far seems to derive from an almost universal frustration and anger in both parties with their respective political establishment.

Transylvania to host U.S. Naturalization Ceremony on Friday

Posted on March 7, 2016July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University will welcome about 150 immigrants from more than 50 countries for a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony at noon Friday, March 11. During the ceremony in Haggin Auditorium, they will take the Oath of Allegiance, completing their path to American citizenship. The public is welcome to attend. “We are proud and honored to host this event, as it aligns specifically with our Project One initiative,” said Serenity Wright, associate dean of diversity and international student experiences. “We support and encourage these new citizens for what they will add to the beautiful fabric of diversity that is the United States, and we embrace them as they take this step.” Chief U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell will preside over the ceremony. She is a 1977 Transylvania graduate and a member of the university’s Board of Trustees. The ceremony will include a Call of Countries, a patriotic music melody by Transylvania organist Richard Dwyer and a rendition of “America the Beautiful” by a university a cappella group, Grace Notes. Speakers will include Transylvania senior Vivian Tsai, who is a naturalized citizen from Taiwan, and university President Seamus Carey. “Transylvania’s mission is to create global citizens through a liberal arts education and to empower our students with perseverance, integrity and opportunities for diversity and community outreach,” Wright said. “This ceremony represents our core mission, values and institutional initiatives.” Haggin Auditorium is in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. Free,

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