1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Business as Unusual

Pioneers Never Settle Whether it’s ride-sharing or mixology or apparel, students are making their way into a huge variety of fields in a fluctuating job market. What is it about Transylvania that encourages its graduates to find success in arenas that are not always in line with their degrees? Why won’t these students settle for business as usual? You’re sitting in the middle of a pristine lake, surrounded by evergreen trees and picturesque, snow-capped mountains. Look up, and the red-orange sky begins to turn a vivid blue; look down, and you can see a school of fish nipping at the surface of the calm water. To your right, you hear the sound of a train chugging around the perimeter of the lake, a long trail of black and gray smoke following behind. As you watch it move steadily past, it begins to turn left, making its way impossibly toward the water and toward you. Suddenly it hits the shoreline, kicking up a huge wake and picking up speed as it comes directly your way. You start to look around, wondering if you should move or whether this is just a trick of the imagination. As the engine gets closer, your pulse quickens—it’s right on you—and as you brace for the impact, the train explodes into a flock of birds, darting past you in an overwhelming swarm. You have just had your first experience with the awe-inducing, sometimes disorienting, technology of virtual reality.

Unlearn Fear + Hate

An Intervention Into the LIfe of a City Through Art Professors Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova have ventured from the corner of Third and Broadway to create art projects that are far from what you might associate with Transy. Their new project, Unlearn Fear + Hate, also takes shape off campus—for instance, as a metal halo bearing the message attached to the 21c Museum Hotel in downtown Lexington. But the saying was so powerful and timely that Transylvania incorporated it into the very fabric of this academic year—from endowed lectures to an embroidery project. Todorova, associate professor of English, didn’t want unlearn fear and hate to become just words that students occasionally heard about something going on “out there”—a noble idea, of course, but not terribly meaningful to them. Gohde, professor of art and chair of the Fine Arts program, was on board with that. “We’ve never done anything where the whole campus community was involved, and that was a really exciting idea,” he said. The theme ties into a dialog happening on the national level—and into the university’s overall calling, said Laura Bryan, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the university. “These conversations and activities are consistent with the mission of the liberal arts education.”  Jeremy Paden, associate professor of Spanish and Foreign Languages program director, is helping thread Unlearn Fear + Hate through Transylvania’s academics. This effort raises important questions. “As an institute of higher learning,

Amazing Opportunities

Stevie Morrison ’15 Connecting with the neighboring North Limestone neighborhood led Stevie Morrison to her graphic design career. Stevie Morrison ’15 refers to “random opportunities” when talking about her progression from a diffident high school senior growing up on a horse farm in Seymour, Tenn., to the confident college grad who cycled through France to make art and is now striding into a full-time job at Bullhorn Creative. But what Morrison calls “random” seems more like a combination of her motivation and a series of connecting the dots—or what she calls Transylvania’s “amazing opportunities on and off campus.”   On campus, Morrison found a curriculum that interested her and informed her art. “The general electives at Transylvania definitely influenced the things I’m making art about. That wouldn’t have happened just taking art classes.” Transylvania has shaped the way I see and analyze things. It’s made a huge impact on my life. A studio art major, she also wanted to be doing more than art. She found this possible at Transylvania. “Transylvania is in such a unique location in the city and in this neighborhood,” she explains. “There is a community of open-minded people here.” Courses like Community Engagement Through Art, taught by professors Kremena Todorova and Kurt Gohde, opened her to possibilities outside of campus. Connecting with the Lexington community and the burgeoning North Limestone neighborhood brought her new ways of thinking about her art and introductions that would lead

Transylvania ranks among nation’s best liberal arts colleges for academics, value

LEXINGTON Ky.—U.S. News & World Report once again ranked Transylvania University among the nation’s top-100 liberal arts colleges for both academics and value. Released today, the 2018 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings included Transylvania in its top National Liberal Arts Colleges and Best Value Schools categories. These are two of several recent rankings that highlight the quality and value of a Transylvania education. “These recognitions are another reminder of how well we prepare our students for the workforce, and for life in general,” President Seamus Carey said. “Our dedicated faculty get to know them personally while teaching them important life skills, such as critical thinking, lifelong learning and community engagement.” When committing to a school, students and their parents find national rankings to be a useful tool. “A college education is one of the most important—and one of the most costly—investments that prospective students will ever make,” according to U.S. News. Transylvania will appear in the upcoming “Best Colleges 2018″ guidebook. The university tied for 87th place among the nation’s liberal arts schools for academic excellence. Transylvania also ranked 58th in the Best Value Schools category—which highlights colleges that provide a quality education at an affordable price—and 118th in the High School Counselor Rankings. Last month the Princeton Review included Transylvania in “The Best 382 Colleges: 2018 Edition,” a book that features the top 15 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges. The book featured feedback from the

Message to the Transylvania Community Concerning DACA

Dear Transylvania Community, The excitement is palpable as we welcome our upperclass students back to campus and begin another academic year. Along with the refreshing energy that comes with the start of the new year, there are important initiatives underway, including the renovation of the Carpenter Academic Center, which will be complete in the spring of 2018. The anticipation of the new academic year is fueled by hope: hope for new accomplishments, new friends, new ideas. Yet, this year our hope is muted with no small degree of unease. In these turbulent political times, we at Transylvania will redouble our commitment to welcoming and supporting every member of our community, especially those who have found themselves thrown into a sea of uncertainty by the recent announcement relating to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.