Events

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Mary Robinson, chair of the Council of Women World Leaders and president of the Ethical Globalization Initiative, believes that rights are weapons the weak can use against the strong. An outspoken human rights advocate, she is a world leader who puts humanity at the forefront of politics. Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland, will bring her message to Transylvania University on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium, when she delivers the fall Kenan Lecture. The event is free and open to the public. While serving as the president of the Republic of Ireland from 1990-97, Robinson placed an emphasis on the needs of developing countries. From 1997-2002 she served as United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights and gained a reputation for her willingness to stand up to powerful governments. Credited by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan with “putting human rights on the map,” Robinson was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in 2002. She was the first head of state to visit Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide there, and the first to visit Somalia following the 1992 crisis there. The Kenan Lecture Series is made possible by a grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust. 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.

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Musician Carrie Newcomer will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12, in Transylvania’s Carrick Theater, located in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. The concert, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Transylvania’s Lilly Project and the Collegium of Religious Organizations. The Village Voice said of Newcomer that she “has a warm spirit, heated intelligence, burning intellect. Her voice will power through the room…glinting with musical brightness and emotional layers.” Newcomer has garnered critical acclaim in recent years from the music media (Rolling Stone, USA Today, Acoustic Guitar) and by sharing the stage with a variety of performers, including Alison Krauss, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Newcomer’s album titled “Regulars and Refugees,” is a follow-up to “Betty’s Diner: the Best of Carrie Newcomer.” In “Regulars and Refugees,” 13 songs take the listener into Betty’s Diner, to learn the stories behind the different people who frequent the establishment. Her studio album “The Geography of Light” is scheduled for release February 1. Newcomer has donated proceeds from album sales and benefit concerts to a multitude of charities including The Nature Conservancy, The American Friends Service Committee and Habitat for Humanity. A portion of the proceeds from “Regulars and Refugees” album sales went to Second Harvest, a national food bank network. For more information, contact the Transylvania public relations office at (859) 233-8120.