1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Events

Renowned Celtic fiddler Eileen Ivers to perform at Transylvania on Oct. 7

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Grammy-winning Celtic fiddler Eileen Ivers, whom The New York Times called the Jimi Hendrix of the violin, will perform at Transylvania University on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium. Ivers has played with a variety of performers, including Riverdance, Sting and Hall and Oates, and she has appeared on film soundtracks, most notably “Gangs of New York.” She is a nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion and has become one of the most renowned figures in contemporary Irish music. Her band’s most recent program, “Beyond the Bog Road,” is a celebration of the Americana sound, surveying the growth of bluegrass, Appalachian, Quebecois and Cajun styles from their roots in Celtic music. The performance is energetic and passionate, with a wide variety of musical flavors. Tickets are free to the public and can be picked up before the show in the William T. Young Campus Center beginning Sept. 15 until they are sold out. For more information, call 859-233-8120. The event is part of the four-day Celebration of Transylvania, which will feature the inauguration of Seamus Carey as the university’s 26th president. It’s also part of Smith Concert Series, which was created in 2007 by the late Dorothy J. Smith, a 1942 Transylvania graduate, to bring high quality musical performances to Transylvania. The series is named for Smith and her late husband, Fred K. Smith, a 1940 Transylvania graduate. Transylvania University, located in the heart of downtown Lexington, Ky., is

Read “Renowned Celtic fiddler Eileen Ivers to perform at Transylvania on Oct. 7”

Transylvania University commencement May 23

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON Ky.—Transylvania University’s commencement on Saturday, May 23, marked the start of a new journey for graduating students, who are well-prepared to join the workforce or continue their education at graduate or professional schools. The students of the class of 2015 received their bachelor’s degrees during the 9:30 a.m. ceremony in front of historic Old Morrison. Homaira Akbari, an award-winning thought leader in the security, Internet of Things, mobile and software sectors, delivered the commencement address. She is founder and CEO of the global advisory firm, AKnowledge Partners. “Dr. Akbari is a brilliant thinker at the cutting edge of technology, industry and business,” President Seamus Carey said. “She has a unique perspective to share with our students that will not only inform, but inspire them to shape their futures.” Transylvania senior Skyler Slone—a theater and philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) major from Hindman, Ky.— gave the student address: “You Are Living Your Story.” Also during the ceremony, the university presented an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to Roszalyn Mack Akins, a 1976 Transylvania graduate and long-time Fayette County Public Schools teacher and administrator. Akins founded the BMW (Black Males Working) Academy, which motivates and educates African American students. The class of 2015 These students have set themselves apart in an outstanding fashion: • Forty-one percent of the students will receive honors in their academic programs, and 35 percent will graduate with Latin honors—a cumulative GPA above 3.5. • Transylvania will

Read “Transylvania University commencement May 23”

Leading thinker on future of technology to deliver Transylvania commencement address

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON Ky.— Homaira Akbari, an award-winning thought leader in the security, Internet of Things, mobile and software sectors, will deliver Transylvania University’s commencement address Saturday, May 23. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. in front of historic Old Morrison. Akbari became a pioneer in an industry at the forefront of global economic growth and development—at a time when few women were entering the science and technology workforce. She is founder and CEO of the global advisory firm, AKnowledge Partners. “We very much look forward to hearing Dr. Akbari’s address,” Transylvania President Seamus Carey said. “She is a brilliant thinker at the cutting edge of technology, industry and business. Her insight into the evolution of technology, where it is going and the impact it will have on how we live, is mesmerizing. She has a unique perspective to share with our students that will not only inform, but inspire them to shape their futures.” Akbari’s many leadership roles include serving on several U.S. and international public companies’ boards of directors and as chair of Johns Hopkins University Physics and Astronomy Advisory Council. She also is former president and CEO of SkyBitz, Inc., and has held senior executive positions in Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft. Akbari earned a Ph.D. with honors in particle physics from Tufts University and an MBA with distinction from Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business. She has authored numerous scientific and industry articles and is an inventor

Read “Leading thinker on future of technology to deliver Transylvania commencement address”

Transylvania to host Trans* Week of Awareness and Remembrance activities

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Transylvania University community will mark Trans* Week of Awareness and Remembrance with a variety of consciousness raising events on and off campus Nov. 18-21. The week’s main event will be the Trans* Night of Remembrance Ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, in Transylvania’s William T. Young Campus Center Gym. Sponsored by the Diversity Action Council, the public memorial service will include a candlelight vigil for those who have suffered violence because of gender identity.  A resource fair will follow. These events will provide not only an opportunity for Trans* people to get together, but also a chance for others to learn about something they may otherwise find uncomfortable to talk about, said Rayne Parker, an organizer and a Transylvania senior. “I hope this week accomplishes more visibility of Trans* persons.” The week’s other events will include a Positive Trans* Identity presentation by University of Kentucky professors and a Ph.D. student at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in the UK Student Center Room 111; and a viewing of the movie, “Normal,” followed by a discussion in Transylvania’s Student Involvement and Leadership Center (in the Campus Center) starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20. The local events coincide with the national Transgender Awareness Week. Trans* people are under-represented in society, said Zoey Peach, co-organizer and Transylvania junior. “They suffer a truly disproportionate amount of violence. We’re hoping that these awareness and remembrance ceremonies will bring light to the issues Trans* folks face, and connect

Read “Transylvania to host Trans* Week of Awareness and Remembrance activities”

Transylvania’s Morlan Gallery to celebrate rural life in photos

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s Morlan Gallery this fall will present “Rural Women: Photographs by Maxine Payne,” a powerful collection of 20 silver gelatin portraits with texts compiled from international sites, including the artist’s own rural Arkansas. The exhibition will open Oct. 29 with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. “Rural Women,” which will run through Dec. 2., will be part of the Lexington Gallery Hop on Nov. 21 from 5 to 8 p.m. Having been raised in rural Arkansas by her grandparents, Payne says she has always been interested in “country” people and spent her career making work that focuses on her experience with residents of rural Arkansas. Payne started the “Rural Women and Globalization Project” in 2006 with anthropologist Anne Goldberg. They have documented the lives of rural women using oral history and photography at five sites: San Luis, Costa Rica; Bagamoyo, Tanzania; Vinh Linh, Vietnam; Douglas, Arizona; Agua Prieta, on the U.S.-Mexico border; and rural Arkansas. The Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women selected Payne as the 2013 Scholar Awardee for the Globalization Project. Last month, the Arkansas Committee hosted a reception in honor of her significant contribution to the arts. The ongoing project was the subject of a TEDx talk in February 2014. The Globalization Project was inspired by Payne’s discovery of the photography of Jim and Mancy Massengill. The Massengills worked from 1937 to 1941 as itinerant photographers in rural Arkansas, documenting farmers, young

Read “Transylvania’s Morlan Gallery to celebrate rural life in photos”