1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Events

Kentucky poetry and music meet at Transylvania on Sept. 23

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University will host four of the most renowned Kentucky poets on Sept. 23 at the premiere of “Where I Am Now,” a music and poetry collaboration from Transylvania music professor Larry Barnes. The program will be in Carrick Theater at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Part of Transylvania’s Creative Intelligence Series, the piece sets to music poems submitted by Pulitzer-Prize nominee Jeff Worley and Kentucky Poets Laureate Frank X Walker, Richard Taylor and George Ella Lyon. The poets will speak about their works, which are set in the first person and portray strong feelings around circumstances that range from the everyday to the extraordinary. “I was thrilled to have these fine poets agree to this project, and I wanted to do them justice by fully expressing my emotional response to their personal and deeply moving works,” Barnes said. “The power of their words inspired me to write music that is luminous, nostalgic, grief-stricken but hopeful and, at the end, full of sass.” Following the introductions, Lexington sopranos Joanna Manring and Anabelle Wright Gatton will join Barnes at the piano for the first performance of the new songs. Styles include classical contemporary, distant ragtime and a slow drag blues. “Their works led me to musical styles I wouldn’t have touched on my own,” Barnes said. “This collaboration has moved my heart more strongly than I imagined when I took the chance and asked these

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

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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

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Transylvania University commencement May 23

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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

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Leading thinker on future of technology to deliver Transylvania commencement address

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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

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Transylvania to host Trans* Week of Awareness and Remembrance activities

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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

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