1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Transylvania University names Dickinson associate dean for religious life

LEXINGTON, Ky.—T. Wilson Dickinson, a 2002 graduate of Transylvania University, has been named associate dean for religious life at the university, effective July 7. Dickinson will help the university integrate religious life with the liberal arts. The position is a natural outgrowth of Transylvania’s commitment to ecumenism, reconciliation and inclusion in a 21st century context.    “Transylvania is committed to enabling students to know and experience the history and practices of various religious traditions and to interact with people of other faiths and practices,” said President R. Owen Williams. “This provides the tools they need to become informed and proactive leaders in today’s diverse world.” Dickinson will promote spiritual development, theological reflection and social awareness on campus and will serve as chaplain for the campus community, adviser for student religious organizations and liaison between the university and the various religious bodies of Central Kentucky. Dickinson received a master of divinity degree from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. in religion from Syracuse University. He served as a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at Transylvania during the 2011-12 academic year. Dickinson is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He cofounded Young Adult Ecumenical Forum, which offered conferences for college students of diverse backgrounds to engage in open theological conversation on issues such as poverty, ecological justice, violence and human trafficking. For the past year, Dickinson has been a worship leader at the Fayette County Detention Center. Dickinson says

Prominent Kentucky poet Manning joins Transylvania faculty

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has hired notable Kentucky poet Maurice Manning as professor of English. He will join the faculty full time in September; until then he will organize readings on campus during the winter and May terms. Manning, who lives in Washington County, Ky., has published four books on poetry, including his most recent, “The Common Man,” which was one of three finalists for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. His first collection, “Lawrence Booth’s Book of Visions,” was selected for the 2000 Yale Series of Younger Poets. He has had his works in publications including The New Yorker, Washington Square, The Southern Review, Poetry, Shenandoah, and The Virginia Quarterly Review. “I am delighted to be coming to Transylvania and certainly look forward to this wonderful opportunity,” Manning said. “My mother’s parents were Transylvania grads, and so are some of my cousins. It feels as if I have a family connection, and the warm atmosphere of the campus makes that sense of connection all the more pleasant. I can tell good things happen at Transylvania, and I will be glad to be part of that.” Manning has taught the past seven years at Indiana University as associate professor of English and assistant director of creative writing after four years as assistant professor of English at DePauw University. He also teaches in the M.F.A. Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. IU granted him the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in

Covert joins Transylvania as associate vice president for advancement

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Kara Little Covert has joined the Transylvania University alumni and development office as associate vice president for advancement. She has more than 20 years of higher education administrative experience, including her most recent position as associate vice president for development at Eastern Kentucky University. Covert is in charge of a newly formed major gifts section that will play a key role in fund-raising efforts as Transylvania aims to expand enrollment and create new academic and student-life programs over the coming years. “The university’s plans for expansion and progress are more extensive than any we have envisioned before,” Covert said. “It will take exceptional leadership from individuals, corporations and foundations to help us realize those goals.” Covert, a 1990 Transylvania graduate, feels the university’s move toward becoming a somewhat larger school and enhancing its academic and campus-life offerings is in tune with the times. “There have been points in the history of higher education when you could maintain the status quo and do very well, but we’re not in one of those periods now,” she said. “Partly because of economic factors, people are in a different frame of mind. You have to be that much better to even catch somebody’s attention, and then make sure they believe you are an institution they can invest in wisely.” Kirk Purdom, vice president for advancement, believes Covert’s experience in higher education makes her a perfect fit for her new position. “Kara has worked

Transylvania University hires director of campus diversity and inclusion to help expand its commitment to diversity

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Eduardo Nino-Moreno has been named director of campus diversity and inclusion at Transylvania University. The new position was created to help expand Transylvania’s commitment to diversity, and Nino-Moreno will report directly to President R. Owen Williams, who has made diversity a priority for Transylvania’s campus. “We are very excited to add Eduardo to our team at Transylvania,” Williams said. “A liberal arts community is one that tackles issues from a variety of angles and viewpoints, and the more diverse campus we will become under his leadership will help our students become the global thinkers they strive to be.” Nino-Moreno comes to Transylvania with more than 30 years of experience in international education, recruitment and fundraising. He spent over two decades with the United Nations stationed throughout Central and South America, Asia and Africa planning human development programs, leading diverse professional teams and managing U.N. resources. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from Cornell University. As director, Nino-Moreno will develop and implement a variety of positive, proactive initiatives that support an integrated approach to diversity and inclusivity in all aspects of university life, including a strategic plan for diversity. In addition to increasing the number of students from underrepresented demographics, he will work to augment programs and events on campus that demonstrate the importance of diversity in education, and he  will help Transylvania connect with the Lexington community to promote diversity. He will work closely with

Transylvania University names the Rev. Nancy Jo Kemper interim associate dean of interreligious life

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Michael Vetter, vice president and dean of students at Transylvania University, announced today that the Rev. Nancy Jo Kemper has been named interim associate dean of interreligious life, for a one-year appointment effective August 1. Kemper, a 1964 graduate of Transylvania, is executive director and pastor of New Union Christian Church and served as the executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches from 1991-2009. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University Divinity School and holds ministerial standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. “Nancy Jo Kemper will be a tremendous asset to Transylvania this coming year as she engages our community in a broad range of interreligious programs,” said Vetter. “Her extensive background in church and service work along with her enthusiasm and vigor are perfect for this new role.” Kemper will advise faith-based student organizations, coordinate church related internships, provide social justice and interreligious programming, work with the interreligious life team to develop a new model for campus, monitor campus religious activities to assure they are consistent with the liberal arts mission of the college and provide spiritual counseling for students, faculty and staff. “I’m looking forward to this opportunity to serve Transylvania on an interim basis,” said Kemper.  “I find being in an environment of young people who are making inquiries into many fields of knowledge and carving out their own unique identities to be especially