1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

News from Transy

Transylvania professor offers fascinating Olympics perspective

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With the Rio Olympics in full swing, Transylvania history professor Gregg Bocketti offers a thought-provoking commentary on the games in an Op-Ed published by the Huffington Post and Lexington Herald-Leader: To Understand Olympics Protests, Look to the Past. He also was interviewed for WEKU’s “On Point” radio program, Local Expert Weighs in on Rio Attendance. This scholar of Brazilian sport has conducted most of his research in Rio, where he learned how sports have shaped the city. He also is a leading authority on the history of Brazilian and Latin American soccer and is an avid fan. Professor Bocketti authored the recently published book, “The Invention of the Beautiful Game: Football and the Making of Modern Brazil.”

Forbes ranks Transylvania high nationally in return on investment

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Two recent Forbes lists rank Transylvania University among the nation’s best colleges for student outcomes and alumni giving. Transylvania places among the top 10 percent of U.S. colleges for general return on investment—measures such as post-graduate success, satisfaction and student debt—and among the top 4 percent of colleges in grad donations and participation rate. “These rankings reinforce what we already know: Our strong liberal arts tradition provides students with not only the skills that employers value but also with an experience that will help them lead meaningful lives,” President Seamus Carey said. Transylvania takes extra steps to ensure its grads excel. For example, the 100 Doors to Success mentorship program pairs students with alumni who have a wealth of work and life experience to share. Successful outcomes are at the heart of the Forbes lists. America’s Top Colleges 2016 ranks schools not by what it takes to get accepted into them (such as SAT scores), but by how students benefit from attending these institutions. “It is our answer to the debate over whether higher education is worth it: For these outstanding institutions, we give a resounding yes,” according to Forbes. In addition to considering salary, the Top Colleges list measures success through achievements such as leadership and innovation. The business magazine’s 2016 Grateful Grad Colleges measures return on investment in a different way—monetary support by alumni. “The best colleges produce crop after crop of successful graduates that show their appreciation

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Transylvania receives $71,000 grant for black male students

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has received a $71,000 grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust for the Pioneer Pathway Program, which prepares young black males for success in college preparation and completion. Mentorship is at the heart of this program for both the high school and undergraduate participants. The grant will help fund activities including Transylvania’s College Empowerment Program for high school students, and professional development and community leadership seminars. The Pioneer Pathway Program is part of Project One, a campus-wide diversity and inclusion initiative. “Transylvania views education as the gateway to a life of increasing freedom to choose one’s own life path,” President Seamus Carey said. “We recognize that many people in society have different starting points towards this path. In particular, young men of color often face significant obstacles that must be addressed and overcome in order for them to take advantage of the educational path. Transylvania is committed to doing all that we can to create the conditions in which young men of color can thrive.” This funding from the Kenan Trust in Chapel Hill, N.C., is part of nearly $3 million in grants for black males in Kentucky. Locally, this money also will go to groups such as the Fayette County Fatherhood Initiative at the Lexington Leadership Foundation, Fayette County Public Schools and the United Way of the Bluegrass. “We chose to partner with organizations and leaders throughout the state of Kentucky that were committed to

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Recent Transylvania grad wins national drama award

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Brooke Jennett, who graduated from Transylvania University in May, has won the 2016 Dramatists Guild of America Young Playwright Award. Brooke Jennett (r) with Charlotte Stephens (l) and Sophia Burke (center) performed in “Shakespeare in Mind” (Transylvania, 2014). Now in its third year, this national award identifies writers who demonstrate a commitment to their craft and the ability to present a unique view of the concerns of their generation, according to the DGA. “I am so honored to receive this award, especially among a pool of so many talented young playwrights,” said Jennett, who graduated cum laude with honors in her theater major. Michael Bigelow Dixon, a theater professor at Transylvania, said Jennett is finding her unique voice. “Her plays combine a poetic imagination with strong passions, deeply held convictions and vibrant theatrical instincts. Brooke clearly has things to say about the ways of the world and her experience in the 21st century, and through theater she’s finding a way to express her thoughts and feelings in dramatic and entertaining ways.” Competing against hundreds of other entrants from across the country, Jennett won the award for “Three Is Company,” which she wrote during Horizon Theatre’s New South Young Playwrights Festival in Atlanta earlier this month. Aurora Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director Justin Anderson directed the play during the festival. Dixon described “Three Is Company” as “a quirky romantic comedy that explores complexities of modern love in a supermarket tea aisle,

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Transylvania professor to investigate top archaeological find

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Chris Begley, a Transylvania University anthropology professor, has been selected to serve on a team of maritime archaeologists who will explore the Fourni archipelago in Greece, where 22 shipwrecks were found in a small area last year. This was touted as one of the top archaeological finds of 2015. The findings of the joint Greek-American archaeological expedition bring to light ancient trade networks that once connected the entire Mediterranean. Fourni, which is a collection of 13 islands and islets, lies along a major east-west crossing route as well as the primary north-south route that connected the Aegean to the Levant. Last year’s initial work was the the first underwater archaeological expedition to the islands. The project’s success came through working with local sponge divers, fishermen and free divers together with technology and archaeological methods.  “I am honored to be asked to be part of this important project,” Begley said. “I have worked closely with RPM Nautical Foundation and project co-director Peter Campbell in Albania, Montenegro and Croatia, and I am excited to participate in this project, which relies not only on our archaeological methods but also on the extensive knowledge of the area that local residents possess.” The shipwrecks date from the Archaic Period (700-480 BC) though the Late Medieval Period (16th century). The ships’ cargos point to the importance of long-distance trade between the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Cyprus, the Levant and Egypt. The discovery adds 12 percent to the total number of known ancient shipwrecks in Greece. And the findings suggest a great quantity of the shipwrecks await

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