1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

News from Transy

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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‘No Spring Chicken’ launches professional theater residency at Transylvania

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LEXINGTON, Ky.— Transylvania University’s professional theater residency project kicks off this week with four performances of the critically acclaimed play, “No Spring Chicken.” The Project SEE production, directed by professor Sullivan Canaday White, will run Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in Little Theater. The new comedy by Ginna Hoben was hailed by critics at its Washington, D.C., premiere last fall as both a “tale of life at its very existential core” and “a funny surprisingly raw show.” The script is inspired by Hoben’s pregnancy blog, “bambino & the bean,” which charted the highs and lows of pregnancy at an “advanced maternal age” – 40.  “With candor typical of a late-night college gabfest,” notes Washington Post reviewer Jane Horwitz, Hoben’s character, Jenn, “launches into her tale. She always wanted to be a mom but wasn’t quite ready. And when she finally was ready, getting pregnant was tough.”  “This is a performance that celebrates the power of storytelling,” White said, “much like Hoben’s first play, ‘The Twelve Dates of Christmas,’ produced by Project SEE in 2011.” Project SEE is a Lexington theater company. Hoben is an actor, playwright and TV writer/producer who lives in New York City. (Her works include the Emmy-nominated “Brain Games.”) With its launch with Hoben’s play, Transylvania’s professional theater residency program will provide students a chance to work alongside professional theater artists on stage and off.  “While professional theater residencies are not uncommon at large universities,” White said,

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Transylvania VPs selected for leadership programs

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Two Transylvania University vice presidents have been accepted to leadership programs that will give them valuable training and an active role in local and national government and education issues. Holly Sheilley, vice president for student affairs and athletic director, is one of 23 senior-level administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges to participate in the 2016-17 Executive Leadership Academy. The program is designed to prepare educators to eventually serve as effective college presidents. “I am excited about the opportunity to learn and grow,” Sheilley said. “I appreciate the CIC and President Seamus Carey allowing me to participate.” The academy includes summer seminars in Washington, D.C., readings, webinars and a mentoring program. Sheilley will develop an experiential learning plan focused on specific areas of presidential responsibility. “Competition for the available places in the program was intense,” CIC President Richard Ekman said. “The review committee found the nomination materials to be most impressive. They and I believe that Dr. Sheilley has the potential for highly effective leadership as a college or university president.” Laura Bryan, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the university, has been accepted into the 2016 Leadership Kentucky class. The program brings together a select group of people who possess a broad variety of leadership abilities and career accomplishments to prepare them to take charge in advancing the state for the common good. “I am honored to be selected for the 2016 class

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