News from Transy

Transylvania University sets diversity records, maintains enrollment numbers

Posted on August 2, 2013July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has bolstered enrollment by reaching out to diverse populations—from its own backyard to across the globe. This year’s incoming class not only is the most racially and ethnically diverse in school history—by far—but it’s also the most international ever. Traveling here from countries as far flung as China, Peru, Iraq and England, the 20 new students from abroad represent a 900 percent spike in the past five years. Also, about 20 percent of first-year students identify themselves as a member of a racial or ethnic minority group. This is 26 percent more than in last year’s incoming class, which was the most diverse until now. The total number of new students—305 so far—is an average size compared to the past four years. Transylvania’s overall enrollment for the fall term is expected to be 1,075, the largest in the past three years. In addition to maintaining the size of the class, having a more diverse student body strengthens the teaching and learning environment. “We’ve been very intentional about trying to increase the population of students of color,” said Brad Goan, vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions. This includes initiatives such as campus visits through the Trailblazers Scholarship program and outreach to community organizations that serve underrepresented students. Much of the diversity increase comes from a gain in Hispanic students—21 this year—which bodes well for the future because it’s a growing demographic. Additionally, the university’s strategic enrollment

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Fifteen professors from across the country selected to attend national liberal arts seminar at Transylvania University

Posted on July 22, 2013July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Fifteen faculty members from some of the top liberal arts colleges in the country will converge at Transylvania University later this week for a seminar called “Twenty-First Century Liberal Education: A Contested Concept.” The eighth annual event will draw participants from institutions such as Pomona, Carleton, Kenyon and Middlebury colleges from Thursday to Sunday. Ten seminar sessions and two plenary talks will address a variety of topics—from modernizing liberal education to exploring its evolution. “We remind ourselves what it has been so we can understand what it is,” seminar coordinator and Transylvania political science professor Jeffrey B. Freyman said. “Transylvania has historically played a central role in that, because we’re such an old institution.” Founded in 1780, Transylvania is among a handful of colleges that pioneered higher education in America. One of the seminar’s two plenary speakers will be Robin Feuer Miller, a Brandeis University professor who is an expert in Russian literature and senior advisor to the provost for faculty. She will present From Well-Rounded to Sharp: Liberal Education in the Twenty-First Century on Thursday night. Then on Saturday, Neal Broadus Abraham, a physics professor and executive director of Five Colleges, Inc., will present Liberal Education in an Era Requiring Global Citizenship. Five Colleges is a prestigious consortium of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Freyman said participants in the seminar—sponsored by the university’s Bingham Program for Excellence in Teaching—will come

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Celebrate America’s independence with Transylvania University and the city of Lexington

Posted on June 20, 2013July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University and the city of Lexington will team up to celebrate America’s independence on the campus of one of the nation’s oldest colleges with a patriotic concert on Wednesday, July 3, 2013, at 8 p.m. The free concert, which features the musical talents of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lexington Singers, annually draws a crowd upwards of 5,000 that stretches from the lawn of historic Old Morrison to the Carnegie Center in Gratz Park. The Young at Heart Jazz Band will perform in Gratz Park prior to the concert, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The concert is sponsored by Hilliard Lyons. Handicapped accessible parking will be available in the semi-circle driveway on Broadway between Third and Fourth streets. For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120 or Tamara Deckard at the Downtown Lexington Corporation at (859) 425-2592.

Transylvania earns bronze rating for sustainability efforts

Posted on June 5, 2013July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Transylvania University has been recognized for earning a STARS Bronze rating. The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS was developed and is administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). This is the first year Transylvania has completed the STARS assessment. Transylvania was scored based on categories such as “education and research,” which includes co-curricular education, courses available in sustainability, and sustainability research; “operations,” which includes keeping track of greenhouse gas emissions, offering reusable dining containers and trayless dining, lowering energy consumption and encouraging carpooling or bicycling to work; and  “planning, administration and engagement” which evaluates cultural diversity, the employee wellness plan, and the strategic plan’s coordination with the sustainability plan. In recent years Transylvania has made significant reductions in electricity and gas consumption through, investments in energy retrofits, an aggressive winter shutdown program, and the implementation of a comprehensive energy plan. There are also numerous opportunities for students to be deeply engaged in sustainability efforts on campus and in the local community. Transylvania has committed to a sustainability master plan which was incorporated in the university’s strategic plan, Transylvania 2020. “I’m proud of the entire Transylvania community for its efforts supporting sustainability,” Angela Poe, sustainability director, said. “Attaining a Bronze rating with our first STARS submission is a huge achievement.” More information on STARS can

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