1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Transylvania ranked as one of nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University is listed in The Princeton Review’s The Best 376 Colleges, a ranking that includes the top 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges. “Each of our 376 best colleges offers outstanding academics,” says Robert Franek, the book’s author and Princeton Review senior vp/publisher. “We don’t rank them hierarchically, 1 to 376, because they differ widely—and importantly—in their program offerings and campus culture, and that is their strength. Our goal is not to crown one college ‘best’ overall, but to help applicants find and get in to the college best for them.” The book’s two-page profile of Transylvania includes comments from Transylvania students surveyed for the book. According to students, Transylvania strives to provide “a holistic educational experience where one can grow intellectually and academically while participating in a vibrant social community.” Professors “are both very knowledgeable and fun to be around” and their accessibility is “amazing.” When it comes to social life on campus, students were quoted as saying “every social event is practically an open invitation” and Transylvania’s location in downtown Lexington means students are often found “walking downtown to theaters, art exhibits, or other downtown events.” Students commented that their classmates come “from different backgrounds including differences in sexual orientation, class, religion, region and political orientation” meaning “most students will find themselves right at home on campus.” The Princeton Review, a New York-based education services company known for its education, admission and test-prep services, is

Fifteen professors from across the country to participate in Transylvania’s seminar on liberal education

Seminar participants took a tour of Elmendorf Farm. LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University, an early leader in liberal arts education, will host an annual seminar titled “Twenty-first Century Liberal Education: A Contested Concept” July 28-31, for 15 faculty members from liberal arts colleges around the country. The participants were selected from a pool of over 45 applicants and they reflect the diversity within the professorate at liberal arts colleges. They included faculty members from Washington and Lee, DePauw, Randolph-Macon and Middlebury College among others. Seminar sessions include “Modernizing Liberal Education,” “The Historical Background to the Contemporary Debates” and “The Purposes of Liberal Education: Varieties of Social Engagement.” Participants are asked to consider the application of liberal education principles to enhance their own effectiveness as college and university teachers—in the classroom, in the preparation of course offerings and in the construction of curricula at their academic institutions. Donal O’Shea, Elizabeth T. Kennan Professor of Mathematics and Statistics and dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs at Mt. Holyoke College will give the opening address, “Geometry, Space, and the Liberal Arts.” The plenary speaker is Cecilia A. Conrad, Stedman-Sumner Professor of Economics and vice president and dean of the college at Pomona College. Her speech is titled “Is a Liberal Arts College Education a Luxury Good?” With this annual seminar, Transylvania University, with assistance from The Phi Beta Kappa, seeks to contribute to a national conversation on the idea of liberal

Performances cap GSA final day at Transylvania

LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Governor’s School for the Arts 2011 summer session comes to a close Saturday at Transylvania University, highlighted by final student performances and graduation ceremonies set for the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. The GSA will wrap up its 12th year on the Transylvania campus on Saturday, with day-long performances in all disciplines beginning at 11 a.m., preceding graduation ceremonies at 5:15 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium. Final performances, including those in instrumental and vocal music, musical theater, visual arts, drama, new media and architecture, will begin at various campus locations at noon. All final day events are open to GSA parents, friends, and relatives as well as the public and media. Previous final day performances have attracted over 1,200 people to the campus. Refreshments will be available at various locations near Old Morrison. Final performances will be held at the Mitchell Fine Arts Center, the Little Theater, the Shearer Art Building, the Haupt Humanities Building, Old Morrison and the Cowgill Center. A total of 225 high school students from 49 counties have been on the campus since June 19, immersed in a rigorous schedule of daily seminars, master classes, lectures, hands-on workshops and field trips to local arts attractions. Over 1,700 students attended auditions for the positions, which are valued at $2,800 per student. For more information, or to cover the events, contact GSA director Carrie Nath at 281-3532.

Present and former House Speakers honor Henry Clay with discussion on history, role of Speaker of the House

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined with former Speaker and current House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former Speaker, Republican Dennis Hastert from Illinois, in a moderated discussion on the history and nature of the Speaker position that attracted a capacity audience to Transylvania University’s Haggin Auditorium Friday, June 24. The forum, titled “The Role of the Speaker of the House: A Tribute to Henry Clay,” was the culminating event in Lexington’s first Henry Clay Week and was an observance of the 200th anniversary of Clay becoming the first Speaker of the House in 1811. Historians have said it was Clay, Kentucky’s leading politician in the early 1800s, who made the Speakership the powerful position it is today. Known as the “Great Compromiser,” Clay is remembered for his skill at reconciliation, peacemaking and beneficial compromise. In his introductory remarks to the evening, Robert Clay, co-chair of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship, pointed out the close relationship that Transylvania enjoyed with Clay in its formative years. Clay joined the university’s seminal law department as a professor in 1805 and was elected a trustee in 1807. Although Clay left Kentucky to become nationally prominent as a statesman, he maintained a home in Lexington at beautiful Ashland and always kept Transylvania in his thoughts, remaining a trustee and friend of the university until his death in 1852.  “Henry Clay was committed to education,”

Information, photos, and B-roll available for download; broadcast clips to be added following the program

LEXINGTON, Ky.—For information on Henry Clay, photos, and B-roll go to https://www.transy.edu/news/events/henry_clay_tribute.htm Broadcast-quality clips and photos from “The Role of the Speaker of the House: A Tribute to Henry Clay” will be posted as soon as possible after the program. For more information, call the public relations office at (859) 233-8120 or Sarah Emmons at (859) 333-4246 or Mollie Eblen at (859) 338-0016.