1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

News from Transy

Transylvania acquires land for future expansion

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

This is one rendering of possible athletic fields. A campus planner is being hired and a feasibility study will be conducted. LEXINGTON, Ky.—President R. Owen Williams announced today that Transylvania University has purchased one property on the corner of Fourth and Jefferson streets in Lexington and is in the process of purchasing another property on Fourth Street. “Our long-term plans may well include further acquisitions, but at this time we have no intention of purchasing more land until we have completed a feasibility study for what we’ve already acquired,” said Williams. One of the properties Transylvania is purchasing is a 10-acre lot—523, 551 and 555 West Fourth Street—that Williams sees as the future site of athletic fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and track. “We would expect to begin construction during the 2012 calendar year, though precise dates will be determined through the course of campus planning,” said Williams. The university is currently interviewing campus planners and a decision should be made within the next month. The raising of funds for future development of these properties will happen during the university’s next campaign, which will begin in 2012.

Transylvania senior Lee Richardson is a Rhodes Scholarship Finalist

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University senior Lee Richardson of Nicholasville, Ky., represented the university at the District IX Rhodes Scholarship interview this weekend. Richardson, a biochemistry and Spanish double major, was one of 830 finalists from 299 colleges and universities across the country. Thirty-two Rhodes Scholars are named from the United States each year, two from each district. “We are all very proud of Lee for being selected a Rhodes finalist,” said Transylvania President R. Owen Williams. “Though not selected for this prestigious award, he was one of only 11 finalists in our district of Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. We congratulate him on this extraordinary accomplishment and for carrying the Transylvania banner.” Richardson is extremely involved in curricular and extracurricular activities. His commitment to service has taken him to Ecuador as a medical intern, Costa Rica for storm relief and Mexico for construction of sustainable housing for homeless families. Closer to home, he has served as a founding member of T.U.T.O.R.S, an organization of Transylvania students who volunteer at local middle schools on a weekly basis to mentor and tutor newly arrived refugee ESL students; has participated in alternative spring break; and served as fundraising coordinator for Transylvania’s Hope for Haiti efforts to raise money for the Haitian citizens affected by the January 2010 earthquake. An aspiring physician, Richardson has been applying and interviewing at medical schools concurrently with applying for the Rhodes Scholarship. He is also applying for a Fulbright research

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Transylvania adds equestrian program for 2012-13

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Transylvania University announced today that it will add equestrian as its 23rd varsity sport, beginning in the 2012-13 year. The 2011-12 year will be spent recruiting. The Pioneer equestrian team for women and men will be led by head coach Lorah “Darcy” Wax, who started riding as a child and is a former Pony Clubber with experience showing her horses in Dressage, Eventing and Hunter/Jumpers. Wax has additional experience with top Olympic riders, three-day events, dressage shows, English and Western riding instruction, clinics, horse sales and showing. “Darcy is an accomplished rider and has past experience instructing Intercollegiate Horse Show Association competitors,” said Transylvania athletic director Jack Ebel. “She has done a phenomenal job preparing her farm for our program. We think she is the perfect person to develop what we believe will be a very popular program at Transylvania. Equestrian will go over very well here in the heart of the Bluegrass and horse country.” Transylvania will compete in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), which was established in 1967. There are more than 370 college teams in the IHSA representing more than 8,300 riders. Within the IHSA, the Pioneers will compete in English riding, or hunt seat division. There are eight different levels and nine competition classes within the English division, ranging from walk-trot to walk-trot-canter, and including both flat work and work over fences. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Transylvania University,” said Wax.

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Transylvania named a best value by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has been named a best value by “Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.” The university ranked 69th in the magazine’s annual list of the top 100 liberal arts colleges that combine outstanding quality with affordability. “College is a significant investment,” said Brad Goan, Transylvania’s vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions. “The four years a student spends at Transylvania are exceptional, but the real value of a Transylvania education is in how it empowers our students and alumni to envision the possibilities in life and provides them with the skills, wisdom and courage to pursue them.” Kiplinger’s assesses quality according to measurable standards, including the percentage of students who are admitted out of those who applied, the test scores of incoming freshmen, the ratio of students to faculty members and the four- and five-year graduation rates. This year, Kiplinger’s adjusted the criteria to better reflect the issues affecting families. Now, the rankings give more weight to the four-year graduation rate—a measure of the college’s ability to deliver academic support and of the overall cost to families—and to colleges that keep student debt down. “We are pleased to see Kiplinger’s confirm what our graduates already know—that a Transylvania education is a great value,” said David Cecil, Transylvania’s associate vice president for financial aid. Ninety-six percent of Transylvania’s graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate programs within six months of graduation, and 93 percent of graduates complete their degree in four

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Transylvania moves up seven places in U.S. News & World Report ranking

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University moved up seven places—from 88 to 81—in the latest U.S. News & World Report college rankings. U.S. News ranked 252 national liberal arts colleges and universities in statistical measures such as student graduation and retention rates, financial resources, commitment to instruction, class size, faculty pay, student selectivity and alumni giving, as well as a subjective measure of academic reputation. “We take the U.S. News rankings seriously; however, we don’t live and die by them,” said Transylvania President R. Owen Williams. “We do know that many high school students and their families look at college rankings when selecting a college. We think that U.S. News uses very reasonable metrics, and most of the ranking is based on objective measures.” Transylvania made gains in its graduation rate performance, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources and student selectivity. Transylvania, founded in 1780, is the nation’s sixteenth oldest institution of higher learning and is consistently ranked in national publications as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.