News from Transy

Transylvania senior represents U.S. at U.N. Climate Change Conference in Poland

Posted on December 3, 2008July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—It began as a personal quest to lessen her impact on a changing environment. Now, Marcie Smith is on a global journey to challenge others to do the same—and then some. Next stop on her itinerary? Poznan, Poland, and the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. Smith, a senior at Transylvania University, is one of 19 young people who is representing the United States at the U.N. conference, a major effort aimed at laying the foundation for the international response to global warming. She and other youth leaders were chosen after a highly competitive, national selection process by the internationally recognized SustainUS Agents of Change program, a youth network advancing sustainable development. The delegation draws from outstanding young leaders, including a Truman Scholar, a Watson Fellow, and a Fulbright Fellow. “One of the biggest aims of the delegation is to re-engage the United States,” Smith said. “We want an international climate treaty, and we want United States leadership.” That may seem like a pretty tall order for Smith and the others who make up the SustainUS delegation. But, she said, they are not dissuaded. “Do I believe we can make a difference? Yes, I very, very much believe that we can,” she said. “It is ultimately the members of our generation who will be dealing with the effects of decisions made today, so youth voices must be represented at the conference. “It’s important to understand that current emissions levels

Read “Transylvania senior represents U.S. at U.N. Climate Change Conference in Poland”

Transylvania music professor Larry Barnes receives composer award

Posted on November 14, 2008July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University music professor Larry Barnes has received a composer award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), for his work in 2007 and 2008. Awards are granted based on creative and professional activity, including performances and recordings of original music.   During this period, Barnes’s composition, “Toccata – Act of War,” was released by Capstone Records, on a disc featuring a variety of new work by 11 composers performed by pianist Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi. Fellow Transylvania professor and pianist Gregory Partain also released the piece on his disc, “Gregory Partain, Vol 2.” In summer 2008, the film “Euphoria” was re-released with an entirely new original score by Barnes. The film recently played at the Chesapeake Film Festival. Barnes is a recipient of Transylvania’s Bingham Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Howard Hanson Prize, two Kentucky Arts Council Performing Artist awards and numerous ASCAP awards. Barnes is a member of the Music Teachers’ National Association, the Kentucky Music Teachers’ Association, the Society of Composers, Inc. and the Southern Composers’ League. His music has been released on MMC and Nine Winds recordings and published by Southern Music Corporation. For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120.

Transylvania dedicated Thomson Residence Hall

Posted on October 3, 2008July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania dedicated its new $5.5 million residence hall Saturday, October 4, at 10:30 a.m. in an outdoor ceremony in front of the building. The 28,000 square-foot facility features 31 suite-style living units, a newly located and expanded 1780 Café, lounges and a large meeting room. The residence hall is named in honor of Joe Thomson and his wife, JoAnn, and features wireless Internet connections and an efficient and environmentally friendly geothermal heating and air conditioning system. Mr. Thomson, a native of Cynthiana, Ky., is a 1966 graduate of Transylvania and is a member of the Transylvania Board of Trustees and a former member of the Board of Visitors.   The Thomsons own Winbak Farm, one of the most successful Standardbred horse operations in the industry. Winbak’s flagship 2,000-plus acres farm is located in Maryland, with operations in Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Maine and Canada. Mr. Thomson is also a co-owner of the Red Mile racetrack in Lexington.  

"Forces of Habit: Why we make war on some drugs but not others"

Posted on September 27, 2008July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—David Courtwright, John A. Delaney presidential professor at the University of Northern Florida, will give a lecture titled “Forces of Habit: Why we make war on some drugs but not others,” at Transylvania University on Thursday, October 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Cowgill Center, room 102. The lecture is free and open to the public. Courtwright is the inaugural speaker in the Drugged America Series, sponsored by the Bingham-Young Fellowship Program at Transylvania. Courtwright has been thinking and writing about the history of drug use and drug policy since the mid-1970s. He is the author of several books, including “Addicts Who Survived,” “Dark Paradise: A History of Opiate Addiction in America” and “Forces of Habit: Drugs and the Making of the Modern World.” For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120.