1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

News from Transy

Enjoy an evening of classical Indian music at Transylvania

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Hear the melody and beat of Indian music when Pandit Santanu Banerjee performs an evening of Indian classical music Thursday, October5, at 7:30 p.m. in Transylvania’s Carrick Theatre. He will be accompanied by Gurupada Das on the tabla and percussionist Neel Adhicary. The concert, which is free and open to the public, is part of Transylvania’s World Voices series. Santanu most recently performed at a September 11 concert at the Lincoln Center in Washington, D.C., under an invitation from the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. About Pandit Santanu Banerjee Vocal music in India is as old as the Vedas, the ancient scriptures or revelation of the Hindu teachings. Santanu Bandyopadhyay (Banerjee) is the natural, sole torch bearer of the famed Vishnupore Gharana, the house of the northern Indian vocal tradition. Santanu was a noted prodigy. Born into a family of glorious musical tradition, as a child he spent hours at riaz (practice) to attain standards that the stalwarts in his family had set. Today, the vocalist directly represents the fifth generation of the Vishnupore house in Bengal. At a young age, Santanu received careful training in Hindustani (Northern Indian classical music) from his late grandfather and father. This tradition is based on a complex and engaging method of improvisation based on hundreds of ragas, melodic formulas that must be internalized to such a degree that they become second nature. Dedicated to music, Santanu consciously balanced his life and

Read “Enjoy an evening of classical Indian music at Transylvania”

Transylvania’s excellence in teaching recognized again—philosophy professor Peter Fosl receives major award from postsecondary education community

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania philosophy professor Peter Fosl has received the Acorn Award for outstanding teaching from the Kentucky Advocates forHigher Education. The award recognizes outstanding teachers at Kentucky’s public or independent colleges and universities. Fosl was chosen for the outstanding quality of his teaching, expertise in his fields of study, the originality of his courses and scholarship and the role he plays as a mentor to students and faculty. “Transylvania has always placed a high priority on teaching excellence,” said President Charles L. Shearer. “Peter is one of the finest teachers I have known. He is simply superb, and I am thrilled that his dedication has been recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Education.” When describing why he chose teaching as a profession, Fosl says “There’s a sense in which I didn’t choose teaching as a profession. Rather, teaching chose me. “Teaching is to some extent creating lovers. The word philosophy means love of wisdom. So there’s a kind of love of learning and inquiry and reflection that I try to ignite in students.” Fosl says that as a teacher it’s important to make sure students are involved in the class. “I’ve found that teaching is not just about conveying a body of information, but it’s cultivating certain passions and sentiments in the students, so that students find the material interesting, important, and something they can invest their own passions in,” he said. “One thing that is delightful and very satisfying

Read “Transylvania’s excellence in teaching recognized again—philosophy professor Peter Fosl receives major award from postsecondary education community”

Transylvania is again ranked in top tier of national liberal arts schools by U.S. News & World Report and named one of the nation’s best institutions by the Princeton Review

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—For the sixth consecutive year, Transylvania University is ranked in the top tier of national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & WorldReport, and the Princeton Review rates Transy among the nation’s premier colleges. U.S. News’ 2007 evaluation of America’s best colleges is based on 2005 data and, in some cases, multi-year averages. The publication ranks 215 liberal arts colleges in statistical measures such as student ACT scores, graduation rates, alumni giving and institutional resources, as well as a subjective measure of academic reputation. Transylvania made gains in its graduation and retention rate and in financial and faculty resources categories. The resources category includes such factors as the commitment to instruction, class size, faculty pay, percent of faculty with highest degree, the student/faculty ratio, percent of full-time faculty, and the average spending per student on instruction, research and student services. “The top-tier ranking by U.S. News is just one recent measurement of how well Transylvania is doing,” said President Charles L. Shearer. “The Princeton Review also features Transylvania in the 2007 edition of its annual book, The Best 361 Colleges.” Transylvania is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. “We chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s vice president for publishing. The schools’ evaluations are based on institutional data, feedback from current students, visits to the schools, opinions of independent college counselors and other

Read “Transylvania is again ranked in top tier of national liberal arts schools by U.S. News & World Report and named one of the nation’s best institutions by the Princeton Review”

National leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa moves headquarters to Transylvania University

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.— The national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa has moved its headquarters to the campus of Transylvania University. Founded in 1914, the ODK society recognizes and encourages superior scholarship, leadership, and exemplary character. Chapters, known as Circles, are located on over 300 college campuses, and the national headquarters serves as a resource for information related to Circle operations, national convention, alumni, and the Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation. “We’re pleased with our move to Transylvania’s campus and we look forward to establishing a solid partnership with an institution that has cherished the values of ODK since its Circle was established in 1977,” said Steve Bisese, ODK president. Transylvania President Charles L. Shearer said, “We’re delighted to have Omicron Delta Kappa on campus. ODK is a tremendous organization and our values of scholarship, leadership and exemplary character mirror theirs.” Mike Nichols, director of communications; Marc Mathews, national treasurer; and Richard Mains, national counsel, are Transylvania graduates, as is P. Gene Vance, a recent board member and current ODK foundation trustee. William Kelly, a foundation trustee, was president of Transylvania when the university’s Lampas Circle was chartered. ODK offices are located at 421 North Broadway and are open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Arrangements can be made to visit during off-hours. For more information about ODK contact Michael R. Nichols, director of communications for Omicron Delta Kappa, at (859) 455-8870. Transylvania, founded in 1780, is the nation’s sixteenth oldest institution

Read “National leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa moves headquarters to Transylvania University”

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

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

Transylvania University, an early leader in liberal arts education, recently hosted a faculty seminar titled Twenty-first Century Liberal Education: AContested Concept. The 15 seminar participants were selected from a pool of over 50 applicants from liberal arts colleges throughout the country. They reflect the diversity within the professorate at liberal arts colleges and include faculty members from Smith College, Hollins University and Middlebury College among others. Acceptance to the program included the cost of the sessions, all seminar materials, lodging, meals and a travel stipend. Seminar sessions included “Alternative Traditions in Liberal Education,” “The Current State of Liberal Education in America” and “The Purposes of Liberal Education: Varieties of Social Engagement.” Participants were 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. Martha Andresen, professor of English at Pomona College gave the opening address, “I will speak as liberal as the north”: Tales of Teaching at a Liberal Arts College. The plenary speaker was John Churchill, executive secretary of The Phi Beta Kappa Society. He spoke about the current state of liberal education in America. Through this seminar, Transylvania University, with assistance from The Phi Beta Kappa Society, sought to contribute to a national conversation on the idea of liberal education and the mission of the liberal arts college in

Read “Fifteen professors from across the country participated in Transylvania’s seminar on liberal education”