1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

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Transylvania breaks ground on $4.5 million Carpenter Academic Center

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University broke ground on its $4.5 million renovation of the iconic Haupt Humanities Building at a ceremony on Friday, May 26. The project will modernize the classroom building, which will be renamed the Carpenter Academic Center in honor of its lead donors, Pete ’64 and Marilyn Carpenter. Over the next 18 months, it will undergo a complete rejuvenation that upgrades classrooms, provides student gathering spaces and integrates cutting-edge technologies. Every Transylvania student takes at least one class in the 57-year-old building, and the project will ensure that the spaces are advanced, flexible and sized for active learning. “Like individuals, institutions that endure over time require moments of renewal in order to flourish,” President Seamus Carey said. “It’s time for us to focus on the heart and soul of a campus devoted to the liberal arts and sciences and refurbish a space that has been a central part of the Transylvania experience for almost 60 years.” The donors joined other members of the Transylvania community for the groundbreaking. Pete Carpenter is a Kentucky native from Mount Vernon who retired in 2001 as vice chairman of CSX Corporation. “My education at Transylvania left me with a desire for lifelong learning,” he said. “Institutions like Transylvania are the basis to the success some of us have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed. It’s crucial to give back to these institutions in order to help prepare and educate our next generation of

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Pioneering United Way leader to deliver Transylvania commencement address

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LEXINGTON, Ky.— Bill Farmer, president and CEO of United Way of the Bluegrass, will deliver Transylvania University’s commencement address on Saturday, May 27, as the 237-year-old institution celebrates its 2017 graduates. “Community partnership is an integral part of a liberal arts education,” Transylvania President Seamus Carey said. “Mr. Farmer’s dedication to the Lexington community offers compelling evidence of how one individual can improve the lives of many. His example will remind our graduates of their responsibility to bravely tackle the challenges that lie ahead while they imagine the possibilities.” Farmer, who is the first African American to head the United Way of the Bluegrass, has helped the organization focus on improving educational opportunities, health outcomes and financial security among struggling central Kentucky families. He is building partnerships with local businesses, universities and individual volunteers to achieve those goals through social change. Transylvania’s commencement will begin at 9 a.m. in front of historic Old Morrison. The rain location will be the Clive M. Beck Center. Students in this year’s graduating class have distinguished themselves academically, with numerous accolades awarded to them. Class of 2017 highlights • Thirty-three percent of the 215 graduating seniors are receiving Latin honors for a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, and 40 percent are receiving program honors. • Two of the 26 national Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society graduate fellowships were awarded to Transylvania seniors. • Students will pursue advanced degrees at institutions such as Vanderbilt,

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Project SEE Theatre continues professional residency at Transy with “Marie Antoinette”

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Project SEE Theatre will present playwright David Adjmi’s satire, “Marie Antoinette,” in Transylvania University’s Little Theater for five performances from May 17–21. “Marie Antoinette” marks the second annual production of the university’s professional theater residency program, which is sponsored by the Dixon/White Theater Fund. The fund also underwrites the cost of tickets, which makes professional productions free to the Lexington theater-going community. The Project SEE residency gives students a chance to work and perform alongside theater professionals, said director Sullivan Canaday White, who is a Transylvania professor and a Project SEE Theatre co-founder. While depicting the past, the upcoming production of “Marie Antoinette” will resonate with modern audiences. “Adjmi’s acerbic wit and unflinching depiction of class warfare offers a cautionary tale for America in the 21st century,” White said. “Though the play begins with royal diversions and regal amusements, it quickly descends into the chaos and violence of the French Revolution. I don’t think the historical ending needs a spoiler alert, but the death spiral of the French aristocracy clearly portrays what can happen when the billionaire-class loses touch with the needs of the 99 percent.” Hailed by Time Out in New York as a “jagged yet elegant historical riff,” Adjmi’s contemporary take on the ill-fated queen of France unmasks an aristocracy whose addiction to entertainment turns their dream of untold wealth into a nightmare of resentment and revenge. Read more about the production, including the cast and crew,

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Transylvania to host 2019 NCAA DIII Men’s Golf Championship

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—The NCAA on Tuesday announced Transylvania University will host the Division III Men’s Golf Championship in 2019 at the Keene Trace Golf Club in nearby Nicholasville. The four-round event is scheduled for May 14-17.  “This is a wonderful opportunity for Transylvania University and central Kentucky,” said Holly Sheilley, vice president for enrollment and student life. “It is an honor to be considered and selected by the NCAA to host this prestigious event, and we now look forward to the rewarding process of preparing to bring a championship event to Lexington and Nicholasville.” The Transylvania men’s golf program is no stranger to competing in the national NCAA Championship. The Pioneers are one of four teams that have qualified for it the last 10 years in a row, finishing as the national runners-up in 2012 and 2013. Last season, the Pioneers won their 10th-straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and placed 12th nationally at the championships in Rochester, N.Y. “To see our golf program grow to national prominence over the last decade has been unbelievable,” said Brian Lane, now in his 12th year as head coach of the Pioneers men’s golf team. “I am excited that we can now share that national exposure with the people here in central Kentucky. It is a big-time, weeklong event that will bring impressive teams from all over the country to the Bluegrass.” Keene Trace served as the site of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf

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Two Transylvania alumni win Fulbright Teaching Assistantships

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University alumni Chase Coleman ’16 and Jessica Obi ’13 have been awarded grants to serve as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants for 2017-18. Fulbright grants are highly competitive, and recipients are chosen for their academic and leadership potential. Coleman, who graduated with a triple major in economics, French and math, is from Georgetown, Ky. He will serve as an English Teaching Assistant and cultural ambassador to Andorra, a principality situated between France and Spain in the Pyrenees Mountains. In addition to his teaching duties, he will engage in the local community through an outdoors club, yoga classes (he is a certified instructor) and a weekly conversation roundtable in English.  After his sophomore year at Transylvania, Coleman worked as a summer intern in Normandy, France, at the Musee des Automates. As a junior, he studied at the Institute for American Universities in Aux-en-Provence, France. This year he taught English to schoolchildren in Deauville, France. The Lexington’s Sister Cities Commission sponsored his summer internship and postgraduate teaching in France. Obi, from Lexington, graduated with a double major in psychology and English. She will serve as an English Teaching Assistant and cultural ambassador for university students in Vietnam. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she plans to work with community organizations and individuals who have been affected by Agent Orange. As a junior at Transylvania, Obi studied with the School for International Studies program in Social and Political Transformation in Durban, South Africa. She then earned an M.A. in ethics, peace,

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