1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

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Transylvania PumpkinMania lighting Oct. 25

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—PumpkinMania, a Lexington Halloween tradition, will continue on Oct. 25 when Transylvania University lights hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns on the steps of historic Old Morrison off West Third Street. The community is encouraged to attend this event, which will feature: •6-7 p.m. trick-or-treating, a food vendor (cash only) and other refreshments •7 p.m. jack-o’-lantern lighting Free, nearby parking will be available for the event. “Transylvania University is the perfect place to celebrate Halloween in downtown Lexington,” said Ashley Coons, who is the assistant registrar and a PumpkinMania organizer. “It’s a great opportunity for the university and the community to come together for a celebration with music, trick-or-treating, games, food and, of course, the jack-o’-lantern lighting.”  In addition to the locally grown pumpkins carved by the Transy community, there will be a carving contest among local schoolchildren, and the public is encouraged to drop off their own creations on the Old Morrison steps by 3 p.m. Oct. 24. Everyone is welcome to join us for pumpkin carving from noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 23 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 24 in Haupt Circle. Bring your own pumpkins—and Transylvania will clean out the insides for you. The jack-o’-lanterns will remain on display through Halloween night. (Here’s a map to help find your way around campus.)  

Transylvania to host Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University will host the 2017-18 Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs, an innovative program that teaches entrepreneurship to Kentucky high school students. During the three-week summer session, a select group of students will turn their bright ideas into real products with the guidance of high school teachers, college professors, business leaders and other mentors. There is no GPA or test score requirement to be accepted into GSE. The program looks for motivated teens who want to develop products that solve problems. Students apply to GSE online at www.KentuckyGSE.com in the fall. “We are pleased to have this relationship with Transy,” said Laurie Daugherty, GSE’s executive director. “Being here will allow us to expand on the resources and opportunities we offer our student entrepreneurs.” GSE is an enrichment experience similar to the state’s successful Governor’s Scholars Program and Governor’s School for the Arts, which Transylvania has hosted. The Kentucky Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEENStart), a Lexington-based nonprofit, manages GSE. Georgetown College had hosted the GSE sessions since they began in 2013. GSE is a public-private partnership with funding from the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet and many private foundations and sponsors. The immersive program teaches work and life skills, including teamwork and problem solving, in an environment where it is safe to take risks with ideas. Students are exposed to a variety of learning opportunities—from 3-D printers to a high ropes course. On a larger scale, these young entrepreneurs go on to contribute

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Transylvania ranks in top 10 nationally for best value; among nation’s premier liberal arts schools overall

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University ranks as one of the 10 best U.S. colleges for value, and overall as one of the nation’s premier liberal arts schools. USA Today/College Factual’s recent Best Colleges for the Money ranking lists the university 10th among more than 1,000 schools. Also, the U.S. News list of Best Colleges released today once again places Transylvania among the country’s top 100 liberal arts schools. “We are pleased to consistently rank among the nation’s finest liberal arts colleges,” Transylvania president Seamus Carey said. “Recognitions such as these reflect the quality of our incoming classes and the education they receive—at a great value compared to most of the rest of the U.S. News top-100 liberal arts schools.” Ninety-eight percent of Transylvania’s students receive assistance that reduces tuition, making it an attractive option—even when compared to public universities—for families on a tight budget. The USA Today ranking considers the educational quality of an institution as well as factors such as tuition, grants, scholarships and the average number of years it takes students to earn a degree. “The bigger the difference between the school’s quality and its cost, the more quality education you are getting for the dollar and thus the higher the value for the money,” according to College Factual, the service used by USA Today. In today’s U.S. News ranking, Transylvania placed 46th in the Best Value category for national liberal arts colleges. The university also tied for 83rd among

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Transylvania partners with Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship to offer Diplomacy Scholarship

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Lexington, Ky.— Transylvania University has partnered with The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship to create a scholarship for a new generation of leaders. Rising high school seniors from every region of the U.S. who are competitively selected and participate in the Henry Clay Center High School National Student Congress in 2017 will receive a $10,000 Diplomacy Scholarship each year for four years, should they decide to attend Transylvania. “The quality of young leaders who have attended the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship National High School Student Congress is second to none,” Transylvania President Seamus Carey said.  “Alumni of the program are now staffers in the U.S. Senate and House, state governments, top law firms, NGO’s and leading corporations. Our university is committed to a modern, interdisciplinary liberal arts education, and offering the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship Diplomacy Scholarship will enable us to enroll and educate some of the best and brightest promising young leaders in America.” The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship is an innovative nonprofit dedicated to educating students in the essential skills of negotiation, dialogue and compromise. For most of the past decade, the Center has held a summer Student Congress at Transylvania for rising high school seniors across the country. These students have met with justices from the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Speakers of the House, governors, U.S. senators and other nationally recognized officials and academic thought leaders. Compromise, the constructive engagement and dialogue to resolve

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Silas House to deliver Transylvania convocation keynote, receive honorary degree

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Renowned Kentucky author Silas House will give the keynote address and receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during Transylvania University’s Academic Convocation on Friday. House, who wrote the national best-selling novel, “A Parchment of Leaves,” will help the campus kick off the academic year at the 3:30 p.m. ceremony in Haggin Auditorium. A book signing and reception will follow. “The Academic Convocation is a very special occasion at Transylvania,” said Laura Bryan, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the university. “This ceremony marks the celebration of a new academic year and gives us an opportunity to focus and reflect on the journey before us. We come together as a community to invigorate our mission and values of a liberal education. Silas House exemplifies our values as an writer, teacher and activist.” House is a champion of the Appalachian region he calls home. In addition to writing five novels, with a sixth to be released this year, he is an environmental activist, columnist and music journalist. His fiction highlights the natural world, working class characters and the plight of rural living. A National Book Award Finalist, House also has written three plays and a collection of oral histories he co-authored with Jason Howard. His many recognitions include the Award for Special Achievement from the Fellowship of Southern Writers, E.B. White Award, Nautilus Award, Appalachian Writer of the Year, Chaffin Prize for Literature, Appalachian Book of the

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