1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University
KyForward featured our popular mentoring initiative in an article titled “100 Doors to Success: Transylvania University mentoring program fuels students’ career aspirations.” The university’s program pairs students with alumni who share their career and life experiences. Transylvania launched the program in 2014 with a goal of enlisting 100 mentors, but it has grown to include more than 200 volunteers.
LEXINGTON, Ky.—A breathtaking tale of a young girl gone missing in Depression-era Tennessee has won the second annual Judy Gaines Young Book Award, presented by Transylvania University. “Long Man,” by Tennessee author Amy Greene, has been praised by national reviewers such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Minneapolis Star Tribune. Set just before the real-life damming of Long Man River, the novel tells the story of a tiny Appalachian town doomed to flooding so that the surrounding area could prosper economically. “In this moving story, traditional ways of being in the world and being bound to a particular place are usurped by the interests of a more modern rendition of economy,” Transylvania writer in residence Maurice Manning said. “The tale of human displacement and wandering around a sense of home, of one kind or another, is fundamental to the very idea of Appalachian literature.” Crystal Wilkinson, a Kentucky writer and founding member of the Affrilacian Poets collective, selected the book for the award. Greene will receive the award at Transylvania on April 5 at 5 p.m. in Cowgill 102, where she will give a free public reading. The award also comes with a $2,500 cash prize, and a signed copy of the novel will be preserved in the Transylvania Special Collections. Greene is from Morristown, Tenn., and was named Tennessee Writer of the Year by the Tennessee Writers Alliance in 2010. Her articles and op-eds have appeared in the
The following originally appeared in The Huffington Post. Each year at this time, high school seniors and their families wait for acceptance letters from colleges and then agonize over the choice of where to go. This decision-making process has become a time of deep anxiety for many families. In some circles, this anxiety is generated by the emphasis that has been put on the prestige of the school one attends. In other circles, families fret over the cost of higher education and fear that their child will be overwhelmed by loans. For still other families, there is the fear that their child will struggle to find rewarding work at a reasonable wage. This year, the decision-making season is amplified by two presidential primaries. These political races indicate a widespread sense of alienation among the electorate. Non-traditional candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump could not be further apart on many issues, yet their success in attracting voters thus far seems to derive from an almost universal frustration and anger in both parties with their respective political establishment.
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University will welcome about 150 immigrants from more than 50 countries for a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony at noon Friday, March 11. During the ceremony in Haggin Auditorium, they will take the Oath of Allegiance, completing their path to American citizenship. The public is welcome to attend. “We are proud and honored to host this event, as it aligns specifically with our Project One initiative,” said Serenity Wright, associate dean of diversity and international student experiences. “We support and encourage these new citizens for what they will add to the beautiful fabric of diversity that is the United States, and we embrace them as they take this step.” Chief U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell will preside over the ceremony. She is a 1977 Transylvania graduate and a member of the university’s Board of Trustees. The ceremony will include a Call of Countries, a patriotic music melody by Transylvania organist Richard Dwyer and a rendition of “America the Beautiful” by a university a cappella group, Grace Notes. Speakers will include Transylvania senior Vivian Tsai, who is a naturalized citizen from Taiwan, and university President Seamus Carey. “Transylvania’s mission is to create global citizens through a liberal arts education and to empower our students with perseverance, integrity and opportunities for diversity and community outreach,” Wright said. “This ceremony represents our core mission, values and institutional initiatives.” Haggin Auditorium is in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. Free,
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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Four Transylvania University seniors have been named semifinalists for highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants that fund English Teaching Assistantships abroad for the 2016-17 academic year. Samantha Easterling of Wilmore, Ky., McKenzie Gearheart of Pikeville, Ky., Erin Marek of Pataskala, Ohio, and Courtney Smith of Batavia, Ohio, have all been selected based on academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential. In the past 10 years, 17 Transylvania students have received Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships, including four last year who are currently serving in Thailand, India, Malaysia and South Korea. “We’re extremely proud of these students,” President Seamus Carey said. “They follow a long line of recent Transylvanians who have been awarded Fulbright grants. It’s evident they are putting in hard work and are receiving excellent preparation from their professors and staff advisers.” “Being named a semifinalist is a testament to the unmatched education I’ve received at Transylvania as well as a validation of all of my hard work these past four years,” said Smith, who is a semifinalist for the Slovak Republic. “I feel so fortunate to be considered for this prestigious award and sincerely hope that Transylvania is well represented when the final grants are released.” The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 as the flagship international educational exchange program and operates in more than 160 countries. “Knowing I might be spending a year in Mongolia seems like something I could only dream of,” Marek said. “My
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