1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Transylvania University offers a variety of summer courses

LEXINGTON, Ky., – Central Kentucky residents are invited to enroll in a summer term class at Transylvania to fulfill an academic degree requirement for another university or simply to pursue a subject area of interest. Seventeen courses are offered, ranging from Underwater Archaeology to Principles of Macroeconomics to Public Speaking. “This is a fantastic opportunity for individuals in Lexington or the surrounding area to take a class with one of Transylvania’s esteemed faculty members and enjoy our distinctive academic experience,” said Michelle Rawlings, university registrar. “Whether you’re a student at another university home for the summer and need to fill a fine arts general education requirement or prepare to take organic chemistry in the fall-or if you’ve just always wanted to know more about Greek mythology-we have a course this summer that may interest you.” Summer term begins June 10 and ends July 12. Transylvania classes are open to any area resident with a high school diploma. Details about the courses offered, tuition, and registering as a non-degree student are available here. For more information, contact Rawlings at registrar@transy.edu or (859) 233-8116.

Transylvania alums honored by Fayette County Bar Association

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Three Transylvania University alumni, Mindy Barfield ’85, Carl Frazier ‘04 and Palmer Gene Vance II ’87, were recognized May 1 by the Fayette County (Ky.) Bar Association (FCBA) at its 2013 Law Day Celebration. Barfield, a partner in the litigation department at Dinsmore and Shohl, received the Citizen Lawyer Award, which honors one member of the FCBA who has practiced at least 10 years in Fayette County; provides duties as an office of the court, fiduciary and advocate of clients; is involved in governmental, civic, charitable or community activities; and has demonstrated a sincere desire to maintain and improve the administration of justice, the quality of legal practice and the quality of life for all residents of Fayette County. Barfield practices in the area of complex commercial litigation, with a focus on defending businesses in contract-related and business torts litigation; litigation of coal-related disputes and complex insurance coverage and bad faith litigation. She is a past president of the FCBA and received the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award in 1999. She is a member of the Transylvania Board of Trustees. Frazier, an associate at Stoll Keenon Ogden, received the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. The award honors one member of the FCBA who has practiced in Fayette County for less than 10 years; demonstrated promise in learning the practical application of law to human problems; admirably fulfilled the duties owed by an attorney to the court, clients and the community; and

Collins book tells stories from human side of our national pastime

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Baseball players in America have come to evoke visions of gods with enormous athletic abilities and even higher salaries, heroes in a sport that draws tens of millions of fans each year to see these figures hit towering home runs while staying respectfully stoic until the long season ends. Transylvania University senior Cory Collins sets out to show a forgotten side of baseball in his new book, “Bats That Won’t Break.” The book chronicles the stories of eight members of the Louisville Bats, a minor league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, as they spend time middling in the lower levels of baseball, traveling by bus rather than private jet and making a fraction of what the typical big leaguer earns. Some of those players, like Dominican outfielder Denis Phipps, came from humble roots and are waiting their turn to break in to the Major Leagues. Others, such as catcher Corky Miller, will spend their entire careers in the minors with virtually no shot at The Big Show. Bats manager David Bell had an 11-year MLB career and now spends his time coaching up the next round of hopefuls, and even groundskeeper Tom Nielsen hopes for a shot to curate a big league diamond, a skill he taught himself by mowing freshly cut lines in his backyard as a child. “All of these guys started with a boyhood dream, and I wanted to look at how they transformed from having

Transylvania University named Gold Level Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has been named a Fit-Friendly Company at the Gold Level by the American Heart Association, which recognizes workplaces that champion the health of employees. To make the cut, Transylvania had to demonstrate participation in areas outlined by the American Heart Association to promote physical activity, nutritional well-being and an overall organizational culture of health consciousness. Transylvania demonstrated its commitment to being a healthy place to work through its Wellness Works initiative, which offers various programs to faculty and staff that target physical, financial, emotional, occupational, intellectual and social wellness. Ashley Hinton-Moncer, director of health and wellness and chair of the Wellness Works committee, said committee members have worked hard this year to continue to improve wellness on campus. “One of our newest initiatives this past year was games on the lawn.  Throughout the summer we provided a variety of lawn games to encourage employees to step outside during lunch and engage in some friendly competition.  We continue to improve our health and wellness efforts and are extremely excited about the future.” This past year Transylvania also implemented “Fit Friday” where every Friday faculty and staff are encouraged to be active for a minimum of 20 minutes.  Those who participate receive a free “Fit Friday” T-shirt they can wear with jeans and tennis shoes. They also get 15 extra minutes during lunch to work out. Transylvania also requires all vending machines to have healthy snacks selected from a

Tickets on sale for Transylvania’s production of “Pippin”

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tickets for Transylvania’s production of the Broadway musical “Pippin” are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased at the Mitchell Fine Arts Center box office (beside Carrick Theater) from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Tickets will also be available at the door a half an hour prior to each performance. The box office phone number is (859) 233-8601. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. May 16-18, and 2 p.m. May 19, in Haggin Auditorium in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $15 ($5 for students with ID) and tickets are also available for a pre-show brunch May 19 in Forrer Dining Room between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., for $10 ($25 total for brunch and the show). Actress, director and playwright Margo Buchanan has been selected to direct “Pippin,” which is a joint production of the theater and the music departments. Sully White, Transylvania’s theater program director, will produce the show. In the musical, a mysterious acting troupe, led by a Leading Player, tells the story of Pippin, a young prince on an ambitious quest for an extraordinary and meaningful life. The context of the show is purposefully anachronistic and unconventional, though the musical score reflects a contemporary 1970s pop style. Pippin’s adventures include a mock battle to show him the life of a warrior, a series of meaningless sexual encounters that teach him how relationships without love are hollow, a fight against tyranny and experiments with art and