1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

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Actor Steve Zahn to deliver Transylvania University’s commencement address on Saturday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m.

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LEXINGTON Ky.–Actor Steve Zahn will deliver Transylvania University’s commencement address on Saturday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m. on the steps of historic Old Morrison. Zahn had his first big break in the 1994 movie “Reality Bites.” He appeared in several films in the mid-1990s, including Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do!” and Nora Ephron’s “You’ve Got Mail.” In 1999, he was offered the starring role in the critically acclaimed film “Happy, Texas,” for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for best supporting male and a Special Dramatic Jury Prize for best comedic performance. Zahn received his strongest critical acclaim for his performance as Drew Barrymore’s husband in “Riding in Cars with Boys.” Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper and the BBC stated that the performance was deserving of an Oscar nomination. Some of Zahn’s popular recent movies include “National Security” (2003), “Daddy Day Care” (2003) and “Sahara” (2005). He also gave dramatic performances in “Rescue Dawn” and the television mini-series “Comanche Moon.” Currently, Zahn plays the character of Davis McAlary in HBO’s “Treme.” Zahn attended the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training founded by the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Read more about Zahn’s Lexington connections here. For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120. More commencement information can be found here.

World Voices series presents an evening of Indian music and dance May 1 at 7:30 p.m.; open to the public

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s World Voices program presents an evening of Indian music and dance, featuring Lakshmi Sriraman, on Wednesday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Old Morrison chapel. Flautist G. S. Rajan, narrator Samuel Themer, cellist Suzanne McIntosh and percussionist Tripp Bratton will also perform. The performance is open to the public. Free tickets are available Monday-Friday, 1-4 p.m., in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center, room 113. There is a limit of two tickets per person. If there are still seats available, tickets will also be available at the door. The program will feature classical Indian dance called Bharatanatyam, Indian music featuring flute and percussion a collaborative piece featuring cello, djembe, spoken word and dance movements based on Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest classical dance forms of India, dating back to 1000 B.C. It is known for its rhythmic and ornate footwork along with narrative storytelling. The dance is accompanied by classical Carnatic music. Traditional Bharatanatyam has been performed predominantly as a form of deep devotion. It moved from royal courts into theaters, then expanded to include more secular stories and poems. Lakshmi Sriraman is an accomplished performer, choreographer and teacher of Bharatanatyam. Her ability to portray complex human emotions in stunningly simple ways is a hallmark of her dance. In 2010, Lakshmi was the recipient of the Art Meets Activism grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. She has also been selected to participate in the Performing

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Transylvania’s Shakesweek includes two free public performances April 25 and 26

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Cast of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s “Macbeth” LEXINGTON, Ky.—Several Transylvania University student groups are partnering for Shakesweek, a three-day festival of events celebrating the birthday of William Shakespeare. Included in the events are two free public performances, on April 25 and 26. On Thursday, April 25, at 5:30 p.m., the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will present a post-apocalypse style version of “Macbeth” on the lawn of Old Morrison, Transylvania’s administration building on Third Street. The actors will offer a question and answer session following the performance and there will be blanket space and chairs for audience members. On Friday, April 26, at 5:30 p.m., there will be “A Night of Shakespeare Scenes and Music,” in Old Morrison chapel featuring scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Julius Caesar” and “Henry V” performed by students in The Transylvania Theatre Guild. The student band The Cowgill Tippers and Transylvania’s a cappella group, TBA, will perform pieces based on Shakespeare’s works. “This event initially came about because people from the English and theater departments had been talking about how we should collaborate more often, since we’re often studying the same works from different points of view,” said senior Elizabeth Davis, president of Sigma Tau Delta English honorary and organizer of Shakesweek. “What author could be more interdisciplinary than Shakespeare?” Other activities for students during Shakesweek include a screening of the 1999 film “10 Things I Hate About You,” which is based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of

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Transylvania wins AIKCU’s annual “Battle of the Bumpers” contest for fifth year running

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—With the help of alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends, Transylvania University is once again the winner in the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU) “Battle of the Bumpers.” Transylvania beat out the other 19 AIKCU campuses to put the most campus license plates on Kentucky highways and the most dollars in the school’s general scholarship fund. Transylvania’s efforts helped increase their total sales to 901 in 2012, an increase of 49 license plates over 2011. Ten dollars from the sale of each plate is returned directly to the school’s general scholarship fund, translating into $9,010 for student scholarships at Transylvania. Overall, sales of Kentucky Independent Higher Education plates raised more than $47,900 for student scholarships in 2012. “In the last two years, we’ve increased our license plate sales and renewals by 36 percent,” said John Davis, director of annual giving. “Even though I’m thrilled about this accomplishment, the students are the ultimate winners. Thank you to all of our alumni and friends for their generous support.” The Kentucky Independent Higher Education series plates took to the roads in 2002. Each independent college and university had its own plate, but they all shared a common design theme. Thanks to advances in license plate printing technology and some changes in state regulations, AIKCU members were able to work with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to redesign their plates in late 2007. The new plates went on sale in

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Transylvania professor receives distinguished fellowship

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University philosophy professor Peter Fosl has been named the first recipient of the David Hume Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. From September 2013 until February 2014, he’ll pursue his own research at the university, present his findings, and engage with other international scholars in the university’s academic community. The fellowship was established as part of the university’s year-long celebration of the tercentenary of the birth of David Hume (April 22, 1711). Applications were accepted from Hume scholars around the world. “The appointment as David Hume Fellow with the IASH is a dream come true for me,” said Fosl.  “Students at Transylvania know that Hume is an intellectual hero of mine, and they endure sitting beneath a rather large portrait of him I’ve hung in our principal philosophy classroom—a copy of the portrait that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. It’s dizzying to think I’ll be working among some of the world’s best philosophers in the town where he lived and the university he attended.” Fosl studied at the University of Edinburgh once before, as a Fulbright student working on his dissertation in 1990-91. He received the more recent fellowship on the strength of his research titled “The Promise of Philosophy: Skepticism and Naturalism in Hume.” “It’s a perfect circle to my intellectual career,” Fosl added. “A number of Transylvania students have recently enrolled

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