1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

"What Would Darwin Say to Today’s Creationists?": Creative Intelligence Lecture at Transylvania on February 15.

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), will speak at Transylvania University on Wednesday, February 15, at 4:30 p.m. in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center’s Carrick Theater. “What Would Darwin Say to Today’s Creationists?” is free and open to the public and is scheduled near Darwin Day, which is internationally celebrated on or around February 12, the birthday anniversary of the evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. Scott, a former university professor, has been a researcher and activist in the creationism/evolution controversy for over 25 years. As a speaker, she addresses many components of this controversy, including educational, legal, scientific, religious and social issues. She has received national recognition for her NCSE activities, including awards from scientific societies, educational societies, skeptics groups and humanist groups. She holds a Ph.D. in physical anthropology from the University of Missouri and eight honorary degrees. She is the author of “Evolution vs Creationism” and co-editor, with Glenn Branch, of “Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design Is Wrong for Our Schools.” “Many elements of the modern American creationist movement would be familiar to Darwin, especially the argument from design, which of course was very well known and well-regarded by educated people of his time,” said Scott. “Young-Earth creationism, on the other hand, would be puzzling to him. Darwin might have heard of the ‘scriptural geologists’ who promoted a young-Earth view during the 19th century, but like other scientists of his

Transylvania Theater’s “Spinning into Butter” explores dangers of both racism and political correctness; Feb. 16-19 and 23-25

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University Theater’s first production of 2012, “Spinning into Butter,” explores the dangers of both racism and political correctness in America today. The play runs Feb. 16-18 and 23-25, at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. in the Lucille C. Little Theater. Transylvania senior Annie Barbera directs the regional premiere of this play, written by American playwright Rebecca Gilman. When an African American student at fictional Belmont College begins receiving hate mail, the campus erupts, first with shock, then with mutual recrimination as faculty and students alike try to prove their own tolerance by condemning one another. At the center of his maelstrom is Dean of Students Sarah Daniels. As the administration sponsors public “race forums” and students start their own activist groups, Sarah is forced to explore her own feels of racism, leading to some surprising discoveries. Tickets are $10 and may be reserved by calling the box office at (859) 281-3621. For more information, contact Transylvania’s fine arts office at (859) 233-8141. Poster design by Hunter Kissel ’13.

Transylvania University presents first-ever campus CSA Fair with local farmers

Berries on Bryan Station CSA basket. LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Lexington community is invited to stop by Transylvania University’s first-ever Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) fair Friday, Feb. 17, from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the Glenn Building, off Old Morrison Circle. Farmers from Berries on Bryan Station, Elmwood Stock Farm, Three Springs Farm, Triple J Farm, the Gaffney Farm, Dove’s Landing Farm and Greenley Farms will be available to talk about how their CSA program works. Through the CSA Fair, sponsored by Transylvania’s office of sustainability, participants will learn about this easy way for consumers to buy seasonal produce directly from local farmers. The farmers will also have a few items for sale. Through CSA programs, customers pledge to support a farm by purchasing a “share,” usually early in the year. Then, throughout the growing season, customers receive a box or basket of seasonal produce or other products from the farm. CSA programs are based on produce; occasionally eggs, meat, or dairy products are included. “The idea for the fair was inspired by a substantial amount of conversation about local food on our campus, including a Creative Intelligence talk on January 26 by David Wagoner and Arwen Donahue of Three Springs Farm,” said Angela Dossett, Transylvania’s sustainability coordinator. Marksbury Farm, Seedleaf Farm, the Good Foods Co-op, the Bluegrass Farmers’ Market, the Lexington Farmers’ Market, Azur Farmers’ Bazaar and WLAP’s Sunny Side Up will also be present at the event, which is

Concert postponed; will be rescheduled. Acclaimed fiddler and pianist to perform at Transylvania University; tickets are $10

UPDATE: The concert has been postponed due to inclement weather. We will reschedule for a later date. LEXINGTON, Ky.—Grammy-nominated fiddler Liz Carroll will give a concert Friday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Transylvania University’s Carrick Theater. Accompanying Carroll will be Cork-born composer and pianist Cormac McCarthy. Tickets for the World Voices Series Concert are $10. (One free ticket with a Transylvania ID). Carroll began composing music as a child and has performed with artists ranging from violinist Yehudi Menuhin to rocker Don Henley. “Liz Carroll has amazed audiences around the world and we are thrilled to have her perform at Transylvania,” said Larry Barnes, professor of music and director of the World Voices Series. “She is a recognized master of the Celtic fiddle and all who come to hear her are in for a real treat.” In April 2011, Carroll was awarded the Cumadóir TG4, becoming the first American-born composer to be honored with Ireland’s most significant traditional music prize. Irish Echo, the largest circulation Irish American weekly newspaper, calls Carroll’s playing “nothing less than breathtaking,” and a concert review from The New York Times declares Carroll “Brilliant…She does more than run through her finger twisting reels and sustained slow airs. She—and her listeners—continually rediscover each melody.” McCarthy, originally from Cork, Ireland, lives in Chicago. A composer and pianist, he began studying piano at age four and continued his studies at the Cork School of Music as a teenager.

Prominent Kentucky poet Manning joins Transylvania faculty

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has hired notable Kentucky poet Maurice Manning as professor of English. He will join the faculty full time in September; until then he will organize readings on campus during the winter and May terms. Manning, who lives in Washington County, Ky., has published four books on poetry, including his most recent, “The Common Man,” which was one of three finalists for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. His first collection, “Lawrence Booth’s Book of Visions,” was selected for the 2000 Yale Series of Younger Poets. He has had his works in publications including The New Yorker, Washington Square, The Southern Review, Poetry, Shenandoah, and The Virginia Quarterly Review. “I am delighted to be coming to Transylvania and certainly look forward to this wonderful opportunity,” Manning said. “My mother’s parents were Transylvania grads, and so are some of my cousins. It feels as if I have a family connection, and the warm atmosphere of the campus makes that sense of connection all the more pleasant. I can tell good things happen at Transylvania, and I will be glad to be part of that.” Manning has taught the past seven years at Indiana University as associate professor of English and assistant director of creative writing after four years as assistant professor of English at DePauw University. He also teaches in the M.F.A. Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. IU granted him the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in