1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

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A resounding success: Transylvania’s 225th Anniversary Campaign surpasses goal

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—New buildings, significant new endowment funds for scholarships and academic chairs and renovated, state-of-the-art science laboratories are among the many benefits of Transylvania’s recently completed 225th Anniversary Campaign that members of the university community are already enjoying. The five-and-a-half-year campaign, launched in the fall of 2004, ended successfully with a total of $47.3 million, which surpassed the original goal of $32 million as well as the revised goal of $42 million. “Once again, Transylvania’s many supporters came through in grand fashion,” said William T. Young Jr., chairman of the Board of Trustees. “It is especially gratifying that our donors pushed us far beyond our campaign goal in a time of financial uncertainty. When the economy began to falter in the fall of 2008, Transylvania’s donors really stepped up. They continued their strong support of the 225th Anniversary Campaign right up to the very end.” Mark Blankenship ’81, acting vice president for development, noted that the components of the campaign encompassed all the significant areas of the university, from academics to residence life, student life and athletics. “Virtually all members of the Transylvania community are realizing the positive effects of the generosity displayed by everyone who supported the campaign,” he said. “The living and learning environment of the university is measurably better than it was before the campaign began.” New buildings appearTwo new buildings made possible by the campaign have greatly enhanced student life and residence life. A spacious bookstore,

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Transylvania’s Morlan Gallery opens "The Illustrious Horse" exhibition in celebration of the World Equestrian Games

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

  Video artist Valerie Fuchs drew inspiration for her work, above, from Rosa Bonheur’s original sketchbook, below right. LEXINGTON, Ky.—In celebration of the World Equestrian Games, the Morlan Gallery proudly presents “The Illustrious Horse: Kentucky Artists Respond to the Clara Peck Collection,” an invitational exhibit of critically renowned contemporary artists from Kentucky. Twelve visual artists and one poet were asked to creatively respond to a horse image found in Transylvania University’s esteemed Clara Peck Collection. The Peck Collection, located in the Rare Book Room of Transylvania University’s library, houses collectable books dealing with the history of the horse and natural history. Exhibition participants are sculptor Steve Armstrong (Lexington); painter Gaela Erwin (Louisville); conceptual artist Kurt Gohde (Lexington); drawing and mixed media artist Michael Goodlett (Wilmore); video artist Valerie Fuchs (Louisville); photographer Guy Mendes (Lexington); painter Lennon Michalski (Lexington); fiber artist Arturo Sandoval (Lexington); conceptual artist Zoé Strecker (Harrodsburg); drawing and mixed media artist Lawrence Tarpey (Lexington); sculptor Travis Townsend (Richmond); sculptor Lavon Van Williams (Lexington); and poet Richard Taylor (Frankfort).   Original Rosa Bonheur sketchbook. These artists innovatively respond to the uncommon and diverse visual imagery of the Peck Collection. For example, Steve Armstrong replies to George Stubbs’ “1766 Anatomy of a Horse,” a virtuosic collection of drawings; Lennon Michaslski answers to “Hortusan Itatis” (Garden of Health), a rare illuminated manuscript from 1400; and video artist Valerie Fuchs finds inspiration from Rosa Bonheur’s original artist’s sketchbook, complete with the initial

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Kentucky poet Maurice Manning to speak at convocation Sunday, Sept. 12; talk relates to First Engagements book selection, Wendell Berry’s "A World Lost"

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Maurice Manning, an award-winning Kentucky poet, will give Transylvania’s fall convocation, “The Moral Vision of A World Lost,” in Haggin Auditorium Sunday, September 12 at 7 p.m. “A World Lost,” a novel by Kentucky author Wendell Berry, is this year’s First Engagements: A Community Book Project selection. First Engagements is a program for first-year students to get an introduction to the high standards of a liberal arts education at Transy through small-group discussion and analysis of a text. Many upperclassmen, faculty and staff also read the books and join the discussions that take place the first week of class. Manning has published four books of poetry, most recently “The Common Man.” In 2009 he was awarded the Hanes Poetry Prize by the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Manning teaches at Indiana University, in the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College and is a regular faculty member for The Appalachian Writers Workshop in Hindman, Ky. His first book, “Lawrence Booth’s Book of Visions,” was selected for the Yale Series of Younger Poets in 2000. Manning’s second collection of poetry, “A Companion for Owls: Being the Commonplace Book of D. Boone, Long Hunter, Back Woodsman, & c.,” was published in 2004 by Harcourt. His poems have appeared in “The New Yorker,” “Shenandoah,” “The Southern Review,” “Washington Square,” “Green Mountains Review” and elsewhere. For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120.

65 Transylvania students return to campus a week early for community service and environmental projects

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Sixty-five Transylvania students have returned to campus a week early to participate in five community service and environmental orientation programs. The programs are for first-year students who want to start their college experiences at Transylvania a week early and the upperclassmen who assist in leading the programs. One group, Jump Start, travels to Land Between the Lakes to perform various services for the national recreation area, but the remaining four groups stay in Lexington, getting to know their new community and becoming downtown citizens through volunteering and outreach opportunities. Some highlights of the week: Monday, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Rising Through Education (RiTE) at the Kids Café. Tuesday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Disciples Orientation Into Transy (DO-IT) at Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Wednesday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Community Learning and Sustainability Students (CLASS) at Transylvania’s grant-funded butterfly garden project on the northeast corner of Broadway and Fourth Street (www.transy.edu/news/arch_story.htm?id=585&obj=index) Wednesday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.:  RiTE at God’s Pantry Thursday, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.: CLASS and RiTE together with Seedleaf at London Ferrell Community Garden on W. Third Street The four Lexington-based service groups are First-Year Urban Program (FUP), Disciples Orientation Into Transy (DO-IT), Rising Through Education (RiTE) and Community Learning and Sustainability Students (CLASS). Contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120 for more information.

President’s Advisory Council is formed

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—President R. Owen Williams has announced the formation of the President’s Advisory Council, a group of faculty, staff and a student representative from across campus who will meet once a month to assist and advise the president on matters that are important to the Transylvania community. Standing members of the council will be the director of public safety, the presiding officer of the faculty and the director of the physical plant. Other members will serve a three-year term on a rotating basis. The members for 2010-11 will be: Nancy Wolsk, chair, professor of art history Darrell Banks, physical plant director Susan Brown, director of the library Grant Buckles, student Richard Cook, director of public safety Michael Covert, associate dean of students Paul Dimayuga, software training and technology support coordinator Kathleen Jagger, associate dean of the college, professor of biology Don Lane, professor of physical education Paul Jones, professor of religion, presiding officer of the faculty Natasa Pajic, director of alumni programs Kim Chaffer Schroeder, associate director of admissions Kathy Simon, director of study abroad John Svarlien, professor of classics Tiffany Wheeler, assistant professor of education Tammie Williams, division secretary, fine arts