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Charles Ambrose, right, with President Williams, received a 2010 Outstanding Community Honoree award November 10. LEXINGTON, Ky.—Charles T. Ambrose received a 2010 Outstanding Community Honoree award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Bluegrass Chapter at a National Philanthropy Day luncheon November 10. The program celebrates those who have made a significant contribution of time and resources to nonprofit agencies, therefore enhancing the quality of life in the community. Ambrose, a professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and a widely published expert on medical history, was nominated by Transylvania University.   “Soon after Dr. Ambrose’s first visit to Transylvania in 2007, he embarked on a mission to tell the world about the books and instruments used in the old Transylvania Medical Department from 1799-1859 that are still kept in our Special Collections,” said Mark Blankenship, acting vice president for alumni and development.   First, Ambrose conceived the idea of hosting a symposium on Transylvania’s role in early medical education. The event attracted historians, physicians, teachers and others—including a Smithsonian Institution curator who studied Transylvania’s nineteenth-century medical collection. To continue the conversation among symposium attendees and to make others aware of Transylvania’s unique holdings, Ambrose offered to underwrite a publication, “Transylvania Treasures,” that would tell the story of the school’s rich past. Eight issues have been published since 2008, and Ambrose is a frequent contributor. “Transylvania Treasures” has been extremely well received and

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Drama professor Tim Soulis and Transylvania student actors continue to put a new spin on classic plays with their 2010-11 season opener, Euripides’ “The Bakkhai” – presented as a rock opera. In recent years, Transylvania University Theater has presented “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” with male and female cast members switching roles on alternating nights, and had two different casts, one entirely male and one entirely female, for Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” “The Bakkhai” was written by Greek playwright Euripides around 405 BCE. It’s the explosive story of the ageless clash between liberty and control featuring Dionysus, the god of wine, determined to prove to the people that he is, in fact, a god. The Transy production is the premiere of a new, rock opera version of the play. There are six songs performed by the actors who are backed by live musicians on stage. The story, characters and themes of the original play are maintained, but updated to fit a modern setting and atmosphere. The rock music helps to suggest the intoxicating and liberating nature of rebelling against convention and seeking a life free of inhibitions. Sophomore Alex Yaden has arranged the music for keyboard, bass guitar and percussion and senior Ashley Stafford has choreographed each of the songs. “The original adaptation, lyrics and music is by Khalli Anna Mossi, a retired professor in Greece and a sort of ‘muse’ to me,” said director Tim Soulis. “I met her when

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