Recent Posts

Transylvania music faculty present: “A Veterans Day Concert,” November 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Posted on November 4, 2009July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—On Wednesday, November 11, members of Transylvania’s music faculty will present a concert in gratitude to all veterans and active military for their selfless service to our country. The concert, at 7:30 p.m. in Carrick Theater, is free and open to the public and will feature the world premiere of two new compositions from Transylvania faculty, Timothy Polashek’s “Micro-Coastings” for video and computer-generated sounds and Larry Barnes’ “Galway Blues” for viola and piano. The concert also features performances from professors Joanna Binford (violin and viola), Rachel Robertson Cox (soprano) and Gregory Partain (piano and composition). Partain will present his composition “Come to the Garden in Spring” for soprano and piano, and “Sonata for Violin and Piano,” from great American composer Aaron Copeland, will be performed. For more information, contact the fine arts office at (859) 233-8141.

Richard Taylor, Kentucky Poet Laureate and Transylvania’s Kenan Visiting Writer, will sign newest release Friday, Nov. 6

Posted on November 3, 2009July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Richard Taylor, Poet Laureate of Kentucky from 1999-2001, and current Kenan Visiting Writer at Transylvania, will sign his newest release, Rail Splitter, a collection of poems based on Lincoln’s life, Friday, November 6, from 3-5 p.m. at Transylvania’s bookstore in the Glenn Building. The event is open to the public. “We are delighted to have a former Poet Laureate of Kentucky teaching in our English and Foundations of the Liberal Arts programs,” said William F. Pollard, vice president and dean of the college. “Richard Taylor knows Kentucky and Kentucky history, but—more importantly—he knows the talent that continues to come from Kentucky writers and how to help develop that talent in his students through an appreciation for literature and the encouragement to write well.” This term, Taylor is teaching a Foundations of the Liberal Arts class and an English class, Prospectives on Literature. During winter term, he will again teach Prospectives on Literature and will also lead a fiction workshop in the writing, rhetoric and communication program. Taylor has won a variety of honors for his extensive publications in both poetry and prose. As director of Poetry in the Schools for the Kentucky Arts Commission, he served as poet-in-residence at a dozen public elementary and secondary schools across Kentucky. He has also served as a professor of English at Kentucky State University for many years. Taylor earned a B.A. in English from the University of Kentucky in 1963, an M.A.

Read “Richard Taylor, Kentucky Poet Laureate and Transylvania’s Kenan Visiting Writer, will sign newest release Friday, Nov. 6”

"The Narcotic Farm": Events at Transylvania showcase book and film about The Narcotic Farm, a former federal drug prison and treatment center in Lexington

Posted on October 30, 2009July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—From 1935-1975, Lexington was home to the United States Narcotic Farm, a federal narcotic prison and treatment center. Volunteers who checked themselves into the center for help with their drug addictions worked alongside convicted addicts who were housed as inmates. Now the center is the subject of a book, The Narcotic Farm: The Rise and Fall of America’s First Prison for Drug Addicts, and a documentary, The Narcotic Farm. Transylvania University will host a performance piece on November 9 and a screening of the film on November 10. Both events are free and open to the public. Monday, November 9, 8 p.m. Carrick Theater, Mitchell Fine Arts Center Book co-authors Nancy Campbell and Luke Walden and filmmaker J. P. Olsen will present a live multi-media performance that developed out of their collaborative work on The Narcotic Farm. Live jazz, book text and archival film come together in this engaging and provocative piece. Tuesday, November 10, 7 p.m. Cowgill Center, room 102The Narcotic Farm, a one-hour PBS feature, includes personal interviews with inmates and administrators, along with government 16mm film and still footage that focuses on the personalities and often contentious ground-breaking programs that characterized The Narcotic Farm. The Narcotic Farm events are part of the Drugged America Series at Transylvania, sponsored by the Bingham-Young Fellowship Program. For more information on the film and book, visit www.narcoticfarm.com. For more information on the events at Transylvania, contact the public relations office

Read “"The Narcotic Farm": Events at Transylvania showcase book and film about The Narcotic Farm, a former federal drug prison and treatment center in Lexington”

Shearer announces retirement as president of Transylvania University

Posted on October 24, 2009July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky., Oct. 24, 2009—President Charles L. Shearer today announced his retirement to the Transylvania University Board of Trustees at their annual fall meeting. Upon his retirement, effective June 30, 2010, after 27 years in office, he will be the longest-serving president in Transylvania’s 230-year history. Board chair William T. Young Jr. reluctantly accepted Shearer’s resignation and said that a committee will be appointed immediately to oversee a national search for his successor. He also spoke on behalf of the board in tribute to Shearer’s many years of dedicated service to the university. “During Charles Shearer’s tenure, Transylvania has been transformed,” Young said. “When he became president in 1983, the university had a enrollment of fewer than 700 students, a minimal endowment, and an aging physical plant. Today, Transylvania’s enrollment is at our comfortable capacity of about 1,100, the endowment stands at $115 million, the campus has been essentially rebuilt, and the university is ranked among the leading liberal arts colleges in the nation. This transformation has been driven by Charles’s leadership, attention to detail, dedication, and incredible enthusiasm.” Young noted that Shearer’s 27-year tenure is remarkable in comparison with other college and university presidents across the country, whose average tenure is 8.5 years in office, according to the American Council on Education. He also said that Shearer has graciously agreed to stay on as president beyond June 30, if necessary, until the right candidate is identified and appointed. He

Read “Shearer announces retirement as president of Transylvania University”

Transylvania University Theater opens season Nov. 5 with comedy "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead;" cast of men and women switch roles on alternating nights

Posted on October 9, 2009July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University Theater opens its 2009-10 season of shows with Tom Stoppard’s brilliant comedy “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” on Thursday, November 5, in the Lucille C. Little Theater at Transylvania. The play puts Shakespeare’s two hapless losers from “Hamlet,” at the vortex of an unpredictable universe, in which reality becomes make-believe and theatrical death becomes reality. Adding to the uncertainty is a cast of men and women exchanging roles on alternating performances. One night, men will present Shakespeare’s lines while women read Stoppard’s. The following night, the two gendered casts will switch roles. “In rehearsal, it has really been revealing regarding way the two genders differentiate motivations, nuances in line readings and character qualities, each with equally stimulating results,” said director and drama professor Tim Soulis. “I find the whole process quite exciting and challenging for all of us.” The comedy runs Nov. 5, 6 and 11-14 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 7 and 8 at 2 p.m. in the Lucille C. Little Theater. A post-performance colloquia on the play, the production and Stoppard’s theatricality will begin immediately following the matinees on Nov. 7 and 8. Tickets are $10 and may be reserved by calling the box office at (859) 281-3621. For more information, contact the fine arts office at (859) 233-8141.