{"id":21432,"date":"2023-01-23T15:14:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T20:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/?p=21432"},"modified":"2023-01-23T15:14:13","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T20:14:13","slug":"alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Returning to Transylvania\u2019s campus is a homecoming of sorts for C. Shawn McGuffey. The Kenan Distinguished Visiting Professor began his educational journey as an undergraduate at Transylvania in the 1990s. Upon matriculation, McGuffey planned to study political science in order to eventually practice civil or family law, but after shadowing local lawyers, he didn\u2019t feel like the career quite suited him. Deciding to take advantage of Transy\u2019s liberal arts curriculum, McGuffey signed up for a sociology class taught by professor Brian Rich, which ultimately opened up a new career path for the Lexington native. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McGuffey had long been interested in issues of race and gender, and knew he wanted to study people, making sociology an ideal fit. \u201cThe way that sociologists think about the world, the concepts and methods, fit together in a way that spoke to me,\u201d McGuffey remembered. \u201cDr. Rich also suggested anthropology, which I loved as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also cites Rich as the reason he is a professor, noting that the local and national conferences they attended together were \u201cwhen I realized that being a professor wasn\u2019t just something I could do, but something I would enjoy. He showed me a possibility that I didn\u2019t even imagine was possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An associate professor of sociology and past director of African and African diaspora studies at Boston College, McGuffey sees the classroom as a \u201cspiritual place where you learn not just about how the world works sociologically, but also where you see yourself in the world and how you can best make an impact in a positive way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of his favorite parts of teaching takes place outside of the classroom, in the personal growth that students experience after allowing the ideas and concepts they have learned in class to percolate. \u201cWhen I\u2019m teaching well, people are starting to think about their personal philosophies and how they may evolve based on what they\u2019ve learned,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat I enjoy most usually comes after the course has ended, when I meet them the next semester and they say, \u2018Based on what I learned in that class, I am acting in the world differently.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a professor, McGuffey seeks to ensure that his students are also learning from pluralistic perspectives. He cites the courses that he has co-taught with colleagues from different disciplines as some of his favorites, like Where #BlackLivesMatter Meets #MeToo. The course, which combined a community engagement component with nonprofit involvement and art creation, encouraged students to move beyond the bubble of college and make real-world change in their local community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-instructing with a professor from the Romance languages, McGuffey noted that \u201ctwo people addressing racialized and sexualized violence from two completely different academic disciplines painted a much more holistic picture.\u201d It also gave McGuffey an opportunity to learn alongside his students. \u201cI\u2019m learning with them, because I don\u2019t know what the other professor knows,\u201d he explained, adding, \u201cI took as many notes as my students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This interest in a wide range of seemingly disparate topics was encouraged during McGuffey\u2019s undergraduate years by Transylvania\u2019s broad liberal arts curriculum. His favorite undergraduate course was a two-part general education requirement called Foundations of the Liberal Arts. \u201cIf you could major in that, I would have,\u201d he laughed, noting that the interdisciplinary class was deeply transformative.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his time at Transylvania, McGuffey focused his research interests on middle childhood, co-authoring an article with Rich on childhood and the construction of identity. After graduating in 1998 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology and anthropology, he initially planned to continue this work during his doctoral studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, but a personal encounter changed his focus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While volunteering as a Big Brother with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, McGuffey was paired with a Little Brother who had been sexually abused. \u201cAs I took him to therapy, I found it interesting to see this person go through the process of becoming,\u201d McGuffey said. \u201cThat\u2019s how I became a trauma sociologist \u2014 my lived experience in the world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past 25 years, McGuffey has focused his research on race, gender, sexuality and trauma in the U.S. and throughout the African diaspora, winning multiple awards for his work, which has been published in Gender & Society, Social Problems, The Du Bois Review and the Journal of Black Psychology. As he looks toward the future, he plans to expand his scope into other areas of sociology, including some that \u201cmight surprise people.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of his growing interest in political sociology, McGuffey is currently thinking about the impact of presidential administrations on Black LGBT political participation, citing the lack of intersection between sexual and gender identities and race in most existing literature and research. He also recently submitted a paper to a geography journal and is currently working with Transylvania students on a project about the geography of Lexington. A dog-lover, he wants to learn more about the sociology of human-canine interactions, noting that \u201cwhile we teach dogs through training, we learn so much about ourselves as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he collaborates with students on supervised research, he is careful to encourage his students to individuate and pursue the topics that spark their interest instead of simply following in his footsteps. \u201cMy goal is that you don\u2019t see me in a student\u2019s research,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t like to tell students what they should do; I like to present the possibilities so they can make informed choices. I want to figure out what they are interested in … to help them be the scholar that they want to be.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even McGuffey\u2019s hobbies reveal a deep desire to learn and connect with the world around him. A competitive eater since 2000, McGuffey, who has a self-proclaimed \u201chuge appetite,\u201d initially competed at a county fair as a joke and quickly realized there was more to the competition than he had previously considered. Afterward, he approached the winner to ask for tips and began to learn the technique and strategy for competitive eating. \u201cI wanted to learn more about this community I didn\u2019t know existed,\u201d he said. With help from the winner, McGuffey put forth the time and effort to develop the skill of competitive eating and currently competes in the sweets category, noting that pies and cupcakes are where he shines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A proud pet parent, McGuffey, who grew up with many different dog breeds and has adopted multiple rescue dogs, also likes to bond with his animals through shared hobbies. He spends time uncovering each canine\u2019s particular skills and then looks for an activity that will highlight their abilities. Most recently, he began participating in search and rescue training with his German shepherd, Sarabi, whose combination of incredible intelligence and hyperactivity made the sport an ideal fit. This shared activity also helps others; as McGuffey said, \u201cShe gets something out of it, and society gets something out of it.\u201d While Sarabi has found her niche, McGuffey is still working to determine the right activity for his pitbull mix, Pumbaa. \u201cI\u2019ve had him for less than a year, and we\u2019re still trying to figure out what he\u2019s good at,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McGuffey\u2019s return to Transylvania allows him to give back to an institution that he says prepared him well for life, both professionally and spiritually. He sees the visiting professorship as an opportunity to \u201cgrow as a professor, teacher and mentor,\u201d noting that he still appreciates the interdisciplinary overlap at Transylvania. At a liberal arts institution, \u201cyou\u2019re learning to think about the world and your place in it,\u201d he said. \u201cTransy prepared me to adapt and be able to have difficult conversations with people who think very differently than I do.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Returning to Transylvania\u2019s campus is a homecoming of sorts for C. Shawn McGuffey. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":21433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"1428,6906,1393,16132,14940,19675","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[25,49,190,1],"tags":[153,193,181,846,174],"feeds":[581],"class_list":["post-21432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-alumni-outcomes","category-news","tag-academics","tag-alumni-outcomes","tag-faculty","tag-kenan-distinguished-visiting-professor","tag-liberal-arts","feeds-academics"],"yoast_head":"\nAlumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor - Transylvania University - 1780<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Returning to Transylvania\u2019s campus is a homecoming of sorts for C. Shawn McGuffey.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Returning to Transylvania\u2019s campus is a homecoming of sorts for C. Shawn McGuffey.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"1780\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/transylvaniauniversity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-23T20:14:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-23T20:14:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6-900x472.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"472\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alexandria Lopez\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6-1024x512.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@transy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@transy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alexandria Lopez\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alexandria Lopez\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a5f3961d382a756413610b479c0ed2e7\"},\"headline\":\"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-23T20:14:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T20:14:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1321,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/14\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Academics\",\"Alumni Outcomes\",\"Faculty\",\"Kenan Distinguished Visiting Professor\",\"Liberal Arts\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Alumni\",\"Alumni Outcomes\",\"News from Transy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/\",\"name\":\"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor - Transylvania University - 1780\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/14\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-23T20:14:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T20:14:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a5f3961d382a756413610b479c0ed2e7\"},\"description\":\"Returning to Transylvania\u2019s campus is a homecoming of sorts for C. Shawn McGuffey.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/14\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/14\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1363,\"caption\":\"Portrait of Shawn McGuffey\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/\",\"name\":\"1780\",\"description\":\"The Official Blog of Transylvania University\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a5f3961d382a756413610b479c0ed2e7\",\"name\":\"Alexandria Lopez\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor - Transylvania University - 1780","description":"Returning to Transylvania\u2019s campus is a homecoming of sorts for C. Shawn McGuffey.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor","og_description":"Returning to Transylvania\u2019s campus is a homecoming of sorts for C. Shawn McGuffey.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/","og_site_name":"1780","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/transylvaniauniversity","article_published_time":"2023-01-23T20:14:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-23T20:14:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":472,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6-900x472.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alexandria Lopez","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6-1024x512.jpg","twitter_creator":"@transy","twitter_site":"@transy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alexandria Lopez","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/"},"author":{"name":"Alexandria Lopez","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#\/schema\/person\/a5f3961d382a756413610b479c0ed2e7"},"headline":"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor","datePublished":"2023-01-23T20:14:12+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-23T20:14:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/"},"wordCount":1321,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg","keywords":["Academics","Alumni Outcomes","Faculty","Kenan Distinguished Visiting Professor","Liberal Arts"],"articleSection":["Academics","Alumni","Alumni Outcomes","News from Transy"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/","url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/","name":"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor - Transylvania University - 1780","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg","datePublished":"2023-01-23T20:14:12+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-23T20:14:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#\/schema\/person\/a5f3961d382a756413610b479c0ed2e7"},"description":"Returning to Transylvania\u2019s campus is a homecoming of sorts for C. Shawn McGuffey.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg","width":2048,"height":1363,"caption":"Portrait of Shawn McGuffey"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/01\/alumnus-brings-passion-for-transformative-interdisciplinary-learning-back-to-transylvania-as-visiting-professor\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Alumnus brings passion for transformative, interdisciplinary learning back to Transylvania as visiting professor"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/","name":"1780","description":"The Official Blog of Transylvania University","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#\/schema\/person\/a5f3961d382a756413610b479c0ed2e7","name":"Alexandria Lopez"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/01\/Shawn-McGuffey-6.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20413,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2022\/08\/transylvania-alumnus-returns-in-2023-as-kenan-distinguished-visiting-professor\/","url_meta":{"origin":21432,"position":0},"title":"Transylvania alumnus returns in 2023 as Kenan Distinguished Visiting Professor","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"August 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"C. Shawn McGuffey '98 will return to campus beginning in January 2023 as the Kenan Distinguished Visiting Professor.","rel":"","context":"In "Academics"","block_context":{"text":"Academics","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/academics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"C. Shawn McGuffey '98","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/08\/Shawn_McGuffey_bio_sketch_pic.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22961,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/12\/2023-in-review-a-year-of-growth-accomplishments-at-transylvania\/","url_meta":{"origin":21432,"position":1},"title":"2023 in review: A year of growth, accomplishments at Transylvania","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"December 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A look back at Transylvania's year in review and a number of milestones in 2023 \u2013 from a national championship title to new partnerships that benefit students across Kentucky.","rel":"","context":"In "News from Transy"","block_context":{"text":"News from Transy","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"people walking on campus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/02\/transylvania_march_1_3-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/02\/transylvania_march_1_3-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/02\/transylvania_march_1_3-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/02\/transylvania_march_1_3-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/02\/transylvania_march_1_3-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22930,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2023\/12\/transylvania-alumnus-embodies-value-of-liberal-arts-in-nursing-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":21432,"position":2},"title":"Transylvania alumnus embodies value of liberal arts in nursing education","author":"John Friedlein","date":"December 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In the interdisciplinary spirit of the liberal arts, Jacob Hawkins' career path has combined nursing and communications.","rel":"","context":"In "Academics"","block_context":{"text":"Academics","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/academics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"portrait of a nurse","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/12\/transylvania_hawkins_fb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/12\/transylvania_hawkins_fb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/12\/transylvania_hawkins_fb.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/12\/transylvania_hawkins_fb.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/12\/transylvania_hawkins_fb.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6050,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/transylvania-community-offers-advice-to-new-graduates\/","url_meta":{"origin":21432,"position":3},"title":"Transylvania community offers advice to new graduates","author":"John Friedlein","date":"May 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Graduating seniors can benefit from the illumination of professors and alumni who have been there before\u2014and are more than happy to pass on the light.","rel":"","context":"In "Alumni"","block_context":{"text":"Alumni","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/alumni\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Old Morrison","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/feature3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/feature3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/feature3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/feature3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/feature3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/feature3.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25803,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-to-give-transylvania-universitys-kenan-lecture-on-thursday\/","url_meta":{"origin":21432,"position":4},"title":"Nikky Finney to give Transylvania University’s Kenan Lecture on Thursday\u00a0","author":"Laurie Genet Preston","date":"February 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Renowned poet and professor Nikky Finney will give Transylvania University's William R. Kenan Jr. Lecture, \u201cPoetry, The Influencer,\u201d at 7 p.m. Thursday in Haggin Auditorium.","rel":"","context":"In "News from Transy"","block_context":{"text":"News from Transy","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"headshot of a woman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/nikky-finney-2-2-scaled-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6155,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/recent-transylvania-grad-pursues-ph-d-in-economics-at-iu\/","url_meta":{"origin":21432,"position":5},"title":"Recent Transylvania grad pursues Ph.D. in economics at IU","author":"Robin Hicks","date":"May 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Transylvania is known for its unique traditions and legacies. But it\u2019s the personal transformation\u2014the journey that leads Pioneers to their true path\u2014that may be the most important tradition of all.","rel":"","context":"In "Academics"","block_context":{"text":"Academics","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/academics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/Cropped-Berger-and-Lane-edited.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21432"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21434,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21432\/revisions\/21434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21432"},{"taxonomy":"feeds","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feeds?post=21432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}