Alumni

LEXINGTON, Ky.–Six current and former Transylvania University students have won prestigious Fulbright awards for 2009-2010. The three seniors and three alumni were selected to study and teach abroad through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships program, one of two international exchange opportunities sponsored each year by the Fulbright Program and the U.S. Department of State. The Fulbright Program, the largest of its kind in the United States, was established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to foster mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries. It is designed to give recent college graduates opportunities for personal and career development, as well as international experience. William F. Pollard, Transylvania vice president and dean of the college, said having six current and former students awarded the grants in a single year is “extraordinary for a small liberal arts college.” “The academic program at Transylvania encourages study abroad programs, with approximately 70 percent of our graduating seniors having studied abroad at least once during their four years. These six Fulbright Scholars will build upon their earlier study abroad experiences as they live and work in different countries representing  the United States and the Commonwealth with the knowledge, values and skills they developed at Transylvania,” Pollard said. Transylvania’s director of study abroad and special programs, Kathy Simon, agreed, saying the Fulbright success “confirms our commitment to international education.” The Transylvania seniors awarded Fulbright grants are Andrew Owen, of Owensboro,

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Three Transylvania alums were recent recipients of Fulbright program awards and honors to further their educational and professional pursuits. Ashley Duncan ’05 was awarded a Fulbright Research Grant for 2008-09 for her project, “Exploring the Finnish Model of Farm Animal Welfare,” which is based on the hypothesis that the European Union gives more protection to farm animals than does the United States. Duncan, a graduate of the University of Louisville Brandeis Law School, is spending nine months in Finland researching the laws, regulations, and court opinions of the European Union and Finland to determine the standard of welfare mandated for farm animals there. By studying in a European Union country that has more extensive laws for farm animals, she hopes to learn about the legislative history, policy, and scientific evidence that influenced the laws. She is conducting field work and interviewing farmers who have been directly affected by recent changes in the laws, with the long term goal of using the information to improve the treatment of farm animals in the U.S. Duncan’s interest in animal welfare issues was sparked in high school. “From the moment I learned about the treatment of animals raised for food, I knew I had found my life’s calling,” she said. “I became very passionate about the issue and looked for a way to integrate my passion with a career that would allow me to improve the lives of animals.” Duncan experienced a deepening

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—During Transylvania’s recent Alumni Weekend celebration, long-time professors James Miller and Richard Thompson and alumnae Betty Scrivner Lollis ‘58 and Sarah Wyatt ‘58 received the University’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service to Transylvania, and four alums—William Christopher Hobgood ‘58, Lee Rose ‘58, Robert P. Dillard ‘63 and Carla Roberts Whaley ‘83—received the Distinguished Achievement Award for excellence in their profession or community service. James Miller, professor of computer science, has been a member of the Transy faculty for 42 years and was honored for his unfaltering commitment to the students and alumni and for his service to the community. Since 1992, Miller has helped coordinate Immanuel Baptist Church’s annual construction of a Habitat for Humanity house. He also has served on the boards of the Living Arts and Science Center, Central Baptist Hospital and the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation. Richard Thompson, in his dual role at Transylvania as a professor of sociology and as a dean of students, has had great influence on the lives of hundreds of students. He has also has left a mark on the Lexington community, serving with the Episcopal Diocese AIDS Ministry and as a member of the Institutional Research Committee at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital. Betty Scrivner Lollis’ service to Transylvania has taken various shapes and forms. She has served Transylvania as director of alumni and parent programs, president of the Alumni Executive Board, coordinator of the Thomas Jefferson Scholars Program,

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