1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Faculty & Staff

Transylvania adds faculty members for new academic year

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Four new full-time faculty members will join Transylvania University for the start of the 2018-19 academic year on Sept. 4. The three professors and endowed chair will contribute to the university’s centuries-old tradition of excellence in teaching through their fields of theater, music, education and exercise science. “We are excited to welcome these four faculty members to campus as we embark on a new academic year,” said Laura Bryan, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the university. “They bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm that will enrich the learning environment here at Transylvania.” The new faculty members include Tosha Fowler, who is Transylvania’s Lucille C. Little Chair of Theater and the director of the Theater Program. An educator, director and actor, she spent the past 11 years in Chicago’s thriving arts scene. Fowler is the founding executive artistic director of that city’s Cor Theatre. She also taught at The Theatre School at DePaul University, where she received an MFA in acting. Her other experience includes serving as an instructor of drama workshops for Urban Hope, a program for inner-city youths in Savannah, Georgia. Most recently, Fowler was a visiting professor for the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University. Also joining Transylvania’s Division of Fine Arts this fall is Regan MacNay, who is the university’s new assistant professor of music and director of choral activities. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts in choral

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Moloney named as Transylvania’s new VP for marketing and communications

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University has named Megan Moloney as the institution’s vice president for marketing and communications, effective July 23. During her career Moloney has filled multiple communications and public relations roles for the federal government, including as the director of digital media engagement for the Department of Veterans Affairs and as a public affairs specialist for the Secret Service. She also served as the press secretary for the government’s multi-departmental response to the Deepwater Horizon incident and as a staff member in the White House’s Office of the Press Secretary. She began her career as a producer, anchor and reporter in Oxford, Ohio, and Lexington, Ky., where she worked for WVLK-AM/FM, WLEX-TV and Kentucky Educational Television. “I am truly honored to join President Seamus Carey and the university’s administration in serving the Transylvania family. As someone who grew up in Lexington aware of the school’s historic place in the community, I look forward to working with the university’s faculty, staff, students, alumni and board members to share the stories that make Transylvania a college like no other.” As a member of the president’s cabinet, Moloney will play a key role in the communication and implementation of the university’s strategic plan, which is currently under development. She will also work closely with admissions and advancement staff as they chart the future for the 238-year-old institution. “Megan brings an impressive array of experience to the position as well as a deep appreciation

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Taran McZee begins as AVP for Diversity and Inclusion

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Taran McZee joined Transylvania University May 1 as associate vice president for diversity and inclusion, serving on President Seamus Carey’s cabinet. He has spent nearly 15 years leading diversity, inclusion and equity efforts in higher education, and Transylvania is thrilled to bring his experience to campus. What drew you to Transylvania? I was chosen to participate in the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education’s (NADOHE) first Standards of Professional Practice Institute. It was a four-day curriculum developed by the top vice presidents and chief diversity officers across the nation. I was learning from some of the top inclusion and equity people in the nation, and after my four days, I was told by three of them that I’m ready to be a chief diversity officer. I told my mentor that if I got the opportunity to go to a private liberal arts institution, I was going to look into it. Two things stuck out to me about Transy: Project One, and the fact that this was an inaugural position. I have the opportunity to shape diversity, inclusion and equity for the institution with the help of faculty, staff, administration and students. I have the opportunity to shape it from what I’ve learned the last 15 years in higher education doing diversity, multiculturalism, LGBTQA and equity work. What have been your first impressions? It’s a beautiful campus. There’s genuine southern hospitality. And overall, people want to see student success,

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McZee named associate vice president for diversity and inclusion

Posted on by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Taran McZee has been named Transylvania University’s new associate vice president for diversity and inclusion.  McZee, who will begin this spring, has more than 12 years of higher education experience in diversity and inclusion services, multicultural affairs and international programs—most recently at Grand Valley State University. “I’m very excited about this great opportunity at Transylvania University, and I’m ready to push Transy to the next phase of diversity and inclusion,” he said. McZee will deepen the university’s commitment to the values of its Project One initiative, which cultivates a campus community characterized by compassion, respect, ethical concern and social responsibility. Transylvania President Seamus Carey said McZee can help the university foster these values through innovative initiatives and building meaningful relationships. “He is passionate about students from all backgrounds, and about working with offices across campus to achieve our diversity and inclusion goals.” 

Transylvania professor receives John William Miller Research Fellowship

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Williamstown, Mass.—Peter S. Fosl, professor of philosophy at Transylvania University, has been selected as the next recipient of the John William Miller Research Fellowship. The John William Miller Fellowship Fund offers financial backing to scholars researching and writing book-length works addressing the philosophy of John William Miller. With the support of the Fellowship Fund, Fosl will explore the place of philosophical skepticism in Miller’s work. In his planned book, he will draw on Miller’s conceptions of the midworld, the act and criticism articulated in Miller’s five books, including “The Paradox of Cause,” and “The Task of Criticism.” “I am deeply honored to be named the next Miller Fellow and have the opportunity to devote a year of scholarly writing and inquiry in order to better understand the distinctive way Miller’s thought illuminates and responds to the challenges of skepticism,” Fosl said. “Miller’s student, Joseph P. Fell, introduced me to Miller’s thinking and set the coordinates of my philosophical life while I was a philosophy student at Bucknell in the early 1980s. Now, after ranging across the history of philosophy for more than 30 years, I am eager to return to the seminal thoughts of Miller and Fell, and consider them afresh.”  The $45,000 award allows worthy scholars the means to devote substantial time to research and writing. “Professor Fosl has proposed a work that will both explore and challenge the premises of Miller’s thought,” said Michael J. McGandy, chair of

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