1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

R. Owen Williams

Transylvania University presidential inauguration events scheduled for April 27-29; installation ceremony, which is free and open to the public, set for Friday, April 29, at 10 a.m.

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—The inauguration of R. Owen Williams as the 25th president of Transylvania University will be celebrated April 27-29, with the installation ceremony taking place Friday, April 29, at 10 a.m. on the lawn of historic Old Morrison. College and university presidents and representatives from across the country, as well as trustees, alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, elected officials and members of the Lexington community will be in attendance to honor Williams and the 231-year-old college.   “This is one of the highest honors of my life,” said Williams. “Transylvania is an extraordinary liberal arts college, and, as a historian, I am in awe of its rich history.” Williams, who became president on August 1, 2011, earned an A.B. in philosophy from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in intellectual history from Cambridge University, a master’s of law from Yale Law School and a Ph.D. in history, specializing in nineteenth-century American history, from Yale University. Williams’s inaugural speech, which is free and open to the public, will be his first major address to the Lexington community. “A presidential inauguration is a fitting way in which to celebrate the heritage of the college,” said William F. Pollard, vice president and dean of the college and inauguration chair. “It honors past presidents and leaders who have helped shaped the university since its founding and marks the start of a new chapter in Transylvania’s distinguished history.” The inaugural symposium will be presented Thursday, April 28,

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Transylvania University names Kirk Purdom vice president for advancement

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania President R. Owen Williams announced today that after an extensive national search, Kirk Purdom has been named vice president for advancement, effective April 18. Mark Blankenship, associate vice president for alumni affairs, has been serving as acting vice president for alumni and development.   Purdom comes to Transylvania from Kentucky Wesleyan College where he has served as vice president for advancement since July 2008. Prior to that, he was the director of development at Middle Tennessee State University. He has also served as the director of leadership giving for the University of Tennessee and the major gifts officer for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi. “We are delighted to have Kirk join our team at Transylvania,” said Williams. “He was our unanimous choice for this critically important position and we are confident that his experience and approach will help us achieve our goal to become one of the best liberal arts institutions in the nation.” Purdom will serve on the President’s Cabinet and be responsible for all areas of university advancement. Transylvania consistently ranks in the top 20 of the country’s liberal arts institutions in percentage of alumni giving and the university recently concluded its five-year 225th Anniversary Campaign, which raised $47.3 million. Among other responsibilities, Purdom will be in charge of the development and implementation of Transylvania’s next capital campaign and the generation of major and planned gifts. “I am really excited about

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Transylvania wins AIKCU’s annual “Battle of the Bumpers” contest for third year running and raises over $7,000 for scholarship fund

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—With the help of alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends, Transylvania University is once again the winner in the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU) “Battle of the Bumpers.” After back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009, Transylvania aggressively promoted its plates again in 2010, beating out the other 19 AIKCU campuses to put the most campus license plates on Kentucky highways and the most dollars in the school’s general scholarship fund. Transylvania’s efforts helped increase their total sales to 768, an increase of 33 license plates over 2009. Ten dollars from the sale of each plate is returned directly to the school’s general scholarship fund, translating into $7,680 for student scholarships at Transylvania. Overall, sales of Kentucky Independent Higher Education plates raised almost $42,000 for student scholarships in 2010. “I am impressed with the number of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends who choose to show their Transylvania pride with a white and crimson license plate,” said Transylvania President R. Owen Williams. “In particular, the support of our loyal alumni has been remarkable.” The Kentucky Independent Higher Education series plates took to the roads in 2002. Each independent college and university had its own plate, but they all shared a common design theme. Thanks to advances in license plate printing technology and some changes in state regulations, AIKCU members were able to work with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to redesign their plates in late 2007.

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Transylvania University invites high school sophomores and juniors to Spring Preview Day, March 26

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University invites high school sophomores and juniors and their families to campus for Spring Preview Day, Saturday, March 26, from 9 am.-2 p.m. The event will take place in the Clive M. Beck Athletic Center on the corner of Broadway and Fourth Street. Spring Preview Day includes a welcome with President R. Owen Williams, group meetings with admissions counselors, a session on preparing for admissions interviews, a financial aid session for parents, campus and residence hall tours, discussions with current students and a complimentary lunch. For more information or to register for Spring Preview Day, call Transylvania’s admissions office at (800) 872-6798 or (859) 233-8242, or register online. Founded in 1780, Transylvania is the nation’s sixteenth oldest institution of higher learning and is consistently ranked in national publications as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Anonymous donor pledges matching gift of up to $1 million

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—In honor of the April 29, 2011 inauguration of R. Owen Williams, Transylvania’s 25th president, an anonymous donor has pledged a matching gift of up to $1 million for Transylvania alumni and friends who make a gift of $10,000 or more by April 30. Contributions that bring a donor’s cumulative giving for the 2010-11 fiscal year to $10,000 or more also count toward the challenge. The donor’s gift and funds raised from the challenge will be used to help move Transylvania forward by immediately implementing parts of the 2009-12 Strategic Plan and other initiatives. Williams has stressed five points of concentration: diversity, globalization, sustainability, technology and community outreach. “Our anonymous donor is a dear friend of the university,” said Mark Blankenship, acting vice president for development. “His generosity of matching gifts of $10,000 or more gives people added incentive to help the university they love.” Blankenship said that donors may choose how their gifts are used, including support for any specific area including the annual fund, which helps the university meet its more urgent needs, or for named scholarships and the general scholarship fund, which allow prospective students with financial need the chance to experience a Transylvania education. To make your gift and help move Transylvania forward, or for any questions, please contact the development office at (800) 487-2679 or email:Mark Blankenship ’81, acting vice president for development and associate vice president for alumni affairsSusie H. Bullock, development writerLori

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