1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Bryan Station, Transylvania announce partnership to provide scholarships to IT Academy graduates

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Beginning in 2019, graduates of the Academy of Information Technology at Bryan Station High School will be eligible to receive a minimum $18,000 scholarship to attend Transylvania University. The newly announced partnership not only recognizes the achievements of academy graduates, but also provides them with a path to further their education at one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges. “The work Bryan Station and its academies are doing to empower individuals to become globally-minded citizens goes hand-in-hand with our mission at Transylvania,” said President Seamus Carey. “We want students from throughout our community to know they can afford a top-level liberal arts education right here in Lexington, and we’re taking the steps to help make that happen for them.” “With this commitment, Transylvania University is taking community partnership to the next level,” said Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk. “The Fayette County Public Schools Portrait of a Graduate is our promise to families that when you choose our schools, you are choosing an experience for your child designed to equip them to excel in whatever future they can imagine for themselves. This significant scholarship opportunity expands the world of possibilities for the graduates of Bryan Station High School.” Beginning this year, students who graduate from Bryan Station’s Academy of Information Technology, apply to Transylvania by Feb. 1 of their senior year, and are admitted will receive a minimum renewable scholarship of $18,000 per year. Eligible

Transylvania recognizes area first responders at annual luncheon

LEXINGTON, Ky.— Transylvania University recognized local first responders today as part of an ongoing effort to foster a safe campus by strengthening community partnerships. Transy’s Campus Emergency Response Team’s annual luncheon was a chance for the Transylvania community to meet with public safety officials, express their gratitude and discuss initiatives that mutually benefit the campus and Lexington community. “We hope this event will help to further develop Transylvania’s professional working relationship with local emergency personnel in preparedness for any event,” said Gregg Muravchick, Transylvania’s director of public safety. This past year the university collaborated with local agencies for a wide range of activities—from the recent investiture ceremony of a federal judge on campus to participating in the Special Olympics to offering self-defense classes presented by UK’s S.T.A.R.R. program. Community partners attending today’s event included the Lexington Police and Fire departments, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, University of Kentucky Police Department and the FBI. “As a group, we like to review any incidents that have occurred during the past year, not only as a debriefing, but as a learning opportunity,” Muravchick said. “We also explore the community issues our Transylvania public safety officers need to be aware of so we can provide a safer campus environment and offer assistance to the larger community.” In addition to strengthening ties with the surrounding community, officers in Transylvania’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) regularly attend emergency and professional training, receive medical assistance certification and have implemented an

National Endowment for the Arts awards grant to Unlearn Fear + Hate project

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University professors Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova have received $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts to create a permanent, illuminated artwork as part of their ongoing Unlearn Fear + Hate cycle of artworks. The artwork will be a large sculptural halo mounted on a downtown building. The location for the installation is to be determined. The NEA grant provides initial funding for the sculptural halo, and includes LexArts as a partner. This grant will also help to facilitate the creation of hand-painted illuminations made by people within the Lexington community. The purpose of Unlearn Fear + Hate is to promote community engagement and dialog. “In part a visual petition to unlearn fear and prejudice, in part a commitment to treating others with compassion and justice, Unlearn Fear + Hate invites everyone to participate,” Todorova said. The wide-ranging public artwork is named after words from a poem by Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker. Unlearn Fear + Hate kicked off last summer with the installation of a smaller sculptural halo on the side of the downtown 21c Museum Hotel. Since then it has resonated throughout Lexington with other art installations, photography, stenciling and more—with participation from numerous school and community groups. Also, Transylvania incorporated the theme into its curriculum. “The idea for Unlearn Fear + Hate was born in 2015, during a summer of national tensions and local conversations that were difficult and, at times, antagonizing,” Gohde said. “It

Transylvania partners with the state and LFUCG for Fourth Street improvements



LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University and Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government plan to work together on a $1.3 million project to improve the West Fourth Street corridor from Upper to Jefferson streets. The work, which is expected to take place next year, will include new sidewalks, street and pedestrian lighting, signage, traffic and drainage improvements and further development of the Legacy Trail. The project will extend the look and feel of the previous streetscape improvements on Fourth Street alongside the school’s Athletics Complex between Jefferson Street and Newtown Pike.
 Transylvania will match 20 percent of a state grant paid for by federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds, which support innovative improvements to traffic flow and air quality. Lexington and Lextran received a total of $7.7 million from the CMAQ program.
 “These road and trail projects will help Lexington continue to strive to have a clean, healthy environment to support its strong quality of life for families and businesses,” former Gov. Steve Beshear said. Mayor Jim Gray also praised the funding. “These are the kinds of projects that improve quality of life in Lexington,” he said.
 The Transylvania community especially will benefit from the improvements because students often walk and bike along Fourth Street to reach the Athletics Complex.
 Previously the site of an abandoned tobacco warehouse, the sports venue is another example of how Transylvania has invested in developing this corridor—which connects not only the residents of north Lexington with downtown but