View source for Transylvania University

{{Short description|Private university in Lexington, Kentucky, US}}
{{Distinguish | Transilvania University of Brașov}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Transylvania University
 | former_names           = Transylvania Seminary<br>(1780–1799)<br/>Bacon College<br>(1837–1851)<br/>Kentucky University<br>(1858–1865)
 | caption                = [[Seal (emblem)|Seal]] of Transylvania University
 | latin_name             = Universitatis Transylvaniensis
 | motto                  = In Lumine Illo Tradimus Lumen ([[Latin]])
 | mottoeng               = In That Light, We Pass on the Light
 | image                  = Transylvania University seal.svg
 | image_upright          = .7
 | established            = {{Start date and age|1780}}
 | type                   = [[Private university]]
 | religious_affiliation  = [[Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)|Disciples of Christ]]<ref name="auto">{{cite book| first=John D. Jr.| last=Wright| title=Transylvania: Tutor to the West| url=http://www.kentuckypress.com/live/title_detail.php?titleid=1668#.Vva8urmM270| publisher=[[The University Press of Kentucky]]| date=2006}}</ref>
 | president              = Brien Lewis<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.transy.edu/1780/2020/07/brien-lewis-begins-tenure-as-transylvanias-28th-president-today/|title = Brien Lewis begins tenure as Transylvania's 28th president today - Transylvania University|date = July 2020}}</ref>
 | city                   = [[Lexington, Kentucky]]
 | country                = U.S.
 | coor                   = {{Coord|38.0522|-84.4936|region:US-KY_type:edu|display=inline,title}}
 | campus_size            = {{cvt|150|acre}}
 | endowment              = $190.2 million (2020)<ref>As of June 30, 2020. {{cite report |url=https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Documents/Research/2020-NTSE-Public-Tables--Endowment-Market-Values--FINAL-FEBRUARY-19-2021.ashx |title=U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers and [[TIAA]] |date=February 19, 2021 |access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>
 | students               = 963<ref name=enrollment>As of fall 2016. {{cite web |url=http://cpe.ky.gov/data/reports/HeadcountbyLevelIndependent200616.pdf |title=Student headcount by level: All independent institutions (2006-16) |publisher=Commonwealth of Kentucky |website=Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education | access-date=4 March 2018 }}</ref>
 | colors                 = {{color box|#B20D35}} Crimson
 | athletics_affiliations = [[NCAA Division III]] – [[HCAC]], [[Ohio Athletic Conference|OAC]], [[Ohio River Lacrosse Conference|ORLC]], [[CCIW]],
 | sports_nickname        = [[Transylvania Pioneers|Pioneers]]
 | mascot                 = Raf, [[Rafinesque's big-eared bat]]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.transysports.com/general/2017-18/releases/20171209krnciy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210232520/http://www.transysports.com/general/2017-18/releases/20171209krnciy |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |title=Introducing Raf - Transylvania University Athletics}}</ref>
 | academic_affiliations  = [[NAICU]]<ref>[http://www.naicu.edu/member_center/members.asp NAICU – Member Directory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109231238/http://www.naicu.edu/member_center/members.asp |date=November 9, 2015 }}</ref>
 | website                = {{URL|https://www.transy.edu/|transy.edu}}
 | logo                   = Transylvania University logo hz.svg
 | logo_size              = 200
}}

'''Transylvania University''' (often shortened as '''Transy''') is a [[private university]] in [[Lexington, Kentucky]], United States. It was founded in 1780 and is Kentucky's oldest university. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is [[Higher education accreditation in the United States|accredited]] by the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]]. Its medical program has graduated 8,000 physicians since 1859.<ref name=tutor>John, Jr. Wright, ed. ''Transylvania: Tutor to the West'' (2nd ed. 1980)</ref>

Transylvania's name, meaning "across the woods" in [[Latin]], stems from the university's founding in the heavily forested region of western Virginia known as the [[Transylvania Colony]], which existed between 1775 and 1776 in southern and western Kentucky.<ref name=name>{{cite web |url=http://www.transy.edu/about/name.htm |title=Transylvania University's Name |publisher=Transylvania University |access-date=November 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210225111/http://transy.edu/about/name.htm |archive-date=February 10, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

It is the [[alma mater]] of two [[U.S. vice president]]s, two [[U.S. Supreme Court]] justices, 50 [[U.S. senator]]s, 101 [[U.S. representatives]], 36 U.S. governors, and 34 U.S. ambassadors, making it a large producer of 19th-century U.S. statesmen.<ref name=tutor/>

==History==
[[File:Henry Clay.JPG|thumb|left|150px|[[Henry Clay]] served off and on as professor of law and as trustee from 1807 to his death in 1852.]]
[[File:Original Seal of Transylvania University.jpg|thumb|left|150px|The original [[Seal (emblem)|seal]] of Transylvania University]]
Transylvania—Latin for "across the woods"—was the first college west of the [[Allegheny Mountains]] and was named for the short-lived [[Transylvania Colony]].<ref name=earlytransy>{{cite web |url=http://www.transy.edu/pages/lilly/doc_history.pdf |title=Transylvania and the Christian Church |publisher=Transylvania University |access-date=November 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720060131/http://www.transy.edu/pages/lilly/doc_history.pdf |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The [[Virginia General Assembly]] chartered '''Transylvania Seminary''' in 1780, before Kentucky became a state. It was chiefly promoted by [[Presbyterian Church|Presbyterians]]. Initially situated in a log cabin in [[Boyle County, Kentucky|Boyle County]], the school moved to Lexington in 1789.<ref name="earlytransy"/> The first site in Lexington was a single building in what is now [[Gratz Park Historic District|Gratz Park]].

By 1799, the institution was called "Transylvania University". By 1818, a new main classroom building was constructed. It burned down in 1829, and the school moved north of Third Street. Old Morrison was erected in 1830–34 under the supervision of [[Henry Clay]], who both taught law and was a member of Transylvania's Board.<ref name=tu_oldmorrison>{{cite web |url=http://www.transy.edu/about/about_campus/buildings.htm?stop=om&obj=b_other |title=Old Morrison, Administrative Building |publisher=Transylvania University |access-date=November 19, 2008}}</ref> By 1818, the university included a medical school, law school, divinity school, and college of arts and sciences.<ref name="earlytransy"/><ref name=transyhistory>{{cite web |url=http://www.owston.com/papers/transylvania.pdf |title=The Early History of Transylvania University: An Archetype of Restoration Movement Institutions of Higher Education |publisher=James M Owston |access-date=November 19, 2008 |year=1998}}</ref>

The Disciples of Christ church founded "Bacon College" in Georgetown. It operated from 1837 to 1851 and 1858 to 1861. It was renamed '''Kentucky University''' in 1858. In 1865, the remnants of the school were merged into Transylvania University. The merged institution took the name "Kentucky University."<ref name="earlytransy"/><ref name="transyhistory"/>

Transylvania has dominated academe in the [[bluegrass region]] ever since and was the sought-after destination for the children of the South's political leadership, military families, and business elite. It attracted many politically ambitious young men, including [[Stephen F. Austin]], the founder of Texas.<ref>{{cite book| first=John R.| last=Thelin| title=A History of American Higher Education |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000thel| url-access=registration| quote=transylvania university.| publisher=[[The Johns Hopkins University Press]]| date=May 3, 2004| page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000thel/page/47 47]| isbn=9780801878558}}</ref>

===After the Civil War===
[[File:Drawing of Transylvania University Medical Hall.jpg|thumb|left|Medical Hall, which burned down in 1863]]
The new institution used Transylvania's campus in Lexington while keeping the name Kentucky University.<ref name="earlytransy"/> The university was reorganized into several new colleges, including the Agricultural and Mechanical College (A&M) of Kentucky, publicly chartered as a department of Kentucky University as a [[Land-grant university|land-grant institution]] under the [[Morrill Act]].<ref name="transyhistory"/> But due to questions about having a federally funded land-grant college controlled by a religious body, the A&M college was spun off in 1878 as an independent, state-run institution. The A&M of Kentucky soon developed into one of the state's flagship public universities, the [[University of Kentucky]].<ref name="transyhistory"/> Kentucky University's College of the Bible, which traced its roots to Bacon College's Department of Hebrew Literature, received a separate charter in 1878. Kentucky University's seminary eventually separated but remained on the same campus until 1950. It later changed its name to the [[Lexington Theological Seminary]]. In 1903, [[Hamilton College (Kentucky)|Hamilton College]], a Lexington-based [[women's college]] founded in 1869, merged into Kentucky University.<ref name="transyhistory"/>

Due to confusion between Kentucky University and its daughter institution, the University of Kentucky, it was renamed "Transylvania University" in 1908.

===1988 trademark dispute===
In 1988, Transylvania University experienced an infringement on its trademark when [[Hallmark Cards]] began selling "Transylvania University" T-shirts. The product, developed for [[Halloween]], was intended to be a novelty item purporting to be college wear from the fictional Count [[Dracula]]'s ''alma mater''. When contacted by Transylvania University, Hallmark said it had been unaware of the real university and recalled all unsold products.<ref name=rebranding>{{cite web |url=http://www.newriver.net/dissertation-complete.pdf |first=James Martin |last=Owston |title=Survival of the Fittest? The Rebranding of West Virginia Higher Education |publisher=Marshall University |quote=Founded in 1780, when Kentucky was a part of Virginia, the Transylvania name was applied to the school. From Latin for “across the woods,” Daniel Boone was credited with giving this name to [[Kentucky County, Virginia]]. Although [[Romania]]’s [[Transylvania|province of the same etymological derivation]] had largely been associated with Dracula & vampirism, Transylvania University began using the brand over 100 years before [[Bram Stoker]] wrote his first sentence for his now famous novel. |access-date=January 9, 2010 |year=2007}}</ref>

==Campus==
The university is on a {{convert|48|acre|ha|1|abbr=off|adj=on}} urban campus about four blocks from the center of the city of Lexington. It has 24 buildings, 3 athletic fields, 3 dining areas, and a National Historic Landmark.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/about/about_campus.htm|title=Transylvania University – a liberal arts college in Central Kentucky|work=transy.edu}}</ref> The campus is divided by North Broadway: to the east stand the academic buildings; to the west, most of the residential buildings.

===Academic campus===
[[File:Transylvania Campus.JPG|thumb|Carpenter Academic Center and the Transylvania Lawn]]
<!-- linked from redirect [[Old Morrison}}-->
The academic side of campus lies east of North Broadway, one of the major streets in Lexington. Old Morrison is the central [[academic administration|administration]] building. Designed by pioneer Kentucky architect [[Gideon Shryock]] and erected in 1833 under the supervision of [[Henry Clay]] (then professor of law at Transylvania), Old Morrison is the central image on Lexington's city seal. It houses the offices of financial aid, accounting, the registrar, the president, the dean, communications, the Center for Academic and Professional Enrichment, and more. The building also holds the tomb of [[Constantine Rafinesque]], professor of natural science at the university from 1819 to 1826, and Sauveur Francois Bonfils, who taught at the university from 1842 to 1849 (a native of France, he was forced to flee because of political discord).<ref>Boewe, Charles "Who's Buried in Rafinesque's Tomb?" ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', Vol 111, No. 2 (April 1987) pg 220</ref> During the Civil War, Old Morrison was a hospital for Union and Confederate soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/about/about_campus/buildings.htm?stop=om&obj=b_other|title=Transylvania University – a liberal arts college in Central Kentucky|work=transy.edu}}</ref> It was gutted by fire in 1969 but renovated and reopened in 1971. It was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1965 in recognition of the university's status as the oldest west of the Allegheny Mountains.<ref name="nhlnom">{{cite web|url={{NHLS url|66000358}}|title=NHL nomination for Old Morrison|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=2020-02-19}}</ref>

[[File:Academic Side of Transylvania University.jpg|thumb|left|Academic Side of Campus in April 2016]]

Beside Old Morrison, the Carpenter Academic Center houses the faculties of [[English studies|English]], [[philosophy]], [[history]], [[political science]], foreign languages, and [[classics]], as well as professors' offices. The center, formerly known as Haupt Humanities, was renovated during the 2017–18 academic year; classrooms and faculty offices were updated, student gathering spaces were added, and new technologies were integrated.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.transy.edu/news/transylvania-breaks-ground-45-million-carpenter-academic-center |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606210649/http://www.transy.edu/news/transylvania-breaks-ground-45-million-carpenter-academic-center |archive-date=June 6, 2017 |title=Transylvania breaks ground on $4.5 million Carpenter Academic Center {{!}} Transylvania University}}</ref> Carpenter Academic Center reopened in May 2018.

Behind the Carpenter Academic Center is Alumni Plaza, which opened in 2015 as an outdoor classroom and social gathering area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.transy.edu/plaza/|title=Transylvania University Alumni plaza project}}</ref> Also on the academic side of campus, the Clive M. Beck Center, a state-of-the-art student indoor athletic facility, opened in 2003; it is a location for men's and women's athletics and holds student fitness equipment.

The Mitchell Fine Arts Center is the home of the music program, providing offices and classrooms for drama and music programs. It contains a large concert hall, a small theater, a recital hall, the Morlan Gallery, the music technology classroom, and the Office of Information Technology. The Morlan Gallery in the center has six or seven art exhibitions every academic year, primarily as a gallery of contemporary art, including [[Appalachian folk art]], Chinese art, contemporary African art, sculptural installations, and performance and video pieces. The gallery offers guided tours and lectures for school groups, civic clubs, and senior-citizen organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/morlan/about.htm|title=Transylvania University – a liberal arts college in Central Kentucky|work=transy.edu}}</ref>

The Cowgill Center for Business, Economics, and Education has classrooms for these subjects and offices for professors. It features a high-tech multimedia classroom, a specialized classroom for training education majors, a computer lab, lecture halls, seminar rooms, study areas, faculty offices, and the Monroe Moosnick Medical and Science Museum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/content/cowgill-center|title=Cowgill Center|website=transy.edu}}</ref> The L.A. Brown Science Center houses classrooms, laboratories and offices for the natural sciences, computer science, and mathematics programs. A state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer is available to enhance students' academic and research experience.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/content/brown-science-center|title=Brown Science Center|website=transy.edu}}</ref>

===Library===
[[File:Horace Holley.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Horace Holley (minister)|Horace Holley]] led Transylvania from 1818 to 1827]]
Originally completed in 1952 and dedicated by President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], the main library building was renovated and enlarged in 1985; it was re-dedicated by then Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] as the Douglas Gay Jr. and Frances Carrick Thomas Library. The Special Collections of the library houses a manuscript collection with letters, diaries, and documents of notable historical figures associated with the university, including [[Henry Clay]], [[Jefferson Davis]], Robert Peter, [[John Wesley Hunt]], [[Daniel Drake]], and [[Horace Holley (1781–1827)|Horace Holley]]. The rare books section houses a collection of books relating to the history of horses and natural history and a collection of pre-1800 medical books.<ref>J. Douglas Gay Jr./Frances Carrick Thomas Library Special Collections. Retrieved October 29, 2010 [http://www.transy.edu/academics/library/collections.htm]</ref> The books belonging to the [[medical school|Transylvania Medical Department]], which closed in 1859, are now kept in special collections. The library was the setting for the film "[[American Animals]]", which told how [[Transylvania University book heist|four 20-year-old students stole and attempted to sell some of the rare books]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Four Plead Guilty in Transylvania University Theft |date=April 22, 2005 |publisher=[[American Library Association]] |url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/four-plead-guilty-in-transylvania-university-theft/ |access-date=August 27, 2018}}</ref>

The basement of the library was renovated and became the Dugi Academic Center for Excellence in 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.transy.edu/news/arch_story.htm?id=889|title=Transylvania University: Transylvania opens Academic Center for Excellence to help students succeed}}</ref> and the first floor was renovated in 2015.

The Glenn Building was constructed as a multi-purpose building in 2005 and houses a coffee shop, Gratz Perk, admissions offices, and expansion space for the library. It was named in honor of James F. Glenn, a former trustee who donated $1.1 million for its construction. It has an environmentally friendly geothermal heating and air conditioning system, and several mature trees near the site were preserved during construction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/about/about_campus/buildings?stop=glenn&obj=b_other|title=Transylvania University – a liberal arts college in Central Kentucky|work=transy.edu}}</ref>

===Residence halls===
[[File:Residential Side of Transylvania University.jpg|thumb|Residential Side of Campus in April 2016 Showing Construction]]
The western half of the campus contains most of the residential parts of the campus. Dalton-Voigt Hall opened in the fall of 2015 and houses first-year students. This $7 million, 144-bed facility offers suite-style living and common spaces for studying and activities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.transy.edu/news/arch_story.htm?id=992|title=Transylvania University: Transylvania University enters new era with groundbreaking}}</ref> Jefferson Davis Hall and Henry Clay Hall were demolished in June 2015 to make space for construction of Kincaid Hall and Bassett Hall, which are similar to Dalton-Voigt and opened in January 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Transylvania to open two new residence halls this week|url=https://www.transy.edu/news/transylvania-open-two-new-residence-halls-week|website=Transy.edu}}</ref>

Thomson Hall was opened in the fall of 2008. It received [[Energy Star]] rating in 2009. It features 31 suite-style units, including study areas, living rooms, kitchenettes, bathrooms, and bedrooms. The building is three stories tall, has {{convert|28000|ft2}} of space, and cost $5.5 million. Thomson Hall was built to be environmentally friendly and exceeds state insulating value requirements by 28 percent. It has geothermal heating and energy, low-flow shower heads, a total energy recovery wheel on outside ventilation, fifty percent recycled material in the parking lot surface, and energy-saving lighting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.transy.edu/campus/thomson.htm |title=Transylvania University – a liberal arts college in Central Kentucky|work=transy.edu}}</ref>

Dalton-Voigt, Thomson, Kincaid, and Bassett Halls surround Back Circle, a central outdoor field where students can socialize, play sports, or do homework.

The other residence spaces on campus are Poole Residence Center and Rosenthal Apartment Complex. Poole houses first-year students in large, suite-style rooms. Rosenthal houses upper-class students in an outdoor apartment style.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.transy.edu/campus/on-campus-living|title=Living on Campus – Transylvania University}}</ref>

===Campus Center===
The newly built and renovated William T. Young Campus Center opened in 2020. It is a {{Convert|97710|ft2|adj=on}} building—61,400 square feet of new construction and 36,310 square feet of renovated space. Replacing Forrer Hall, the structure offers two dining locations, an athletic workout facility, a competition-sized swimming pool, and numerous meeting spaces of all sizes and uses. It also houses the health and wellness center, student life offices, and the bookstore.

The Campus Center was dedicated in October 2021 where [[William T. Young|William T. Young Sr.]], whom the original Campus Center was named for, and William T. Young Jr. were recognized for their many contributions to the university over the years. Both chaired the Transylvania Board of Trustees. Portraits of both Youngs adorn a wall of the new Center to commemorate the family's contributions.

==Academics==
[[File:Old Morrison Commencement.JPG|thumb|left|Old Morrison]]
{{Infobox US university ranking
| Forbes = 307
| USNWR_LA = 108
| Wamo_LA = 86
| THE_WSJ = 381
}}

According to ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'', Transylvania University has an acceptance rate of 92%.<ref name="USNWR">{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/transylvania-university-1987|title=Transylvania University|work=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=April 2, 2023}}</ref> Accepted applicants have an SAT score range (25th–75th percentile) of 1050–1360.<ref name="USNWR"/> Transylvania presently{{when|date=July 2019}} offers 46 majors<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.transy.edu/admission/request-information/viewbook/viewbook-transcript/#majorsAndMinors |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803184536/https://www.transy.edu/admission/request-information/viewbook/viewbook-transcript/ |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |title=Viewbook Transcript {{!}} Transylvania University}}</ref> and 37 minors and many pre-professional tracks spread among four divisions: Fine Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences & Mathematics and Social Sciences. It offers such majors as Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and Writing, Rhetoric, and Communication (WRC),<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.transy.edu/pages/regidis/1415/patterns.htm?mi=catalog|title = Academic Majors, Minors, and Preprofessional Studies|date = January 16, 2015|website = Transylvania University|access-date = January 16, 2015|archive-date = January 8, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160108012224/http://www.transy.edu/pages/regidis/1415/patterns.htm?mi=catalog|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.transy.edu/about/facts.htm|title = Quick Facts|date = January 16, 2015|website = Transylvania University|access-date = November 4, 2010|archive-date = March 23, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160323012806/http://www2.transy.edu/about/facts.htm|url-status = dead}}</ref> as well as interdisciplinary studies, or the ability of students to design their majors.<ref>[http://www.transy.edu/academics/majors_minors.htm#self Self-designed Majors and Minors.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314023405/http://www2.transy.edu/academics/majors_minors.htm#self |date=March 14, 2016 }}  University publication. Retrieved August 26, 2012.</ref>

In 2018, Transylvania became the first of Kentucky's liberal arts colleges to partner with the Peace Corps to establish a Peace Corps Prep program, a diversity-oriented program designed to prepare undergraduates for international development fieldwork and potential Peace Corps service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/university-programs/peace-corps-prep-partner-schools/|title=Peace Corps Prep Program|date=2018-03-21|website=transy.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/university-programs/peace-corps-prep-partner-schools/|title=Peace Corps Prep Partner Schools|website=peacecorps.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-08-20}}</ref>

Transylvania also partnered with Appalachian Regional Healthcare to incentivize students from Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia interested in healthcare, whether as a practitioner or administrator, to attend Transylvania. Students who participate will return to their home region and communities to work for ARH post-graduation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-26|title=New Transylvania, ARH partnership provides incentives for students from Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia - Transylvania University|url=https://www.transy.edu/1780/2021/10/new-transylvania-arh-partnership-provides-incentives-for-students-from-eastern-kentucky-west-virginia/|access-date=2021-12-10|website=1780|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Student life==
[[File:Transylvania University Pumpkinmania.jpg|thumb|Pumpkins lit on the steps of Old Morrison]]
Before beginning classes, first-year students participate in an orientation week and various community-building exercises, including long-standing traditions, such as the first-year [[serenade]] and greet line. The serenade divides the class in two for a fun sing-off. The greeting line starts as a large arch comprising every member of the first-year class (and various faculty, staff, and campus student leaders). Every line member goes down and shakes hands with all other members, introducing themselves along the way.

There is a week-long celebration of [[Halloween]] by students known as "Raf Week" in honor of the 19th-century botanist, inventor, and Transylvania professor [[Constantine Rafinesque]]. The university ends October with a unique combination of activities, including a lottery for four students to win the chance to spend the night in Rafinesque's tomb.<ref name=rafweek>{{cite web |url=http://www.transy.edu/news/magazine/TransFall05.pdf |title=Barefootin' it for Rafinesque, Transylvania University Magazine, Fall 2005|publisher=Transylvania University|access-date=November 19, 2008}}</ref> The steps of Old Morrison are lined with pumpkins carved by students, faculty, staff, and members of the community around Halloween for what is called Pumpkinmania. In honor of Professor Rafinesque, the grab-and-go dining space in the Campus Center is named the "Rafskeller"—a pun on the word ''[[Rathskeller]]''.

Transylvania is also known for the Kissing Tree, a white ash tree estimated to be nearly 280 years old–35 years older than the university itself. In the 1940s and 1950s, the administration ignored students kissing in public near the tree when it was frowned upon elsewhere on campus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.transy.edu/about/about_campus/kissing_tree.htm|title=Transylvania University – a liberal arts college in Central Kentucky|work=transy.edu}}</ref> Today, with the rules on public displays of affection slackened, students refer to the tree as the Kissing Tree. In 2003, ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]'' included the Kissing Tree among the most romantic places on college campuses in America and was mentioned in a ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' article about romance on college campuses.<ref>Shellenbarger, Sue, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120172523751229601 "Where Is the Love? Students Eschew Campus Romance"], ''The Wall Street Journal'' January 31, 2008. Retrieved on February 21, 2017.</ref>

===Arts===
The campus, home to various Transylvania choirs and instrumental ensembles, also hosts several exhibitions in its Morlan Gallery that change by season. The gallery focuses on work produced in the past decade from worldwide viewpoints. Transylvania was honored with an international Gold Award for ''Transylvania Treasures'', its publication dedicated to showcasing the rare and valuable items in Transylvania University's special collections and medical and science museum, and now is considered a treasure in its own right, concluding a prestigious national competition sponsored by the [[Council for Advancement and Support of Education]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Arch Story|url=https://www.transy.edu/news/arch_story.htm?id=498|publisher=Transylvania News & Events|access-date=June 6, 2009}}</ref> Transylvania's theatre department produces two to three stage productions every year. The Lucille C. Little Theater provides a performance space for theatre performances by students and professionals on campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/content/lucille-c-little-theater|title=Lucille C. Little Theater|website=transy.edu}}</ref>

===Fraternities and sororities===
Transylvania has [[Fraternities and sororities|Greek life]] on campus, with five fraternities and five sororities and 42% of the students as members of Greek organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/campus/organizations|title=Transylvania University - Campus Engagement|work=transy.edu}}</ref> In its 2022 edition of "The Best 387 Colleges", ''[[The Princeton Review]]'' named Transylvania in the top 10 U.S. schools on its list of colleges with "Lots of Greek Life".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=lots-greek-life |title=Lots of Greek Life |publisher=The Princeton Review |access-date=January 8, 2016}}</ref>

==Athletics==
[[File:Transy pioneers wmark.png|thumb|Transylvania Pioneers wordmark]]
Transylvania's athletic teams are nicknamed the Pioneers. The university is a member of the [[NCAA Division III|Division III]] level of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA), primarily competing in the [[Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference]] (HCAC) since the 2001–02 academic year. The Pioneers previously competed in the [[River States Conference|Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (KIAC; now known as the River States Conference (RSC) since the 2016–17 school year) of the [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics]] (NAIA) from 1916–17 to 2000–01.

Transylvania competes in 27 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, triathlon and volleyball; and co-ed teams include cheerleading, dance and equestrian (eventing).<ref>{{cite web| url = https://transysports.com/ |title = Transylvania University - Official Athletics Website}}</ref>

The Transylvania Pioneers student-athletes compete under colors [[crimson]] and [[white]] at a variety of venues throughout the country; maintain successful results; and often compete against larger institutions including [[Ohio University]].<ref>[http://www.transysports.com/ Transylvania University Athletics.]  Retrieved August 26, 2012.</ref>

[[Philanthropists]] have increased sizable gifts to the university in its present period more so than ever before, and coaches at Transylvania University have been continually recognized for athletic achievements.{{Vague|date=September 2020}}

=== Football ===

{{See also|Transylvania Pioneers football}}

Transylvania won the first-recorded football game in the state of [[Kentucky]] by defeating the [[Centre Praying Colonels football|Centre Praying Colonels]] of [[Centre College]] 13{{frac|3|4}}–0.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transy.edu/news/trivia.htm|title=Trivia|website=Transylvania University|access-date=June 9, 2015}}</ref> Its [[1903 Kentucky University football team|1903 team]] claimed a southern championship. The Pioneers played football from 1888 to 1941 (except 1906), when the team disbanded.

==Notable people==
{{alumni|date=August 2023}}
[[File:John C Breckinridge-04775-restored.jpg|thumb|150px|Alumnus [[John C. Breckinridge]]; [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] U.S. Vice President]]
Amongst Transylvania's prominent alumni are two [[U.S. vice president]]s, [[John C. Breckinridge]] and [[Richard Mentor Johnson]], and two [[U.S. Supreme Court]] justices, [[John Marshall Harlan]] and [[Samuel Freeman Miller]].<ref name="Transylvania University History">[http://www.transy.edu/about/history.htm Transylvania University History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517185637/http://www.transy.edu/about/history.htm |date=May 17, 2011 }} Retrieved August 26, 2012.</ref>

===Notable alumni===
{{main|List of Transylvania University alumni}}

===Notable faculty===
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* [[Henry Bidleman Bascom]] (1796–1850) – U.S. Congressional Chaplain, Methodist Bishop, President of Transylvania University 1842–1849.
* [[Robert Hamilton Bishop]], first president of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
* [[Henry Clay]], seminal law department professor<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transy.edu/news/events/henry_clay/hc_and_transy.htm|title=Henry Clay and Transylvania University|publisher=Transylvania University|access-date=June 9, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Charles Caldwell (physician)|Charles Caldwell]], physician and founder of the [[University of Louisville School of Medicine]]
* [[Daniel Drake]], taught [[materia medica]] from 1817 to 1818, dean from 1825 to 1827
* [[Maurice Manning (poet)|Maurice Manning]], poet
* [[C. M. Newton|Charles Martin "C. M." Newton]], TU basketball coach, 1956–68
* [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque]], professor of botany, buried on campus
* [[Charles Wilkins Short]], American botanist
* [[Elisha Warfield]], doctor and noted horse breeder, selected as the first Professor of Surgery and Obstetrics at the (then-) newly established medical school at Transylvania University

==In popular culture==
*[[Robert Penn Warren]] set part of his 1946 novel ''[[All the King's Men]]'' at Transylvania University. 
*[[Robert Lowell]] referred to the university in his sonnet "The Graduate (Elizabeth)." The poem states gleefully, "Transylvania's Greek Revival Chapel is one of the best Greek Revival things in the South."
*A 2004 robbery at Transylvania University's special collections library is the subject of the 2018 true-crime drama film ''[[American Animals]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2018/06/the-real-life-heist-caper-behind-american-animals.html|title=The Real-life Heist Caper Behind American Animals|first=Chris|last=Lee|publisher=[[New York (magazine)|New York Media]]|work=Vulture|date=June 1, 2018|access-date= 2019-02-05}}</ref> It was also the focus of Episode 3 of the Audible podcast "Heist with Michael Caine," as well as a memoir by one of the culprits involved in the heist, ''Mr. Pink: The Inside Story of the Transylvania Book Heist''.
*Transylvania is home to the [[Judy Gaines Young Book Award]], given annually to honor an excellent work of fiction or poetry written in the [[Appalachia|Appalachian region]] in the prior two to three years.

== See also ==

{{Portal bar|Kentucky|Education}}
* [[History of education in Kentucky]]
*[[List of presidents of Transylvania University]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Baker, Jonathan Tyler. "No Longer an 'academically inferior, church-controlled southern school': How Transylvania College Found Success After World War II." ''Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' 120.1 (2022): 33–63. [https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/142/article/880870/summary excerpt]
* Cousins, James P. ''Horace Holley: Transylvania University and the Making of Liberal Education in the Early American Republic'' (U Press of Kentucky, 2016). 297 pp
* Ellis, William E. ''A History of Education in Kentucky'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2011).
* Jennings, Walter Wilson. ''Transylvania, Pioneer University of the West'' (Pageant Press, 1955).
* Lunger, Irvin E. "Transylvania College: Its History and its Future" ''Register of the Kentucky Historical Society'' 56.4 (1958): 309–318.
* {{cite journal | last= McGlothlin | first= William J | year = 1977 | title = Rev. Horace Holley: Transylvania's Unitarian President, 1818–1827 | url = | journal = Filson Club History Quarterly | volume = 51 | issue = 3| pages = 234–248 }}
* Morelock, Kolan. ''Taking the town: Collegiate and community culture in the Bluegrass, 1880–1917'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2008).
* Peter, Robert. ''The history of the medical department of Transylvania University'' (1905) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tukxAQAAMAAJ online].
* Peter, Robert, and Johanna Peter. ''Transylvania University: Its Origin, Rise, Decline, and Fall'' (1896) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qAUUAAAAYAAJ online]
* Sonne, Niels H. ''Liberal Kentucky, 1780–1828'' (1939; reprint 1968) [https://archive.org/details/liberalkentucky10000sonn online], focus on Transylvania U.
* Wright, John Jr., ed. ''Transylvania: Tutor to the West'' (2nd ed. 1980)
* {{cite journal | last= Zerfas | first= L. G. | year = 1934 | title = Medical Education in Indiana As Influenced by Early Indiana Graduates in Medicine from Transylvania University | url = | journal = Indiana Magazine of History | volume = 30 | issue = 2| pages = 139–48 }}

==External links==
{{ccat}}
{{NIE Poster|Kentucky University}}
* {{oweb}}
* [https://www.transysports.com/ Athletics website]

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