Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington , Kentucky , United States . It was founded in 1780 making it the first university in Kentucky and among the oldest in the United States . It offers 36 major programs , as well as dual - degree engineering programs , and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . 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 became most of Kentucky in 1792 . Transylvania has educated two U . S . vice presidents , two U . S . Supreme Court justices , fifty U . S . senators , 101 U . S . representatives , 36 U . S . governors , and 34 U . S . ambassadors , making it a large producer of U . S . statesmen . History . Transylvania was the first college west of the Allegheny Mountains . Thomas Jefferson was governor of Virginia when the Virginia Assembly chartered Transylvania Seminary . He later looked to Transylvania as an educational model , writing to a friend in 1820 that " If … we [ Virginians ] are to go a begging anywhere for education , I would rather it should be to Kentucky than any other state , because she has more flavor of the old cask than any other . " Transylvania University was initially sponsored by the Christ Episcopal Church ' s rector , the Reverend Moore , and later became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Originally in a log cabin in Boyle County , Kentucky , the school moved to Lexington in 1789 . The first site in Lexington was a single building in the historic Gratz Park . By 1818 , a new main building was constructed for students ' classes . Later , in 1829 , that building burned , and the school was moved to its present location north of Third Street . Old Morrison , the only campus building at the time , was constructed 1830 – 34 , under the supervision of Henry Clay , who both taught law and was a member of Transylvania ' s Board . After 1818 , the university included a medical school , a law school , a divinity school , and a college of arts and sciences . An institution that aided in the creation of Transylvania University at this time was Bacon College , named after Sir Francis Bacon , which would later be known as Kentucky University . Bacon College existed from 1837 – 1851 , founded by the Christian churches in Kentucky . Bacon College was a new entity separated from Georgetown College , a Baptist supported institution , but Bacon College inevitably closed due to lack of funding . Seven years later , in 1858 , Bacon College ' s charter was amended to establish Kentucky University , and moved to donated land in Harrodsburg , Kentucky . Following the American Civil War , Kentucky University was devastated by fire and both it and Transylvania University were in dire financial straits . In 1865 , both institutions secured permission to merge . The new institution utilized Transylvania ' s campus in Lexington while perpetuating the Kentucky University name . The university was reorganized around 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 institution under the Morrill Act . However , due to questions regarding the appropriateness of 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 . Kentucky University ' s College of the Bible , which traced its roots to Bacon College ' s Department of Hebrew Literature , also received its own charter in 1878 . Transylvania ' s seminary eventually became a separate institution , but remained housed on the Kentucky University campus until 1950 , later changing its name to the Lexington Theological Seminary . In 1903 , Hamilton College , a Lexington - based women ' s college founded in 1869 , merged into Kentucky University . Due to confusion between Kentucky University and its daughter institution , the University of Kentucky , the institution was renamed " Transylvania University , " in 1908 . In 1988 , Transylvania University experienced an infringement on the institution ' s trademark when Hallmark Cards began selling Transylvania University T - shirts . The product , developed for the 1988 Halloween season , was intended to be a novelty item purporting to be college wear from the fictional Count Dracula ' s " alma mater " . When contacted by the actual Transylvania University , Hallmark apologetically admitted that they were not aware of the Kentucky - based institution and recalled all unsold product immediately . The university is now affiliated with the Disciples of Christ ( which was organized after Transylvania ) . Transylvania University is the setting for part of the novel " All the King ' s Men " by Robert Penn Warren . The university was included in Robert Lowell ' s sonnet " The Graduate ( Elizabeth ) . " The poem glibly states that " Transylvania ' s Greek Revival Chapel / is one of the best Greek Revival things in the South . " Campus . The university is located on a campus about 4 blocks from downtown Lexington , Kentucky . It has 24 buildings , 3 athletic fields , 4 dining areas , and a National Historic Landmark . The campus is divided in two by North Broadway , with the east side of Broadway containing the university ’ s academic buildings , and the west side containing the majority of the residential buildings . Central campus . Built in 1833 under the supervision of [ [ Henry Clay ] ] who was serving as Transylvania ’ s law professor , Old Morrison is the main administration building for the university . The building , designed by pioneer Kentucky architect [ [ Gideon Shryock ] ] is [ [ National Historic Landmark ] ] and is featured on the city seal of Lexington . It houses the offices of financial aid , the president , the registrar , communications , accounting , alumni , development , and sustainability . During the Civil War , Old Morrison served as a hospital for Union and Confederate soldiers . Old Morrison was gutted by fire in 1969 but was renovated and reopened in 1971 . The building also houses the tomb of [ [ Constantine Rafinesque ] ] , who was a natural science professor at the university from 1819 to 1826 , and Sauveur Francois Bonfils , who taught at the university from 1842 – 49 . A native of France , he was apparently forced to flee due to political discord . Located adjacent to Old Morrison , the Haupt Humanities building houses the faculties of English , philosophy , history , political science , and classics . Also on the central campus , a state - of - the - art student indoor athletic facility , called the Beck Center , was completed and opened in 2003 . The Beck Center facilitates men ' s and women ' s athletics and student fitness equipment . The Mitchell Fine Arts Center is the home of the university ’ s music program and provides offices and classrooms for the drama and music programs . It contains a large concert hall , a small theater , a recital hall , the Morlan Gallery , the Rafskeller ( sic – see " Traditions " ) dining facility , the music technology classroom , and the Career Development Center . The Morlan Gallery in the center hosts six to seven art exhibitions every year during the academic calendar . It primarily serves as a gallery for exhibiting 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 . Library and café . Originally completed in 1952 with a dedication from President [ [ Dwight D . Eisenhower ] ] , the main library building was renovated and had an addition added in 1985 , and 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 , as well as a collection of pre - 1800 medical books . The books belonging to the Transylvania Medical Department , which closed in 1859 , are now kept in special collections . The Glenn Building was constructed as a multi - purpose building in 2005 and houses a coffee shop , the admissions offices , and expansion space for the library . It was named in honor of James F . Glenn , a Board of Trustees member who donated $ 1 . 1 million for its construction . It utilizes an environmentally friendly geothermal heating and air conditioning system and several mature trees near the site were preserved during construction . The bookstore moved down the street in Spring 2012 , across from the John R . Hall Athletic Field , in an effort to further expand the campus into the surrounding community . Formerly located in the basement of Henry Clay Hall but moved to the ground floor of Thomson Hall in 2008 , the 1780 Café offers students a place to eat after the campus dining center closes for the night . Residence halls . The newest residential building on campus , Thomson Hall was opened in the fall of 2008 . It received [ [ Energy Star ] ] rating in 2009 . It serves as a residential building for upper - class students that meet a certain GPA requirement and features 31 suite style living - units which include study areas , living rooms , kitchenettes , bathrooms , and bedrooms . The building is three stories tall , has of space , and cost $ 5 . 5 million . Thomson Hall was built to be an environmentally friendly building and it 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 . The other residence halls on campus are Poole , Hazelrigg , Clay , Davis , and Forrer . Poole houses upperclass students in large rooms . Hazelrigg offers upperclass students a mandated 24 hour quiet time , single rooms , and a location on the academic side of campus . Clay and Davis halls are connected and are the men ' s halls on campus . Clay is for first - year men and Davis is for upperclassmen . Davis ' four floors are divided for the four active fraternities on campus . Forrer houses first - year women on its top two floors and upperclassmen on the bottom two . Forrer is divided by sorority as well , and also offers a division for independent women . Academics . Transylvania University actively pursues an international admissions process , and includes students from overseas . Transylvania presently offers 40 majors , including such majors as Philosophy , Politics , and Economics ( PPE ) and Writing , Rhetoric , and Communication ( WRC ) , as well as the ability of students to design their own majors , such as environmental studies . Student life . [ [ File : Old Morrison Commencement . JPG | thumb | 140px | left | Old Morrison decorated for students ' commencement exercises ] ] The weekend before classes start in the fall is known as Orientation Weekend . During this time new students move in before upperclassmen , and are given the opportunity to learn about the campus and customs of Transylvania . Starting in the fall of 2012 , this period was extend to a 3 week period with an introduction to liberal arts education . This was called August Term . They take part in community building exercises including a serenade of the first - year women by the first - year men on the steps of Old Morrison and a greet line , where every first - year student goes down the line and shakes hands with every other first - year student . Rafinesque Week and traditions . The university ' s name ( [ [ Transylvania ] ] in Romania is the home of the fictional [ [ Dracula ] ] ) and the on - campus tomb of two 19th - century professors contribute to a week - long celebration of [ [ Halloween ] ] by students called " Rafinesque 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 . In honor of Professor Rafinesque , the downstairs grill in the Mitchell Fine Arts Building is called the " Rafskeller " – a pun on the word " [ [ Rathskeller ] ] " . Transylvania is also known for the Kissing Tree , a white ash tree that is estimated to be approximately 260 years old – 35 years older than the university itself . In the 1940s and 1950s , the administration turned a blind eye to students kissing in public near the tree , at a time when it was frowned upon elsewhere on campus . 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 it was mentioned in a " [ [ Wall Street Journal ] ] " article about romance on college campuses . Athletics . Transylvania University student - athletes , compete under colors [ [ crimson ] ] and [ [ white ] ] at a variety of venues throughout the country ; maintain aggressive results ; and often compete against larger institutions including the [ [ University of Kentucky ] ] . The Pioneers participate as a member of the [ [ National Collegiate Athletic Association ] ] ' s [ [ Division III ( NCAA ) | Division III ] ] , primarily of the [ [ Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference ] ] ( HCAC ) . Men ' s sports include baseball , basketball , cross country , equestrian , golf , lacrosse , soccer , swimming & diving , tennis and track & field ; while women ' s sports include basketball , cheerleading , cross country , equestrian , field hockey , golf , lacrosse , soccer , softball , swimming & diving , tennis , track & field and volleyball . Fraternities and sororities . Transylvania has an even [ [ Fraternities and sororities | Greek life ] ] on campus , with four fraternities and four sororities and over half of the students as members of Greek organizations . Each chapter is represented on either the Interfraternity Council ( fraternities ) or the Panhellenic Association ( sororities ) . In its 2011 edition of " The Best 373 Colleges " , the " [ [ Princeton Review ] ] " named Transylvania number 1 on its list of colleges with " A Major Frat or Sorority Scene " In 2010 , the school was named number 1 in percentage of Greek students on campus . < BR > < BR > Fraternities : Sororities : Noted people . Amongst Transylvania ' s prominent alumni are two [ [ Vice President of the United States | U . S . vice presidents ] ] , [ [ John C . Breckinridge ] ] and [ [ Richard Mentor Johnson ] ] , and two [ [ United States Supreme Court | U . S . Supreme Court ] ] justices , [ [ John Marshall Harlan ] ] and [ [ Samuel Freeman Miller ] ] . External links . [ [ Category : Transylvania University | ] ] [ [ Category : Educational institutions established in the 1780s ] ] [ [ Category : Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ ) ] ] [ [ Category : Council of Independent Colleges ] ] [ [ Category : National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities members ] ] [ [ Category : Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ] ] [ [ Category : Universities and colleges in Lexington , Kentucky ] ] [ [ Category : Liberal arts colleges ] ] [ [ Category : Universities and colleges in Kentucky ] ] [ [ Category : National Register of Historic Places in Lexington , Kentucky ] ] [ [ Category : Members of the Annapolis Group ] ] [ [ Category : Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky ] ]