Alumna Supports Access and Inclusivity

People and their stories have always fascinated Jan Anestis ’67. She came to Transylvania University from a small town in Pennsylvania, attending college at a time when the civil rights movement was also taking shape nationally.

After graduating as an education major, she received a fellowship that prepared teachers to work with socially and emotionally maladjusted children which took her to New York University where she earned her master’s degree and enjoyed living amongst the melting pot of cultures that is Manhattan.

While Anestis married and entered a career in teaching at mental health facilities in the northeast, she also had a passion for writing. She authored a weekly newspaper column in Connecticut while raising three sons and serving her community through various volunteer activities. She now has a blog that is geared toward older adults and has penned five novels—four of which are written in partnership with two Transylvania classmates.

Always staying close to her alma mater, Anestis serves as a member of the Transylvania Board of Regents where she has learned about diversity and inclusion initiatives as well as the campus food pantry which supports students who experience food insecurity.

Recently, working with Dr. Deidra Dennie, the university’s Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, she created a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Endowed Scholarship Fund and will add to this someday with a future bequest in her estate. This Fund helps to attract and retain exceptional students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds for enrollment at the university.

“I support this area because I believe we gain as much from exposure to a wider group of people as we do in the classroom,” said Anestis. “Interacting with people from different backgrounds, asking questions and learning to communicate in a safe and welcoming environment should be important components of any education.”

You, like Jan, can create your own legacy at Transylvania University. Contact Diana McKenzie at (859) 233-8801 or legacygiving@transy.edu to learn more.