Conversation with Gen. David Petraeus to stream live

Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, will visit Vanderbilt on Monday, March 1, to talk about his actions as commander of the surge in Iraq and the role of U.S. forces overseas. All tickets have been claimed for the free public event. However, the event will be streamed live at www.vanderbilt.edu/news.

CANCELED Anderson Sa-Grupo AfroReggae performance, events

A visit to Vanderbilt by Anderson Sa and Grupo Cultural AfroReggae has been canceled, including a Feb. 25 concert that is part of Vanderbilt’s Great Performances series.

Lopez nominated for 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

A short story collection by a Vanderbilt professor described as “an amazingly original Flannery O’Connor/Loretta Lynn collision” is one of five nominees for the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Homicide Survivors Picnic by Lorraine Lopez, associate professor of English, will compete with books by Sherman Alexie, Barbara Kingsolver, Lorrie Moore and Colson Whitehead for the award,

Vanderbilt Law School ranks high for placing graduates

Vanderbilt Law School ranked No. 12 in placement of 2009 graduates in top firms, up from 16th in 2008.

Benson Hall and the Library’s Archival Storage Facility receive LEED certification

LEED certification recognizes buildings that were designed and constructed to certain specifications of water conservation, energy efficiency and waste minimization.

It’s time to think about severe spring weather, especially tornadoes

In the past decade, more people have died in Tennessee because of tornadoes than any other state, according to information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Vanderbilt professor to be inducted into Blues Hall of Fame

Peter Guralnick, author of acclaimed biographies on Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke, will be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame during a May 5 ceremony in Memphis.

Outside retirement plan contributions should be reported to Vanderbilt

Do you contribute to another retirement plan? If you do, you may need to report those contributions to Vanderbilt according to the IRS.

Food Inc. screening Feb. 27 at Sarratt Cinema

A panel discussion will follow the screening, featuring representatives from Vanderbilt’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Office, Nashville Urban Harvest, the Traveling Vegetarian television program and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

March events at Blair

Mark your calendars for these exciting events in March at Blair School of Music.

more info and top stories »

  This Week

Feb. 25: Off the Wall Lecture Series: “The Places of the Gods and Heroes in Ancient Greece.” Barbara Tsakirgis (Off Campus)

Feb. 26: Human Rights in Brazil Conference with Capoeira Performance at Noon

Feb. 28: Our Kids Soup Sunday (Off Campus)

Mar. 1: “Beyond Inclusion: Rethinking Normalcy, Identity, and Disability in Theological Terms.” Dr. Thomas E. Reynolds

Mar. 2: New Faces of America: A One Person Show

Mar. 3: Thinking Out of the Lunch Box – Laura Carpenter

Mar. 3: Brain Awareness Month 2010 – “This is Your Brain on Stress: The Role of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex.” Steven F. Maier

Mar. 4: Annual William J. Byrn Lecture

 Mark Your Calendars

Mar. 5-7: VU Baseball – Music City Classic

Mar. 6-8: 2010 National Championship Debate Tournament

more events »

Announcements

Noted physician/author featured in lecture Feb. 26

Visit Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health open House Feb. 26

Center for Teaching offers March workshops

Weight Watchers sessions start March 10

Learn about Colombia on March 4

more announcements »

Featured Media

Watch: Vanderbilt and the Nashville Sit-In Movement: A 50-Year Retrospective

Vanderbilt marked the 50th anniversary of the Nashville sit-ins with a Feb. 22, 2010, symposium at the Student Life Center featuring some of the original participants. The sit-ins are considered models of disciplined non-violence and an early success of the civil rights movement.

Listen: free acclaimed international film series continues at Sarratt

International Lens, which uses film screenings as a forum to promote conversation in the diverse community of Vanderbilt and Nashville, is in its fifth semester on campus. All screenings are free and open to the public.

more media »

Tune in to VUCast, for audio and video of events happening around campus. You can also find VU podcasts on iTunes and VU videos on YouTube.

FROM COMMODORE NATION MAGAZINE: Booker remains a fixture in SEC basketball

When Barry Booker signed to play basketball at Vanderbilt before the 1985-86 season, he knew he’d spend the next four years traveling from city to city in the Southeastern Conference, but he had no idea he’d remain so closely tied to the conference 25 years later.

At Vanderbilt Booker was known as the sharpshooting guard who was the SEC’s all-time career leader in three-point field-goal percentage. Booker still holds the mark, but instead of being known as the player who holds the record, most basketball fans in the SEC know Booker as the television analyst for SEC basketball.

Since 1994, Booker has been a fixture in the living rooms of SEC basketball fans. However, when Booker graduated from Vanderbilt in 1989, a career in broadcasting seemed like a long shot.

“I certainly had the interest in broadcasting and thought it would be really cool and really interesting to be able to do it,” Booker said. “I just had no idea how to begin to get into the field.”   Read more