(John Russell/Vanderbilt)

The women’s golf team advanced to the NCAA Championship for the fourth consecutive season for the first time in program history with a third-place finish at the West Regional. The top eight teams from the 24-team regional advance to the finals, which takes place May 21-24 in Athens, Ga.

(Photo courtesy of the women's soccer team/Vanderbilt)

The Vanderbilt women’s soccer team has embarked on an eight-day tour of Brazil. Two exhibition games against local club sides in Rio are sandwiched among numerous cultural activities.

Conner Harrell at bat (John Russell/Vanderbilt)

No. 1 Vanderbilt held off a late rally en route to a 7-6 win over Alabama at Hawkins Field to push the Commodores win streak to 14 games.

(Vanderbilt University/Daniel Dubois)

Don’t forget! Vanderbilt’s Family Night with the Nashville Symphony is Tuesday, May 21.

This fun annual event will take place 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on Commons Center Lawn on the Peabody Campus. Bring your family, picnic basket and a blanket to enjoy a musical feast – free of charge – as the Nashville Symphony Orchestra performs for the Vanderbilt community.

New this year, popular food truck vendors Deg Thai, Retro Sno and Riffs Fine Street Food for guests who wish to purchase gourmet meals and treats.

In the event of rain or extremely hot weather, the Ingram Performance Hall at Blair will be the alternate concert site.

For updates, check the Employee Celebration website.

Contact: Midori Lockett, symphony@vanderbilt.edu.

Golden (Vanderbilt)

Thom Golden, senior associate director of undergraduate admissions, has received the New Leader Alumni Award from Ohio State University’s College of Education and Human Ecology.

Lara Jazmin, a graduate student in chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been selected to attend the 63rd Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates, to be held in Lindau, Germany. The annual gathering convenes Nobel laureates in chemistry, physics and physiology/medicine for open and informal meetings with students and young researchers. This marks the sixth year in a row a Vanderbilt student has been selected to attend, with Jazmin the 13th student overall selected from Vanderbilt since 2002.

Levine (Vanderbilt)

Amy-Jill Levine’s interview with U.S. Catholic, titled “A Jewish take on Jesus,” has received an award of excellence from the Associated Church Press, the oldest interdenominational religious press association in North America. Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies. Judges in the competition said the Q&A was “framed by excellent questions that elicit thoughtful, insightful responses that illuminate both the subject and the topic.”

Saff (Vanderbilt)

Ed Saff, professor of mathematics, has been elected a foreign member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The distinction will be officially conferred to him at the
 International Conference on Constructive Theory of Functions in 
Sozopol, Bulgaria, in June.

Steve Schach, professor of computer science, emeritus, has published a historical spy thriller, Old Bach is Come, available from Wandering in the Words Press.

Karen Swoopes, an administrative assistant at Peabody Library, was selected by her peers as Member of the Year of the Nashville Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Michael Zoorob, a College of Arts and Science sophomore, presented a paper examining the impact of U.S. aid on Pakistan at the Midwest Political Science Association annual conference held in Chicago. Zoorob, an honors student from Brentwood, Tenn., wrote and submitted the paper as part of an independent study course under the direction of Assistant Professor of Political Science Carol Atkinson.

Amy-Jill Levine (Daniel Dubois/Vanderbilt)

Amy-Jill Levine forgot “after about the first 12 minutes” that she was inside a prison back in 2005 when she first taught at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. “I didn’t know what to expect, but what I found was extraordinary,” said Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt. “We opened up the conversation, and it was among the richest I’ve ever had.”

Of Divinity faculty, Levine has taught the most classes at Riverbend. She will return in the fall to teach “The Gospel of John” to a class limited to 12 inmates and 12 Vanderbilt students. Levine, Bruce Morrill, Daniel Joranko and Richard Goode recently discussed their life-changing experiences teaching in Nashville-area prisons during the Rethinking Prisons Conference at Vanderbilt. The panelists agreed that what sets apart the Vanderbilt classes is that university students learn alongside the “insider” students, many of whom routinely sign up for the single class taught each semester. “One of the challenges of teaching in a maximum security prison is that you have to keep developing new courses because your insider students will be in your classes for more than the three years of a normal Divinity School degree program,” Levine said.

Bruce Morrill (Daniel Dubois/Vanderbilt))

Morrill, the Edward A. Malloy Professor of Catholic Studies at Vanderbilt, taught “Suffering, Politics and Liberation” this spring at Riverbend. “It is a course I actually developed as a doctoral student at Emory University and have taught many times with some modifications along the way,” Morrill said.

The course is described as a close reading of biographical and theological texts to explore the practical role religious faith plays in people’s experiences and responses to suffering caused by systemic injustice in societies. The readings included biographies of Rigoberta Menchu, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Morrill noted that several of the inmates are very involved in chaplaincy programs and are deeply appreciative of the opportunity to enroll in the Vanderbilt classes.

After Morrill came to Vanderbilt in summer 2011, he was invited to join the Contemplative Study Group at Riverbend, which meets Saturday evenings for worship and reflection. “I had already heard the insiders speak with such joy about the classes on Monday evenings, so I was ebullient to have the opportunity to teach there,” he said.

One of the early driving forces behind the Vanderbilt Divinity prison ministry was the late Harmon Wray, a Nashville criminal justice expert who died unexpectedly in 2007. Shortly before his death, Wray was quoted in a Vanderbilt Register story. “The initial idea was based on a program that’s been going on for 20 years at Sing Sing Prison in New York,” Wray said. “The difference here is that I don’t think there’s any other place in the country where divinity students are actually sitting in the classroom with the Riverbend students reading the same material, discussing the same material.”

Joranko, adjunct lecturer at Vanderbilt Divinity School, took over coordination of the program after Wray’s death. “Faculty bring their own unique teaching styles to each course, but most of the classes ‘gel’ around the content with in-depth discussion,” Joranko said. “The most important value is the community of mutual respect that helps both the Riverbend and the Vanderbilt students grow formatively through the experience.”

Also participating in the conference was Richard Goode, a professor of history at Lipscomb University. Goode earned his doctorate in religion from Vanderbilt in 1995. About five years later he began exploring with Wray and others the idea of forming a master’s of divinity program at Riverbend. When the program was launched, courses were limited to “special topics” taught by adjunct instructors.

In 2004 Goode and other prison ministry advocates met with tenured Divinity faculty to see if they would be willing to relocate some of their classes to Riverbend. Goode noted that Levine was one of the first to step up to the challenge. Goode also played an important role in developing Lipscomb’s undergraduate liberal arts education program at the Tennessee Women’s Prison. “Teaching at the prison is truly inspiring, but it’s important to consider the perspective of the insider students when teaching the material,” Goode said. “If we walk in saying ‘we are here to save you’ or ‘we are here to fix you,’ we’re creating as much trouble as anything else. However, if we say ‘our liberation is bound together,’ then we might begin to learn together,” Goode said.

Most of the 15 prisoners from the first group in the Lipscomb program, which started in 2007, will earn their associate degrees in December. The Lipscomb tuition is $450 per student for a three-hour semester course and textbooks. Goode said that a small grant that runs through the end of this year covers tuition for some students. In addition, a number of donors provide scholarships for others not covered by the grant.

The insider students at Riverbend are not charged tuition. Those who have already earned a bachelor’s degree are eligible to receive credit for the master’s-level courses. At this time, insider students cannot earn a master’s degree since not all of the required courses have been offered behind the walls. That was a longtime dream of Harmon Wray that those who have taught at Riverbend hope will be realized someday.

The music begins at 4 p.m. with Centennial Jambands, followed by the headlining act.

May 19 – David Olney and The Aristocrats

May 26 – Bob Delevante

June 2 – William Tyler

June 9 – Andy T. and Nick Nixon

June 16 – Webb Wilder

June 23 – Kim Richey

Dragon Music Sundays is presented by the Hillsboro-West End Neighborhood Association. For more information, visit hwen.org.

(image courtesy of Sarratt Youth Art Institute)

It’s not too late to register your child for the award-winning Sarratt Youth Art Institute this summer. The institute offers art programs for students ages 5–16.

But don’t delay—all sessions for ages 5–7 are now sold out, and sessions for ages 8–16 are filling up quickly.

Voted “Best of Nashville 2012” in the Nashville Scene Readers’ Poll, the Sarratt Youth Art Institute allows children to explore clay, jewelry, fused glass, photography, drawing, painting and animation under the direction of some of Nashville’s finest artist-educators.

For more information and to register online, visit our website.

Contact: David F. Heustess, (615) 343-0491

Art2wear’s grand showcase is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 25, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 26. In addition to the opportunity to purchase wearable art items, the showcase will include surprise treats and the chance to win door prizes.

Tickets for the preview gala May 24 are $30 in advance (purchase online) and $35 at the door. Tickets for the grand showcase May 25 and 26 are $10 in advance and at the door. Proceeds from ticket sales for the Nashville show will benefit Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Art Studios’ summer programs for children.

Parking for the event will be available in the 25th Avenue Garage at the corner of 25th Avenue South and Highland Avenue as well as metered spaces.

Nashville-area artists participating in art2wear include: Annie Turbin (fiber), Lisa Mergen (fiber), Susan Moody (jewelry), Nancie Roark (jewelry), Yarra Yemin (jewelry), Linda McLaughlin (jewelry)  and Linda Hobdy (jewelry).

ArtWorks Foundation, the producer of the event, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging public awareness of the importance of a vibrant and active arts community and to promoting interest in collecting fine-art crafts by artists in the Southeast through exhibitions and education programs.

For more information, visit the art2wear website.

Contact: David Heustess, (615) 343-0491

In addition to being a healthy and cost-effective mode of transportation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that biking one mile saves almost one pound of greenhouse gas from being produced. By biking to work, you can spend less money on gas and car maintenance, spend more time enjoying the great outdoors, get some exercise and be one less car sitting in rush hour traffic.

As part of Nashville Bike Month, Walk/Bike Nashville will serve breakfast at the Public Square at 8 a.m. to all bike commuters on May 17. Mayor Karl Dean will also issue a proclamation designating May as Nashville Bike Month at the event.

Join the Tour de Nash on Saturday, May 18, to learn about Music City’s many bike-friendly facilities and perhaps find a new biking route to work.

Don’t own a bike? Nashville offers two bike rental options in the downtown area, including locations near Vanderbilt’s campus. Information about the Nashville B-Cycle and Nashville GreenBikes programs can be found here.

For more information on Vanderbilt’s alternative transportation options, including biking, visit SustainVU.

Contact: Tiffany Renfro, (615) 322-9022
tiffany.m.renfro@vanderbilt.edu

(Steve Green/Vanderbilt)

Laurel Creech from Mayor Karl Dean’s office will discuss Nashville’s B-Cycle program, the 25 greenways located throughout the city and the importance of bike safety on Thursday, May 16, from noon to 1 p.m. The talk will take place in Light Hall, Room 439.

The discussion is part of the Life Phase Presentation Series sponsored by Health Plus, part of Faculty and Staff Health and Wellness.

Contact: Kimberly Tromatore, (615) 343-3849
kimberly.a.tromatore@vanderbilt.edu

The W.M. Keck Foundation seeks to support pioneering discoveries in medicine and in science and engineering. By funding the high-risk, high-impact work of leading researchers, the foundation is laying the groundwork for new paradigms, technologies and discoveries that will save lives, provide innovative solutions and add to the understanding of the world. Both senior and early career investigators are encouraged to apply.

Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee must submit the following (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on June 7.

Concept papers, single-paged concepts for the Medical Research and Science and Engineering programs, should include:

• An overview of the proposed project emphasizing any unique aspects and pilot studies;
• A brief description of the key personnel and methodologies;
• A brief justification of the need for Keck support; and
• An estimated budget broken down, if possible, by major areas, such as personnel, equipment, consumable supplies, etc. Budgets can be rough approximations at this stage.

Authors are free to add other details (e.g. background to put the research in perspective, description of the institution’s prominence in the field, etc.) if there’s room.

Avoid illustrations in these single-pagers. The researchers will need all the room for text.

If a reference is necessary, abbreviate it as (Science, 323, 45, ’11). DO NOT USE (Jones et al., 2011).

Also include:

• A brief statement of support from the department chair or center director; and
• A brief CV or NIH biosketch.

Submissions should reference the program name in the subject line of the email.

Once received, all proposals will be forwarded to an internal review committee that will choose the final nominees (one for each of the two programs). The chosen nominees will submit a full proposal to the foundation by Nov. 1, 2013.

If you have any questions about the foundation or its interests and priorities, please contact Executive Director of Foundation Relations Vivian Carmichael, or call 875-4915.

Contact: Vivian Carmichael, (615) 875-4915
vivian.carmichael@vanderbilt.edu

The event will include:

• A ride with American Picker’s Mike Wolfe for the eight-mile family ride
• T-shirts and a barbecue feast from Hog Heaven and the BeHive for paid tours
• Eight-milers who bring three books to donate to Ride for Reading will get a free T-shirt

Register today or on event day with cash, check or credit card. Pre-register by May 17 for a chance to win a Regions Bank green bike.

Vanderbilt is an event partner of Tour de Nash and is helping to create a more walkable, bikeable and livable Nashville by raising awareness of active transportation facilities in Music City.

Also, Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 17. It begins at 8 a.m. at Nashville’s Public Square. Join bike commuters from your neighborhood for free coffee from Bongo Java, Bagelface Bakery bagels and Dozen Bakery scones. Mayor Karl Dean will make a special announcement at 8 a.m.

See meet-up locations and departure times.

Coordinate with riders in your area on Facebook.

James Hudnut-Beumler (center) and Emilie Townes (right). (Steve Green/Vanderbilt)

James Hudnut-Beumler, who is stepping down as dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School after 13 years, presented to his successor two gifts—an inscribed history of the school and a blank journal—during an emotional celebration service for graduates and their families.

Hudnut-Beumler said that he was giving incoming dean Emilie M. Townes a book edited by retired Professor Dale Johnson “…so you may know who we have been. The second is a blank journal, so that with you as our dean, you may write the next chapter in our history.” Several Vanderbilt Divinity professors and alumni contributed to the book, Vanderbilt Divinity School: Education, Contest, and Change (Vanderbilt University Press, 2001).

During Hudnut-Beumler’s “charge” to Townes, who will become dean July 1, he encouraged her to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” He also wished her a long, rewarding deanship. Hudnut-Beumler is the Anne Potter Wilson Professor of American Religious History.

Townes, who has been the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African American Religion and Theology and associate dean of academic affairs at Yale Divinity School, thanked Hudnut-Beumler for all of his support through the transition. She also brought greetings to the new graduates.

Emilie Townes (Yale University)

“I can think of no better place or time of the year to talk about possibilities than in a baccalaureate service,” she said. “Graduates, you are setting off for the known and the unknown. Live into the possibilities before you and please do not settle for the easy way out. Take on the world and refuse to accept the way things are. Live life hard with commitment to faith, with an eye toward justice and a spirit that knows that you sometimes need to rest and leave spaces for reflection.”

Townes also called on the Divinity School community to join with her to “…dare to live justice, love, passion, integrity, courage and more.”

The service, which took place May 8 in Benton Chapel, included performances by the Vanderbilt Divinity School Ensemble and the Village Church Drum Ensemble.

The children’s hospital is celebrating release week by offering a free download of one of the songs, “Help Me,” written by Amy Overton and music therapist Jenny Plume, and recorded by bluegrass singer-songwriter and musician Alison Krauss.

The download is available May 13-20 to anyone who subscribes to Wishing Well, the Children’s Hospital’s blog.

In addition to Krauss, artists who contributed to the CD include Kix Brooks, Melinda Doolittle, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Maura O’Connell, Johnny Reid, SHEL and Phil Vassar.

The songs were written over the past six years, each the result of a clinical music therapy session involving a patient and Plume. Other writers were Austin Bagby, Ethan Carpenter, Courtney Gaoette, Erica Kilburn, Gigi Pasley and Christopher Weber.

Contact: Cynthia Manley, (615) 936-3171
cynthia.manley@vanderbilt.edu

In a world where leaders and heroes frequently disappoint and the Internet frontier is “crawling with schemers and hackers and avatars,” Vanderbilt graduates should cling to their integrity and authenticity, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos told the Class of 2013.

“When you face disillusionment in others or temptations in yourself to be false, I hope you will remember that when you were first welcomed to Vanderbilt, it was not because we wanted to change you into someone different from the young person you were then,” Zeppos said to some 3,000 graduates and their guests in Memorial Gym.

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos speaks May 10 during Commencement (Vanderbilt University)

“Whatever degree of wealth, fame or prestige you find after you leave Vanderbilt, when you return, and when we hear of you, we will be looking for that same promising young person we met in American history or Renaissance literature classes, in astronomy or anatomy, at piano and voice performances, on the athletic fields and courts, via government and community service organizations, through a byline in The Hustler or a poem in the Nashville Review, and in the quiet revealing conversations in residence halls or in the residents’ lounge.

“We’ll be listening for that authentic voice, your one voice, the one we heard you learning to speak ever more clearly at Vanderbilt.”

The Commencement ceremony capped two days of activities for graduates and their guests. Events included a speech by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison, educational seminars by faculty and separate ceremonies by each of Vanderbilt’s 10 schools at which students were awarded their degrees.

The top students in each school were awarded Founder’s Medals.

“Take with you our hopes for your health and happiness and our counsel that you never lose sight of where you came from, or the people, past and present, who have helped you arrive here today,” Zeppos told the graduates. “Strive always to understand your best true self in the mission that you decide each day to make your own purpose.”