Month: September 2005

Sometimes it is best not to cut corners. Bargain hunting for a plastic surgeon, say, does not make much sense. You just might get your money's worth. So too with airline mechanics. Looking through small, thick windows at the workers scurrying around my plane in preparation for take-off, I hope that they are all well fed and happy, the sort of loyal and devoted employees who always double-check that troublesome hydraulic joint. Read More

A comedy about a celebrated radio personality recuperating from a fall in 1939 small-town America begins the Vanderbilt's Department of Theatre season. Read More

Emmett B. Fields, the only person ever to have the title of president of Vanderbilt University, died at home today at 81. Read More

Many people with disabilities not able to evacuate from the Gulf Coast, as well as those who did evacuate, are having difficulty finding needed resources in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In response, Tennessee Disability Pathfinder, an online referral service for individuals with disabilities, has created a Web-based collection of resources at www.familypathfinder.org. Read More

All members of the Middle Tennessee arts community are invited to a town hall meeting at Vanderbilt University at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, to hear details of a major collaborative art project involving Vanderbilt students and local artists. Read More

The Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 31-23 Sept. 17, but not without much more drama than indicated by the final score. The so-called "cardiac" Commodores almost let a 21-point third-quarter lead slip away. Instead, fourth-year Head Coach Bobby Johnson and his team held on to remain undefeated, and carry their record to 3-0 for the first time since 1984. Read More

Political theorists Carole Pateman and Charles Mills will share their views on the roles that sex and race play in social contract theory during a joint presentation sponsored by the Warren Humanities Center at Vanderbilt University. Read More

After many years of planning and construction, the new Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center for hearing and Speech Sciences facility is open for patients. Located within the top five floors of Medical Center East — South Tower, on the Vanderbilt University Medical Center campus, the facility houses state-of-the-art services for adult and pediatric hearing and speech patients who come from throughout Middle Tennessee for the facility's specialized services. Read More

A Vanderbilt University political scientist whose research assists nations in building democracies has received major funding to poll Colombian citizens about their attitudes toward democracy. Read More

Airlines' cost-quality tradeoffs: Michael LaprÈ, assistant professor of management at the Vanderbilt Owen School of Management, is an operations expert who has conducted extensive research into airlines. With Gary Scudder, he authored the award-winning 2004 paper "Performance Improvement Paths in the U.S. Airline Industry: Linking Trade-offs to Asset Frontiers," in which they examined 10 airlines over an 11-year period. They looked at quality, based on customer complaints filed with the Department of Transportation, and at decisions the airlines made impacting costs, considering whether airlines could address problems of quality and cost simultaneously. LaprÈ is available to discuss these same considerations as contributing factors to the declarations of bankruptcy by Northwest and Delta. Read More

Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker, former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William H. Donaldson and Chancellor of the Delaware Court of the Chancery William B. Chandler III will headline the 2005 Vanderbilt Directors College on Oct. 6 and 7. Read More

Two professors from very different academic disciplines come together Sept. 29 to discuss how faith and politics play increasingly important roles in the work of women activists. Read More

Listen to a Sept. 13 lecture by Karen R. Harris and Stephen E. Graham, the first holders of the Currey Ingram Chair of Special Education at Peabody College. The two professors of special education are committed to improving the literacy abilities of all children, including those with learning disabilities. The chair was made possible through a gift from John Rivers Ingram and Stephanie Currey Ingram. Introductory speakers at the lecture were: Peabody Dean Camilla Benbow, Provost Nicholas Zeppos and Chancellor Gordon Gee. Read More

Photographs documenting the 70-year history of the Kemet Jubilee will be on display Sept. 26-Oct. 6 at Vanderbilt University's Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. The organization's general chairman, Clyde Venson, will kick off the exhibit with a lecture on the parade's history at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Following Venson's speech, there will be a reception at 5:30 p.m. at the Black Cultural Center. The event is free and open to the public. Read More

Photographs documenting the 70-year history of the Kemet Jubilee will be on display Sept. 26-Oct. 6 at Vanderbilt University‘s Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. The organization‘s general chairman, Clyde Venson, will kick off the exhibit with a lecture on the parade‘s history at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Following Venson‘s speech, there will be a reception at 5:30 p.m. at the Black Cultural Center. The event is free and open to the public. Read More

For the second time in as many weeks, the Vanderbilt Commodores orchestrated a come-from-behind victory late in the fourth quarter, defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks 28-24. Read More

Mark your calendars for the second annual We Care for Kids Day street party and free concert in celebration of Middle Tennessee children. Read More

New times are announced for the MTMRC Warehouse and the Vine Hill Community Clinic. Read More

Dongqing Li -- an international leader in "lab-on-a-chip" biotechnology who is joining Vanderbilt as the new H. Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering -- dreams of creating a miniature, portable laboratory the size of a business card, capable of on-the-scene diagnosis of diseases and rapid detection of biochemical warfare agents. Read More

Listen to InterVU, one of Vanderbilt University‘s public affairs podcasts, to learn what to expect from the Senate confirmation hearings for John Roberts, nominee for chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Political scientist and legal expert Stefanie Lindquist is interviewed. The second segment features David Zald, assistant professor of psychology, who has researched the impact of a gory or erotic image on vision. Read More