New Vanderbilt residences boldly connect Nashville and the world

Nicholas S. Zeppos
  • What better time to cultivate such communities than right now, when rancor plagues America?
  • Nicholas S. Zeppos is the chancellor of Vanderbilt University.

Cranes are ubiquitous in Nashville, symbols of our hometown’s dynamic economy. Maybe you’ve driven past Vanderbilt University and seen the crane shifting the West End skyline, and wondered what we’re up to. 

A rendering of a planned renovation to Vanderbilt's West End side of campus that will tear down the Carmichael Towers.

The work you see is the construction of new living communities for undergraduates and the many faculty, staff, graduate students and visiting scholars who make the Vanderbilt educational experience distinctive.

But the true work that we’re engaging in is making good on our commitment to shape America’s future leaders, one brick at a time.

Bit by bit over the last decade, we’ve demolished tens of thousands of square feet of outdated residence halls. In their place, we’re building residential colleges to provide a 24/7, immersive learning experience.

E. Bronson Ingram College will open this fall, and we’ve broken ground on the next college, which includes plans for an iconic tower for visiting national and international scholars, artists, poets, policymakers and other luminaries to enable Vanderbilt to engage globally on the most complex, important and fascinating issues of our time.

► Read More:Vanderbilt's $600 million capital project to change the face of West End Avenue

A total of four new residential colleges will be complete by our 150th anniversary in 2023.

Much more than just housing, residential colleges are a physical representation of our vision to educate the whole student, developing leaders with the skills and experiences necessary to solve the complex challenges facing society today and in the future.

They bring together talented and diverse young people with world-renowned faculty to build communities based on mutual understanding. These students attend Vanderbilt regardless of their ability to pay, thanks to Opportunity Vanderbilt, which meets 100 percent of a family’s financial need with no loans. 

Higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to build such communities. America’s great universities are one of the last places in our nation where we intentionally bring together people from different beliefs, races, ethnicities, faiths and economic backgrounds to live, learn and discover together.

With timeless architecture that will last for generations, communal dining, and creative spaces, every detail is designed to build a lasting community grounded in civility, respect and friendship.

This represents a major transformation for our university, one that is made possible by generous philanthropy from alumni and donors to both the facilities and Opportunity Vanderbilt. And it is good for the local economy.

The project is being brought to life by more than 300 local craftspeople and many local subcontractors, and adds to the more than 63,000 jobs supported in Middle Tennessee by Vanderbilt operations and student and visitor spending. When our new residential colleges are complete, Nashville’s West End Avenue will be known as the home of one of the most innovative undergraduate experiences in the world. 

► Read More:We are launching Civility Tennessee to restore faith in each other

Four-year residential colleges have been a mainstay at some universities for centuries—think Oxford and Cambridge. Vanderbilt is the only American university to embark on such a radical transformation today. One could be forgiven for thinking: You’ve had 144 years to do this. So, why now?

Because residential colleges better reflect Vanderbilt’s approach to education—an approach we think is more crucial now than ever. What better time to cultivate such communities than right now, when rancor plagues America?

Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos

What better moment than this one, when the values at the heart of higher education and civil society are under threat? What better city than Nashville, a crossroads of cultures with a core of civic engagement? 

With residential colleges, Vanderbilt is going big and bold on our commitment to a liberal arts education immersed in research and discovery. We are investing in our belief that higher education can bridge the distances between us, and make us better, as people and as a country.

We are issuing a forceful response against both bigotry and anti-intellectualism and a resounding “yes vote” for the ideals of learning and teaching, of equality, of civility, of diversity of thought, of respect for evidence. 

It would have been easier to stay the course. But no one is served when a university narrows its vision. So, we are making a pledge—to our current students, to future generations, to our city and to our nation—to be a force for true progress. And we are signing that pledge with timeless buildings that call forth the best from all of us.

Nicholas S. Zeppos is the chancellor of Vanderbilt University.