Jane Landers, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of History, is the recipient of the 2019 Vanderbilt Alumni Education Award.
The Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board recognized Landers for her longtime, significant contributions to furthering alumni education programs. An historian of Colonial Latin America and the Atlantic world specializing in the history of Africans and their descendants in those worlds, Landers has led engaging presentations during Commodore Classrooms for many chapters. She also has enriched the experience as the faculty expert on six trips for the Vanderbilt Travel Program.
Tim Warnock, BA’84, president-elect of the Alumni Association Board, presented the award to Landers during a surprise meeting in the office of Marshall Eakin, Distinguished Professor of History. John Geer, dean of the College Arts and Science and Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science, and Susan Starcher, Catherine Hooper and Cary Allyn from the Office of Alumni Relations also were in attendance.
“For so many years, Professor Landers has engaged alumni audiences in multiple chapter cities,” says Warnock. “Her great scholarship of Colonial Latin America and the history of Africans made Vanderbilt Travel Program trips to Cuba, Mexico, Kenya and other destinations an unforgettable experience for participants.”
The Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board has chosen a faculty member for the Alumni Education Award each year since 1982. The honor includes a cash prize and a silver tray.