Dear Vanderbilt community,
I am excited that this day—my first as the chancellor of Vanderbilt University—is finally here. It is a privilege to join this community and to begin writing our next chapter together.
We continue to live through immensely difficult times, and, in some ways, it’s an unusual moment for me to be entering this role. At the same time, I am very optimistic about what our future holds—from planning for many of us to learn together on campus this fall, to creating an even more equitable community where all of our students can maximize their potential. It is precisely in these times, when extraordinary circumstances force our community to step up, that we can make a significant and lasting impact together.
While I am still in the process of learning, planning and meeting Commodores across our community, I will begin focusing on some of my early priorities for Vanderbilt. One of these is redoubling our equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives to create not just a more equitable environment for our Black community on campus, but also to inspire change more broadly. Another priority will be to bolster our approach to preventing sexual assault and misconduct. I will announce more details to this end as I continue to meet with more community members this summer and into the fall.
When I think about these critical and pressing topics, our profound aspirations for the future and the complex decisions we have made about our Return to Campus Plan, I realize that they are all motivated by the same goal: to provide every one of our students with a transformative education that will enrich their lives intellectually, socially and emotionally for many years to come.
Our mission, and our impact as a leading university, has never been more important than it is during these challenging times, and it will continue to guide us as we look ahead to brighter days. This is a pivotal moment for Vanderbilt, and also for each of you. I am confident we can make great strides together, and I cannot wait to get started.
Sincerely,
Daniel Diermeier
Chancellor, Vanderbilt University