Dear Vanderbilt community,
At a time of deeply troubling division within our country, Vanderbilt stands uniquely positioned to help unite our country through the advancement of research, scholarship and compelling dialogue. Following recent events and the devastating assault on the United States Capitol last week, it is most imperative that we continue to leverage our world-class faculty and collaborative community to solve society’s most pressing challenges and light a path to a more perfect union. Months ago, a group began discussing ways we at Vanderbilt could play a productive, active role in helping heal our national fissures. Today, I am proud to announce a bold step toward this mission: the launch of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy.
Our objectives for the project are to provide a compelling platform for Vanderbilt scholars and thought leaders from across the political spectrum to elevate original research and examine relevant evidence and key moments in American history. By supplanting ideologies with fact and evidence, the Vanderbilt Project for Unity and American Democracy can offer policy makers and the public new discoveries to address the vital issues of the day and bridge the gaps that divide our nation.
Vanderbilt’s common purpose, intellectual talent, central geography, diverse community and enduring mission can make this endeavor a lasting success. Together, we can advance our democracy while enriching the values and institutions that support it.
To help set the tone of the Vanderbilt Project for Unity and American Democracy, I will host a virtual Chancellor’s Lecture Series event Thursday, Jan. 14, at 4:30 p.m. CT, led by Vanderbilt’s own Jon Meacham, co-chair of the project and a Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian.
Meacham will first speak with Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, to discuss the importance of evidence and reason in political discourse. Meacham will then lead a case study discussion with 66th U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the evidence and arguments necessary to secure bipartisan support for President George W. Bush’s PEPFAR program—the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief—which has received more than $85 billion to date in unified U.S. government support, the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history.
No strangers to the Vanderbilt stage, these leaders exemplify American democracy at work. Their careers offer a heartening reminder that the values and aspirations we share far outweigh the gaps that divide us. I can’t think of a better way to start the project and engage the Vanderbilt community in such a transformative time for our nation.
I invite all members of the community to attend this virtual event, for which you can register here. These compelling conversations mark the first of many programs and insights from leaders across the political spectrum. Learn more about the goals, bipartisan leadership and foundation of the Vanderbilt Project for Unity and American Democracy in MyVU and at www.vanderbilt.edu/unity.
Thank you for making Vanderbilt a distinguished community that embraces evidence-based reasoning, complex questions and a productive exchange of ideas, especially during such pivotal moments in our collective history.
Sincerely,
Daniel Diermeier
Chancellor