Dear colleagues and community members,
As the fall 2021 semester concludes, and as I reflect on my first five and a half months at Vanderbilt, I am increasingly confident in our potential to set transformative new benchmarks for research, scholarship and creative expression.
From the more than 3,100 classes offered on campus this semester to the many examples of interdisciplinary research highlighted in the above video, Vanderbilt continues to produce knowledge, rigorous scholarship and solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. This semester alone, Vanderbilt scholars received more than 260 awards from prestigious external sponsors, from Wellcome Leap to the Environmental Protection Agency, resulting in $77.7 million in award funding and a portfolio that positions us for even more game-changing research in the future.
As we apply the lessons we have learned from the pandemic, we have an opportunity to expand our thinking, bolster collaboration and make our impact even more legible to the general public. In so doing, we can demonstrate the power of higher education at a pivotal moment for our nation and our Nashville community.
I deeply appreciate the work we have accomplished this semester, and I look forward to all that is to come. In the meantime, I wish you a restful and joyous holiday, filled with restorative connections with your communities, families and friends. Thank you for your continued dedication to Vanderbilt.
Sincerely,
C. Cybele Raver
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs