Dear faculty colleagues,
For many of you, Wednesday will mark the first day of classes for the 2022–23 year. I wanted to share my gratitude for your hard work and planning as we prepare for this exciting time.
We are entering this semester with an incredible tailwind, thanks to your dedication and ambitious reaching. As examples, we hit our benchmark of $1 billion in research funding from external organizations last academic year. Since last fall, and in recognition of their profound accomplishments across research, teaching and service, nine faculty were elevated to our highest faculty rank as University Distinguished Professor. In addition, 27 Vanderbilt faculty members have received highly prestigious awards thus far in 2022, including AAAS fellowships and recognition from the National Science Foundation. Our faculty have also made Vanderbilt’s research impact more visible to a broader audience: Faculty research and expertise garnered more than 421,000 media mentions in the past fiscal year.
What’s more, many of you are making profound contributions to key university initiatives focused on our students, such as the opening of Rothschild College, the development of new models of funding and support for Ph.D. education, bold investments in the Wond’ry, expanded student resources at the Career Center and many other efforts that will continue to catapult our reputation and impact forward.
We have more great opportunities on the horizon. I am excited for the initiatives that will be launched by our newest vice provosts, Tiffiny Tung and Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, as these innovative leaders have been appointed to key roles—the vice provost for undergraduate education and the vice provost for arts and libraries, respectively. You will also hear more in the coming months from vice provosts Padma Raghavan and Tracey George as they strengthen Vanderbilt’s support for ambitious research and discovery.
This year, we plan to build on Vanderbilt’s recent momentum. Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and I recently welcomed a stellar group of 74 new faculty colleagues to Vanderbilt, joining us from 40 institutions across the country and around the world.
Thank you again, and I wish you a wonderful start to the year ahead.
Sincerely,
C. Cybele Raver
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs