Vanderbilt wins three Stevie Awards for sustainability work and People, Culture and Belonging

Vanderbilt has won three Stevie Awards—the first time the university has been recognized by the world’s premier awards for business achievement. More than 3,600 international nominations were submitted in a wide range of categories.

The accolades include two recognitions from the Stevie International Business Awards, which accepts nominations worldwide from all individuals and organizations–large and small, public and private, for-profit and nonprofit:

• Silver, in the category of Achievement in Environment, Social and Government, for Vanderbilt’s commitment to carbon neutrality
• Bronze, in the category of Human Resources Department of the Year, for People, Culture and Belonging

Vanderbilt also received a Stevie Award for Great Employers, which recognizes the world’s best employers and the human resources professionals and achievements that help to create and drive great places to work:

• Bronze, in the category of Achievement in Workplace Health & Wellbeing, for the Office of Health, Wellbeing and Belonging in People, Culture and Belonging

Vanderbilt’s carbon neutrality initiative

In 2019 the university set a goal to power its campus entirely through renewable energy and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As a result of collaboration with the campus community and outside partnerships, Vanderbilt first reached carbon neutrality in 2021—decades ahead of its original goal. The silver Stevie Award recognizes the programs and initiatives that paved the path for this achievement.

“We are proud and honored to have received this award—but as always, we are never satisfied,” said Eric Kopstain, vice chancellor for administration. “Even though we have achieved carbon neutrality, we will continue to assess our efforts and look for opportunities to further accelerate our sustainability goals.”

Vanderbilt’s innovative, collaborative sustainability work includes: 

• Launching an agreement with TVA and NES to build solar farms, opening the Vanderbilt I Solar Farm in April 2023, and offsetting its carbon footprint through a collaboration with Clearloop, which provides clean energy to homes in socioeconomically underinvested communities
• Using local ingredients in campus dining halls through partnerships with Tennessee farms and hydroponic tower gardens on campus
• Incentivizing sustainable commute habits, including free transit passes
• Building green, sustainable buildings, including 27 LEED-certified buildings, with more certifications to come
• Designing and launching a sustainable lab program in 2024
• Prioritizing community engagement, including the Wond’ry’s Climate Innovation Accelerator program, advancing climate solutions for minority-led nonprofits and small businesses

Learn more about Vanderbilt’s sustainability achievements and initiatives.

Vanderbilt’s advances in human resources, health and well-being

People, Culture and Belonging has redefined its focus to better align with the university’s mission of “daring to grow.” The division works to identify the moments that matter to the Vanderbilt community and to create experiences and systems that set new standards for human resource excellence.

“We’re deeply honored to have received these two Stevie Awards,” said Sydney Savion, vice chancellor for people, culture and belonging. “These awards are especially meaningful to us because we’re not competing against our peers; we’re competing against global conglomerates with unlimited resources. This is a big win for us. It’s our moment!”

The winning achievements for the category of Human Resources Department of the Year include: 

• Vanderbilt Voyage onboarding: A revamped orientation program that ensures a seamless transition for new staff, emphasizing “moments that matter”
• Curious Bar launch: Modeled after the Apple Genius Bar, it promotes continuous learning and innovation through personalized support for PCB services
• Digital magazine creation: The innovative new digital magazine illuminate enhances communication from the division

The winning achievements for the category of Workplace Health & Wellbeing include:

• Expanding financial wellness resources through the Employee Critical Support Fund and financial education opportunities
• Increasing the number of mental health and coaching sessions through Lyra from four to 12 annually for staff and their entire households and offering incentivized well-being resources through Virgin Pulse
• Documenting improvement of outcomes that measure the health of Vanderbilt faculty, staff and postdocs

Learn more about the programs and initiatives from PCB that helped earn these two awards.