Year: 2025

Vanderbilt and Harvard professors of law recently debated whether the Voting Rights Act still protects American democracy as part of the Respectfully Dissent debate series. The Law School series, in its second year, brings together experts to explore hot topics in today’s legal climate. Nicholas Stephanopoulos of Harvard and James Blumstein of Vanderbilt took up the topic in advance of the U.S. Supreme Court’s pending decision in Louisiana v. Callais and the constitutional boundaries of race-conscious districting. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has announced its latest Nicholas Hobbs Discovery Awards, which recognize innovative research to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Colleen Niswender, Dr. Bill Nobis, Audrey Bowden and Laurie Cutting are the recipients for 2025–26, earning support for projects that address Rett syndrome, Dravet syndrome and other developmental epilepsies, and reading difficulties like dyslexia. Read More

Soldiers spend a lot of time wearing body armor. The added weight takes a toll on their shoulders and back, contributing to one of the most common injuries reported by U.S. Army soldiers: back overuse. Vanderbilt researchers have developed a two-pound wearable device that redistributes 90 percent of that weight to the wearer’s hips while standing, walking and sitting—and lets soldiers retain their full agility and freedom of movement. Associate Professor Karl Zelik, senior research engineer Chad Ice and Ph.D. graduate Paul Slaughter published the study. Read More

While using an ice pack to ease pain is nothing new, a Vanderbilt team has taken the concept high-tech. Associate Professor Leon Bellan leads the group that has developed a cold-triggered “depot”—an implantable device that releases medication from within the body on demand. This shows promise on two fronts: Patients can release the medication simply by putting an ice pack over the implant, and locally effective NSAID drugs can be used instead of more addictive opioids. Read More

On Dec. 3, both the men's and women's basketball teams took part in the ACC/SEC Challenge doubleheader at Memorial Gym. The No. 17 Vanderbilt men's team defeated SMU with an 88-69 win, while the No. 15/14-ranked women's team beat Virginia, 81-68.  Read More

As holiday shopping picks up, we often see an increase in online scams targeting our community. To promote safer browsing and purchasing practices, the Office of Cybersecurity has created two quick and easy-to-share resources for students. Read More

Celebrate a favorite Vanderbilt University employee tradition—the annual Turkey Toss—on Dec. 16, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year’s event, which will be in the Multipurpose Room, Great Room and cafe within Carmichael College, will mark the close of Vanderbilt’s Sesquicentennial celebrations. Attendees will receive a large Vanderbilt insulated bag. Regular turkeys as well as halal and tofurkey options will be available. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Staff-Letics Program returns for a second action-packed season of 3v3 basketball. This is your chance to join the league and play basketball while bonding with colleagues and staying active in the new year. This event is open to all staff, faculty and postdocs.   Read More

As we approach the end of the calendar year, we’re asking all Vanderbilt employees to take a few minutes to confirm that your personal information in Oracle is accurate. This quick review ensures your W-2 is prepared correctly and delivered without delay.  Read More

The Vanderbilt Graduate Student Council has announced the winners of the 2025 Graduate Leadership Anchor Awards, which honor the hard work and leadership of Vanderbilt graduate students schoolwide. Awards were presented at an awards ceremony in April of this year. The awards recognize outstanding service, mentorship, departmental leadership, student advocacy, research and best overall. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Human Research Protection Program will launch the third and final phase of its institutional review board transition on Jan. 1, 2026, inviting eligible studies to move from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s IRB to Vanderbilt’s new social, behavioral and educational research IRB. Read More

Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens, professor of human-centered learning technologies and director of the IDEA lab, was selected for the competitive Amazon Web Services  Education Equity Initiative for her work with Adventures in AI, a suite of tools that lets elementary students not only learn how to use AI,… Read More

Dean Camilla P. Benbow Traditional college-aged students, working professionals, preschool through 12th grade learners—at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, we teach all of them and advance discoveries that improve their educational experiences. While much of this work takes place on campus, Peabody’s value extends to classrooms and… Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Office of Emergency Management will host its annual tabletop exercise on Thursday, Dec. 4, reinforcing the university’s ongoing commitment to campus safety and emergency preparedness. Read More

In celebration of GIS Day on Nov. 19, the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries’ GIS Lab created “Mapping Vanderbilt’s Past, Present, Future,” an interactive story map that documents how the university’s campus has been imagined, built, contested and reshaped across its 150-year history. Read More

The following speech was delivered by Peabody Distinguished Alumna Sharon Shields, PhD’76, at Peabody Diploma Ceremonies on May 8, 2025. Her remarks have been lightly edited for context. Sharon Shields and Camilla Benbow, Peabody College Doctor of Education Degree Ceremony at the Peabody Esplanade on May 09, 2025. (Photo… Read More

All faculty are invited to the Faculty Senate meeting on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Faculty Commons Building at 1101 19th Ave. S. All faculty are invited, but only members of the senate will be asked to vote. The meeting is from 4:10 to 5:30 p.m., and there will be a reception afterward in the first-floor Faculty Lounge. Read More

Vanderbilt University is taking the next step in its long-term efforts to build an innovation neighborhood by filing a Specific Plan application with the Nashville Planning Department to reshape 40 underutilized acres on the campus’s western edge into a mixed-use, pedestrian-first hub for research, collaboration and entrepreneurship. Read More

It’s tiiiiiime! No holiday shopping is complete without the 2025 Vanderbilt Holiday Gift Guide.  We’ve done the curating, so you can do the shopping. This guide includes gifts for everyone, from proud students and alums to fantastic faculty and staff.  Explore stylish apparel, spirited drinkware and timeless accessories that add a… Read More

After an enthusiastic reception to its first round of public programming, Vanderbilt University–New York City hosted a second series of events this fall, further demonstrating its commitment to building community and fostering connection in the city. The events, a continuation of the “Vanderbilt in the City: Conversations on America” series, brought faculty and thought leaders together for conversations that explored the sacred elements of jazz and the influence of AI on the university landscape Read More