The Greater Good

Dr. David Patterson, BA’81, MD’85, is proof the Vanderbilt experience doesn’t have to end after graduation. Patterson has served Vanderbilt as a trustee since 2013. He also is a member of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Board of Directors, and past president of the Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Association. Read More

Jasmine Greer, photo by John Russell Jasmine Greer, BE’16, applied to only one MBA program: Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. She wanted to stay at Vanderbilt and chose Owen not only for its top-flight academic program but also its collaborative environment. At Owen, Greer has immersed herself in several… Read More

The Wilkinses recently made a sizable commitment to Experience Vanderbilt, a program that provides students with need-based financial aid for extracurricular activities that require fees for participation, such as club sports, arts and cultural experiences, Greek life and service trips like Alternative Spring Break. Read More

It wasn’t the unfamiliarity of a new city or the intimidation of a new faculty position that stood out to Fräncille Bergquist when she first came to Vanderbilt in 1977. The new professor of Spanish was taken aback by the rolling hills and green trees of Middle Tennessee—a stark contrast… Read More

Charles Brau and Virginia Shepherd, photo by Susan Urmy Virginia Shepherd knew in eighth grade that she wanted to become a scientist. Her education and training eventually led to a tenured research scientist position at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Nashville’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Shepherd’s passion for science education… Read More

Photo by Stephen Doster The story of Richard Armstrong is a shining example of how one person’s legacy can have a powerful ripple effect on others. A basic sciences professor of biochemistry and chemistry from 1995 until his 2015 death, Armstrong was known for his groundbreaking biochemical research. In his… Read More

John Hindle The establishment of the Hindle Family Scholarship in 2014 was one more way for John Hindle, BA’68, PhD’81, and his wife, Joan Barr Hindle, to pay forward the lifelong success they have achieved, which John credits in large measure to his Vanderbilt education. At the time they created… Read More

Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans On clinic day every week, first-year nursing student Brooke Hazen’s 12-hour shift starts at 6:30 a.m. “We’re taking vital signs, helping patients shower and walk, administering shots and IVs, and interpreting lab results,” she says. Hazen is in Vanderbilt School of Nursing’s prespecialty… Read More

Karen White, BA’11, was born to be an advocate. Her first experience in advocacy was for herself at the age of 15, when she left a volatile home life and struggled to support herself through periods of homelessness. “I remember sleeping on the couch in the tattoo parlor… Read More

Sarah D’Amico, BS’16, takes a moment to put up her feet after a rewarding day of teaching. A classroom of elementary school students in New York City is receiving a well-rounded education thanks to their teacher, Sarah D’Amico, BS’16, who returned to her neighborhood after graduation to pass the… Read More

Xiaoyan Jiang, MBA’01, is helping to ensure that Owen Students can expand their educations by traveling abroad. (Chad Driver) Xiaoyan Jiang, MBA’01, is a strong believer in the transformative power of international travel. While working in global business, she logged addresses in Nashville, Cleveland, Tokyo, Hong Kong and… Read More

Natalie Vlach, BMus’18. Photo by Joe Howell As a young girl, Natalie Vlach, BMus’18, fell in love with her electronic keyboard. Unlike some childhood infatuations, however, Vlach’s passion for piano endured and deepened, leading eventually to her winning the Linde B. Wilson Scholarship at the Blair School. “Blair… Read More

Photo by Peyton Hoge Reunion 2018 is in the books! More than 5,000 alumni and guests gathered on campus Oct. 11–13 to celebrate with lifelong friends, relive cherished memories, and reconnect with their alma mater. Friday, Oct. 12, was a picture-perfect fall day on campus as the lingering… Read More

Students pose with Mr. Commodore at this year’s Anchor Down Day prior to Giving Day. Photo by Susan Urmy More than 7,000 members of the Vanderbilt community came together to raise nearly $6 million for the university and its students on the third annual Vanderbilt Giving Day, setting a… Read More

Senior Class Fund Chair Claire Fogarty, BS’18, presents the Class of 2018’s record-breaking donation during Senior Day Activities May 10. Photo by Joe Howell Senior Class Fund Chair Claire Fogarty, BS’18, presented the Class of 2018’s gift to Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos as part of Senior Day activities before… Read More

Mershon’s affinity for Vanderbilt has inspired nearly 20 years of consecutive annual giving. Read More

Susan Urmy/Vanderbilt University During Vanderbilt’s third annual Giving Day on June 5, alumni from across the country showed their support and Commodore pride by making gifts of all sizes. Bryan Byrdlong, BA’15, was among them. As the chair of Graduates Of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) for the Nashville Chapter… Read More

During the four decades since the Paul Kurtz left campus for a career in Athens, Georgia, his service and philanthropy attest to a lifelong affinity for Vanderbilt University. Read More

Richard (BA’57, MD’61) and Poppy (BSN’61) Buchanan will establish the Poppy Pickering Buchanan and Richard D. Buchanan Library Fellows Fund. This fund will benefit students and future library users by supporting strategic projects in which selected students work on multidisciplinary teams under the mentorship of faculty and professional librarians. Read More

Photo by Joe Howell When Mary Cohron, EMBA’88, received her degree from Owen Graduate School of Management, she was one of only eight women in her class of about 50. “Back in 1988 there weren’t that many women in top-tier business schools, and Vanderbilt took a chance on… Read More