Issues

Chin, shown creating in his workshop, is known for his large-scale art installations. Photo courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Visionary artist Mel Chin, BA’75, was named Sept. 25 among the class of 26 MacArthur Fellows for 2019. Given by the John D. and Catherine T. Read More

Michael Alec Rose, associate professor of composition, had the premiere of his musical drama, Lolly Willowes, based on the novel by Sylvia Townsend Warner, in April at the MATCH–Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston. In July he was interviewed about the work and his life as a composer by Nashville… Read More

Vanderbilt Alumni Impact the World Dan Lovinger One of my great pleasures as president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board is to highlight some of the Commodores who are leading positive change in the lives of people around the world. When Justin Miller, BS’09, was a student at Vanderbilt, he… 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

Elizabeth Hawkins, BA’86, and Bill Hawkins, BS’82, hosted the Nashville Summer Send-Off Party this summer. They are the parents of Charlie Hawkins, BA’18, and Eliza Hawkins, Class of 2021. This summer Vanderbilt’s welcoming, supportive community celebrated together at 52 Summer Send-Off Parties held in 31 states and three other countries. 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

Each year the Vanderbilt Travel Program offers exciting opportunities for alumni, parents and friends. The 2020 lineup features 24 trips, including a scenic Japanese cruise, a journey through Vietnam, and fresh itineraries for popular European destinations. The shining highlight of the program is the addition of Vanderbilt faculty members. Currently,… Read More

Photo by John Russell Dr. John Oates, an internationally known physician at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a founder of the discipline of clinical pharmacology, died July 30 in Nashville after a short illness. He was 87. The Thomas F. Frist Sr. Professor of Medicine, he founded the Division… Read More

Photo by John Russell A communications leader and champion for STEM research at Vanderbilt, Heidi Nieland Hall died Sept. 25 in Nashville from metastatic colorectal cancer. She was 49. Hall, an honored reporter and editor for decades, left The Tennessean to join the Vanderbilt School of Engineering communications team in… Read More

Vanderbilt University Special Collections and Photo Archives Martin Katahn, a retired psychology professor and best-selling author who wrote The Rotation Diet and other books promoting healthy weight loss and lifestyle, died Sept. 17. He was 90. Katahn, who was known to his family and friends as Dick, was born in… Read More

Photo by John Russell Simon Mayfield “Dick” Dickerson of Franklin, Tennessee, died Sept. 20. He was 79. A graduate of East Nashville High School and George Peabody College for Teachers (now Vanderbilt Peabody College for education and human development), he was president of the student body and “Mr. Peabody.” A… Read More

Self-driving cars. Ride shares. Electric bikes and scooters. The future of transportation, experts say, won’t include just one mode, but instead many. Depending on your point of view, that’s either a welcome relief or a nightmare. Read More

On the night of Nov. 21, 2014, Becca Campbell, a 26-year-old woman from Florissant, Missouri, died of whiteness. Read More

The beauty of Vanderbilt’s campus was on full display Oct. 18–19, as more than 4,800 alumni and guests celebrated Reunion and Homecoming Weekend. Read More

Dan Lovinger By all measures—admissions, graduation rates, philanthropic support, exceptional faculty, diversity and financial health—Vanderbilt has raised its profile dramatically under the leadership of Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. We will be forever grateful for his knowledge, vision and passion during his 11 years as chancellor, as well as his 32… Read More

Everybody’s Doin’ It: Sex, Music, and Dance in New York, 1840-1917 (2019, W.W. Norton) by Dale Cockrell, professor of musicology, emeritus Everybody’s Doin’ It is the eye-opening story of popular music’s 70-year rise in the brothels, dance halls and dives of New York City. It traces the birth of popular… Read More

Daniel Dubois/Vanderbilt University   Since coming to Vanderbilt in 2002, I have seen the university from many different perspectives—as a scholar and faculty member, a department chair, a mentor, a vice chancellor and as Vanderbilt’s provost, and even as the proud parent of an alumna after one… Read More

Turner and Stackhouse developed a mutual admiration during their time in the G League. At the same time Turner was guiding the league through unprecedented growth, Stackhouse was leading the Toronto Raptors’ affiliate, Raptors 905, to the league championship. Read More

Several members of the Vanderbilt community have enjoyed success in the romance genre, drawing upon their varied experiences and interests to bring their stories to life. And they all point to their time at the university as helping spark their imaginations and kindle the passion for their creative pursuits. Read More

Some of the leading efforts to understand the changing nature of public higher education, and implement policies to address those shifts, are being directed by faculty and alumni of Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development. Read More