Issues

As a research institution, the two “products” Vanderbilt puts into the world are alumni and the research produced. Whether it’s helping to cure cancer, inspire with art, or promote sustainability, Vanderbilt students learn to apply the combination of practical skills and confidence that can only be gained from experience to a broad range of fields—positioning them to be much more effective in translating their education to results outside the classroom. Read More

The Peabody lawn has hosted many events—from farm-to-table dinners and outdoor classrooms to Peabody’s graduate student Commencement each spring. A regular-season volleyball match, however, had never graced the iconic mall. At least, not until Aug. 29, when Vanderbilt’s reignited volleyball program recorded its first win in its home opener. Read More

In May, at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the Vanderbilt women’s varsity eights beat all challengers for the second year in a row. Read More

'The River Will Be a Part of Us' by Justus Wayne Thomas, BA'80, chronicles the journey of a group of young people from the U.S. and Germany who launched a homemade raft on the Missouri River near Kansas City, determined to float to St. Louis and from there all the way down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Read More

Elenora Pertz, BMus’15 (Claudia Araujo) Pianist Elenora Pertz, BMus’15, has chased her musical dreams across continents, from the grand halls of Vienna to Berlin—and this past summer to Florence, Italy. As a collaborative pianist for some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, an innovative teacher and an… Read More

Jeff Martindale, BA'90, was awarded the Six Star Medal in March for completing the original six Abbott World Marathon Majors: TCS New York City Marathon (2010), Boston Marathon (2013), Bank of America Chicago Marathon (2017), Berlin Marathon (2022), TCS London Marathon (2023) and Tokyo Marathon (2025). Read More

Shirley Marie Watts of Nashville, a musician and a longtime librarian for the Blair School’s Anne Potter Wilson Music Library, died Oct. 21, 2024. She was 89. Read More

David Boaz, a foundational figure of modern libertarian thought who brought libertarian ideas into the mainstream, died June 7, 2024, at his home in Arlington, Virginia. He was 70. Read More

Excellence, the first principle set forth in the updated Code of Bylaws approved by Vanderbilt’s Board of Trust, along with our other two guiding principles—academic freedom and free expression, and growth and development—drives our core purpose: to provide transformative education and pathbreaking research. It is our foremost commitment and our steadfast promise in all that we do. Read More

Alumni remember K.C. Potter, emeritus dean of residential and judicial affairs, in their own words Read More

Vanderbilt's social media community tells us their favorite places on campus to snap pictures. Read More

After a car accident in 2022 forever altered Robby Barbieri's life, he refused to let anyone take his future. In fact, he worked to change countless lives for the better in his adopted home state by advocating for legislation that allows thousands of Tennesseans with disabilities to maintain careers and care for families. Read More

Five questions with Jacob Mchangama, one of the world’s leading authorities on the fundamental freedom of free speech Read More

Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English Major Jackson sees poetry as an art best appreciated in communion with others and approached through the senses as much as the intellect. He believes deeply in the power of poetry to break down barriers and foster understanding. Read More

Myria Carpenter, BS'97, president of the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni, takes a broad community approach to engagement. Read More

Vanderbilt's Dare to Grow Campaign has surpassed its initial fundraising goal, underscoring the incredible generosity of Vanderbilt’s donors and the widespread enthusiasm for the university’s vision. This early achievement has established a launching pad for bolder, more far-reaching impact throughout the remainder of the campaign. Read More

The cast of a plesiosaur, a large marine reptile that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, that was once a centerpiece of Vanderbilt’s natural history museum from the 1870s has been unearthed in the basement of Branscomb Quad. Read More

As founder and CEO of UpSmith, Wyatt Smith, BS'10, uses technology to help builders and technicians be more productive, master new skills to stay in the workforce longer and help solve the skilled workforce shortage. Read More

Through the transfer portal, which is part of what the NCAA calls the notification-of-transfer model, student-athletes have gained more autonomy to find a place that fits. While the name conjures sci-fi images, the portal itself is a transparent central database of student-athletes who are exploring transfers, accessible to coaches and administrators. It’s one more way for the best and brightest—a little older and perhaps a little wiser—to find Vanderbilt, which is a place that for 150 years has been about preparing you for where you’re going. Read More

Joanna Winston Foley, BA’65, brings the lack of racial representation in public art to light through advocacy and her website Representation Matters. Read More