MyVU News

Vanderbilt emeritus professor of economics John Vrooman, who had a passion for all things sports and taught one of the most popular classes at Vanderbilt focusing on sports economics, passed away on July 5. Before he passed, Vrooman asked that he not have an official obituary, but fellow economics professor Robert Driskill wrote this remembrance of Vrooman, who had a teaching career that spanned almost five decades. Read More

Provost Susan R. Wente and the Faculty Senate will co-host a virtual town hall for faculty focused on classroom safety—including classroom protocols—on Monday, July 20. The live webinar from 11 a.m. to noon also will include a moderated question-and-answer session. Read More

Vanderbilt ISSS bolsters efforts to support the university’s international students, who are navigating challenges ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to rapidly changing government directives. Read More

In close collaboration with faculty leaders, a team of subject-matter experts charged with researching and developing classroom protocols in response to COVID-19 has released a list of requirements and recommendations for classroom instruction for starting the 2020-21 academic year. The full list of protocols includes guidelines for in-classroom physical distancing, face mask/coverings, room entrances and exits, as well as recommendations regarding seating arrangements, equipment and technology. Read More

The University Working Group on Schools and Childcare has announced that the new Vanderbilt caregivers online forums launched this week for VU community members to connect and exchange ideas and resources regarding child care solutions and arrangements beyond Vanderbilt’s campus. Read More

Chancellor Emeritus Nicholas S. Zeppos, a longtime advocate for education and research on mental health, is a new trustee of McLean Hospital, a world leader in treatment of psychiatric disorders. Read More

Longtime NFL executive and Vanderbilt Law School alumnus Adolpho Birch III has been named as chair of a new Board of Trust ad hoc committee that will partner with university leadership to evaluate and recommend policies around equity, diversity and inclusion. Read More

Vanderbilt faculty and staff are busy gearing up for residential students to return to campus with a host of new interactive initiatives. Faculty heads of house and the Residential Colleges staff are ready to help undergraduate residential students with several new resources. Read More

Medical and public health experts from Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center will host two virtual town halls focused on the medical aspects of COVID-19 on Saturday, July 18. They will address the latest understanding of the virus, best practices and the science behind public health protocols designed to slow the spread, as well as the university’s plans for testing and contact tracing. The town hall for faculty and staff will take place from noon to 1 p.m. The town hall for student and families will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. Read More

The Center for Teaching has partnered with instructional design firm iDesign to provide faculty with additional instructional design support as preparations continue for online and hybrid teaching this fall. Beginning Friday, July 24, Vanderbilt faculty will receive access to a hub of resources to support online teaching and course design, a la carte access to instructional design support services and troubleshooting, and templates for use within Vanderbilt’s learning management system. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Inclusive Book Group will meet online Aug. 5 to discuss "The Person You Mean to Be," which explores causes of inequality and offers tools for recognizing implicit bias. Read More

Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering Cynthia Reinhart-King's trailblazing cancer research will be supported by a three-year, $1 million grant from the prestigious W. M. Keck Foundation. Her research takes a bold engineering approach to sort breast cancer cells based on their behavior first and has produced compelling data that show less migratory cells create more metastases, contradicting the prevailing hypothesis on how cancer spreads. Read More

Vanderbilt University has issued a response to the federal government’s announcement rescinding its immigration directive that would have forced international students to leave the United States if their institution offers remote-only instruction in the fall. Read More

Vanderbilt University has joined more than 50 of the nation’s top universities and colleges to stop a new federal directive that would force international students to leave the United States if their institution offers remote-only instruction in the fall. The institutions filed an amicus brief today in support of a lawsuit brought by Harvard and MIT against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy. Read More

How well do you know VU? Test your knowledge of Vanderbilt University trivia and win prizes in the first virtual Employee Appreciation event on Thursday, July 23. Read More

Career support for graduate students is moving from the Graduate School to the Career Center beginning in the fall 2020 semester. Read More

Dr. David Aronoff, Addison B. Scoville Jr. Chair in Medicine and professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology, discusses why it's important for everyone on the Vanderbilt campus to continue COVID-19 safety measures. Read More

Vanderbilt University and more than 50 of the nation’s top universities and colleges plan to file a joint amicus brief in support of a lawsuit opposing new federal immigration guidance requiring international students with F-1 visas to leave the United States, or transfer to another school, if their institution offers remote-only instruction in the fall. The brief is expected to be filed early next week. Read More

The university fully recognizes the challenges that local school districts' plans for the fall pose for members of the Vanderbilt community with school-aged children and is committed to continuing to help faculty, staff, postdocs and students navigate the ever-changing impacts of the pandemic on daily life, write Provost Susan R. Wente and Vice Chancellor for Administration Eric Kopstain in a message to the VU community. Read More

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Abhishek Dubey is applying artificial intelligence to address how the essential public transit systems of Nashville and Chattanooga—WeGo Public Transit and CARTA, respectively—can maintain social distancing protocols and proactively plan bus routes and schedules in response to COVID-19. Read More