Releases

Churches with predominantly black congregations are thriving in urban and suburban areas, and the most successful churches employ a variety of sophisticated marketing and programming strategies to draw members, a new study by Vanderbilt University researcher Sandra Barnes finds. The research offers insights into what successful black churches have in common today, when parishioners have more choices and expect more from their churches than they have in the past. Read More

To accommodate the intense work schedules of rising executives and the changing economy's impact on business professionals, the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management is transitioning its highly respected 31-year-old Executive MBA program from an alternating Friday-Saturday schedule to an alternating Saturday-only format. Read More

Academy Award-nominated documentary Encounters at the End of the World will be screened free-of-charge on April 6 at Vanderbilt University, followed by a discussion led by a producer of the film. Read More

Dr. Harry R. Jacobson will retire as vice chancellor for health affairs at Vanderbilt University June 1, and Dr. Jeffrey Balser, dean of the School of Medicine, will succeed him, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos announced today. Read More

Vanderbilt students are getting into the spirit of Earth Hour on Saturday, March 28. They will join millions of people around the world and here in Nashville who are turning out lights to draw attention to climate change. Read More

Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin will receive Vanderbilt University's prestigious Nichols-Chancellor's Medal on May 7, when she will address graduating seniors and their families during Senior Day. Read More

One hundred sixteen Vanderbilt graduate students will present original research at the Graduate Student Research Symposium on Monday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Life Center ballrooms and meeting rooms. The symposium, one of several events scheduled for Graduate Education Week, is free and open to the public. Read More

Imagine a platoon of soldiers fighting in a hazardous urban environment who carry personal digital assistants that can display the location of enemy shooters in three dimensions and accurately identify the caliber and type of weapons they are firing. Read More

Jennifer Risper scored a career-high 27 points and Christina Wirth added 24 as fourth-seeded Vanderbilt beat fifth-seeded Kansas State 74-61 in the NCAA's second round March 23. The Commodores (26-8) advanced to the semifinals of the Raleigh regional, where they'll play next weekend against the winner of Tuesday night's contest between Maryland and Utah. Read More

The topic of immigration reform in the United States will be discussed by the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, Mark Krikorian and conservative political analyst Bay Buchanan. The discussion will be held at noon on March 23 in the Hyatt room at Vanderbilt University Law School. The event is free and open to the public. Read More

The keys to fixing the U.S. health care system are to hold people accountable for their actions; treat health insurance like auto insurance and tax individual's health care benefits said Larry Van Horn, a leading expert and researcher on health care management and economics. Read More

The Net Impact group at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management is hosting a day-long symposium on profitable environmentally and socially conscious careers and the new sustainable economy. Read More

While many people associate the word "pork" with lawmakers' wasteful spending for pet projects, new Vanderbilt research demonstrates the importance of cabinet secretaries and their political ideology in the distribution of lucrative federal grants. Read More

Galileo looked through a telescope for the first time 400 years ago. The global "100 Hours of Astronomy Cornerstone Project" hopes to have as many people as possible look through a telescope as Galileo did from April 2 to 5. Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory will participate in the project by offering people a chance to view the stars on Saturday, April 4. Read More

Brighton Beach Memoirs, which debuts April 3 at Neely Auditorium at Vanderbilt University, is a semi-autobiographical, bittersweet comedy recalling the years of Tony-award winning playwright Neil Simon's family's struggle in New York during the Great Depression. Read More

Vanderbilt University experienced a decrease in crime in 2008 according to the latest figures compiled by the Vanderbilt Police Department for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's annual Crime on Campus report to be released in March. Read More

Members of Chicago's famed comedy theatre, The Second City, will do two shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, March 20, at Vanderbilt University's Sarratt Cinema in the Sarratt Student Center. Read More

The Information Systems Security Association has honored Mark Johnson, chief information security officer for Vanderbilt University, with its Security Professional of the Year award for 2008. Read More

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Israeli legislator Natan Sharansky will deliver public lectures at Vanderbilt University March 17-18 as part of the university's annual Impact Symposium. Read More

Working in a global economy means a lot more than where a business builds or sends its products. Today, a business owner may operate a shipping business in Florida, have the business incorporated in Delaware, maintain the company's assets in an offshore bank account in the Cayman Islands and specify that any legal disputes be litigated in the United Kingdom. And this is all perfectly legal. Read More