Vanderbilt Magazine
A Stronger Voice: As the new head of the NCAA’s inclusion efforts, Derrick Gragg aims to amplify opportunities for student-athletes
Dec. 7, 2020—Derrick Gragg, a former student-athlete on the Vanderbilt football team, is the NCAA's new senior vice president for inclusion, education and community engagement.
Iris W. Buhl, BA’64, MA’74: Educator and Philanthropist
Nov. 3, 2020—Iris W. Buhl, a longtime community educator, volunteer and philanthropist in Nashville, died Aug. 11, 2020. She was 77.
James S. “Jim” Gilliland, BA’55, LLB’57: USDA General Counsel
Nov. 3, 2020—After decades influencing political and social change, both locally and nationally, Memphis attorney James S. Gilliland died Feb. 24. He was 86.
‘Something Bigger Than Myself’
Nov. 3, 2020—A tradition of giving in her first year at Vanderbilt has led Julie Babbage to continue giving back to her alma mater in a myriad of ways.
The 2020 Election: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Nov. 3, 2020—Vanderbilt University alumni were offered the unique opportunity this fall to hear two of the country’s foremost political science experts, John Geer and Jon Meacham, discuss the U.S. presidential election in the four-part webinar series, “The 2020 Election: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
Supporting STEM Scholars
Nov. 3, 2020—David Potts and his wife, Frances Candi Potts, recently documented their intent to establish the Potts Scholarship to provide financial support for undergraduate students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the College of Arts and Science or the School of Engineering.
Austin Dirks, BE’08: A ‘GreenLight’ to help health care
Nov. 3, 2020—GreenLight Medical CEO Austin Dirks bills his company as a smarter way to evaluate new medical technology, using a cloud-based system that pulls together quality and value-based data to streamline collaborative purchasing decisions in hospital and health care systems.
Chris Murdock, BA’99, and Tom Milic, BA’99
Nov. 3, 2020—Class of 1999 alumni Chris Murdock and Tom Milic started a recruiting company with a new way of doing business that has grown into a firm with international reach.
Monique Nelson-Nwachuku, BS’96: A Different Path
Nov. 3, 2020—A profile of Monique Nelson-Nwachuku, winner of Vanderbilt’s 2020 Alumni Professional Achievement Award, who is chairman and CEO of UniWorld Group, the country’s longest-standing multicultural marketing agency.
Ben Schecter, BS’18, and Allie Golden, BS’18
Nov. 3, 2020—Last spring, as thousands of health care employees worked tirelessly to do good in the wake of COVID-19, Houston native Ben Schecter and several Vanderbilt friends, including fellow Class of '18 alumna Allie Golden, decided on a model that would help struggling local restaurants and serve health care workers at the same time.
A Tradition of Giving
Nov. 3, 2020—Quarterly message from Tim Warnock, BA'84, president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board
Found in Cuba: Handmade books illustrate Cuban poetry through repurposed materials
Nov. 3, 2020—Ediciones Vigía, a publishing house in the town of Matanzas, Cuba, began to create handbills and invitations in 1985 for local cultural events. Displayed through March of this year, these works now can be enjoyed again in the online exhibit Found in Cuba: The Ingenuity and Creativity of Ediciones Vigía.