The Vanderbilt Story

In early September 2014, Ian Crozier, M.D.,’97, supervised the jet evacuation of a critically ill patient from Kenema, the epicenter of the raging Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. An exhausted Crozier told the medical team that he hoped he didn’t have to see them again. One week later, he did. Read More

Oliver Luckett, BA’96, never saw it coming. When he stepped off the curb to cross the busy San Francisco street, the taxi cab was moving much too fast for him to react. And in the blink of an eye, his life was never the same. Read More

They walked up to us, one by one, for nearly two hours, many of them with tears in their eyes. Then they looked at the man seated next to me, clasped his hands, and spoke from the heart. I’m sorry for what you went through. I could have done more… Read More

Jack Minardi’s work represents a huge step in a technology known for making giant leaps. Minardi, BE’12, is co-founder and software engineering lead for Voxel8, developer of a custom-electronics-producing 3-D printer that is a darling of tech media, attracting attention from Wired and Popular Mechanics. Fast Company named it one of The 9 Best Ideas… Read More

A service leader who spent last spring break in Ghana. A younger brother and Best Buddies member. A mass transit planner. And a spinal-cord injury researcher. Four undergraduate students—each a scholarship recipient, each enriching the Vanderbilt community. In the midst of the financial collapse of 2008, Vanderbilt took a bold… Read More

Jameson Norton clearly recalls the event that would determine the course of his life before his career had even started. He was sitting in his senior English class at Nashville’s Montgomery Bell Academy. First class of the day. Eight-thirty a.m. Sept. 11, 2001. “The dean of students interrupted the class… Read More

Seven years ago, The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons did not exist. Now, “The Commons” says goodbye to its inaugural dean, opening a new chapter in Vanderbilt history. “We all have to remember that before Dean Wcislo, no one had an idea what The Commons was, or could be,” said Professor… Read More

It’s a story of love and determination and a debilitating lifelong disorder. A son’s rare genetic disease has led his mom to become a scientist at Vanderbilt University. Watch this VUCast Extra and a mom’s race against time. Read More

Hear how a talented student is earning accolades in Vienna; see what an engineering student built to advance biomedical research; and celebrate with the newly accepted members of the Class of 2019. Watch now! Read More

Fifth-year neuroscience Ph.D. student Kale Edmiston is the assistant director of Vanderbilt's Program for LGBTI Health, studies the relationship between stress and autism in teenagers, and is attempting to teach himself Mandarin in preparation for postdoctoral studies in China...and he helms the queer punk record label Nervous Nelly with his partner, Shannon. Read More

Even with his 50th birthday just around the corner, Mark Tillinger, BA’81, MBA’82, did not have a midlife crisis: He was too busy fighting for his life. Emerging on the other side of a cancer diagnosis and treatment, he sought opportunities to make small investments in the lives of others—with… Read More

In early September 2014, Ian Crozier, M.D.,’97, supervised the jet evacuation of a critically ill patient from Kenema, the epicenter of the raging Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. An exhausted Crozier told the medical team that he hoped he didn’t have to see them again. One week later, he did. Read More

As singer Amy Grant figures it, there’s no greater blessing than being part of a community that cares, and the least she can do is take the light she has been given and shine it toward those who need it most. Read More

Last April, Susan Wente, a cell biologist who most recently served as associate vice chancellor for research and senior associate dean for biomedical sciences at Vanderbilt, was named university provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. In addition to being responsible for the academic affairs for Vanderbilt University’s colleges… Read More

For more than 30 years, Vicki Simons Heyman, BA’79, MBA’80, and Bruce Heyman, BA’79, MBA’80, built a life in Chicago. They raised three children. They made deep friendships. They had successful careers. But still they wanted more. “You reach a point in your life,” Bruce explains, “when you’ve done well—but… Read More

What do Vanderbilt undergraduates do outside the classroom? Watch as our undergrads create solutions, create change and create magic as part of Immersion Vanderbilt. Read More

In the latest VUCast: See how TV news impacted the women's rights movement; the story of the first African American to play basketball in the SEC scores big; and experts address hot-button issues in health care. Watch now! Read More

With nothing more than a willingness to make a difference and a $150 grant, high school science teacher Juliet Crupi was able to turn an inner-city after-school club into a nationally recognized program aimed at changing the relationships among her students, food and the community. Read More

After Emily White graduated from Vanderbilt in 2000 with a degree in fine arts, she headed straight for Silicon Valley. With stints at Google as employee No. 230, Facebook as director of mobile partnerships and Instagram as director of business operations, she settled in as the COO of Snapchat… Read More

In the latest VUCast: See a powerful new weapon in the fight against malaria and how a 3-D printer speeds up the research; meet a little dog that won a big award; and hear the Melodores, winners of NBC's "The Sing-Off." Watch now! Read More