The Vanderbilt Story

Joseph, a new assistant professor of mathematics education at Peabody College, has made understanding racial minorities’ experiences in mathematics and advocating for their educational needs her life’s mission. Read More

Homecoming came early this year for Vanderbilt alumnus David Sweatt, who joined the faculty as chair of Pharmacology this summer, 30 years after receiving his Ph.D. from the department he now leads. Read More

Learn more about Valerie Hotchkiss, who became Vanderbilt’s university librarian Aug. 1. She serves as the executive administrator of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library as well as a professor of religious studies in the College of Arts and Science. Read More

Kenny Tao, a new assistant professor of biomedical engineering, brings his innovations in the field of optical coherence tomography and his wry sense of humor to Vanderbilt's laboratories and classrooms. Read More

Joerg Rieger, a new Distinguished Professor of Theology and the Cal Turner Chancellor's Chair of Wesleyan Studies, defines justice as the search for the right relationships. “Religion can play an important role in changing our relationships for the better,” he said. Read More

By understanding the systematic ways in which practices differ from one organization to another, new Assistant Professor of Strategic Management Megan Lawrence hopes her research will help companies learn to adapt and renew themselves as they look for long-term success in changing markets. Read More

The next time you find yourself stumbling through a presentation or public speaking engagement, take heart. The most polished speakers are not necessarily the most effective ones, says Duane Watson, a new associate professor of psychology and human development at Peabody College. Read More

There’s one thing we already know about the chief executive who will follow President Obama into the White House, according to Sharece Thrower, Vanderbilt’s newest presidential scholar. “With every president, there’s been an accumulation of a little bit more power,” she said. Read More

Jose Sibaja is a versatile performer in demand for his ability to teach and play trumpet in a variety of styles—classical, Latin, jazz and pop. “I like quality music, and quality music comes in a lot of different flavors,” he said. Read More

Meet Kathryn Speckles, or “K-Specks” as she’s known to many on campus, though the spellings of her nickname can vary. You may have seen her rap at Spotlight as a part of Vandy Spoken Word, but she can also be found singing in Voce A Cappella, interviewing applicants for the… Read More

Sure, you’ve heard of the Cronut®. It’s the half-croissant, half-doughnut that took the world by storm a few years ago. But have you ever wondered why you’ve heard of it? It’s because of innovative attorneys like Candice Cook Simmons, who received her law degree from Vanderbilt in 2003. Read More

Wednesday is clinic day for Vanderbilt psychiatrist Sheryl Fleisch, M.D. The day is packed with patients, many with multiple physical and mental issues. Fleisch is dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved Vanderbilt T-shirt and a fleece jacket. She wears hiking shoes and carries a heavy backpack. There’s no white coat. No… Read More

Relentlessly courted by athletic powerhouses nationwide, Perry Wallace, BE’70, ultimately made the short trip across town to Vanderbilt—and changed the course of SEC history… Read More

In 2014, Austin Schiff was named the first executive director of the Cincinnati Squash Academy, a nonprofit that seeks to transform talented students in underserved communities into scholar-athletes. He was only 24 years old. His charge: to build an organization from the ground up. “My first day, I put on… Read More

For the past four years, Vanderbilt alumnae Alice Ann Barge, BA’48, and Mary Niederhauser, BS’64—along with their friends Laddie Neil (widow of alumnus Albert B. Neil Jr., JD’50) and Nancy Lee Pitts—have been honored guests at Bonnaroo, the giant outdoor music and arts festival held each June on a 700-acre… Read More

As a kid growing up in Florida, Allison Brown Jones grooved to the beat of Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang and Barbara Mandrell. Decades later, as senior vice president for artists and repertoire at Big Machine Label Group in Nashville, she’s influencing new generations of music fans. Read More

Temple Baker, BA’15, is not your typical Hollywood success story. He wasn’t a child star, shuffled from audition to audition by pushy parents, nor did he have much interest in becoming an actor during college. In fact, his only real stage experience was a fourth-grade production of Romeo and Juliet, in… Read More

Health care once seemed simple: You got sick, called a doctor, and paid the bill as best you could. Today health care accounts for nearly 20 percent of the total U.S. gross domestic product—about $3 trillion of economic activity annually. It’s also the largest item in the federal budget, making… Read More

To read Meredith Dolhare’s long list of athletic triumphs, it’s tempting to ask if there’s anything she can’t do. After transferring to join the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team in 1993 following a freshman stint at perennially top-ranked UCLA, Dolhare (along with then-new Head Coach Geoff Macdonald) helped lift the… Read More

In 1913 a farmer’s son named Oliver Cromwell Carmichael became the first Rhodes Scholar from Alabama. Just 21, he had earned an A.B. from the University of Alabama and had taught German and French there and at Florence Normal School. In 1914 a 20-year-old Methodist minister’s son named Harvie Branscomb… Read More